STATE OF THE WORLD's INDIGENOUs PEOpLEs - CINU

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EMBARGOED UNTIL 14 January 2010STATE OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLESNot for distributionin order to protect their cultures and traditional knowledge from a number ofthreats and challenges.Misappropriation of indigenous knowledgeThere is an increasing appreciation amongst academics and scientists, as wellas industrial and agricultural corporations, of the value of traditional knowledge.Entrepreneurs, too, have been quick to see the market potential, and manyWestern companies are patenting traditional medicines without granting duerecognition to the indigenous communities whose knowledge systems went intoidentifying the active ingredients as useful for particular ailments. 44Traditional medicinal plants and prescription drugsResearchers state that of the more than 130 clinically useful majorprescription drugs that are derived from plants, over 70 per cent of themcame to the attention of pharmaceutical companies because of theiruse in traditional systems of medicine. Examples include the medicinalproperties of the sacred Ayahuasca plant (processed by indigenouscommunities in the Amazon basin for centuries), and a pesticidal extractfrom the neem tree used in India for its antiseptic properties sinceancient times. They further noted that most of the plants from whichthese drugs are derived are found in tropical forests. Although tropicalforests constitute only 7 per cent of the earth’s surface, they contain anestimated two-thirds of its plant species.many Western companiesare patenting traditionalmedicines withoutgranting due recognitionto the indigenouscommunitiesA study in 2000 concluded that 7,000 patents had been granted for theunauthorized use of traditional knowledge or the misappropriation ofmedicinal plants.Sources: Rossi (1980), 4; Human Development Report (2004).A growing number of widely used consumer products, pharmaceuticaldrugs, cosmetics and handicrafts are derived from traditional knowledgeand indigenous cultural expressions. There are also high hopes for furtheradvances based on traditional knowledge in the fields of biotechnology,medicine and agriculture.For centuries, indigenous peoples have readily shared their knowledge withnon-indigenous people, seeing their knowledge not as private property to beprotected, but as collective goods to be shared for the benefit of all. However, inmore recent times, as they have seen how their traditional knowledge is being44See supra note 2, 4.CULTURE | 69
EMBARGOED UNTIL 14 January 2010STATE OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLESNot for distributionever more used for profit, indigenous peoples increasingly demand that their traditional knowledge be protectedand recognized.The respect—or rather, the lack of respect—accorded to indigenous peoples in terms of their identity and culturalexpressions is an ongoing issue. The idea that indigenous peoples “own” their own cultures as well as thespiritual and cultural meanings of their lives and surroundings is an issue that many institutions are reluctant toconcede. Previously, indigenous peoples’ knowledge systems and cultural expressions were seen as the propertyof academics, governments, scientists, museums and art galleries. For example, many indigenous sites are todayconsidered to have cultural and scientific as well as aesthetic and public value and therefore the potential ofbecoming World Heritage sites that “belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on whichthey are located”. 45 The connection and relationships between these sites and living indigenous communitieswho want to protect their cultural heritage and assert their custodianship is still an issue that the wider societyfinds difficult to understand and accept.The impact of globalizationCultures have never been static, constrained and homogeneous, even though this belief is still common throughoutthe world. Cultures do not have rigid borders. On the contrary, they are open to multiple influences, and changesare happening at an accelerated speed, with cultural information and people flowing more freely across bordersthan ever before.The interaction between cultures is a complex process of negotiation. New ideas are confronted, contested,integrated or rejected within historical and cultural contexts. The telephone, internet and global media bringrealities of life across the globe into people’s living rooms, making them aware of the many products available forconsumption.For indigenous peoples, globalization is a mixed blessing. It both constitutes an unprecedented opportunity forempowerment and an unprecedented threat to the autonomy of their cultures. 46 Globalization has made it easierfor indigenous peoples to organize, raise funds and network with other groups around the world. It has also madeit possible to alert and mobilize the international community in times of crisis, raise awareness about humanrights abuses and have greater political reach and impact than before.Globalization has also meant easier access for multinationals to exploit the lands and natural resources onwhich indigenous peoples depend; it has opened up markets and found new ways of commoditifying indigenouscultures. Globalization makes indigenous cultures available to a wider audience and thus provides access tocultural practices to outsiders who consider that “public” property can be “borrowed” at will. At the same time,it has also allowed an influx of cheap manufactured goods that indigenous cottage industries and handicraftproduction find difficult to compete with.Another major reason why indigenous peoples feel threatened by globalization is the way national governmentsand international institutions promote national growth through exploiting resources on indigenous peoples’lands while at the same time talking about protecting indigenous peoples’ identities, traditions and culturalexpressions. Indigenous peoples find that the two things are at odds and could potentially lead to a conflictive45See World Heritage site at http://whc.unesco.org/en/about. See also Chapter I “Indigenous Peoples: Poverty and Well-being” inthis publication.46Smith et al. (2000).70 | CHAPTER II
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STATE OF THE WORLD's INDIGENOUs PEOpLEs - CINU

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