By John Vidal / The Observer

Land conflicts between farmers and plantation owners, mining companies and developers have raged across Indonesia as local and multinational companies have been encouraged to seize and then deforest customary land – land owned by indigenous people and administered in accordance with their customs. More than 600 were recorded in 2011, with 22 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The true number is probably far greater, say watchdog groups.

The Indonesian national human rights commission reported more than 5,000 human rights violations last year, mostly linked to deforestation by corporations. “Deaths of farmers caused by the increase in agrarian conflicts all across Indonesia are increasing,” said Henry Sarigih, founder of the Indonesian Peasant Union, which has 700,000 members.

“The presence of palm oil plantations has spawned a new poverty and is triggering a crisis of landlessness and hunger. Human rights violations keep occurring around natural resources in the country and intimidation, forced evictions and torture are common,” said Sarigih. “There are thousands of cases that have not surfaced. Many remain hidden, especially by local authorities,” he says.

Communities complain that they are not warned, consulted or compensated when concessions are handed out and that they are left with no option but to give up their independence and work for minimal wages for the companies.

At fault are badly drafted laws, unclear regulations, corruption and heavy-handed security and paramilitary forces – all of which favour large business over the poor. Illegal land purchases and logging are mostly supported by police, armed forces and local government staff. Companies are even allowed to work with security forces.

Feelings run high when land is taken and livelihoods are wiped out by deforestation. In December 2011, 28 protesters from a logging concession area on Padang island in Sumatra sewed their mouths shut in front of the parliament building in Jakarta in a protest against having their land “grabbed” by a giant paper and pulp company.

Last year, three people were killed in a clash with security forces during a protest over gold prospectors in Bima on the island of Sumbawa. Farmers from Mesuji in Sumatra claimed that security forces murdered residents to evict them from their land.

Over 10m hectares (24.7m acres) of land has been given away and converted to plantations in the last 10 years, forcing thousands of communities to give up forest they have collectively used for generations. Politicians offer land to supporters and give permission to develop plantations with little thought for the human or ecological consequences. In addition, government attempts to move landless people from densely populated areas to less populous areas with “transmigration” policies have caused major conflicts with indigenous groups in provinces like Papua and Sulawesi.

“Who controls the land in Indonesia controls the politics. Corruption is massive around natural resources. We are seeing a new corporate colonialism. In the Suharto era you were sent to prison for talking about the government. Now you can be sent there for talking about corporations,” says Abetnego Tarigan, director of Friends of the Earth Indonesia in Jakarta.

Three of the group’s staff members, including its south Sumatra director, are in prison following protests at the involvement of the police and military in a land dispute involving a state-owned palm oil plantation firm. “The scale of the conflicts is growing. Every day new ones are reported. More and more police are now in the plantations. Government is trying to clamp down on mass protests,” said Tarigan.

“These developments are classed as ‘growth’ but what we are seeing is the collapse of communities of fisherfolk or farmers and increasing poverty. We are exchanging biodiversity for monocultures, local economies for global ones, small-scale producers are becoming labourers and community land is becoming corporate. This is the direction we are going.”

From The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/25/indonesia-new-corporate-colonialism

But in contrast to some adults in this world, children are actually sane. Yes really. Okay so they can be incredibly stubborn and unreasonable at times (I want ice cream now!) but their emotions are pure and raw. They have not yet been brainwashed or conditioned to behave or think a certain way. For a few precious years, a little kid is a larger than life version of who they truly are. They are free, spirited and honest. They have little in the way of social graces. They have yet to be moulded.

What I love most about children is their ability to completely befriend another little kid at the park. My children and I think most children, will play away with any child – the colour of their skin, their parents religion, the language barrier is not an issue for a kid. Children just see another child. Adults are more likely to see a Muslim boy, a black girl, a Mexican child or a white kid.

My two-year-old was at the park today and was delighted that a seven-year old Aboriginal girl was smiling at him and playing with him. They both played away together and giggled. It was beautiful but my heart-felt heavy.

Her parents wouldn’t give me eye contact. I looked over a few times smiling at them, hoping to connect but they wouldn’t look at me. You see I’m a white woman and I have a white boy.

I don’t blame the Aboriginal family. They assume I am Australian (I’m Scottish) and I have hurt their ancestors. I understand their fear, or at least I try to understand their prejudice against me. It’s a hard sentence to write but too many ‘white’ people in Australia have no respect or time for the native people.

It’s a hidden and dark secret here in Australia. It is not often discussed how many Aboriginal people live in third world poverty, the alcohol problems (we gave them the booze 200 years ago when we first set foot on Australian soil and decided to declare it our newest hangout) and how they are seen as a dirty, inconvenient stain on Australia’s squeaky clean, brochure-perfect-good-looking-surfer-blue-eyes society.  But these people exist. They are people and they live in Australia.

I am not saying this is how all Australians think – my goodness, clearly not. There are many incredibly compassionate Australians who wish to rebuild their relations with the native people. They wish to help. They wish to somehow soothe the horrific wounds, they don’t have all the answers but they are good people and they are trying to make amends. The liberal people of Australia do exist, it is just sadly the louder, obnoxious true-blue-beer-swigging-racists who have the stage far too often. They get all the media sound bites.

