Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
Special to ICT
Around the world: The Chinese government bans Uyghurs from praying during a religious holiday, a Filipino tribe gathers special coffee beans, New Zealand invests in Māori forestry, Alberta funds Indigenous treatment centers, and Australia supports Aboriginal heritage sites
CHINA: Government bans Uyghurs from holiday prayers
Chinese authorities prohibited most Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region from praying in mosques or homes during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Radio Free Asia reported on April 27.
Elders age 60 and above were allowed to pray at a local mosque in Xinjiang, China but were closely monitored by police, Radio Free Asia reported.
SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. CONTRIBUTE TODAY.
China has limited Uyghur customs and rituals since 2017 to curb “religious extremism,” with patrols and searches preventing private prayers during the holiday.
A local resident, who requested anonymity for safety, told Radio Free Asia that authorities destroyed nearly all mosques in Nilka and Kunes counties. Only one mosque remained in the town of Yarkowruk in Akesu Prefecture was reportedly open for Eid prayers, as was another mosque in the town of Bulung for those 60 and over.
“Our police officers went to the mosque to watch the people,” a source told Radio Free Asia. “I don’t know if people needed permission to go to the mosque because I did not go there.’’
A woman in Maralbexi told Radio Free Asia that no neighbors or relatives held Eid celebrations or prayers.
“The mosque was not open,” she said. “My husband is a policeman, and he went to work on Eid. There was no Eid al-Fitr prayer here. It was quiet.”
PHILIPPINES: Tribe boosts livelihoods with civet coffee
The B’laan community living at the base of Mount Matutum in the Philippines is working to protect and safeguard the cat-sized Philippine palm civet, whose digestion of select coffee beans creates a luxury brew known as wild civet coffee, Mongabay reported on April 18.
The coffee, brewed from partially fermented beans gathered from the civet’s excrement, can sell for more than $80 a cup in the United States, Mongabay reported.
The civets, also known as balos, were once hunted as pests or for meat, but the Buan clan has now adopted the animal as its flagship specifies for its contribution to the tribal community.
The civet is apparently selective in its choice of coffee beans, which are then fermented as they pass through the civet’s intestines. The result is a bean that produces coffee that reportedly is smoother and less bitter, and with less caffeine, than regular coffee.
The move by the tribe comes as rising demand for the coffee in parts of Southeast Asia has drawn scrutiny over the harsh treatment of civets, which are often captured, caged and force-fed coffee beans.
In contrast, the people of Mount Matutum have a different relationship with the civets, Mongabay reported.
There are no caged civets at Purok 8, a civet coffee-producing hamlet of about 100 households in the village of Kinilis, separated from nearby Polomolok township by vast pineapple fields.
“Civets are revered in our community for their life-changing contribution not only to the tribe but to the environment as well,” Bal Buan, one of Purok 8’s community leaders, told Mongabay.
People who are caught caging, hunting or trapping civets are punished, with initial violations drawing a fine of about $100 and subsequent violations leading to excommunication, which can be tantamount to a death sentence, Mongabay reported.
NEW ZEALAND: Government will invest in Māori forestry
The New Zealand government has unveiled a plan to jointly invest in onshore wood processing capability to provide a multimillion-dollar boost for Māori foresters, Te Ao Maori News reported on April 27.
Māori own almost half of the commercially planted forest land in New Zealand and want to be more involved in forest growing and wood processing. Overall, more than one-third of the forestry workforce is made up of Māori, Te Ao Māori News reported.
Forestry Minister Peeni Henare said a $57 million fund will be created to co-invest with wood processors in creating products such as sawn structural timber and engineered wood. The announcement was made at the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association conference in Rotorua.
“We want to process more logs onshore, help move our forestry sector from volume to value, lift our economic performance and resilience and create high-wage jobs in our regions,” Henare said in a statement, according to Te Ao Māori News.
