NEW UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT RULE PROPERLY RECOGNIZES TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS
In December 2022, the United States Supreme Court adopted changes to its rules. The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) is happy to report that in those changes is a big win for Indian Country, one for which NARF actively advocated on behalf of tribal…
First Nations police launch human-rights complaint against Ottawa over funding
Police chiefs presiding over First Nations police forces in Ontario have launched a human-rights complaint alleging that the federal government is placing reserves in crisis by failing to deliver adequate funding. The claim, which was obtained by The Globe and Mail, was filed last…
Sámi rights must not be sacrificed for green energy goals of Europe
Growing up in Gällivare/ Váhtjer, a Swedish village in Sápmi, north of the Arctic Circle, the threats facing Sámi people were a daily reality. We are Europe’s only Indigenous people, but colonialism means our territory, Sápmi, is split across four countries: Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia….
Polarization in Siberia: Thwarted Indigeneity and Sovereignty
Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer updates her monograph Galvanizing Nostalgia? to explore why many in the republics are against Russia’s war in Ukraine. Drawing on long-term fieldwork in Sakha, Tyva and Buryatia and with diaspora communities, she outlines an uneven legacy of revitalization and grievances in relation to the Kremlin…
Dmitry Berezhkov. Indigenous peoples is an integral part of the Arctic security
Today the Arctic security is threatened on all fronts, from extractive industries development and toxic contamination to the world’s fastest climate change. Recent political tensions between the West and Russia and the start of the war in Ukraine are putting Arctic security in a…
One year after Russia’s Ukraine invasion, circumpolar diplomats take stock
TORONTO — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year upended almost 30 years of Arctic cooperation, but it’s also brought northern allies even closer together, a group of diplomats from the world’s circumpolar countries told a Canadian conference on Wednesday. By Eilís Quinn “It’s been…
Instead of planting trees, give forests back to people
Forests flourish under community control, and NASA has the satellite imagery to show it. It might sound counterintuitive, but empowering locals to manage forests is an excellent way to preserve them. That strategy can even bring dwindling forests roaring back, NASA Earth Observatory’s recent…
Influence of Putin’s aggression against Ukraine on Indigenous Peoples of Russia
Dear colleagues, brothers and sisters, Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the bloody Russian aggression against Ukraine, unleashed by the imperial policy of dictator Putin. This war has already cost the Ukrainian nation tens of thousands of lives, including the lives of the indigenous…
Nine ways to support the rights of indigenous people
What are the practical steps to push for recognising the rights of indigenous people around the world? Our expert panel shares their thoughts 1. Focus on the priorities Indigenous people can’t choose their own way of life, get control over their own education, healthcare and so…
Mining Europe’s biggest rare earth deposit could make life ‘impossible’ for Sámi communities
In January, Swedish state-owned mining company LKAB discovered more than 1 million tonnes of rare earth minerals in Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost city. These rare earth minerals are key components in everything from electric vehicle batteries to mobile phones to wind turbines. And the discovery of…