I’d love to reach my hand out in friendship like the children can do with such ease. But you see, I’m scared too. The children are not yet burdened with my guilt of past generations. I didn’t hurt these people but I understand they can’t trust the likes of me.  The older we get, the harder it becomes.

That’s what I love most about children. They are fearless. They trust. They believe. They forgive. They have so much hope. The have no reservations. For most kids, the lucky ones – from normal, happy families – they have no real burdens yet. If only we could stop injecting our fear and anxiety into them.

If only we could stop brainwashing our children with our toxic thoughts, our pain, our hurt, our ignorance. Let them decide, let the children lead the way.

And so when some grumpy woman rolls her eyes or an irritated man ignores my child. I don’t worry too much, for I know my child has a good heart and he will be a positive change to this world.

I will try my hardest not to allow my hurt, my sadness, my beliefs to penetrate his life. Furthermore, I hope other people do not rub all their prejudices, fear, hate and anger into his innocent heart. I want to give him the opportunity to go forth with a clear mind and a pure heart. If only more people in this world could allow their children the opportunity to do so? Why must we continue to impact our children with our own fear and hurt from years before? Can’t we allow them the freedom to see the world through their own eyes? Maybe then, we could have positive change. Maybe then a child would grow into a man or a woman who could see the big picture.

We must give our children the chance to flourish, we must trust that they are good. I do believe most children (as noisy and as messy as they can be) are the best hope we have for a united future. You see, if you sit for a moment in your park and witness the children play together with such ease you’ll be reassured that it is possible for (little) people to play kindly and happily with all. So if kids can do this, why can’t we?

Watch the kids play in the park – if you don’t believe me.

From Solidarity Spring To Sovereignty Summer: An International Callout To All Indigenous Peoples, Supporters, Allies Of Idle No More & Defenders Of The Land

Over the past few months, Idle No More has ignited a spiritual fire in the hearts of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples to come together to address issues related to: Honoring Treaties and Indigenous Sovereignty, Human Rights, Deepening Democracy reflecting a meaningful Nation to Nation relationship, and increasing Environmental Protections and protecting Mother Earth.

In March, Idle No More joined forces with Defenders of the Land to launch a Declaration that calls on all People to participate in a campaign that was called “Solidarity Spring” and “Sovereignty Summer”.

Idle No More and Defenders of the Land are now transitioning into Sovereignty Summer and people are calling for increased and escalated activities.  The actions aim to bring attention to the Harper government agenda that undermines the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Canadian citizens, and the ongoing policies disrupting Indigenous peoples’ lives – such as land claims, third party management, and no free and prior consent to development on Indigenous lands. We are in a critical time where lives, lands, waters and Creation are at-risk and they must be protected.

The Harper government is moving quickly to pass the suite of legislation (C-45, C-428, S-2, S-6, S-8, S-212, C-27, and the First Nation Education Act) that undermines the treaties, our nation-to-nation relationship and Indigenous sovereignty, which is the last stand to protect our lands. Idle No More calls on non-Indigenous people to join Indigenous communities in coordinated non-violent direct actions in the summer. Alternatives will only come to life if we escalate our actions, taking bold non-violent direct action that challenges the illegitimate power of corporations who dictate government policy.

People have been inspired to engage in creative activities of reclaiming, resurgence and resistance in exercising their Nationhood in ways they see appropriate for them.  There has been a historic “Turtle Lodge Treaty” signing ceremony on Indigenous education, nations have reclaimed sacred spaces and peoples continue to protect their lands from invasion.  There is a spiritual energy stirring and a large awakening is on the horizon as we transition to Sovereignty Summer.  The spirit in which Idle No More began was through the resurgence of Indigenous laws and it is only appropriate for the resurgence of our spiritual and ceremonial practices – which are the foundation of our Nations – to guide us into this transitioning period.  The time for Unity and Solidarity is NOW, our future generations are depending on us and asking us to come together to think about what we will leave for them.

~ A CALLOUT TO ALL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, SUPPORTERS AND ALLIES OF IDLE NO MORE ~

Leading into Sovereignty Summer, Idle No More calls on all people to join in a grassroots gathering for a Public Awareness Campaign in all Cities, Towns, Indigenous Communities and Villages across Canada and Internationally.

WHEN: An on-going gathering and occupation, starting on Saturday, May 25, 2013 at 5:00pm and continuing once a week, at the same time and at the same place as people/ groups see appropriate for them. As we move closer to summer, Nations/peoples/ groups may want to increase the frequency of their gatherings to each day of the week on a consistent basis.

WHERE: People can determine for themselves the appropriate location that has significance to them.  For those in urban Centre’s this could be: prominent Government Buildings (Federal or Provincial) in Canada and at Canadian Embassies around the World. For those in their communities, this could be sacred sites, places of cultural importance and locations that are significant to people.

WHY: To bring awareness to the public at large of the mission of the Idle No More Movement. To honor, fulfill and solidify Unity and Solidarity with all who support Idle No More in your community, city, town or village. This is not a onetime event but an ONGOING CAMPAIGN leading into Sovereignty Summer.

HOW: Gather, Occupy, Rally and bring your songs, dancing, drums, signs, banner, flags and get to know and network with those who share your passion for the mission of the Idle No More Movement.  Those events that wish to end with a March are encouraged to do so if your numbers permit.

