Indigenous Peoples: Emerging International Actors

Rodolfo Stavenhagen

Summary and Analysis by Ryan BellinoIndigenous Peoples: Emerging International Actors

Who Are The Indigenous?Indigenous

Who are the indigenous? Well, to sum up Stavenhagens six line definition they are descendants of the original inhabitants of a territory[who] were conquered or otherwise subjugated by a more powerful outside group (Stavenhagen, 2008, p. 133-134). There are estimated to be between 100 and 200 million indigenous in the world. The majority can be found in India, China, the Philippines and Latin America. The three names on the slide here represent the names that are synonymous with the word indigenous. 2

Countries in Asia and Latin America have the highest population of indigenous, but there are many other countries like the ones listed that still have their original inhabitants today. 3

Social and economic conditions among the indigenous are not up to par with those that now inhabit their lands. The main reason is due to land and territory rights. The indigenous rely on land for food and for economic survival. Without land many indigenous have nothing. To illustrate this Stavenhagen writes There is an old saying among Native-Americans that an Indian without land is a dead Indian (2008, p. 137). When land is ones main resource that statement is unfortunately very true. 4Colonial stateImmigrant colonistsReligious missions State-sponsored settlersLarge plantationsLivestock ranchersTransnational corporationsMinersLumber companiesWho Took The Land

The indigenous have lost their land to many different authorities. These authorities have taken the indigenous land leaving them homeless looking for other places to call home like the mountains, deserts and jungles. Places they have never had to go to before. Those who were not left homeless were left dead. Many indigenous have gone to seek protection of their land. Governments in many countries have granted territorial and regional autonomy although they are not fond of asking for autonomy of land that already belongs to them. This loss of land has left many indigenous with a loss of cultural identity. 5

To the modern world cultural identity has taken a back seat to modernization, which is to progress. It was widely believed that such groups would inevitably have to modernize, therefore disappear as such, and this was generally referred to as progress (Stavenhagen, 2008, p. 139). Governments idea of a modern nation is one that is a single culture and they have tried to incorporate the indigenous on their own terms. 6Religious conversion

Deny their cultural identity

Taught in national language with native language as a dialect

Education

The school system is one way that the government has tried to incorporate the indigenous into modern society. The indigenous are taught to leave behind their roots and to assume the masks that the dominant society has taught them to put on (Stavenhagen, 2008, p. 140). As time has passed bilingual programs are being offered at some schools. Textbooks are also changing to include the history of the locals. The problem is how to balance state requirements with the wishes of the indigenous. The lack of a proper education and loss of cultural identity has led the indigenous to call this a human rights issue.7Human Rights

The indigenous have been labeled a minority but have made several demands to resist the minority label. Firstsecondthird. The UN Working Group and the International Labour Organization are international organizations that fight for the human right of indigenous populations. Because of organizations like these and others the indigenous peoples may actually blossom in a more humane, human-rights oriented and democratic world, in which respect for cultural and ethnic diversity will be more the rule than the exception (Stavenhagen, 2008, p. 148). 8

My Analysis

Just a fun slide!!9If any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemiesHobbes

The struggle between the indigenous and the colonial state or outsiders immediately made me think about Thomas Hobbes. His theory of every man against every man fits perfectly with how the indigenous were treated by the outsiders. Quotes inevitability (Hobbes, 1651, p. 603). There was also no common power that the indigenous could rely on which means laws were not broken. Hobbes would probably say the original inhabitants lost their land far and square. 10that the subordinated do have a voice. It needs to be heard because it can reveal value where none was previously acknowledged(Kittay, 2011, p. 54).

Kittay

I also thought of Kittay. I know that the indigenous are not disabled but they were obviously seen as subordinate. Even though they were treated poorly by the outsiders they need to depend on them in order to survive. They needed the new inhabitants to care for them. To give them their land back. To grant them autonomy. To care for them. Not with pity but with equal rights. Quote. We owe them the right to be heard. 11Thank you