Archive 2001

CAMPAIGN: INDIGINOUS RIGHTS - OGIEK & GWITCH

When big business or powerful national governments seek to make use of scarce natural resources, it is often indigenous people who have most to loose. Although indigenous lifestyles are often more environmentally sustainable than those of many so-called 'civilised' people, their lack of access to high-tech communication puts them at considerable disadvantage in any propoganda war. And that is where we come in.As computer users with strong environmental convictions, we can take up their struggle, publicise their plight and protest to the appropriate people about the way they are being treated. We can also demonstrate to powerful business concerns that profit should not be their bottom line.

As you will see from the title, this is a campaign article. In this article I have given a brief description of the issues for two groups of indigenous people: the Ogiek of Kenya and the Gwitch'in of Alaska and Canada. This is only a tiny sample of the many indigenous people who are struggling to regain their rights, so, if you would like me to do further campaigns on the rights of other groups of indigenous people, do let me know.

If you want to make your protest felt, stand up for the rights of indigenous people and help protect the environment, do read further. At the end of each piece is an action you can take now!.

THE OGIEK, MAU FOREST, KENYA

The Ogiek are a peaceful group of indigenous people who live in the Mau Forest in Kenya. The Kenyan government want to evict them from their traditional homeland. Their excuse is that the Ogiek pose an "environmental threat" although they do not state what sort of threat this is. These people do not hunt endangered species and follow a sustainable lifestyle hunting and gathering honey. Some practice subsistence farming and livestock breeding, however these activities are not so extensively practiced that they pose any real threat to the forest.

Those most keen to see the Ogiek evicted apart from the Kenyan Governmnet, are powerful logging companies. The Mau Forest is a protected area in which there are many valuable trees. The Kenyan government has not only allowed logging in this area, it has also sold off some of the protected land, which is illegal.

The Ogiek feel so strongly about this issue that they took their case to the Kenyan High Court. It was dismissed in March 2000 and the devastation of their homeland continues. They need people like us to lobby the Kenyan officials to stop the logging in the Mau Forest and to pass legislation which will allow them to inhabit the forest and protect this area for the future.

For additional information on this subject, check the following links:

• The All Africa Report
  An excellent report on the Ogiek's struggle
  
• The Ogiek Homepage
  Plenty of good information here.

THE GWITCH'IN, ALASKA

The Gwitch'in are a tribe of native Americans with a language rather like that of the navaho. They lead a sustainable lifestyle, following the Porcupine Caribu Herd across their traditional homelands. The growth period for the food that the caribu eat is limited, so the animals need an enormous territory in Winter. During spring they migrate to the their carving grounds on the coastal plain of Alaska. And here is where the trouble starts. You see the Alaskan government has a vested interest in opening this caribu carving area to oil exploration.

While President Clinton was supportive in preserving these carving grounds from development, President Bush is far less accomodating. Even though these people may have lived their nomadic lifestyle for generations before European settlers first came to America, they are still struggling for the right to decide the future of their homeland. (For a potted history of their legal struggles with the United States, check out this link provided by Artic Circle.) Meanwhile opening this pristine area to oil exploration may well wipe out the Porcupine Caribu Herd but also the ability of the Gwitch'in to and the livelihood of the Gwitch'in people. It is also noteable that no such oil exploration has been considered by Canada.

What can you do?

Go to this page copy the Tanana Chief's resolution to your own computer in HTML format. Open a new email and address it to president@whitehouse.gov Put "Indiginous rights for the Gwitch'in people" as the subject line and then write a short and polite note saying that you would like to bring the issue of Gwitch'in rights to the president's attention. Tell him you are attaching a file detailing the Tanana Chief's resolution and this can also be found at http://articcircle.uconn.edu/ANWR/tanana.html (Do include this address so he has no excuse to ignore your message.) Now attach the file you copies and send it to him.

For additional information on this subject, check the following links:

• Jody Rave's Column
  An good article covering the Gwitch'in issues
  
• The Old Crow Homepage

FURTHER INFORMATION

Companion Article: ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE: Indigenous and Third World Rights

OGIEK HOME