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| INNU
The Innu are the indigenous people of most of the Labrador-Quebec peninsula, in eastern Canada.They were formerly referred to as the Montagnais-Naskapi Indians, and are unrelated to the Inuit (or 'Eskimo') who live further north.
How do they live? Their homeland, where they have lived for millennia, is a vast area of sub-arctic spruce and fir forest, lakes, rivers and rocky 'barrens'. They call this land Nitassinan. Up until the second half of the 20th century, the Innu lived as nomadic hunters. For most of the year, the waterways of Nitassinan are frozen, and they would travel in small groups of two or three families on snowshoes, pulling toboggans. When the ice melted, they would travel by canoe to the coast or a large inland lake to fish, trade, and meet friends and relatives. They hunt animals including bear, beaver and porcupine, and also fish and gather berries - but most of all they rely on the herds of caribou which migrate through their land every spring and autumn. Until recently, the Innu got all that they needed - food, clothing, shelter, tools and weapons - from the caribou, which have a huge cultural significance. Today the Innu have been settled into villages; although many hunt, fish and gather, some have paid jobs as well, or depend on social security.
What problems do they face? During the 1950s and 1960s, the nomadic Innu were pressured into settling in fixed communities by the Canadian government and Catholic church. The transition was difficult and traumatic. Life in the communities is marked by extremely high levels of alcoholism, petrol-sniffing amongst children, violence, and record levels of suicides. Many of the Innu are still fighting to retain much of their traditional lifestyle, increasingly difficult as the government hands out their land in mining concessions, floods the heart of their territory for hydro power schemes, and builds roads which cut up the remainder. In April 1999, the UN Human Rights Committee described the situation of tribal peoples as 'the most pressing issue facing Canadians', and condemned Canada for 'extinguishing' aboriginal peoples' rights. | |
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| SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
20 February 2008
AN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE DIES 'ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS'
An indigenous language dies on average once every two weeks, reports Survival on International Mother Language Day (21 February, 2008).
Five thousand of the world's six thousand languages are indigenous, and the majority of those threatened with extinction are indigenous languages.The Akuntsu tribe of northern Brazil, for example, were first contacted by a Brazilian government team in 1995.
They number only six people, who saw the rest of their tribe massacred in the 1970s and 1980s by ranchers who wanted their land. Nobody else speaks the Akuntsu language, and it is likely that it will disappear forever along with the tribe.
There are over a hundred uncontacted tribes worldwide, and their languages are among the most endangered. Survival believes that many uncontacted tribes are under serious threat of extinction within the next twenty years.
Survival's director Stephen Corry said today, 'Every time another tribe becomes extinct and their language dies, another way of life and another way of understanding the world disappears forever. Even if it has been painstakingly studied and recorded, a language without a people to speak it means little. A language can only live if its people live, and if today's uncontacted tribes are to have a future, we must respect their right to choose their own way of life.'
The UN has proclaimed 2008 'International Year of Languages'. | | |
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ABORIGINES
The Aboriginal peoples, together with the peoples of the Torres Strait Islands who are ethnically and culturally distinct, are the original inhabitants of Australia. Archaeologists believe they have been there for around 40-60,000 years.
There are about 500 different Aboriginal peoples in Australia, each with their own language and territory and usually made up of several different clans. Their land was invaded from the end of the 18th century onwards, with catastrophic consequences for them.
How do they live? Land is absolutely crucial to Aboriginal peoples, at the centre of both their physical and spiritual lives. Before the invasion, most Aborigines lived in semi-permanent communities along the coast, and lived by agriculture, fish farming, and keeping animals. Those Aborigines who lived inland in the bush and the desert lived by hunting and gathering, burning the undergrowth to encourage the growth of plants favoured by the game they hunted. They were experts in seeking out water. Today more than half of all Aborigines live in towns, often on the outskirts in terrible conditions. Many others work as labourers on cattle ranches that have taken over their land. Many, particularly in the northern half of the continent, have managed to cling on to their land and still hunt and gather 'bush tucker'.