The following Events and ongoing Activities have confirmed their participation in this Call to Action:

Our Water is NOT for Sale

Edmonton, AB Friday May 24, 2013 10:30-2:00 March from Canada Place to Alberta Legislature

Grassroots Gathering Public Awareness Campaign Toronto, ON Starting Saturday May 25, 2013 at 5:00pm (Every Saturday) Queens Park, University Ave and College Street March afterward if numbers permit

Million First Peoples March and Welcoming the Sacred Journey Walkers Ottawa, ON June 21, 2013 Ottawa, ON Parliament Hill

The inspiration for this Call to Action came from an Idle No More supporter in the Toronto region and other supporters asking for people to come together to take action to bring attention to the current Harper agenda and ongoing narrative of colonialism.

Related articles

• Mohawk Nation Calls For Immediate Action Against The Infringement Of Its Inherent Indigenous Rights (intercontinentalcry.org)
• Idle No More gets out of the courts and into the streets (vancouverobserver.com)
• 
  http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/05/201358113923656697.html
  (magbizintel.com)
• Indigenous rights are the best defence against Canada’s resource rush | Martin Lukacs (guardian.co.uk)

LINCOLN, Nebraska (May 24, 2013) – Activist T.R. McKenzie was arrested this morning prior to his scheduled appearance at a press conference at the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission. McKenzie was planning to speak about the most recent in a long history of documented code violations and human rights abuses committed by alcohol sellers in Whiteclay, Nebraska.

McKenzie was held for six hours at the Lancaster County Jail on charges of theft, criminal mischief, third degree assault, and terroristic threats, none of which have been documented or substantiated. He was released on bond the same day as his arrest. This arrest comes in the wake of several weeks of protests and encampments on the outskirts of Whiteclay.

“Most of those sleeping at the protest camp are women and children,” McKenzie said shortly after his release. “We are all working to draw attention to the devastation caused to the Lakota people by the sale of alcohol in Whiteclay.”

Whiteclay has a population of 14, yet 4 liquor stores in the town sell 12,500 cans of beer each day. It has been documented that the stores sell to bootleggers, intoxicated people, and minors, as well as routinely trade beer for sexual favors. The tiny, unincorporated town lies less than 300 feet from the border of the Pine Ridge Reservation, where the sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited.

McKenzie has participated in a variety of protests against the activities of Whiteclay’s bar owners and alcohol distributors over the last year, most recently participating in a protest camp near Whiteclay on the Pine Ridge side of the border, named the “Zero Tolerance Camp” by its supporters.

Earlier today, McKenzie was placed under arrest by two “plain-clothes” officers who followed him into a public restroom upon his arrival at the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission building in Lincoln.  Opposition to the activities of Whiteclay’s bar owners has been long-standing, but over the past few weeks, protest activity has seen a distinct increase following recent allegations that a bar owner by the name of Jason Schwarting provided individuals with baseball bats and instructed them intimidate and physically attack women at the Zero Tolerance Camp.  McKenzie had been scheduled to read a statement at the press conference which included his testimony about this incident.

McKenzie’s court date has been set for June 6th, 2013.

For more information about human rights abuses in Whiteclay, visit shutdownwhiteclay.wordpress.com.

Contact: deepgreenresistance@riseup.net

“…Living standards for indigenous people on par with “third world” countries, buttressed by a large population of unemployed young men in a “warrior cohort”, and easy-to-target economic infrastructure, all mean Canada has conditions for a potential indigenous “insurgency”.

That’s according to a new report penned by a former Canadian military officer for the MacDonald Laurier Institute, a think-tank supported by corporate executives.

“For many Aboriginal people in Canada, but especially for First Nations women and children, life on-reserve is dreary, dark and dangerous,” wrote Douglas Bland in the report, Canada and the first Nations: Cooperation or Conflict? ”Social fractionalisation significantly increases the risk of social conflict. The phenomenon provides motives for an insurgency,” read the report, issued in May.

Bland refused interview requests from Al Jazeera, but conclusions from the Queen’s University professor emeritus and 30-year military veteran have worried the Canadian establishment, especially in light of indigenous-led protests associated with the Idle No More movement, and Canada’s increasing dependence on natural resource extraction.

Abstract: Compiled for two decades by the Australian Institute of Criminology, this report found both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous rates of deaths in custody have decreased over the last decade and are now some of the lowest ever seen (0.16 per 100 Indigenous prisoners and 0.22 per 100 non-Indigenous prisoners in 2010–11). For the last eight years in a row, the Indigenous rate of death in prison has been lower than the equivalent non-Indigenous rate.

While Indigenous prisoners continue to be statistically less likely to die in custody than non-Indigenous prisoners, there is a concerning trend emerging, as the actual number of Indigenous deaths in prison are rising again, with 14 in 2009-10 which is equal to the highest on record.

More concerning still is that over the 20 years since the Royal Commission, the proportion of prisoners that are Indigenous has almost doubled from 14% in 1991 to 26% in 2011.

View Report

VIEW the full National Reconciliation Newsletter here

There’s only a few days to go until the start of National Reconciliation Week but it’s not too late to get involved!

Let us know what you’re doing by joining the reconciliation buzz on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter using the hashtags #NRW2013 and #recognition.

