Ryb/Module 4 Weblog

A Look Through Indigenous Eyes

http://www.worldpulse.com/node/12206

A very powerful occount written by Cristina Quisbert about the Discriminations and Racism in her native Bolivia.  Christina gives a brief history of the Domination of the 36 Indigenous Peoples over the last 5 centuries by Spanish Rule.  Her quote “losers should be under the power of winners” resonates the feeling of helplessness the Bolivian “Indians” have been feeling for quite some time, where a white face automatically lent itself to an air of superiority over anyone “ Indigenous Looking”

The article goes on to chronicle the stride Indigenous People have taken since Bolivia became a republic in 1825, with marginal inclusion in the Government, first by males, and finally by females. Despite continued open racism in many areas of Bolivia, on December 18, 2005 Evo Morales Ayma was elected the first Indigenous President.  The fight for equality continues among indigenous people throughout the world.   Felicitación Christina.

The Ecology of Hinduism

http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=77

In the Hindu faith, ecology of the mind is a necessary prerequisite to the ecology of the natural world.  One cannot exist without the other.  A central belief in God extends to preservation of the human mind which in turn is nourished by food, a cycle of ecology of respect and preservation of all forms of life in earth.  We cannot cut off the branch on which we sit.  We must contribute to the maintenance of the cycle of life. The sacredness of the cow is attributed to the milk to nourish our bodies, and the manure to nourish our land.

These themes run parallel to the ecology of indigenous people.  Indigenous knowledge, becoming favourable to western ideologies, is the nourishment and protection of the land, through firsthand knowledge and generations of learning.  Indigenous people teach the ecology of nature through stories, language, and traditions.  This ecology of the mind is essential for the protection of the natural resources needed to sustain and nourish their people.

This balance of mind and nature has long been the footpath followed by indigenous people around the world.  ‘We are disturbing the balance because of our greed for material enjoyment and our craze for power’, a sentiment of both Hinduism and Indigenous People.

Rethinking Contemporary Indigenous Rights

http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/31954645/Toward-Sustainable-SelfDetermination-Rethinking-the-Contemporary-IndigenousRights-Discourse

This is a very intense discourse by Jeff Corntassel in which he references many of the shortcomings of previous attempts of self-determination by indigenous people throughout the world.  Jeff is able to give historical references to self-determination claims that do not work and that have negative consequences for indigenous people in the future. 

As well as pointing out past and current problems, Jeff makes some suggestions to rectify the situation, most notably through the political venue of the United Nations.  At one point he seems to want to bring up the notion of forceful resistance, but cleverly steers away from that politically charged notion.

Revitalizing Canada’s Indigenous Languages

http://www.universityaffairs.ca/fight-to-revitalize-canadas-indigenous-languages.aspx

Language is one of the cornerstones of culture.  With the exception of the Inuit “Inuktitut” still spoken fluently by 2/3 of Canada’s Inuit people, the rest of Canada’s indigenous languages are at or near extinction levels.  This website chronicles some of the projects, both past and present that have been put in place to try to stabilize and/or revive some of the indigenous languages.  There are a number of links throughout the site, linking to specific projects dealing with language revitalization. 

The Yawenda Project is an attempt to revitalize the Wendake language which researchers say has not been spoken for over a century.  “Nesting” is a preschool program where students are paired with elders to enable these young individuals to grow up bilingual.  Both of these programs have experienced a fair amount of success, but economic factors have slowed progress recently.

Worth a look, especially the Wendake Link.

The Aboriginal People of Sri Lanka

http://vedda.org/

Sri Lanka’s indigenous inhabitants, the Veddas — or Wanniya-laeto  “forest-dwellers” as they call themselves — preserve a direct line of descent from the island’s original Neolithic community dating from at least 16,000 BC and probably far earlier.  This very comprehensive website offers numerous links to most aspects of Veddas culture and history.

Robert Knox was one of the first westerners to give an account of Wanniya-laeto culture in 1681 when the island was known as Ceylon.  His chronicles and a host of others that followed are laid out so the reader can “easily” follow how western colonization has altered and interacted with these indigenous people for over four centuries. 

Early photographs, maps, conflicts, and treaties are all part of the history and wreckage undergone by the Wanniya-laeto people since western historians and anthropologists have entered into this unique island culture.