Indigenous People Reclaiming Their Rights

by: translatorpro

Mon Aug 02, 2010 at 14:31:12 PM PDT

The 370 million indigenous people around the world are beginning to reclaim the rights they once had. Most were the victim of Social Darwinism where with natural selection the stronger subdues and subjugates the weaker. We have found this repeated in North & South America, Africa, across the Pacific and to the indigenous people in Europe and Asia.

This attitude of the oppressor changed when the United Nations General Assembly adopted The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on September 13, 2007. This spurred the surge of indigenous people reclaiming their rights.[1]
Just recently the Natives in Noorvik, Alaska were regaining reinstituting ancient traditions banned by missionaries. Quakers who came to spread Christianity declared traditional dancing evil. At the Cup'ik Eskimo village of Chevak, native dancing was banned by the Russian Catholic Church but revived 20 years ago. When the council at Noorvik found out they would be one of the first communities to be counted by the US census, they wanted to demonstrate their native dance and culture when the federal officials arrived. Even the Christian churches are backing the shift saying that they will be going to a place in the afterlife where we all sing and dance to the Lord. The reintroduction of the dance is significant because dancing has never been done in the current location of Noorvik, which means "a place that is moved to" in Inupiaq.[2]

[more below:]

A Question Regarding Hispanics and Indigenous Peoples

by: Wild Onion

Wed Jul 28, 2010 at 21:22:22 PM PDT

When I asked one of the poets why, with the overwhelming numbers of Meztizo people in the community, no cultural center has been named The National Meztizo Cultural Center, for example. Why does the term "Hispanic" always dominate?

The answer I received did not satisfy me: Because that is what the Census Bureau calls us.

Possibly there are those in this online community who can tell the story or share their concerns about this, what appears to me to be a disrespect for the Native aspect of Hispanic heritage.

I don't mean to incite discord or display my own ignorance, but to learn from those who know more about this than I do.

Many thanks,
Wild Onion