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Moving along with its pleasant-sounding “comfortable housing program,” a lofty endeavor that aims to forcefully move 250,000 Tibetans into featureless apartment blocks under the auspices of ‘protecting the environment and boosting living standards,’ the Chinese Government announced it will relocate more than 52,000 Tibetan herders and farmers this year.

Human rights groups have been consistently speaking out against this program because the resettlements are in fact lowering the Tibetan Peoples’ standard of living. This is made evident in the report “No one has the Liberty to …

The International Indian Treaty Council will soon present the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination with a document that reveals America’s legacy of systemic racism, forced assimilation and apartheid of Indigenous Peoples.

The 87-page Consolidated Indigenous Shadow Report, which has been prepared with testimony from a number of individuals, covers issues such as: environmental racism, border injustices, the destruction of sacred places, violence against women, and most tellingly, the “overwhelming disparities in income, life expectancy, poverty and unemployment” in what can only be described as a system of …

Living in their Sierra Madre Mountains stronghold, for hundreds of years the Huichol People of Mexico successfully resisted the genocidal impact of the Spanish Conquest. Almost untouched, they were able to maintain their traditional culture, language and spiritual way of life.

“Today, the Huichol Indians are less isolated, increasingly vulnerable and exposed to inroads made by the Mexican Government, modern industry and tourism. Although in some areas of their homeland, their traditional co- operative way of life, intricate dress, diverse art forms and ancient shamanic ceremonials remain strong; elsewhere they have become only haunting echoes of the past.

Huichol culture is …

Tomorrow, December 11th, a Federal Appeals Court in Pasadena will be hearing oral arguments for and against the violation of religious freedom, environmental destruction, and public health dangers associated with the use of treated sewage effluent for snowmaking in a proposed ski area development on Arizona’s San Francisco Peaks–a Mountain range held Sacred by more than 13 Indigenous Nations.

This is the sequel to the unanimous court decision made in March, explains IPS News, that ruled “the U.S. Forest Service had violated its own laws by not fully …

The Western Shoshone Defense Project (WSDP) posted an action alert yesterday, warning that Cortez Gold Mines (a subsidiary of Barrrick Gold) may soon be permitted to build a new gold mine on the slopes of Mt. Tenabo.

The mountain and surrounding area is of extreme significance to the Spiritual and Cultural life of the Western Shoshone. “Mt. Tenabo has been, and continues to be used by Western Shoshone people as a central part of their religious practices and world view. Western Shoshone visit the mountain and the valley below (the location of the mine pit) for prayer ceremonies, gathering …

The Dominion has recently published it’s special issue on the Alberta tar sands; and has since last Monday , been publishing roughly one article a day about this massive, barely understood human rights and environmental disaster.

Four of the articles published so far have focused on the impact of tar sands development on indigenous people. In light of the seriousness of this issue and in respect to the effort of the Dominion to raise peoples awareness, I thought I’d briefly outline them…

The first article, “Oil Versus …

The long-awaited Intercontinental Encuentro came to an end a few days ago in Yaqui territory, Sonora, Mexico, bringing together some 547 Indigenous delegates from the around the continent, as well as over 800 observers from around the world..

Unfortunately, due to government interference the Zapatista could not attend in the numbers they had hoped–but it’s of little consequence. The main purpose of the Encuentro was to meet and learn from one another, and that was by all means achieved.

There will be more Encuentros in the future. And they …