28.3 (Fall 2004) The International Decade of the World's Indigenous People

Wild Rice and Ethics

For the past five years, the Anishinaabeg community of Minnesota has asked the University of Minnesota to stop its genetic work on wild rice. “We object to the exploitation of our wild rice for pecuniary gain,” wrote then Minnesota Chippewa Tribal President Norman Deschampe to the University of Minnesota in an l998 letter. “The genetic variants of wild rice found naturally occurring on the waters in territories ceded by the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe to the state of Minnesota are a unique treasure that has been carefully protected by the people of our tribe for centuries.

U.S. Supreme Court Preserves Right to Sue for Human Rights Abuses

On the last day of its 2003-2004 term, the United States Supreme ruled in Sosa v. Álvarez-Machain that foreign nationals can sue states or individuals in U.S. federal court for violations of human rights. Hailed as a victory by human rights advocates, the Supreme Court was clear that the Alien Tort Claims Act applies only to limited situations such as genocide, slavery, extra-judicial execution, or torture.

The court declined to comment on the legality of suits against corporations for similar offenses, noting that several such cases are now pending.

U.N. Tools at Work in the Philippines

An interview with Victoria Tauli-Corpuz

Ellen Lutz interviewed Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, executive director of the Tebtebba Foundation in the Philippines and newly appointed member of the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, during July’s session of the U.N. Working Group on Indigenous Populations.

What has been the most important accomplishment of the International Decade?

The Decade took the issue of indigenous peoples off the back burner. Now indigenous peoples can bring their issues directly into the international arena.

The Hardships and Successes of Being Indigenous in Africa

In Africa indigenous peoples face a lot of challenges ranging from marginalization and nonrecognition by governments and other ethnic groups, to poverty, AIDS/HIV, and illiteracy. At the same time there have been remarkable achievements by indigenous people in the last 10 years, especially in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Central Africa, Nigeria, and other eastern and central Africa communities.

In Africa, indigenous people can be classified into two major groups, namely livestock pastoralists and hunter-gathers.

Stories From Home:<br>San Won IPR and Land Rights Victories

Indigenous Activists Tell Cultural Survival What The Decade Meant To Them

The San of southern Africa have made important steps during the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People.

The Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (WIMSA) was set up in 1996 to support, lobby for, and network among San communities in South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Since its inception, it has assisted the San in fighting for their basic human rights.

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