You can also organise an event and register it on the NRW events calendar or find out what’s on in your area.

National Reconciliation Week is the time to build better relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians—and a time to come together to acknowledge the enormous contributions that Australia’s First Peoples have made to shape our nation.

VIEW the full National Reconciliation Newsletter here

Considered through a lens of social policy, injustices often occur as a result of the lacked appreciation of individual experience and values. Furthermore, this can be narrowed specifically, to the failing on a majorities part, to listen to the voice of the minority party. The Northern Territory Intervention, is a key example of the majorities failing to ‘listen’ to the voice of the minority. In response to the “Children are Sacred Report,” John Howard implemented this ‘national emergency’ measure, forcing restrictions on the Indigenous Australian’s, without consideration of their traditional values and lifestyles.

As a result of this drastic measure, which included the restriction of Centrelink Payments, many Indigenous Australian’s felt marginalized and oppressed, losing customary norms that were valuable to the community. The policy had negative implications, and failed to achieve outcomes of positive social change originally aimed for. This would have been avoided if the government had actively engaged in listening to the perspectives, and furthermore, the needs of the Aboriginal people.  (Macoun, 2011) Further insights into this issue can be discovered here.

To achieve positive social change, especially in the case of the Northern Territory Intervention, the Howard Government could have adopted an approach of becoming ‘Courageous Listeners.’ Quite similar to John Rawl’s ‘Veil of Ignorance’ (Okasha, 2012), theorists such as Susan Bickford, suggest that courageous listening requires an individual to “relinquish itself of its privileged position as a speaker, and actively engage themselves completely as a listener”. (Bickford 1996, Cited by Thill, 2009). Furthermore, Couldry (2009), suggests explicitly that an individual should not value listening at the expense of speaking but to fully appreciate and understand, the dynamic relation between them. This is required in order to fully appreciate another personas experience and point of view. For further understanding of Rawl’s ‘Veil of Ignorance’, a creative interpretation can be found here.

The representation and recognition of an individual’s political and social voice, is fundamental to the achievement of positive social change, and in turn, social justice. By taking on the persona of a ‘courageous listener,’ majorities can ensure that the interests of the underprivileged are heard and considered, especially in terms of social policy. This interaction would contribute positively to the equality of all individuals. When reflecting on the past, it is too obvious that positive social change has mostly occurred, not only when minorities have stood forward, but when their oppressors have considered and appreciated their political and social perspective. By becoming ‘courageous listeners’, policies can be made to reflect the changing social and cultural views of all people, and promote positive social change, and in turn, social justice.

Photo Credit: The University of Waikato

For those who missed out on the student discussion with Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith, check out the link provided:

A Federal Government strategy to address high suicide rates among Aboriginal people, particularly the younger generations, is a welcome step towards addressing the crisis in our communities, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) said today.

READ previous NACCHO articles on suicide prevention here

 Federal Mental Health Minister Mark Butler today revealed the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy which aims to address Aboriginal suicide rates – which are as high as one a month is some remote Aboriginal communities.

 NACCHO Chair Justin Mohamed said the Federal Government’s focus on the issue, particularly the emphasis on local solutions and capacity building, is welcomed, however he said the detail of the plan still needs careful examination.

 “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience suicide at around twice the rate of the rest of the population. Aboriginal teenage men and women are up to 5.9 times more likely to take their own lives than non-Aboriginal people,” Mr Mohamed said.

 “This is a crisis affecting our young people. It’s critical real action is taken to urgently to address the issue and it’s heartening to see the Federal Government taking steps to do that.”

 However Mr Mohamed said that for any strategy to be effective, local, community-led healthcare needed to be at its core.

 “Historically, Aboriginal people have not had great experiences with the mental health system, so breaking down the barriers and building trust is going to be key and having Aboriginal people involved in the delivery of services is critical.

 “Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations are already having the biggest impacts on holistic improvements in Aboriginal health, including mental health. We are already a trusted source of primary health care within our communities, so its important those centres play a pivotal role in any strategy.

 “The Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector has always recommended that services be funded to offer an integrated social and emotional wellbeing program with Aboriginal family support workers, alcohol and substance abuse workers, social workers and psychologists available.

 “Up to 15 per cent of the 10-year life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians has been put down to mental health conditions. We look forward to working with the government to map out the best possible approach to addressing this crisis in our community.

 Media contact: Colin Cowell 0401 331 251, 

The delegation members are community people dealing with resource extraction in their “back yards.” All have done extensive research on the companies, on impacts to their lands and possible solutions. Many communities have done things like: speaking tours, petitions, trainings, presentations, traveling to the “outside world” to create awareness of the impacts of companies, corporations and industry on their homelands.

Some have taken the governments to court in litigation, some have challenged the corporations themselves in court. Some go to United Nations and international level to hold the governments accountable for violating their rights.

Many have take direct action such as blockades, rallies, protests, even tree seats, banner drops, bird-dogging and so many other “action tactics.” Even to “live” or take back the sites for extraction by re-occupying or living in the path of destruction. Some have gotten arrested, faced jail time and other legal issues for trying to protect their lands.

Now with social media many communities use facebook, twitter, blogs and other online resources to tell their story, raise awareness, fundraise and reach new groups of people. Many have used arts, multi-media and film to raise awareness. Some have used our culture, gatherings and traditions.

