D e c e mb er 20 15 V olum e 39 , Issue 4
Cultural Survival co-founder, Pia Maybury-Lewis, with Xavante families during her first visit to the region of Mato Grosso, Brazil in 1958.
Board of Directors President
Sarah Fuller vice president
Duane Champagne (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) Treasurer
Steven Heim Clerk
Nicole Friederichs Evelyn Arce (Chibcha) Alison Bernstein Joseph Goko Mutangah Laura Graham Jean Jackson Lesley Kabotie (Crow) Stephen Marks Stella Tamang (Tamang) FOUNDERS David & Pia Maybury-Lewis
Many members of New England Tribal Nations participated in the making of Nookomuhs (see page 12). © Craig S. Milner.
F e at u r e s
12 Kissing the Water: Launching Nookomuhs
Jonathan Perry Dugout canoe Nookomuhs (My Grandmother) is the first of her size made by the hands of many New England Nations in over 200 years.
Cultural Survival Headquarters 2067 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02140 t 617.441.5400 f 617.441.5417 www.cs.org
14 Envisioning the Future by Revisiting the Past: Massachusetts Tribes Make Their Voices Heard
Boulder Office 2769 Iris Ave., Suite 101 Boulder, CO 80304
Agnes Portalewska A new project aims to assess the current status of Native people in Massachusetts.
Asociación Sobrevivencia Cultural 6ta Avenida 5-27, Local “C” Zona 1, Sumpango, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala
16 Truth and Reconciliation
Cultural Survival Quarterly
Copy Editor: Jenn Goodman Designer: NonprofitDesign.com Contributing Arts Editor: Phoebe Farris Managing Editor: Agnes Portalewska
Writers’ Guidelines
View writers’ guidelines at our website (www.cs.org) or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Cultural Survival, Writer’s Guidelines, PO Box 381569, Cambridge, MA 02238. Cultural Survival recognizes that Indigenous Peoples have long been exploited by photographers and publications. This publication does not pay photographers for images and makes no money from publishing them. We also make a tremendous effort to identify every Indigenous individual in the images that appear here. From time to time, however, such identification is not possible. We apologize to the subjects of those photos and to any reader offended by the omission.
On the cover Photo: Launching of Nookomuhs in Connecticut (see page 12). © Craig S. Milner.
ii • www. cs. org
Penthea Burns The Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission is the first task to uncover the truth about Wabanaki children and families in the child welfare system.
19 On Our Own Terms
Carla Fredericks The Spokane Tribe of Indians of Washington developed a Free, Prior and Informed Consent protocol and are looking to make it tribal law.
Copyright 2015 by Cultural Survival, Inc. Cultural Survival Quarterly (ISSN 0740-3291) is published quarterly by Cultural Survival, Inc. at PO Box 381569, Cambridge, MA 02238. Periodical postage paid at Boston, MA 02205 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Cultural Survival, PO Box 381569, Cambridge, MA 02238. Printed on recycled paper in the U.S.A. Please note that the views in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Cultural Survival.
Photo courtesy of Pia Maybury-Lewis.
D e pa r t m e n t s 1 Executive Director’s Message 2 In the News 4 Indigenous Arts Still a Pygmy: Isaac Bacirongo 6 Women the World Must Hear Beating the Odds, Changing Lives: Olga Montúfar Contreras 8 Indigenous Languages The Voice(s) of a Nation 10 Rights in Action Without a Secured Right to Freedom of Expression, There Is No Democracy in Central America 26 Bazaar Artist Tz’utu Kan 27 support our efforts
20 First-Ever World Indigenous Games Held in Brazil Alexis White-Mobley
Over 2,000 Indigenous athletes from all over the world gathered to compete.
22 A New Era of Exploitation? Mining Sami Lands in Sweden Alec Forss
Sweden’s Sami population face an uphill battle against government plans to triple the number of mines on their territories.
24 A Modest Revolutionary Cristina Verán Aleida Guevara March speaks about her experience working among Indigenous Peoples throughout the world.
29 Get Involved Convention Against Torture