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Box 2574 :: :: Olympia, Wa Fido Net 1:352/333 :: :: 98507-2574 206-786-9629 :: :: USA The Quarto Mundista BBS :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS INDIGENOUS IDEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY A Position Paper Prepared by the National Congress of American Indians for the World Council of Indigenous Peoples General Assembly III - Canberra, Australia - 27 April to 2 May, 1981 Overview Indigenous peoples are politically, and culturally distinct from all other nationalities of peoples. As peoples they constitute individual nationalities where customs, language, heritage and historical origins are shared as common characteristics of the population. An indigenous nation may be made up of many communities, families or tribes which constitute a diversification of common customs, language, heritage and historical origins. These nations have existed for thousands of years in territories which in recent times have been overrun and occupied by alien peoples from other parts of the world. The Indigenous nations have been surrounded and fragmented by these invading aliens during the last four hundred years. They have been subjugated by the alien peoples and forced to deny their own nationality, and instead adopt the nationality of the invading aliens. By creating and then imposing their own political systems on indigenous nations, the alien peoples have eroded and in many instances destroyed the national identity of many Indigenous nations. Territorial Fragmentation While many Indigenous nations continue to exist they have had their territories and peoples seriously fragmented by the forced placement of indigenous communities, families or tribes onto small parcels of land sometimes referred to as reservations, reserves, municipalities or conservation areas. Whole nations of indigenous peoples have been geographically divided into enclaves,which are neither economically viable nor conducive to dynamic cultural and political development. Where the fragmentation of indigenous nations has occurred communities, families and tribes have been"forced into economic and political dependence on a surrounding and often dominating alien nation of people. Economic Dislocation Though many Indigenous nations have been dispersed and segregated into individual communities, tribes and confederations of tribes through geographical dislocation other indigenous nations remain intact geographically, but they suffer under pressures of economic and social dislocation. Their economic institutions have been inundated and largely replaced by western cash economic systems. The western or occidental cash economic systems are controlled and manipulated by state governments, which exclude direct indigenous political participation. Many of these governments are former colonial governments which achieved independence from western European states. These former colonial governments have become neo-colonial governments super-imposing their institutions over indigenous nations. In many of these post colonial states the Indigenous population is in the majority. While geographic integrity is largely maintained the Indigenous populations do not control the use of primary natural resources, lands and water. The means to control raw materials, land and the economy is often forcefully denied Indigenous populations, either through military intervention or through social and political intervention. Many Indigenous nations suffer from exploitation from a minority of aliens who use violence and intimidation as a means to maintain control over the Indigenous peoples. Indigenous national identity is suppressed so the minority can benefit from indigenous labor and indigenous resources. Political Division Finally, Indigenous nations have been divided by the imposition of colonial territorial boundaries. Once the colonies from Europe established a foothold in Indigenous national territories they severed colonial ties with the European kingdoms to form new nation-states. The boundaries established between colonies became new national boundaries often running through indigenous national territories. Despite efforts to prevent the political division of their homelands Indigenous nations are now divided by boundaries super-imposed over their territories often by as many as four nation-states. Such political division and annexation of indigenous territories by the new nation-states has weakened the Indigenous nations economically, politically, culturally and institutionally. By virtue of political division, portions of indigenous nations have been reduced to the status of minority populations under the powers of a nation-state or refugees in their own lands. Alternatives for Indigenous Nations In all of the circumstances described above indigenous populations have had their national identity fragmented and their economic, cultural and political institutions suppressed by an invading alien population. Having their economic and political strength neutralized the Indigenous populations have been forced to deny their own national identity, their own history, languages and cultural development so that these things can be replaced through the adoption of the alien history, language, culture and institutions, Forced assimilation or slow staged assimilation have been the policies of all nation-states regarding Indigenous nations. The final objective is to eliminate all Indigenous nations. For more than four hundred years Indigenous nations have been waging a kind of 'cold war' against the intrusion of colonies and nation-states that has occasionally flared into violent confrontations. Within this time more than 28 million Indigenous people have been destroyed either by direct confrontation, disease or the results of social and cultural dislocation. For the Indigenous nations the options for survival have been severely limited by the on rush of the invading nation-states. Whole Indigenous nations or their fragments have moved into less hospitable territories, accepted violent confrontation, or accepted assimilation into the nation-state. Two other options have more recently been exercised by various Indigenous nations: redevelopment of the Indigenous nation internally while renewing global recognition of a national identity (national autonomy) or pursuing a course of action under trusteeships with a nation-state, where fragments of the Indigenous nation assert internal sovereignty while adjusting to slow assimilation into the nation-state. These latter options have the greatest potential for the survival of Indigenous nations or the sub-parts of Indigenous nations: communities, tribes and families. Under these two options Indigenous nations have the greatest possibility for reviving their own economic, political and cultural dynamic. The essential reality is that unless Indigenous nations reassert their