The following is an excerpt from two chapters of the newly published The Archipelago of Hope (2017) by Gleb Raygorodetsky, an enlightening global journey revealing how the inextricable links between Indigenous cultures and their territories are the foundation for climate change resilience around the world. The Indigenous traditional territories are islands of biocultural diversity in the ever-rising sea of development and urbanization.

Photo: Screen grab of OHCHR video marking the 10-year anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, showing a Maya village in Toledo, Belize.

In a regional international court on Monday, October 23rd, 2017 Maya leaders attested there has been a “complete failure” by the government of Belize to abide by the court order to identify and protect the proprietary rights of the Maya Peoples to their customary lands.

Radio Xilotepek, an Indigenous community radio station that has served the San Luis Jilotepeque community in Jalapa, Guatemala for over 13 years is a crucial source of information on Free, Prior and Informed Consent regarding the growth of extractive industries such as mining in the area.

BY TURTLE LODGE STAFF

“The longest journey we will ever make as human beings is the journey from the mind to the heart,” said Indigenous knowledge keeper, Chief Darrell Bob of the St’at’imc Nation, as he challenged top North American scientists to step outside of their academic framework and enter into the world of Indigenous Peoples.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Deadline: October 27, 2017
Keepers of the Earth Fund

Cultural Survival is pleased to announce the Keepers of the Earth Fund (KOEF) Call for Applications. The KOEF is a small grants fund that supports Indigenous values-based community development.  These grants have supported Indigenous-led projects on the leading edge of solutions to the most pressing issues for Indigenous Peoples everywhere.  

#Honor1851Treaty Music Campaign Rallies Artists In Support Of Native Rights, Featuring KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, TA’KAYIA BLANEY, GARY FARMER, DAKOTA ROMERO, ROBERT MIRABAL, RAYE ZARAGOZA, & MORE

By John McPhaul

In October 2016, a number of Costa Rican Indigenous representatives attended a meeting in the regional hub of Buenos Aires in southern Costa Rica. Called by the government’s Ministry of the Presidency as part of a consultation process, the meeting was an opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to voice their opposition to a giant dam proposed on the Diquis Reservoir that would inundate part of their land.