‘To join the white man’s society’ in the words of a Colombian Arhuaco man, ‘is to lose everything which is our own’. It’s simple: resettlement is a bland term for wrenching people away from their lands, home, myths and memories - in short everything that gives their lives meaning - and imposing on them a ‘superior’ culture. Relocated indigenous peoples are amongst the poorest in their countries; the trauma of being uprooted annihilates their self-worth.

Anonymous asked: I'm sure someone has already asked this, but unfortunately I don't have time to check all the blogs :-). Can someone tell us the reason why Survival is still using the derogatory term "Pigmies" to descrice the Khoi San people of Africa? I understand that most people know and use this term, but we know its wrong (for decades now). It is akin to "Redskins" and other terms that we need to educate folks to avoid. Curious.

Good question. (Although, we never describe the Khoisan as Pygmies - they are an entirely different ethnic group!)

Although the term ‘Pygmy’ is considered pejorative in some forums, there is no single term to replace it. Lots of Pygmies prefer using the name of their ethnic group, but there are many of these (Aka, Efé, Baka, to name just a few) Some countries with Pygmy peoples do have an ‘umbrella’ word but, again, it is different for each country. ‘Pygmy’ is also the term most understood by the general public, and this is an essential consideration in spreading information about the fight for their survival and the battle for their lands. 

Interestingly, a similar problem arises when referring to the Bushmen of southern Africa, who are a Khoisan people.

See here for more information.

Anonymous asked: Can you suggest a text or video in English which shows the real origin of THanksgivingday in the USA, focusing on the generosity of the Indians toward the White Man that I could use in class with Spanish students of English aged 16 and 17? I have already used Survival in other lessons. THanks for your effort to build a better world. Paco, from Castellón-Spain

Hi Paco. Here’s some text from our director’s latest book, “Tribal Peoples for tomorrow’s world”, that may help with your lesson:

“After Columbus, Spanish colonies were soon established in the southwest United States, but the first settlement which turned into the ireverisble and total colonization of North America began in Virginia, where an English colony called ‘Jamestown’ was founded in 1607. The English proved hopelessly ill-equipped to deal with their new environment. As the Bantu in southern Africa turned for help to the Bushmen, the English would not have survived without the assitance and highly-attuned knowledge of the local Indians.

The colony was established to seek wealth to enable England to compete with Spain’s successful sacking of South American gold. Thirteen years later, the famous Mayflower landed with the ‘Pilgrim Fathers’ who went on to establish a society based on their view that they were God’s elect, and that they had the duty to direct everyone according to His will, which was also theirs. If the Indians did not convert, and quickly, the settlers believed the tribespeople faced eternity in hell, which justified, in their view, any degree of coercion they chose to exert. The ‘heathen’ natives might serve and help the colonists, but the land and its resources naturally belonged to the invaders, as it was only they who were favored by God. They thought they had a divine right both to be there, as well as to take anything they wanted. Fighting quickly erupted as the colonists, escaping religious persecution in Europe, foisted their own persecution on the natives. With the exceptions of Australia and the Bushmen of southern Africa, nowhere else on Earth was the colonization so brutally total as it was in North America.”

Most tribal peoples have developed an intimate knowledge of their surroundings, and observe minute changes in their ecosystems. As the UN’s climate change conference begins in Durban, Survival calls for the ecological knowledge and insights of tribal peoples to be heeded in global decisions concerning climate change.

Tribal peoples’ observations include:

• Inuit hunters of northwest Canada report thinning sea ice, shorter winters and hotter summers, change to the permafrost and rising sea levels.
• Innu people of northeast Canada report observing birds in Northern Labrador such as blue jays that are typically only found in southern Canada or the U.S., less snow during the coldest months of the year and fewer mosquitoes during the summer.
• Nenet reindeer herders of Siberia report that frozen rivers are melting earlier in the season, which hinders their reindeer’s spring migration, forcing them to swim instead of walk across the ice. They also report fewer mosquitoes.
• Tsaatan reindeer herders of Mongolia report that the growth of lichen and moss that nourish their reindeer is being adversely impacted.
• Yanomami of the Brazilian Amazon report a change in the pattern of rainfall in the rainforest. They urge the world to recognize the vital role of the Amazon in the regulation of the world’s climate, and the contribution of deforestation to global warming.

Read the entire article here.