What problems do they face? Ever since the British first invaded, Aboriginal peoples have had their land stolen from them or destroyed. Until 1992, when it was finally overturned, the legal principle governing British and then Australian law regarding Aborigines' land was that of 'terra nullius' - that the land was empty before the British arrived, belonged to no-one, and could legitimately be taken over. Most has still to be returned today, and the loss of their land has had a devastating social and physical impact on Aboriginal peoples. The initial invasions also sparked huge waves of disease that killed thousands - many others were massacred. In just over one hundred years from the first invasion of their land, their numbers were reduced from up to an estimated one million to only 60,000. During much of the 20th century, outright killings were replaced with a policy of removing Aboriginal children from their parents and giving them to white families or placing them in mission schools, to eradicate traces of Aboriginal culture and language. Today they still face racism and violence, and many live in terrible conditions. As a result, Aborigines have a far higher infant mortality rate and suicide rate and a lower life expectancy than the rest of the population, and make up a disproportionate section of the prison population. Although a landmark judgment in 1992 finally threw out the racist 'terra nullius' principle, the government has since done everything it can to obstruct Aborigines reclaiming title over their lands. Despite the many hurdles placed in their way, however, some Aborigines such as the Martu of western Australia are finally securing ownership titles to their land. | | |
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| TRAFFIC TRIPLES ON HIGHWAY THAT THREATENS JARAWA
The Andaman Trunk Road, which the Indian Supreme Court ruled must be closed six years ago because it threatens the Jarawa tribe, has seen a threefold increase in traffic since 2001.
The highway runs through the land of the 300-strong Jarawa, who have only had contact with outsiders since 1998. The Supreme Court ordered the local authorities on the Andaman Islands to close the road in 2002, but they have kept it open in violation of the order, and have tried to get the order revoked.
According to the local authorities, the figure for vehicular traffic on the road was 17,315 in 2001, and rose to 37,505 in 2006. There were 27,674 vehicles travelling the road in only the first seven months of 2007.
Survival and local organisations have campaigned for many years for the closure of the road, warning that it brings settlers and poachers who steal the tribe's game, introduce alcohol, and expose them to disease. Last year, the UN urged the Indian government to implement the Supreme Court order and close the road.
Survival's director Stephen Corry said today, 'As more and more people travel through the heart of the Jarawa's land, the threat to their survival becomes ever more severe. If the Indian government is serious about preventing the extinction of yet another tribe, it must close the road.' | | |
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| PENAN
The Penan live in Sarawak, the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo. The Penan are just one of the tribal peoples of Sarawak, but they are the only nomadic tribe.
How do they live? The Penan are nomadic hunter-gatherers. Although many have now been settled, about 300 Penan still lead a completely nomadic life in the forest. Even the settled Penan continue to rely heavily on the forest. The Penan have a gentle and egalitarian society without any hierarchy. Sharing is taken for granted in Penan society: there is no Penan word for 'thank you', and a hunter must not eat a single bite more than he gives to others, however small his prey. The forest is essential to the Penan, providing them with everything they need to survive. In particular, they rely heavily on sago, which they use for building houses, making baskets and to eat - the Penan love to eat it fried in pig fat and mixed with blood.
What problems do they face? Since the 1970s, all the tribal peoples of Sarawak have had their land taken to make way for logging, dam construction and oil palm plantations - driving them into towns where they are reduced to abject poverty. The Penan have been told by the government that they have no rights to land at all until they 'settle down' or start farming. The logging industry has a particularly devastating impact. The Malaysian government claims that Sarawak is being logged sustainably - but in fact its forests are being destroyed at one of the fastest rates in the world. As the forests are logged, the rivers are silted up, killing the fish. The game is being scared deeper into the few remaining forests. Since 1987, the Penan have been fighting back by blockading the logging roads - and suffering acute food shortages as a result. Many Penan have been arrested for holding these peaceful blockades but finally they are starting to see some results. Some of the companies are now agreeing not to log Penan forest, but the Penan need to stay vigilant as many such promises have been broken. | |
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