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Indigenous Peoples and Poverty: An International Perspective
This book brings together two key concerns in development policy: the urgent need for poverty reduction and the situation of indigenous peoples in both developing and industrialized countries. It analyzes patterns of indigenous disadvantage worldwide and explores some difficult questions, including the right balance between autonomy and participation.
320 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2005
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October 15, 2019
To celebrate the growing political and social will to transform Columbus Day into Indigenous Peoples Day (the city of Reno JUST did this over the past weekend), it seems fitting to review this book because even though it is 15 years old, I know well enough that few improvements have been made for those indigenous groups still struggling to maintain their territory, their ways of life, languages, and belief systems against the grinding gears and drooling maws of vampiric Capitalism, and in the case of the Kurds, outright war. As Nick Martin recently wrote for The New Republic (https://newrepublic.com/article/15520... “There won’t be another Standing Rock.” There will be another organized protests, they just won’t get the footing as those at Standing Rock did because the forces against them are learning to quash them efficiently. As awareness grows about the plight of a warming Earth, the fossil fuel industries are doubling down on their psyop campaigns of abject lies (https://www.theguardian.com/environme...) which somehow still manage to infect large numbers of the undereducated, and marginalized communities are in the crosshairs of giant international conglomerates, their political lackeys, and the militarized enforcement agencies (https://theintercept.com/2017/06/03/s...) treating civic protest and self-protection as “terrorism”, from the Waiapi and other tribes of Brazil, to what is left of the reservations of the United States of Stupidity. The Earth groans.
The authors highlight many groups of indigenous peoples I had no previous knowledge of (and who I assume rarely get any global press), and illustrate their challenges as well as their assets. It should be no surprise that indigenous peoples are far better at land management when given the opportunities and freedom to utilize their ancient systems of stewardship. It should also be no surprise that indigenous peoples are often the poorest and most oppressed by all systems of power around the world. Sovereign autonomy is desired by many, as perhaps the Maori have managed the best politically, but on Aeon, Pekka Hamalainen (https://aeon.co/essays/can-colonial-n...) gives a concise history of the Lakota peoples and reminds us through the words of Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., in AUG 2019, that “‘[o]ver 184 years ago, our ancestors bargained for a guarantee that we would always have a voice in the Congress,’ explained Hoskin. ‘It is time for the United States to uphold its end of the bargain.’” No f-ing sh!t. Rebranding Columbus Day (celebrating the European conquering of the Americas) to Indigenous Peoples Day (highlighting the atrocities of History and celebrating those indigenous cultures still present), is only a small victory when poverty, malnutrition, and systemic racism continue to seep into the lives of so many.
We need to listen to the indigenous voices, those still holding on to ancient systems of living in harmony with their surroundings, and learn from them. We should go back to pagan Earth-worship, even if you wish to believe in invisible beings beyond the clouds and whatever magical thinking still pervades modern-day mythologies. The developed world will need to make sacrifices in order to enact a severe and promising Green New Deal. Half-measures will fail, as they have for the past twenty years. Resources dry up. You will need to buy less, waste less, and breed less. That’s right—we need to decrease the number of hyper-consumers and wanton polluters. Period. I don’t think Nature will create another super-plague to do the work for us, but an asteroid might. I digress.
The challenges of indigenous peoples around the world are similar, hammered down by History, and they are struggling to survive on their own terms, in their own ways. They need legal representation on the world stage, at the UN, and in every body of government that impacts them directly. They need the opportunities to thrive, to be granted education and empowerment, to be treated fairly, and to speak for themselves. Those sympathetic must support them in their defense of whatever lands they still hold on to. Can the Extinction Rebellion join forces with the indigenous defenders of Gaia? Let us hope so.
Jasilyn Charger channels it well on LitHub with:
"I try to make my ancestors proud and my family proud. Because I want my elderly to leave this world knowing that the future of our people rests in good hands. And whenever they see us fighting on the front lines, and even getting hurt and getting beaten, we’re still persevering. Because our ancestors went through so much to just exist, just to have rights. Just to practice their own culture. They survived through hell and back. They marched across thousands of miles just to be placed on this reservation. Families were broken. People were lost. And I can’t live with myself without knowing I made the exact same commitment.
Native American children, we inherit so much stress, so much pain. And when we grew up, it’s like, Why are my people like this? We don’t like it. We’re not satisfied. So, I’m speaking up for what I feel, and I’m trying to do what’s right by my people. A lot of people look at me as a youth leader, but I feel like I’m more of a conduit of energy and information. No one’s too young to start fighting for themselves" (https://lithub.com/on-the-front-lines...).
The authors highlight many groups of indigenous peoples I had no previous knowledge of (and who I assume rarely get any global press), and illustrate their challenges as well as their assets. It should be no surprise that indigenous peoples are far better at land management when given the opportunities and freedom to utilize their ancient systems of stewardship. It should also be no surprise that indigenous peoples are often the poorest and most oppressed by all systems of power around the world. Sovereign autonomy is desired by many, as perhaps the Maori have managed the best politically, but on Aeon, Pekka Hamalainen (https://aeon.co/essays/can-colonial-n...) gives a concise history of the Lakota peoples and reminds us through the words of Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., in AUG 2019, that “‘[o]ver 184 years ago, our ancestors bargained for a guarantee that we would always have a voice in the Congress,’ explained Hoskin. ‘It is time for the United States to uphold its end of the bargain.’” No f-ing sh!t. Rebranding Columbus Day (celebrating the European conquering of the Americas) to Indigenous Peoples Day (highlighting the atrocities of History and celebrating those indigenous cultures still present), is only a small victory when poverty, malnutrition, and systemic racism continue to seep into the lives of so many.
We need to listen to the indigenous voices, those still holding on to ancient systems of living in harmony with their surroundings, and learn from them. We should go back to pagan Earth-worship, even if you wish to believe in invisible beings beyond the clouds and whatever magical thinking still pervades modern-day mythologies. The developed world will need to make sacrifices in order to enact a severe and promising Green New Deal. Half-measures will fail, as they have for the past twenty years. Resources dry up. You will need to buy less, waste less, and breed less. That’s right—we need to decrease the number of hyper-consumers and wanton polluters. Period. I don’t think Nature will create another super-plague to do the work for us, but an asteroid might. I digress.
The challenges of indigenous peoples around the world are similar, hammered down by History, and they are struggling to survive on their own terms, in their own ways. They need legal representation on the world stage, at the UN, and in every body of government that impacts them directly. They need the opportunities to thrive, to be granted education and empowerment, to be treated fairly, and to speak for themselves. Those sympathetic must support them in their defense of whatever lands they still hold on to. Can the Extinction Rebellion join forces with the indigenous defenders of Gaia? Let us hope so.
Jasilyn Charger channels it well on LitHub with:
"I try to make my ancestors proud and my family proud. Because I want my elderly to leave this world knowing that the future of our people rests in good hands. And whenever they see us fighting on the front lines, and even getting hurt and getting beaten, we’re still persevering. Because our ancestors went through so much to just exist, just to have rights. Just to practice their own culture. They survived through hell and back. They marched across thousands of miles just to be placed on this reservation. Families were broken. People were lost. And I can’t live with myself without knowing I made the exact same commitment.
Native American children, we inherit so much stress, so much pain. And when we grew up, it’s like, Why are my people like this? We don’t like it. We’re not satisfied. So, I’m speaking up for what I feel, and I’m trying to do what’s right by my people. A lot of people look at me as a youth leader, but I feel like I’m more of a conduit of energy and information. No one’s too young to start fighting for themselves" (https://lithub.com/on-the-front-lines...).
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