In Chile last week, a bill was proposed to officially recognize the extermination of the Selk’nam and Aonikenk, two Peoples whom thrived in Chile’s southern Patagonia area before contact with Europeans—as genocide.

The bill also proposes to construct monuments about the genocide of the Selk’nam and Aonikenk, ‘to enter them into Chile’s history’.

In the mid-nineteenth century, European settlers established sheep ranches near the Selk’nam lands…. Completely foreign to the European notion of private property, the astute Selk’nam Warriors hunted the sheep.

In response, the Ranchers organized themselves …

A couple days ago, Survival International released a report comparing the arguments used to justify the assimilation and dispossession of the Kalahari Bushmen with those used to defend the transatlantic slave trade. A great deal of the rhetoric used by the government is profoundly similar.

This comparison may come as a shock to some, but I want to make sure you realize this is just a drop in the bucket of the historical and contemporary experiences of indigenous People throughout the world…. The same logic and reasoning used to justify …

Well, the bills which grant the government of Australia power to encroach upon, invade, and determine the lives of Indigenous People in the Northern Territory came to pass in a near-unanimous vote of 56 to 6.

Among many new privileges, the government effectively owns all Aboriginal Land. All Indigenous on Welfare have automatically had 50% of their payments ‘quarantined.’ The government can ‘observe’ any meeting held by Aboriginal or non Aboriginal organizations in the Territory which provide services to Aboriginal communities. The government can seize the assets of Aboriginal or …

The Peoples’ Permanent Tribunal (PPT), an independent non-governmental body that examines and judges complaints regarding violations of human rights as submitted by the victims themselves (or their representatives)—recently held a hearing against the Oil Industry in Colombia.

On August 3rd and 4th, the Panel of 130 Judges gathered in Bogota, receiving testimony from nearly 400 People with regard to the actions of Repsol-YPF, Occidental and British Petroleum, and the Colombian state-owned oil company.

The Judges concluded: “The Tribunal –which is non-binding- believes that there are reasonable grounds to qualify a …

Below you will find three open letters from the National Indigenous Human Rights Congress Australia. The first is addressed to the President of the Senate Committee Parliament House; the second is to the World Council of Churches, and the final letter is to all Foreign Representatives Who Reside in Australia.

All letters are regarding "Aboriginal Policy", (recent & current events, aswell as the historical & ongoing approach towards indigenous people) The latter 2 (which are one in the same, though addressed differently) focus specifically on what Indigenous people

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For seven years now, the US government has been dispersing large sums of money to the Colombian Military under the premise of aid, aimed at curbing drug production. So far they have sent out nearly five billion dollars… Every six months though, the US Government must first “certify” Colombia’s human rights progress before any additional monies can be sent out.. For seven years now the US government has given Colombia it’s seal of approval, no contest…

From news.nacla.org - When Miguel Moran Acosta graduated from high school …

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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José Efraín Ríos Montt, the “born-again” evangelical Protestant responsible for killing some 70,000 Mayan peasants and political dissidents between 1982-83… is once again running for president.

In 1999 he was charged with crimes of genocide, state terrorism and other crimes against humanity; and in 2006, a Spanish court issued an international arrest warrant for him, seeking his extradition. He is also facing legal action in two Guatemalan courts for crimes he committed when he was in power.

Activists have been working to block the candidacy of this former dictator, as …

At a recent function marking the 40th anniversary of the referendum “that handed indigenous Australians the right to be counted in the Census,” John Howard was accused of genocide…. and he didn’t disagree…

From the Australian - Mr Howard told the gathering of about 400 people, which included original referendum campaigners, the way to true reconciliation was through shared responsibility and so-called practical reconciliation. But the crowd disagreed.

At the end of Mr Howard’s speech a middle-age indigenous woman stood and shouted at Mr Howard. “We have been genocided (sic) by your Government and your court,” the unidentified woman said.

The …

The enslavement, torture, displacement, and genocide of people in Burma continues

From the Asia Tribune: According to the Free Burma Rangers, a relief organisation working in the area, soldiers from Light Infantry Battalions 542 and 544 attacked Ber Ka Lay Ko village, northern Toungoo District in north-western Karen State on 12 May. They reportedly captured, raped and killed a woman.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide revealed in a statement, “Three days later, troops attacked again as villagers worked in their fields. Many were able to flee due to the noise made by the …