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For as long as Indigenous People have been defending themselves from the encroachment of modern civilization, there has been a steady debate regarding the so-called need for indigenous people to modernize themselves, “lest perish by the sheer weight of their own irrelevance.”

We can talk more about this another day. For now here are a couple recent stories about how technology, specifically satellite imaging, is being used to assist indigenous people… (I am actually hearing about the utilization of satellite technology for this ends. See my post Protecting Shipibo Territory for another example.)

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A few days ago the Enawene Nawe set up a road blockade in protest to a series of hydroelectric dams which will destroy their fishing grounds, which they depend on.

Today they dismantled the blockade and have begun travelling to the capital of Brazil to meet government officials.

From Survival International - The Indians mounted the blockade on 31 May to protest against plans to build a series of hydroelectric dams along the Juruena river, which they say will destroy their vital fishing grounds.

According to local press reports, several neighbouring tribes …

I just posted the following over at my blog on gnn.tv, and thought I’d also share it here. As a side note, I’m also working on several writings focusing on what I briefly mention here, and I found a few good ones from others too. If that sounds good, please stay tuned.

Some under-reported Indigenous Struggles
and our need to be aware of them

In my day to day research I encounter many stories about different actions and events around the world which seem to go largely unnoticed.. I think it’s important that we are aware of them, particularly so we …

Recently, in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Murmansk Governor Yuri Yevdokimov reportedly said ‘indigenous peoples in the Russian North are development hostile, and that they have hampered investment projects in the region.’ [1]

A statement like this should come as no surprise, but it’s clearly an effort to mischaracterize the indigenous people of Russia. I mean, they’re not exactly gun-toting, hard line thugs here.

More to the point though, around the world there seems to be alot of moves and statements to criminalize and exacerbate the lives of Indigenous People

For example, in Canada near the end of March …

SPECIAL AUTONOMY HAS FAILED, THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT MUST CARRY OUT RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE WITH PAPUA

From adnki.com - More than 1,500 students on Friday gathered in front of the governors palace in Jayapura, the capital of the Indonesian province of Papua, demanding an end to the province’s special autonomy status, which they say does not work. The protestors called instead for dialogue with the government to decided the future of the province. “We want a three-way dialogue, involving Jakarta, a delegation from Papua and a representative …

ALERT!! Please help protect Western Shoshone spiritual areas from Gold Mining - Sign the attached petition and forward to your friends and family.

Tell Barrick to Stop Mining on Sacred Grounds

What would you do if someone came onto your land and started drilling for gold?

It’s happening right now to the Western Shoshone people of Nevada. A mining company called Barrick Gold has been mining Shoshone lands without consent and is now expanding into Mount Tenabo and Horse Canyon, areas considered sacred to the Shoshone.

Even though the Shoshone have repeatedly protested these incursions and the UN stated last year …

“Government policies pay scant attention to the long-term welfare of not only the Semai people but all indigenous people in the country. To them golf courses, housing development and theme parks are more important than the welfare of the original people of the land.”

Last week I put together a post about the Indigenous People of Malaysia, collectively referred to as the Orang Asli. Nearing the end, an article from Forbes titled Indigenous Tribe Hinders Malaysian Park was briefly mentioned.

IPS News just published another article about that particular development scheme, a 300 hectare botanical garden the government wishes …