Communities have looked for allies and groups to work with such as organizations, unions, student groups, land-owners, farmer associations, scientists, lawyers, and other First Nations communities to build alliances- power in numbers!

But why Annual General Meetings of the corporations themselves? Well for a few reasons. We know in this day age in Canada we have lost so much key legislation around water, land, and First Nations rights. Canada has made the move to “open” its doors wider for multi-national corporations to come and do business. Canada is even making agreements with other countries like the China FIPA deal.

In the last twenty or so odd years (since First Nations people were legally able to retain lawyers) we have had great strides in taking the Canadian government to court. We have seen “duty to consult,” oral history and so many other key cases that uphold our rights and way of life. Granted these rulings are not the to end all for First Nations rights, its just another tactic communities have taken.

But what do you do when the governments are on-side with industry and now with international trade deals are more accountable to big business than their own laws and people? You go to the source. Cheesy, maybe. We know that corporations are now the latest greatest form of colonialism- they have the power and money to make laws change. A good example is bill c-45 which was created and lobbied by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (Idle No More beginnings). Again, its a tactic in larger plan to protect the land like direct action, raising awareness, and litigation; holding the companies accountable to the people that are investing in the resource extraction.

People don’t often make the link to where there money is, which bank, which pension fund, and for the 1% which investments they are tied to. Having shareholders meet and hear community members forces them to face the issue from a human perspective. By doing that and making the links- your bank accounts invest in the genocide of my community. Can be a troubling thing. Many times it seems like a moot case, to address people that only care about money. But when that money is threatened by litigation, direct action and the rights of our people it creates “risk” for those investors. Because sometimes its just about the money.

One strategy with the banks and other funding sources that give enormous loans to big business is lobbying them to create policies that have Free, Prior, Informed, Consent included. Why? If a big business company wants a loan they have to prove (as a part of the loan) that have gotten Free, Prior Informed, Consent or FPIC, (a quick note- its UN legal right in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the principle that a community has the right to give or withhold its consent to proposed projects that may affect the lands they customarily own, occupy or otherwise use). Otherwise if they can’t prove FPIC they don’t get the loan!

So I hope that I’m able to shed some light on why these crazy trips to UK, EU, and other places are strategic for different communities. And for some not so strategic. But that is a choice that is up to the community.

Many times its reminding governments, corporations and the rest of the world- that we have power. Our sacred relationship to our lands, our rights and our will! They (big business and government) often forget we survived 500 years of oppression and outright genocide. Sometimes its practically funny when the “big” people in the world don’t get it. They sometimes ask delegation members, “How much?” meaning compensation for the loss of culture, and lands. You can’t compensate for our connection to who we are.

Our job is to support, help create awareness, and exert pressure on the governments protecting these big business corporations. Hope to see you sharing on social media, doing actions, speaking out and doing your research!

NACCHO condems the use of “skins for smokes”  that uses cultural content and copyright imagery on cigarette packets to  negate health promotion efforts, such as Australia’s recent introduction of plain packaging laws and calls on the Federal Government to ban the sale under that legistlation

Authors: Karen McPhail-Bell, Chelsea Bond & Michelle Redman-MacLaren (see details Blow)

For just $5.29 Australians can now purchase “Skins” from local, independent grocers to cover their cigarette packet with the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flag.

We argue that this use of cultural content and copyright[1] imagery on cigarette packets negates health promotion efforts, such as Australia’s recent introduction of plain packaging laws and the subsequent dismissal of a legal challenge from the tobacco industry.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people smoke over twice the rate of non-Indigenous Australians (ABS 2010). Health promotion practitioners working to reduce these smoking rates face the challenge of the broader historical and cultural context of smoking behaviour.

In response, health promotion efforts have endeavoured to shift, displace and resist the notion that unhealthy behaviours, such as smoking, are inherently part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Some examples of this approach include Queensland Health’s Smoke-free Support Program (Smoking: It could cost us our culture), the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health’s Deadly Choices campaign and other initiatives beyond Queensland (for example, Adams et al 2010; Basinkski and Parkinson 2001).

Brady (2002) has noted how throughout colonial contact, Europeans have exploited Aboriginal addiction to nicotine and therefore as health practitioners, we are concerned about what may be the continued exploitation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for economic gain.

We also note that Skins are available with the Australian flag and are concerned that more broadly, cultural and national pride is being manipulated by these companies. In other words, the sale of products that appropriate cultural content and copyright imagery for the purpose of enhancing the appeal of cigarettes is cause for alarm for us.

As a practice, health promotion endeavours to secure equal opportunity and resources to enable people to achieve their full potential in life. Thus, we raise this issue for your awareness and welcome your analysis, comments and suggestions for action. We are also working on possible responses with advocacy organisations.

Acknowledgement: The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Arika Errington (NACCHO) to this article.

References:

Adams K, Liebzeit A, Jakobi M. (2010). “How’s your sugar?: A deadly website for you, your family and your community.” Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, Aug;34(5):2.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010). “The Health and Welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, October 2010.” Journal ABS Cat No 4704.0(Issue)
http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4704.0/

More devastating than the conflicts with settlers was the impact of European diseases, to which Aboriginal people had no immunity. Smallpox, venereal disease, syphilis, tuberculosis, measles, and influenza, all introduced into Australia by the settlers, drastically reduced Aboriginal numbers. The British also introduced new animals to Australia, including wild rabbits, cats, and foxes, as well as domesticated sheep and cattle. By preying on native animals or depleting food resources, these animals altered the environment and caused the disappearance of some smaller marsupial species that had been important sources of food for Aboriginal people.