national identity then the remnants of their national existence will not survive. Rebuilding the Indigenous National Identity The major influences which have caused the decline of Indigenous nations have been the loss of control over national territory and raw materials, the loss of control over the indigenous economy and the loss of control over cultural change. These three elements of national existence have one thing in common: control within the nation. The nation-states which have sought to destroy indigenous national identity have consistently worked to undermine indigenous national control over territory, the economy and cultural change. To reverse this trend fragments of Indigenous nations must first politically reestablish the bonds which held the nation together and while so doing define and implement an economic and political alternative to the nation- state as the provider to Indigenous peoples. This means establishing Indigenous national governments which institute measures to create inter-community or inter-tribal economic dependence. This will require establishing a national indigenous currency for economic exchange. A fundamental principle for rebuilding indigenous national identities is that the indigenous population must have an overriding commitment to the idea of the nation; they must be committed to the idea that economic hardship must be suffered so that the indigenous nation can systematically withdraw from the western monetary system at least long enough to establish the indigenous alternative economy. The indigenous alternative economy must, of necessity, be initially based on subsistence, indigenous labor and indigenous raw materials. A second principle which must guide the rebuilding of indigenous national identities is that indigenous languages and cultural practices must be revived to provide alternative to the western system of assimilation. A third principle essential to rebuilding Indigenous nations is that re-occupying indigenous territories through reversed colonization must be systematically planned and implemented over time. A fourth principle is that Indigenous nations assert their own standards for development and reject the standards established by the alien nation-states. This principle must be implemented through the establishment of indigenous educational and communications institutions which are not dependent upon the nation-state for their authority or the nation-state's economy. A fifth principle is that diversity within the Indigenous nation is its major strength and its principle source for renewal. This diversity must be politically focussed on the achievement of national goals: reclaiming national territories, the full participation of all Indigenous citizens in national decisions, the institution of indigenous culture and language, and the institution of a national economy established to insure the maximum and equitable distribution of goods and services for the benefit of all Indigenous citizens. The sixth principle which must guide national renewal is that all raw materials within an indigenous territory must first have a direct benefit to the Indigenous citizens before external interests are permitted to gain access to these materials for their use. The principle also applies to indigenous labor. Such labor must be provided first to the nation for the collective benefit before it is offered to external interests. In both instances the Indigenous population must be made ready to defend these resources and their labor against overt or covert efforts by nation-states to gain access to these sources of wealth. The seventh principle is that the political and security interests of the Indigenous nations must be preserved against the interests of the nation-states. Trusteeship: Political Association Between Indigenous nations and Nation-States Many fragmented or divided Indigenous nations lack sufficient political integration to act in a unified way. This weakness need only be temporary if the strongest parts of the nations assume the responsibility for rebuilding the nation. During the period of rebuilding (again a temporary condition) Indigenous nations must maintain or establish a formal political association with a nation-state. Such arrangements as trusteeships or protected territorial status have long been methods for protecting weakened nations. It is essential that such bilateral relationships are understood as temporary arrangements. In terms of Indigenous nations, such arrangements are quite common. Though common, they have been found to be quite dangerous as well. The protecting nation-states has often been shown to be far more interested in assimilating the Indigenous nation politically and/or culturally than it has sought to insure the political and economic development of the Indigenous nation. Several principles must guide Indigenous nations as they enter into or maintain trusteeship relations with a nation-state: The first principle is that the arrangement is only temporary, and the reason for the protective arrangement is to insure the dynamic political and cultural development of the Indigenous nation. The second principle is that the Indigenous nation or its several parts (tribes, communities, families) has an inherent sovereignty to regulate and control its internal affairs without the nation-state interference. The third principle is that it is the duty of the protecting nation-state to preserve, protect and guarantee the Indigenous nation's rights and property from external encroachments. It has a further duty to aid the Indigenous nation in its efforts to achieve political and economic self-determination - a full measure of indigenous self-government. The fourth principle is that when the Indigenous nation is satisfied that it can decide its own political future it must be permitted to choose continued political association with the nation-state, full independence as a political state in its own right or political absorption into the protecting nation-state. The essential point is that the Indigenous nations must choose the form of political existence that best suits its needs. Final Remark The ultimate goal of any nation of people is either to survive as a distinct political entity or to dissolve and disappear. For Indigenous nations the alternatives are national renewal, fragmentation and continued dependence on nation-states or dissolution and assimilation into nation-states. The opportunity to reform nation-states does not exist. The only opportunity is to reverse the trends which threaten Indigenous national destruction by reasserting national identity. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To have a current Center For World Indigenous Studies Publication Catalogue sent to you via e-mail, send a request to jburrows@halcyon.com Center For World Indigenous Studies P.O. Box 2574 Olympia, WA U.S.A. 98507-2574 Fax: 206-956-1087 BBS: 206-786-9629