| Publication |
2008.
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| Summary/Abstract |
More than eighty years since Chief Deskaheh petitioned the
League of Nations for Haudenosaunee self-determination, it is
becoming clearer that the existing rights discourse can take indigenous
peoples only so far. States and global/regional forums
have framed self-determination rights that deemphasize the responsibilities
and relationships that indigenous peoples have
with their families and the natural world (homelands, plant life,
animal life, etc.) that are critical for the health and well-being of
future generations. What is needed is a more holistic and dynamic
approach to regenerating indigenous nations, and I propose
the concept of sustainable self-determination as a benchmark
for future indigenous political mobilization. Utilizing case studies
of indigenous community regeneration such as the Native
Federation of Madre de Dios (FENAMAD) in Peru and the
White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) on Turtle Island
as well as analyzing the existing research on rights, political
mobilization, and ecosystems, this article identifies alternatives
to the existing rights discourse that can facilitate a meaningful
and sustainable self-determination process for indigenous peoples
around the world. Overall, findings from this research
offer theoretical and applied understandings for regenerating
indigenous nationhood and restoring sustainable relationships
on indigenous homelands
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