Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
ICT
Around the World: Traditional owners begin historic treaty talks with the Victoria government; Assam government will issue arms licenses to Indigenous residents; and a controversial cable car project in Nepal threatens a sacred Indigenous pilgrimage site.
AUSTRALIA: Traditional owners begin treaty talks with Victoria government
The Dja Dja Wurrung People of Central Victoria are set to become the first Traditional Owner group to formally register their intention to negotiate a Traditional Owner Treaty with the state government, National Indigenous Times reported on May 28.
On Wednesday, the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, representing the Dja Dja Wurrung People, formally notified Victoria’s independent Treaty umpire – the Treaty Authority – of their intent to enter treaty negotiations. This makes them the first Traditional Owner group in the state to officially begin such local talks.
While the First Peoples’ Assembly, the democratically elected voice for First Peoples in Victoria, is negotiating a statewide treaty with the government, the Treaty Negotiation Framework allows Traditional Owner groups like the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation to pursue individual treaties that reflect specific local needs and aspirations.
Djaran Murray-Jackson, Dja Dja Wurrung Reserved Seat Holder at the Assembly and Director of the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation Board, emphasized that local Treaties will empower communities to address their own priorities. “Our mob will lead this. We’ll focus on the issues that are important here on Dja Dja Wurrung Country,” he said. “Country, our connection to the land, is such an important part of who we are as Aboriginal people.” Land and caring for Country, as outlined in the Dhelkunya Dja, Dja Dja Wurrung Country Plan, will be central to the negotiations.
The Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation is recognized as one of Victoria’s strongest First Nations organizations, with deep roots in the local community. Many Indigenous people have welcomed the Aboriginal corporation’s step forward as a significant moment for Treaty-making in Victoria.
Rodney Carter, Dja Dja Wurrung Group chief executive, stressed that self-determination leads to stronger communities. “Along with practical decision-making powers at a local level, we know the community wants to build understanding of our culture and language more widely,” he said. “Everyone should be able to share in the benefits of Country.”
Carter, who also serves on the Assembly for the North West region, spoke of historical injustice. Despite caring for Country for millennia, Djaara have faced exclusion since colonization, while non-Indigenous people have generated “incredible wealth, establishing intergenerational advantage and privilege.” He added, “Our homelands have been turned upside down, and we’ve been prevented from practicing our Culture. The playing field has been nowhere near level. Treaty will provide opportunities for us to get back on equal footing, to create a better future for our kids.”
The Treaty Authority confirmed receipt of Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation’s notification. Once registered, the process includes a public notification stage to inform both Traditional Owners and the broader Victorian community. Gunditjmara woman and Treaty Authority Member Thelma Austin called the announcement “an important step for Traditional Owners,” noting it marks the result of a self-determined, hard-fought journey.
“We look forward to overseeing a fair and just process… to build a solid foundation for reconciliation for all Victorians,” Austin said. Djab Wurrung man and Treaty Authority Chair Jidah Clark added, “Treaties will recast the relationship between First Peoples and the State, bringing us closer together.”
Assembly Co-Chair and Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg said this step allows the Dja Dja Wurrung people to develop practical solutions tailored for their community. “When it comes to Aboriginal communities, cultures, lands and languages, the experts are of course, Aboriginal people,” he said.
Victoria’s Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Natalie Hutchins, welcomed Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation’s entry into negotiations, calling it “another historic first.” She added, “Treaty is about making a better and fairer state for every Victorian.” Meanwhile, Victoria’s Opposition party has vowed to scrap the process if elected next year.
INDIA: Assam government to issue arms licenses to Indigenous residents
The Assam Government will give arms licenses to Indigenous people living in vulnerable and remote areas to instill a sense of security, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, The Pioneer News Service reported on May 29.
At a press briefing, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma explained that the decision was made following a State Cabinet meeting which reviewed the “demand” from residents of vulnerable and remote areas.
“Assam is a very different and sensitive state. Assamese people living in certain areas have been feeling insecure and have been requesting arms licenses for a long time,” Sarma said.
He added, “The government will adopt a lenient approach in granting licenses to eligible individuals, provided they are original inhabitants and belong to the Indigenous communities residing in these vulnerable and remote parts of the state.”
