Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
Special to ICT
Around the world: Canadian leaders praise the Vatican’s rejection of doctrine, Noongar glass artists will help celebrate World Heritage Day in Australia, and a Māori business leaders draws special recognition in New Zealand.
CANADA: ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ decision draws cheers
Indigenous experts and leaders across Canada cheered the Catholic Church’s decision to renounce the centuries-old Doctrine of Discovery, which formed the basis for colonizers to take lands from Indigenous peoples, CBC News reported on March 31.
The doctrine, which was supported by papal bulls from the 1400s, concluded that Christian colonizers could usurp lands from non-Christian “heathens.” It was later incorporated into U.S. property laws through a 200-year-old Supreme Court decision in the Johnson v. M’Intosh case in 1823.
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First Nation and other Indigenous leaders in Canada said the Vatican’s recent decision to renounce the doctrine represents a noteworthy stride toward reconciliation, CBC News reported.
“This is a historic day,” said Matthew Wildcat, Ermineskin Cree Nation, an assistant professor in political science and Native studies at the University of Alberta.
The Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations said the demand to rescind the doctrine was the “most prominent request” from residential school survivors.
“As the moral conscience of Europe, the Vatican enabled Christian empires to commit genocide, starve, relocate and dispossess Indigenous peoples from these lands in the name of the Doctrine of Discovery,” the confederacy said in a news release, according to CBC News.
Archbishop Richard Smith in Edmonton, Canada, said he believed the Pope’s visit to Alberta in the summer of 2022, and the visit to the Vatican by an Indigenous delegation, laid the groundwork for the announcement
“The Pope was deeply moved by his encounters with Indigenous peoples, and he stated that openly and along the way,” Smith said. “We could see the profound impact it was having just from his own facial reaction.”
After returning home from his trip to Canada, the Pope instructed officials to issue a new statement, which took some time to finalize before being announced.
AUSTRALIA: Noongar artists celebrate World Heritage Day
Three artists — including two Noongar glassmakers — will be featured in a special event celebrating the International Year of Glass and World Heritage Day in Perth, Australia, National Indigenous Times reported on March 28.
The event, on April 18, will include Indigenous artists Amanda Bell, Badimia and Yued, and Shannon Clohessy, joining with glass artist Kim Fitzpatrick from Perth.
Bell currently has a neon sculpture on exhibit at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. The sculpture, called “From our lip, mouths, throat and belly,” is shaped to form the Noongar word, “Moorditj,” which translates to “good” or “awesome” in English.
Three artworks from Clohessy were featured at the Emergences exhibition at the Holmes à Court Gallery in Vasse Felix.
And Fitzpatrick from Perth, who comes from four generations of glass artists, has made significant contributions to various prominent locations such as cathedrals, hotels, and Houses of Parliament, National Indigenous Times reports.
He also works to restore historic class pieces, and recently began work restoring a panel during renovation of a historic home in the an area known as Subiaco.
A special seminar on the legacy and future of Subiaco’s historic stained glass is scheduled on World Heritage Day. Bell, Clohessy and Fitzpatrick are scheduled to speak.
NEW ZEALAND: Māori executive tapped for Hall of Fame
A prominent Māori business executive and Indigenous chairman has been inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions, Te Ao Máori News reported on April 4.
Kingi Smiler is chairperson at Miraka, a prominent Māori milk company that generates over $300 million in annual sales from its dairy products sold worldwide. He also serves as chairman of Wairarapa Moana and has previously held the position of chair at the Ahuwhenua Trust, Te Ao Maori News reported.
He will join other Māori business leaders in the Hall of Fame, including Pania Tyson-Nathan, Sir Ralph Norris, Sir Chris Mace and Mavis Mullins. The Hall of Fame recognizes remarkable achievements and profound impact on the business world.
“Kingi was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of Miraka — the first dairy processing company to be powered by geothermal energy and which has one of the lowest manufacturing carbon emissions footprints in the world,” Miraka chief executive Karl Gradon said, according to Te Ao Māori News.
“He is a highly regarded leader among Māori commercial and agribusinesses and all of us at Miraka are very proud of the recognition bestowed upon him by the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.”
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are in Canada, where Indigenous leaders believe the Catholic Church’s repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery signifies a critical advancement toward reconciliation. The doctrine was a legal concept that supported the dispossession of Indigenous lands by European colonizers and has been invoked in court cases in Canada and the United States.
The Indigenous peoples of Canada have been demanding an apology from the Catholic Church for its role in the residential school system, which saw thousands of Indigenous children forcibly taken from their families and placed in institutions where many suffered abuse and neglect.
This repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery is a step in the right direction toward addressing the wrongs committed against Indigenous peoples in the past and toward building a better future.
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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