BBC News Australia: Australia's remote indigenous communities fear closure

Australia's remote indigenous communities fear closure


By Marie McInerney


Melbourne, Victoria

Derby Aboriginal elder Lorna Hudson was a child when government authorities in the 1960s moved her people from tiny Sunday Island off the remote north-west coast of Western Australia to the mainland.

For a time most of the Sunday Island "saltwater" people lived on a reserve in the outback town of Derby, recalls Ms Hudson.

Later many moved to the coastal community of One Arm Point, 200km north of the resort town of Broome, where they resumed traditional hunting and fishing.

Their dislocation is an experience shared by many Indigenous Australians who were forced off their land, last century, either because of changes in government policy or lack of employment.

"That's how people lost their culture," says Ms Hudson. "It put us in a different environment, away from our country."

2011 International Day of the World's Indigenous People

"Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting their own future"

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (9 August) was first proclaimed by the General Assembly in December 1994, to be celebrated every year during the first International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995 – 2004).

In 2004, the Assembly proclaimed a Second International Decade, from 2005 – 2015, with the theme of “A Decade for Action and Dignity.”

The focus of this year’s International Day will be Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future.

National American Indian Heritage Month

National American Indian Heritage Month

Overview

National American Indian Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes the accomplishments of the peoples who were the original inhabitants, explorers and settlers of the United States.

“National American Indian Heritage Month” had its origins in 1986 when Congress passed Pub. L. 99-471 (PDF, 93 KB) which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week of November 23-30, 1986 as “American Indian Week.” As directed by Congress, President Reagan issued Presidential Proclamation 5577 in November 1986 proclaiming the first American Indian Week. Both law and proclamation recognized the American Indians as the first inhabitants of the lands that now constitute the United States as well as making mention of their contributions to American society:

Many of the foods we eat and the medicines and remedies we use were introduced by Indians and more than one highway follows an Indian trail. Indians make contributions in every area of endeavor and American life, and our literature and all our arts draw upon Indian themes and wisdom. Countless American Indians have served in our Armed Forces and have fought valiantly for our country.

Continued at http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/american-indian.php

E-learning course on minority rights and indigenous peoples

E-learning course on minority rights and indigenous peoples

The course traces the conceptual, political and legal questions associated with the protection of minorities. Participants will debate the challenges of protecting "new" minorities (such as migrants) as opposed to "old" (autochtonous) minorities. Some topics addressed include rights related to religion, language, land, and education. Apply by 1 August 2009.
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Recent Law Review articles on Indigenous Peoples June-Dec 2008

From High Hopes to Disillusionment: Indigenous Peoples' Struggle to (re)Gain Their Right to Self-determination Koivurova, Timo International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, Volume 15, Number 1, 2008, p.1-26 Possessing the Pacific: Land, Settlers, and Indigenous People from Australia to Alaska, by Stuart Banner Eamon Lorincz Harvard Environmental Law Review, Volume 32, Number 2, 2008, p.597 Fencing Off the Eagle and the Condor, Border Politics, and Indigenous Peoples Angelique EagleWoman Natural Resources & Environment, Volume 23, Number 2, Fall 2008, p.33 The Impact of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on Wisconsin Tribes Jon Beidelschies Wisconsin International Law Journal, Volume 26, Number 2, Summer 2008, p.479 Who are the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and New Zealand? Natalie Coates Journal of South Pacific Law, Volume 12, Number 1, 2008, p.49-55 Indigenous Sovereignty: A Reassessment in Light of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Siegfried Wiessner Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Volume 41, Number 4, October 2008, p.1141 Climate Change and Human Rights: Issues and Opportunities for Indigenous Peoples Emily Gerrard University of New South Wales Law Journal, Volume 31, Number 3, 2008, p.941

Amazon Indians' protest forces repeal of laws

{From Survival International} Protests by thousands of Indians across the Peruvian Amazon have led to the repeal of two controversial laws by the Peruvian Congress. The protests were in response to new laws decreed by President Garcia that the Indians said undermined their rights and made it easier for outsiders to seize control of their territories. Following ten days of protests, Congress voted to repeal two of the most controversial laws – Legislative Decrees 1015 and 1073. The leader of Peru’s national Amazon Indian organisation, AIDESEP, described the decision as heralding a ‘new dawn’ for indigenous peoples in Peru. The protests, called off last week, involved an estimated 14,000 Indians. Roads and a river were blockaded, an oil pipeline picketed, and a hydroelectric plant surrounded. The repeal of the two laws must be approved by Peru’s Executive.