STATE OF THE WORLD's INDIGENOUs PEOpLEs - CINU

EMBARGOED UNTIL 14 January 2010STATE OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLESNot for distributionsituation. They believe that many issues are being overlooked, such as theirspiritual connections to their lands and territories, their concerns for the impacton their cultural identity and economic livelihood, and their unfair exclusionfrom decision-making processes, including the process of free and informedprior consent and the lack of adequate compensation when the resources onthe lands are exploited. 47For all these reasons, indigenous peoples tend to see globalization as a threatto their territories, their traditions and cultural expressions, their cultures andidentities, compelling them to fight harder on a variety of fronts to ensuretheir cultural survival, as well as to find a new way to assert their rights andautonomy. 48Commodification of indigenous culturesThe commodification of indigenous cultures has taken on considerabledimensions with globalization. The exploitation of indigenous arts, designs,stories, performance and other art forms, as well as the proliferation of productson the market that imitate, misrepresent and profit from the alleged associationswith indigenous cultures continue to be of major concern.The use of indigenous peoples’ names and images on sports mascots,commercial products, ventures or enterprises is an ongoing issue because itis most often designed to profit non-indigenous people. Further, the images areoften derogatory, offensive and disrespectful to indigenous peoples. Ownersof products explain their choice of mascot, name or logo by contending thattheir choice is motivated by a desire to show respect for indigenous peoples.However, it appears the real motive is profit, as there is little, if any, concern forthe harm and suffering it has caused indigenous peoples. One example is theuse of Native American names and mascots as symbols for college and schoolsports teams in the United States. Native American rituals, too, have beenused for entertainment purposes at half-time during games. Native Americanshave held protests for many years to eliminate the use of names and mascotsfrom sporting teams, and in 1993, the National Congress of American Indiansdenounced “the use of any American Indian name or Artifice associatedwith Indian mascots” and called “upon all reasonable individuals in decisionmaking positions to voluntarily change racist and dehumanising mascots”. 49Similar positions were expressed by the National Coalition on Racism in Sportsand the Media, KOLA, the American Indian Movement and the Institute ofAmerican Indian Arts.indigenous peoples tendto see globalizationas a threat to theirterritories, theirtraditions and culturalexpressions, theircultures and identities47Human Development Report (2004).48Human Development Report (2004).49See National Congress of American Indians (1993), Resolution MID-GB-93-58.CULTURE | 71