Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
Special to ICT
Around the world: A regional human rights court is considering the case of two Indigenous communities that want to be left alone, a First Nations leader says better education would mean better employment for Indigenous people, and an Aboriginal teenager shines in “Australia’s Got Talent.”
ECUADOR: Human rights court weighs Indigenous protections
The last two Indigenous communities living without outside contact in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest are at the center of a case under consideration by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Mongabay.com reported on Oct. 13.
Lawyers for the Tagaeri and Taromenane people say the Ecuadorian state has failed to defend the communities and has driven logging and extractive industries into the areas where they have worked to live independently of other peoples.
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The case, filed after a series of attacks on the communities in 2003, 2006 and 2013 that included an abduction of two young girls, could set a major legal precedent for other communities in voluntary isolation across the Amazon, Mongabay.com reported.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is one of the three regional human rights tribunals, and this marks the first time the regional court has tried a case involving uncontacted Indigenous peoples or peoples in voluntary isolation.
“The state is obliged to generate conditions of peace within the area based on respect for the rights of all. We consider that this duty was violated,” said Mario Melo, an environmental lawyer who is part of the legal team representing the Tagaeri and Taromenane, according to Mongabay.
The Ecuadorian government, meanwhile, insists that it has supported human rights in the region by increasing protected areas and investing millions of dollars in reforestation projects, and officials have blamed the deaths and abductions on another Indigenous group, Mongabay.com reported.
A ruling is expected in the next 4-6 months. The main petitioners in the case are the National Indigenous Confederation, represented by Melo, and the environmental organization Yasunidos.
They are asking the court to acknowledge failure by the Ecuadorian government to protect the Tagaeri and Taromenane people, and to order that they have the right to be defended.
CANADA: Indigenous employment starts with better education
A poor grade-school education is among the root causes preventing Indigenous people from working within the Northwest Territories government in Canada, Chief Danny Gaudet of the Délı̨nę Got’ı̨nę told officials at a government hearing, CBC News reported on Oct. 11.
His comments came during a virtual meeting with the Northwest Territory’s standing committee on government procedures, where officials are considering how to increase Indigenous representation in public service.
“The education system is really, really bad,” Gaudet said. “Certainly, having at least 50 percent of Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories and only having 30 percent employed … in the government causes some concerns.”
Members of the Délı̨nę community attended the virtual meeting from their local cultural center, with interpretation provided for attendees, CBC reported.
The territory said that Indigenous representation in public service was being reviewed as a committee priority, among other issues.
AUSTRALIA: Aboriginal teen dazzles ‘Australia’s Got Talent’
A 16-year-old Aboriginal girl dazzled judges at the “Australia’s Got Talent” television auditions by performing Cindy Lauper’s classic song, “True Colors,” in part in her Wemba Wemba language, National Indigenous Television reported on Oct. 10.
Breanna Lee Wilson, clad head to toe in “Always Was, Always Will Be” merchandise, earned a standing ovation in the Season 10 debut of the television program and was given the “golden buzzer,” which meant she advanced automatically to the semi-finals.
She isn’t the first Indigenous act to get the buzzer; Mitch Tambo received it in Season 9 in 2019, NIT reported.
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are in support of Ecuador’s northern Amazon rainforest, where the Tagaeri and Taromenane Indigenous nations want to be left alone. If a people want to be left alone, leave them alone. I support all Indigenous peoples the world over who want to defend their territories against intruders and who want to remain in their homelands. I challenge the Ecuadorian government to stand by the wishes of its people.
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.
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