Thursday, December 28, 2006

United Nations Delays Vote on Native Self-Determination

Leaders of the world's 370 million indigenous peoples and their supporters expressed sadness and anger Tuesday as a subsidiary body of the U.N. General Assembly rejected a draft declaration calling for the international recognition of native peoples' right to self-determination and control over their traditional lands. Click below to read the rest of the article:

Print news - IPS Inter Press Service

Discussion about the rights of the original peoples of the earth, which has continued for over a decade, was supposed to lead to the adoption of a universal Declaration that would mark a major step toward eliminating the widespread human rights violations suffered by over 370 million indigenous people worldwide. These are the bedrock nations of the world from whom all people of the earth have sprung.

The attitude toward Native peoples that underlies the U.N. decision is not only shameful; it displays a great deal of ignorance. Will it ever change? I read a large amount of material from scholarly authors, including those in physics and other areas of science. Whenever they want to emphasize wrong human behavior, they seem to always refer to "tribalism." They depict Native peoples as primitive, savage, ignorant, and spiritually destitute.

One of my passions in life is to raise awareness of this issue. My latest article in the January 2007 issue of World Futures Journal, titled "On the Cosmic Order of Modern Physics and the Conceptual World of the American Indian," published by Taylor & Francis, represents an effort to shift the public consciousness toward reality.

The best of Creator's blessings to you, dear Reader.

phillip h. duran