On December 11, the University of Tulsa hosted one of only a few celebrations in the world marking the close of the International Decade of the WorldÂ’s Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous leaders from throughout the Americas joined local Indian community leaders at the educational conference and powwow, organized and sponsored by the Tulsa Committee on the International Decade of Indigenous Peoples, a part of the Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, to commemorate the work of indigenous leaders leading up to and during the International Decade.
"This decade has enabled us to bring about a commonality of perspective among indigenous peoples as we stand together unified against the positions of oppressive governments," said Juan Leon, Quiche Maya representative of Guatemala at the Organization of American States Working Group on the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. "[The Decade] has given us a lot of ideas and new ways to organize ourselves within our own communities. This has enabled us to bring about changes not only in communities and the countries in which we live, but also in the international arena."
For the past 10 years, the Tulsa Committee, the only organization of its kind to bring awareness of the International Decade to a local level, has organized special events focused on themes of the Decade, which include indigenous children, women, and languages. According to Sister Sylvia Schmidt, the most memorable event was when six Oklahoma elders were presented with awards signed by Julian Berger, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, for their efforts to keep their languages alive.
The work of the Tulsa Committee was evident throughout the celebration. Before the conference began, Michelle Hale presented a proclamation from the office of Oklahoma governor Brad Henry establishing December 11 as "Indigenous Peoples Day," recognizing "the Oklahoma indigenous individuals and groups [who] work internationally to respond to issues common to indigenous peoples of the world." Tulsa Mayor Bill Lafortune issued a similar proclamation in support of the state.
Coming directly from the United Nations Working Group on the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva, where she participated in a hunger strike to protest the Working GroupÂ’s failure to pass the Declaration by the end of the Decade, International Indian Treaty Council Executive Director Andrea Carmen told a panel audience composed mostly of American Indians from the Tulsa area, about the beginning of the Decade.
In May 1993, during a meeting at Chimaltenango, Guatemala, regarding the Year of Indigenous Peoples a Maya elder asked why indigenous peoples needed to wait for the United Nations to declare an International Decade to recognize the worldÂ’s indigenous peoples. The meetingÂ’s participants responded by declaring their own International Decade. In June, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, that yearÂ’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, took the groupÂ’s Decade proclamation to International Conference on Human Rights in Vienna and asked the United Nations to participate. In December 1993, the U.N. General Assembly declared the International Decade of the WorldÂ’s Indigenous People, which would begin in 1994.
A powwow to celebrate all indigenous nations followed the dayÂ’s educational activities. Organized by the Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism, the powwow brought attention to TulsaÂ’s Union Public SchoolsÂ’ use of the "Redskins" mascot and fake tipi during sporting events. Louis Gray, an active member of a coalition to change the mascot, said that Indian students "should not have to see their culture and religion mocked" at school. In Oklahoma, where American Indians make up 11.4 percent of the population, 135 schools have Indian mascots.
Such racism highlights the continuing need for indigenous rights activism in the community, national, and international spheres.
The indigenous rights movement continues to need the participation and support of individuals willing to stand up and make a difference, said Curtis Zunigha, master of ceremonies and former chief of the Delaware Tribe of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, during the close of the conference.