Sarma named some of the districts falling under this category, including Dhubri, Morigaon, Barpeta, Nagaon, and South Salmara-Mankachar. “Our people are the minority in these places,” he emphasized.
NEPAL: Cable car project threatens sacred site
Nepal’s Supreme Court has lifted the suspension on a cable car project at a sacred Indigenous pilgrimage site, reigniting concerns over cultural rights and looming tensions, Mongabay reported on May 27.
Nepal’s Supreme Court has lifted the suspension on construction of a controversial cable car project at Pathibhara, a sacred pilgrimage site in the eastern hills, intensifying fears of cultural violation and confrontation with Indigenous Yakthung (Limbu) communities. While the IME Group, which is building the project, plans to resume work, the Limbu say they will not allow construction to proceed on their ancestral land known as Mukkumlung.
The court declined to extend the interim stay order, citing earlier rulings, though the final judgment is still pending. “Now that the court has discontinued its order, we are looking forward to continuing the construction and plan to finish the project by late next year,” said Himal Neupane, spokesperson for IME Group. He claimed the project was approved with local consent. However, Indigenous leaders firmly reject this narrative, citing violations of their constitutional rights and international obligations under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), to which Nepal is a signatory.
The Yakthung argue that the $22 million project threatens not just trees, but their sacred forests, natural resources, and spiritual heritage. The mountaintop temple of Pathibhara Devi is a Hindu pilgrimage destination, but the area holds deep ancestral significance for the Limbu. Clearing trees, they warn, will irreparably weaken the spiritual power of the site. “The court’s decision indirectly came as a support for the project’s construction,” said Shree Lingkhim, coordinator of the Mukkumlung Protection and Struggle Committee.
In a press meet, the committee called for an immediate halt to construction until the court issues its final ruling. “We unitedly call for the protection of our rights as citizens and Indigenous peoples enshrined in Nepal’s Constitution and UNDRIP,” Lingkhim said. As part of their resistance, the community plans to launch the Mukkumlung Protection Plantation Program in mid-June, replanting native trees on the contested site.
The developer and its supporters argue that the cable car will boost tourism, create jobs, and ease access for pilgrims who currently trek the steep mountain path. Yet environmental experts have raised concerns over the project’s weak environmental assessment, which they say exploits legal loopholes and fails to safeguard local biodiversity. Neupane insists that proper community consent was obtained, a claim disputed by protesters.
Since its approval in 2018, the project has triggered repeated protests, arrests, and even violent confrontations, leaving some community members injured. “The community has criticized the project since the beginning over the refusal to allow them free, prior and informed consent,” Lingkhim said. Lawyer Prem Chandra Rai emphasized that legal avenues remain open. “The court discontinued its order. But it is yet to reach its final judgement which will determine the legal status of the project.”
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are in Nepal where ancient mountains whisper the prayers of generations, a new battle is unfolding – not over wealth, but over dignity. The sacred site of Mukkumlung, revered by the Indigenous Yakthung (Limbu) people, now faces the threat of a cable car project pushed forward by commercial ambition.
The recent Supreme Court decision to lift the stay order feels less like justice and more like a retreat from the principles enshrined in international law: free, prior, and informed consent, and the right of Indigenous peoples to protect their ancestral lands.
Development without conscience is nothing but silent violence. The flawed environmental assessments, the sidelining of Indigenous voices, and the looming displacement of porters and small businesses expose a brutal truth: profit has once again found an easier path than fairness. For the Yakthung, this is not merely about transportation – it is about erasure. When sacred sites are reduced to tourist attractions, entire identities risk being commodified into souvenirs.
The way forward is not complicated, if only humility leads. Nepal must immediately pause the project, return to genuine consultation with the Yakthung leadership, and invite independent environmental and cultural experts to review the project’s long-term implications. A joint management framework, rooted in Yakthung customs, could transform this conflict into a model of respectful coexistence – where development serves both the land and its first people, not just shareholders.
History will not be kind to governments that crush sacred spaces in the name of progress. It is not too late for Nepal to choose a different headline: one where wisdom prevails, and where sacred mountains remain guarded by those who have always known how to listen to them.