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November and December are known to be the windiest months in Guatemala; they are also the months characterized by kites, corn pastries and coffee. November 1 marks the Day of the Dead in Guatemala, celebrated by many with visits to the cemetery, with flowers and food to honor their ancestors. Sumpango, Sacatepequez is known to celebrate this festive day with majestic, colorful, giant kites that depict social, environmental and political issues.

November is Native American month but it is also Membership Month at Cultural Survival, which means it's time to celebrate our members and the good you do around the world in advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

After significant scrutiny over World Bank Operative Policy 4.10 regarding Indigenous Peoples, we, Cultural Survival, would like to express our concern that these policies do not sufficiently protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples. To allow this policy to remain unchanged would undermine decades of tireless efforts to promote the rights of Indigenous Peoples. These policies fall far under the standards that one should expect from illustrious international organizations, particularly those whose goals are to promote human rights and development.

By Madeline McGill

Climate change impacts people everywhere. Rising temperatures and sea levels are only some of the many ways that carbon emissions and other forms of pollution are affecting the planet.

Some countries are combating the ramifications of climate change better than others. After years of reliance, curbing a nation’s dependency on fossil fuels takes time. However, for many Pacific Islanders, time is a luxury they cannot afford.

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Traditional Dineh (Navajo) elders are under attack by federal law enforcement! There have been multiple arrests and approx. 200 of their sheep and goats have been confiscated.

The month of September was an exciting month for New York City as several historic events took place right on the little island of Manhattan. Cultural Survival had the unique opportunity to participate in several events that reconstructed the role of indigenous people in regards to important issues such as climate change. The first of many exciting events was the first ever, People’s Climate March, the biggest march of its kind with over 400,000 people in attendance.

By Phoebe Farris

By Forest Peoples Programme

On October 23, 2014, the Shipibo indigenous community of Korin Bari filed a law suit against the Peruvian government for its failure to title its traditional territory resulting in the repeated invasion of community lands by illegal loggers and coca growers threatening the lives of community members who protest.

By Jenna Grant for Cultural Anthropology

On October 12th, Tsilhqot’in People gathered at Fish Lake in British Colombia to inaugurate a totem pole at a new conservation area covering 800,000 acres to be managed by the Tsilhqot’in First Nation of Canada. The park, whose official name is Dasiqox Tribal Park, is known as ‘Nexwagwez?an’ , meaning “it is there for us” in the Tsilhoqot’in language.

 Oct. 6, 2014 –­– The film Huicholes: The Last Peyote Guardians will be on a North American tour with 30+ screenings in more than 20 cities in the United States and Canada, with the U.S. premiere at Rice University Theater in Houston, Texas, and the Canadian premiere hosted by Cinema Politica in Montreal, Quebec. The documentary presents the emblematic case of the defense of Wirikuta, sacred territory to the Wixárika (Huichol) people against the threat of transnational mining corporations.