The British colonists intended to remain in Australia, so they began to alter the landscape by clearing trees and building fences. Over several decades, the British established colonies across the continent. The governments of these colonies granted settlers pastoral leases that formally recognized their right to occupy, farm, and graze livestock on the land.

As the frontier of white settlement expanded, Aboriginal people increasingly offered violent resistance to the taking of their land, and many died in fighting with British settlers. In some areas, white farmers took matters into their own hands and formed vigilante groups, often responding to the killing of sheep and cattle by murdering Aboriginal women and children. Colonial settlers also organized groups of Aboriginal people into cadres of Native Police. Led by white officers, Aboriginal soldiers would be taken to areas where they had no relatives and instructed to exact revenge on behalf of the settlers for thefts and killings.

Those Aboriginal people who survived the British onslaught generally remained near their homeland. Others began to live within or on the fringes of colonial settlements.

Related articles

• Effects of European Settlement on Aboriginal Australia: Early Exploration and Colonization (egrejeen.wordpress.com)
• Effects of European Settlement on Aboriginal Australia: Relations with Settlers in the 19th Century (egrejeen.wordpress.com)

In 1937 a conference of federal and state Aboriginal authorities agreed to a formal assimilation policy, although it was not strongly implemented until after World War II (1939-1945). At first this policy applied mainly to “mixed blood” Aboriginal people, but in the 1950s it came to encompass all Aboriginal people. As stated at a 1961 Native Welfare Conference of Commonwealth and state authorities, the policy of assimilation “means that all Aborigines and part-Aborigines are expected eventually to attain the same manner of living as other Australians and to live as members of a single Australian community enjoying the same rights and privileges, accepting the same responsibilities, observing the same customs and influenced by the same beliefs, as other Australians.” In many ways this policy was a great advance; instead of excluding Aboriginal people it actively sought to include them in Australian society. But its cost—complete social and cultural conformity to European values and social practices—was completely unacceptable to many Aboriginal people.

Related articles

• Effects of European Settlement on Aboriginal Australia: Relations with Settlers in the 19th Century (egrejeen.wordpress.com)
• Effects of European Settlement on Aboriginal Australia: Early Exploration and Colonization (egrejeen.wordpress.com)

AUSTRALIA

• Yuendumu in the Northern Territory recently achieved a brand new digital television channel (ICTV) featuring all-local community content. “In what’s described as a major win for the remote media sector, Channel 601 (on the VAST digital platform) is a full-time channel showing locally made content by and for Aboriginal people out bush.” According to this ABC piece, it’s been five years since ICTV have broadcast a full-time television program. Lesley Johns wrote piece on why this launch is a significant positive step forward for Aboriginal Peoples of Australia.
• On that note, PAW Media in Yuendumu is looking for a General Manager. Get your applications in by 27 May!
• NewsMail of Australia reports on a series of beautiful and well-produced short videos, developed by Fitzroy Basin Association. The shorts show local Central Queenslanders talking about the cultural significance of different landscapes. You can watch all of the videos here.

• I recently heard about the Yijala Yala project in Western Australia, completed in collaboration with Big hART, a media and social change organization. Based on their website, Yijala Yala  “is a long-term, multi-platform arts project based in Ieramugadu (Roebourne) focused on telling the story of the community’s culture, history and future in a range of media.” Their NEOMADS project, an interactive RPG   made in collaboration with local youth, attempts to connect stories about the land, information about mineral resources, and digital media skills to bring about positive change. Pretty awesome stuff.
  

  Kids with NEOmads project working with animation technology.From the Yijala Yala Facebook page.

• The Yugambeh Museum, Language and Heritage Research Centre in Beenleigh launched the first ever App for a Queensland indigenous language. You can download it on the iTunes App store. Congrats!
• This year’s National Indigenous Media Awards 10^th anniversary pays tribute to the Aboriginal music group Yothu Yindi. The National Indigenous Music Awards will be held in Darwin 10 August 2013.  Aspiring indigenous musicians can apply to perform at the festival here.
• I can’t read this because of the paywall, but apparently the Australia Film, Television and Radio School’s 11^th edition of the journal Lumina recognized the rise of indigenous filmmakers. I’m not sure if they are speaking strictly within Australia or the world at large, anyone who has access and could send it along, I’d really appreciate it.