“The forestry and wood processing sector is central to many of our regional economies and it is past time we capitalized on the opportunities available … These investments will deliver better outcomes for workers, whānau, communities and regions to support a more productive and sustainable economy.”
Henare said the initiative is consistent with the country’s climate change goals.
“Wood processing produces residues that can be turned into a range of biofuels to support decarbonisation which contributes to reducing emissions,” Henare said, according to Te Ao Māori News.
CANADA: Alberta funds $30M treatment center
The Enoch Cree Nation has received a $30 million grant from the province of Alberta to build an addiction treatment center, APTN News reported on April 25.
The 75-bed facility will provide culturally appropriate services and treat up to 300 individuals annually, according to Chief Cody Thomas of Enoch Cree Nation.
“With this new treatment facility we have the opportunity to turn things around and reunite our spirit,” the chief said, according to APTN News.
“A lot of our members and First Nations are going through the court process and this will help give them a hand up instead of a hand out, so that is the expectation of this treatment facility,” Thomas said.
Enoch Cree Nation is the second First Nation in Alberta to receive funding to build a center. A $5 million grant to the Kainai Blood Tribe was announced in 2020 by then-Premier Jason Kenney.
The Enoch Cree Nation center will be similar to the Kainai center’s basic design, which gave special consideration to creating a culturally appropriate facility.Construction is expected to begin soon.
Thomas said the treatment center will collaborate with Alberta Justice to house individuals going through the provincial Indigenous court system, also referred to as Gladue courts in some regions.
The Alberta government has also committed $75 million in funding for construction of three new recovery communities in Grand Prairie, as well as centers in central and northern Alberta.
AUSTRALIA: Aboriginal groups receive heritage grants
The government of Western Australia has designated more than $350,000 to assist nine Aboriginal organizations in overseeing cultural heritage projects, National Indigenous Times reported on April 25.
Dr. Tony Buti, the minister for Aboriginal Affairs in Western Australia, announced that the grants this year, ranging up to $40,000, had been awarded through the Preserve, Promote, and Protect our Aboriginal Sites program.
“Our government is committed to assisting Aboriginal organizations in their endeavors to recognize and protect important heritage sites that reflect a high degree of social and cultural importance for Aboriginal culture,” he said, according to National Indigenous Times.
“This is another great example of Aboriginal organizations actively identifying and working towards preserving their heritage for their community and all Western Australians.”
Among the recipients is the Marribank Aboriginal Corporation in the Southwest, which will fence historic grave sites, conserve the environment, and rejuvenate waterways in the Shire of Kojonup.
In the Midwest, the Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation will provide funding for community members to preserve the crucial Walga Rock Aboriginal rock art site, which portrays 17th century European ships visiting the Western Australian coast.
The Budadee Aboriginal Corporation, the Woodstock-Abydos Protected Reserve, and Kimberley’s Yawuru PBC/Nyamba Buru Limited will receive funds to preserve “Morgan’s Camp” on the Burrgugun site.
According to the Western Australia government, more than $2 million has been distributed since 2014 to 80 Aboriginal groups to help them manage Aboriginal sites on the Register of Places and Objects.
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are in the Xinjiang region, where Chinese authorities prohibited Uyghurs from praying in mosques or homes during the Eid al-Fitr festival as part of the government’s ongoing crackdown on the ethnic minority group.
Uyghurs are a predominantly Muslim Turkic group native to Xinjiang that has faced severe oppression and human rights violations by the Chinese government, including detention in “re-education” camps, forced labor, and restrictions on religious and cultural practices.
The ban on Eid al-Fitr prayers further highlights the Chinese government’s efforts to suppress Uyghur religious freedom and cultural expression.
This oppression must stop. Religious freedom and cultural expression is a human right and the Chinese government should let all people practice their beliefs.
Global Indigenous is a weekly news roundup published every Wednesday by ICT (formerly Indian Country Today) with some of the key stories about Indigenous peoples around the world.
Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter.
