Violence against Indigenous rights defenders continues in Honduras as yet another activist was murdered on Wednesday, July 6, 2016. A woman identified as Lesbia Yaneth Urquia was found dead near a garbage facility in Marcala with several head wounds. Her death is the latest in a series of murders of human rights activists in Honduras, including her colleagues Berta Cáceres and Nelson Garcia.

By Tony Coolidge

According to many visitors to Taiwan, the magnificent East coast stretching from Hualien to Taitung County is arguably the most beautiful area of Taiwan. It is often compared to the scenic coastlines in Hawai’i, California or New Zealand. The scenery of Taroko Gorge, as well as the towering cliffsides met abruptly by the deep blue Pacific Ocean leave their indelible impressions on visitors. However, the distinctive cultures of the locals are what gives visitors a rich, colorful experience they will always remember.

Hōkūle’a will arrive in Boston in just a few days, and you won’t want to miss their arrival! Part of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, Hōkūle’a will be making a stop in Boston, MA from July 9th to the 14th.

Hokuleʻa is a performance-accurate full-scale replica of a waʻa kaulua, a Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe operated by the Polynesian Voyaging Society.  

But first, if you don’t know too much about Hōkūle’a, here is some background and information about what they’ve been up to recently.

Reviving the Legacy of Exploration

After nearly 30 years of legislation, the Organization of American States (OAS) has adopted a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples  at its General Assembly meeting in the Dominican Republic from June 13 to 15, 2016. The OAS General Assembly initiated steps towards a declaration in 1989.

On May 10, 2016, the Library of Congress featured Native American writers on a panel, "Spotlight on Native Writers." Eric Gansworth, Linda LeGarde Grover, and Stephen Graham Jones read excerpts from their work and Deborah Miranda moderated the discussion and Q&A.

On June 27th, 2016, the director of Public Prosecutions of Belize dropped the criminal charges against the Santa Cruz 13, allowing those who had unfairly been held prisoner to go free. The director stated that he had “no intention to lay charges against the accused in the future.” This is a victory for Indigenous people in Belize, since the government has acknowledged the innocence of the Santa Cruz 13 and the violations of due process and rule of law, as well as racial discrimination, that have plagued the trial.

By Giulia McDonnell

This morning, on June 28, 2016, the Director of Public Prosecutions discontinued the charges against the Santa Cruz 13. The Director also confirmed the state had “no intention to lay charges against the accused in the future.”

By Anna Hernandez

As recent high profile corruption cases continue to bring worldwide attention to Guatemala’s government and military institutions, other, less-known human rights cases have been overlooked.

Sabino Romero, chief of the Indigenous Yupka community in the Sierra of Perijá, Venezuela, was murdered in March of 2013. The Yupka community claims that the suspected murderers were hired by cattle ranchers attempting to take the ancestral lands of the Yupka people. Romero was a lands activist who defended his community’s ancestral lands from cattle ranchers and mining companies.

By Anna Hernandez

When Bolivia passed the Law for the Defense of Mother Earth in December 2010, those behind the law, Indigenous leaders, conservationists, and the president were looking to the future. The law would be presented in the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in April in Cochabamba, Bolivia and would go on to become the Universal Declaration for the Rights of Mother Earth, which was taken to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meetings in 2011.