NORTH AMERICA

• A Cherokee man Don Thorton, founder and president of Thornton Media Ince, has developed Talking Games, “the first commercial 3D video game that teaches language.” In this Indian Country article, he touches on important intellectual property rights issues and the power dynamics that come into play when local peoples employ outsiders to document and digitize their language: “…Indians don’t have control over their own cultural property and must rely on others.” His organization has created custom language tools for more than 170 tribes and First Nations.” (It seems their Kickstarter page has been shut down; I’m not sure why.)
• From another Indian Country piece: Computer programmer Darrick Baxter created an iPad app to learn Ojibway, the ancestral language of the Anishnaabe people. He founded Ogoki Learning Systems Inc, a software design company that specializes in creating smartphone and tablet apps and publishing e-books that help teach Native languages. What I love about this group is that they decided to open-source their language app: “…Baxter [made] the unorthodox decision to give away his company’s invention, the source code for the Ojibway language app, for free. The code is now available on his company’s website, and anyone can download it and work to adapt it for their own native language learning.” Well, what are you waiting for?
• The Seattle Film Festival, which wrapped up two weeks ago, is said to be one of the most indigenous-friendly film fests. Read about how native peoples “took a front seat” at the SIFF.
• Fraser Taylor, esteemed Canadian geographer at Carleton University in Ottawa, recently received a $516,323 grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to improve computer systems used to map northern communities. His project  hopes to combat the power dynamics of “authorative” mapping practices that ignored traditional Inuit knowledge, memory, and mythology surrounding lands and waters of the Arctic. Read more about it on Nunatsiaq News.
• The Knight Center at UT reports on the repression faced by community radio stations in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec that have broadcasted indigenous opposition to wind energy development. Having researched this conflict with anthropologist Dr. Dominic Boyer, I find the politics of energy development in Oaxaca fascinating. You can read my primer on conflicts about wind energy in the isthmus here.
• Community radio stations are currently not recognized by the Mexican legal system and many operate without licenses. IPS News offers a good in-depth analysis of the legal framework under which community and indigenous radio operates in Mexico.

Happy May, everyone!

This may be old news to some but everybody has to start somewhere.

I have been reading a report from 2008, titled Lands of Promise and Opportunity – about training for Aboriginal pastoralists.

It is not exactly light reading but it is good reading.

So if you are interested in Aboriginal issues, cattle, or the Kimberley have a quick read.

Aborigines and the Cattle Industry

In the 1970s, in Western Australia the sheep and cattle industries were undergoing great changes and Aboriginal people bore the brunt of those changes.

The change in the way the industry operated combined with social and legal changes led to forced migration of Aboriginal people from cattle and sheep stations into towns.

This created a lot of problems with poor access to housing, overcrowding in reserves, breakdown in traditional life.

People were living in rural slums.

Movement Back to the Land

In the 1970s, in Western Australia, Government agencies began purchasing pastoral leases and handing them over to Aboriginal control.

Aboriginal people had been the backbone of the growth of the cattle industry in the north through providing a very cheap source of labour for pastoralists.

People had adapted well to the life and took pride in it.

The theory behind the move to purchase these leases was to be able to get people out of the towns and back on country. The cattle stations would provide a means for people to get a stake in the economy.

Through management of the stations people could get economic independence.

But it has not worked out that way.

Economic Independence has not Happenned

By 2008 there were 57 pastoral leases under Aboriginal control.

On the whole, these pastoral leases underperformed other leases on a wide range of indicators.

The 2008 report entitled Lands of Promise and Opportunity, which was a review of industry training for Aboriginal Pastoralists, found that only 18 of these 57 leases had the potential to support commercially viable pastoral leases.

16 out of these 18 leases the report identified are in the Kimberley region of the state.

The report found that the Kimberley is better placed for Aboriginal pastoralists than other regions as it is better placed for live exports and for water security.

But it is still unlikely that viable commercial pastoral businesses will be able to support the numbers of people that live on them.

In 1985 a report into the pastoral industry in the Kimberleys estimated that each station could provide work for 15 to 20 people.

The 2008 report noted that, in fact, most of the stations could be successfully managed by a single family using seasonal labour.

Despite this, cattle stations have an important role to play as a part of a wider economic strategy. They may not provide large numbers of jobs, but they have the potential, according to the authors, of acting as incubators for training.

A few interesting things emerge.

Conflicting Expectations

This report and others before it identify that there are tensions and issues in Aboriginal run properties that other pastoralists do not have.

The primary issue is the tension between the aims and aspirations of a community of people living on their traditional lands on the one hand, and the commercial realities of operating a business for profit on the other hand.

The report says that unless this tension can be managed well, there is no long term viability for the business.

The issue was there from the beginning. The report found that, for many people returning to their homelands to form new communities, economic motives were not their primary priority. Returning to their spiritual home was the motivator.

The problem was, and is, that the land tenure they were holding to allow them back on country was a pastoral lease and running a commercial business with a profit motive was an integral part of that tenure.

A lot of Aboriginal held pastoral properties are not running for commercial purposes but for subsistence – provision of fresh meat – and to maintain connection to the land. This brings them into conflict with funding providers and their legal obligations under the terms of their leases.

Economic Diversification Needed

This report says that there has to be economic diversification. It suggests things like fire management, tourism, transport business, roads business, building and construction and land management and income from mining.

The trouble is that communities cannot diversify their economies under the terms of the leases. These are pastoral leases and they come under regulations of the Pastoral Lands Board. Any diversification under the regulations has to help the people run the station as a pastoral business.

But the way to get a foothold in a broader economy for people in remote communities is to find business that takes them away from pastoralism.

New Type of Tenure suggested

The Authors of the report recommend that the government set up a new type of tenure arrangement.

Instead of having pastoral leases, they are talking about “Rangeland leases” which would allow for pastoralism but also for other things.

