Indigenous Ideology and Philosophy -- National Congress of American Indians Position Paper
******************
A SIMPLE REQUEST
******************
Many of our files are unique and/or copyrighted by The Center For
World Indigenous Studies and The Fourth World Documentation
Project. All FWDP files may be reproduced for electronic
transfer or posting on computer networks and bulletin boards
provided that:
1. All text remains unaltered.
2. No profit is made from such transfer.
3. Full credit is given to the author(s) and the Fourth World
Documentation Project.
4. This file is included in the archive if being used as a
file on a BBS, FTP site or other file archive.
Thank you for your cooperation.
John Burrows
Director,
Fourth World Documentation Project
()-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=()
||///////////////////////////////////||
||=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-||
|| ||
|| The Fourth World Documentation Project runs entirely on grants ||
|| and private donations. If you find this information service ||
|| useful to you in any way, please consider making a donation to ||
|| help keep it running. CWIS is a non-profit [U.S. 501(c)(3)] ||
|| organization. All donations are completely tax deductible. ||
|| Donations may be made to: ||
|| ||
|| The Center For World Indigenous Studies ||
|| c/o The Fourth World Documentation Project ||
|| P.O. Box 2574 ||
|| Olympia, Washington USA ||
|| 98507-2574 ||
|| Thank You, ||
|| CWIS Staff ||
|| ||
||=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-||
||///////////////////////////////////||
()=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-()
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: This file has been created under the loving care of ::
:: -= THE FOURTH WORLD DOCUMENTATION PROJECT =- ::
:: ::
:: Questions and comments on FWDP can be addressed to: ::
:: ::
:: John Burrows jburrows@halcyon.com ::
:: P.O. 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