It has been talked about for awhile.

We shall see how things have moved along in another post.

http://www.rdl.wa.gov.au/publications/Documents/Review-into-Industry-Training-for-Aboriginal-Pastoralists.pdf

Mayangna indigenous communities in northern Nicaragua are caught up in a life-and-death battle to defend their ancestral territory in the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve from the destruction wrought by invading settlers and illegal logging.

The president of the Mayangna indigenous nation, Aricio Genaro, told Tierramérica that their struggle to protect this reserve, which is still the largest forested area in Central America, was stepped up in 2010, due to the increased numbers of farmers from eastern and central Nicaragua moving in.

In addition to the destruction of natural resources, this invasion has turned violent and poses a serious threat to the biosphere reserve’s indigenous population, estimated at roughly 30,000. Since 2009, 13 indigenous people have been killed while defending their territory, said Genaro.

The latest victim of this violent confrontation was Elías Charly Taylor, who died from gunshot wounds he received in the community of Sulún on Apr. 24, when returning from a protest demonstration against the destruction of the forest.

This protest, initiated in February, has drawn the attention of the government of leftist President Daniel Ortega and publicly exposed the destruction of Bosawas, which encompassed more than two million hectares of tropical forest when it was designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1997.

According to a study published in 2012 by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Nicaraguan National Union of Farmers and Ranchers, the European Union and Oxfam, if deforestation were to continue at its current rate, all of the reserve’s forests would be wiped out in 25 years.

Vanishing wildlife

The Mayangna live from hunting and fishing, domestic livestock raising and subsistence agriculture, growing crops like corn, beans and tubers with traditional methods. But their way of life has been severely impacted by the invading farmers.

“They shoot everything, burn everything, poison the water in the rivers, and chop down the giant trees that have given us shade and protection for years, and then they continue their advance, and nothing stops them,” said Genaro.

“You don’t see tapirs anymore, the pumas and oncillas (tiger cats) have fled the area, you no longer hear the singing of the thousands of birds that used to tell us when it was going to rain. Even the big fish in the rivers are gone. Everything is disappearing,” he said.

According to Kamilo Lara of the National Recycling Forum, a network of non-governmental environmental organisations, more than 96,500 hectares of forest have already been destroyed within the protected core of the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve.

Lara added that “55 percent of the forests in the so-called buffer zone, where some 20,000 mestizo farmers (of mixed indigenous and Spanish ancestry) have settled, have been cleared to sell the timber, to create pastures for cattle grazing, and to grow crops for commercial purposes.”

He further estimated that some 12,000 of the 19,896 square kilometres initially set aside as the original reserve have been damaged due to the expansion of the buffer zone, which was initially less than 5,500 square kilometres in area.

Jaime Incer Barquero, a presidential advisor on environmental affairs, told Tierramérica that the national authorities need to speed up protective measures “before the reserve loses its status (as a UNESCO biosphere reserve) and the world loses the reserve.”

This view is shared by the UNESCO representative in Nicaragua, Juan Bautista Arríen, who believes that “urgent and firm action” must be taken to protect both the indigenous population and the natural environment.

Read more from Inter Press Service:
http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/indigenous-nicaraguans-fight-to-the-death-for-their-last-forest/

Mission stations, some of which were established in the mid-1800s, attracted dispossessed Aboriginal people by providing housing, food, tobacco, and supplies. Missionaries were less tolerant of Aboriginal ways than ranchers because their primary goal was to convert Aboriginal people to Christianity. However, missions varied considerably in their approach depending on their religious denomination. Many missions sought to teach Aboriginal people how to live like non-Aboriginal people by setting up English-only schools that emphasized Bible study and disparaged traditional Aboriginal culture. These missions often banned Aboriginal languages and ceremonies and required that residents wear European clothing. Other missions permitted traditional practices and provided religious instruction in Aboriginal languages.

New economic opportunities for white settlers motivated more conflicts with Aboriginal people. A gold rush began in Australia in the 1850s. Prospectors damaged Aboriginal sacred sites and pushed people from desirable camping places, provoking defiance against miners that often led to massacres of Aboriginal people. On the southern coastline of Australia, whites working as seal hunters stole Aboriginal women and killed men and children. In the north, pearl divers abducted young Aboriginal boys and forced them into dangerous labor, making them dive for long periods in deep and treacherous waters. White men also coerced many Aboriginal women into providing sexual services, although some Aboriginal women also used their sexuality as a way to obtain European goods. We can assert categorically that the Europeans were more interested in what they could get from Australia than the prospects of any serious relationship.

The Australian  Poetry Competition had come down to two finalists;  a  university graduate and an old aboriginal.  They were given a word,  then  allowed two minutes to study the word and come up with a poem  that contained the word.

The word they were given was  ’ TIMBUKTU ‘

First to recite his poem was the university  graduate.  He stepped to the  microphone and said:

Slowly across the desert  sand,
Trekked a lonely  caravan
Men on camels two by  two
Destination – Timbuktu .

The crowd went crazy! No way could the old  aboriginal top that, they thought.  The old aboriginal calmly made his way to the  microphone and recited;

Me and Tim a huntin’ went
Met three whores in a pop up  tent
They were three, and we  was two
So I bucked one, and   timbuktu .

The aboriginal won.