Reporting Indigenous People

A series of reports on issues facing indigenous peoples around the world

Many of the following reports bear remarkable similarity as indigenous communities around the world are struggling to defend their territories, their health and their cultural identity.

My report about a sensory art production at the Edinburgh Festival portraying how mining companies are destroying indigenous peoples’ environment and threatening their lives. One of the artists who is from Colombia lost two brothers who she claims were killed because they were defending their territory. Colombia is the deadliest country for human rights defenders (An Là, BBC ALBA, 17/08/24).

A group of North Frisians from Germany visited the Hebrides and Scotland’s Gaelic college, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, where I caught up with them to explore similarities between the two minorities. Lack of housing is a pressing issue in both places (An Là, BBC ALBA, 26/7/24).

Wymysiöeryś has 8 native speakers left who are still fluent. It was thought by an academic to be dead by now. However around ten people have so far learnt the language to fluency and the prospects are better than at any point since WWII. A Germanic language, it isn’t mutually intelligible with German, but was still forbidden in communist Poland. However while most of the Germans in Silesia were forcibly removed (including my own grandmother) Wymysiöeryś speakers declared themselves Anglo-Saxon and were allowed to stay. (An Là on BBC ALBA, 13/4/24)

A project to gather indigenous Mayan science and teach it to pupils in Mexican schools in the native language is going into its second round. Boosting confidence, some kids reportedly ask their parents to speak more Maya to them. It is hoped this will help stop language decline. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 14/1/24)

Almost half the population of Alsace in Eastern France claim to speak the local Germanic language, but the president of the Cultural Council doubts that. In any case only 2% of under 25-year olds speak the language. This year a private model of bilingual partial immersion classes is tried for the first time in four schools (An Là, BBC ALBA, 12/12/23).

On world ranger day a female wildlife ranger from Zambia and marine ranger from Mozambique tell me about their challenges (An Là, BBC ALBA, 1/8/23).

15000 people marched through Paraguay’s capital Asunción recently, demanding a land reform. The “Gran Marcha Campesina” has been going for 29 years. Marcial Gomez from the National Small Scale Farmers Federation says their country is in first place when it comes to concentration of land in the hands of an elite. Despite being the only country in South America where almost everyone speaks the native language (Guaraní) this doesn’t seem to translate into indigenous peoples’ rights. Mario Rivarola, an indigenous leader, says many live in extreme poverty.

Toby Hill from Global Witness describes they face complete destitution when they are evicted from land. This practice got worse during the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner until 1989, but it continues to this day to increase soy production. Mario Rivarola says some land owners have questionable titles. Some candidates in a recent presidential election had promised reform. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 24/04/23)

Indigenous people of the Inyrubé in Brazil (whom the Portuguese called the Karajá) visited a rainforest in Argyll, Scotland during the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. Now a film about their trip has been shown at the Glasgow Short Film Festival, an opportunity to ask the protagonist, Narubia Werreria what she thought of the new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who came into office in January 2023. She says he has stopped a genocide which she claims was imminent under the previous president, Jair Bolsonaro. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 26/3/23)

Despite the longest running armed conflict in the Americas having largely ended after a peace treaty with the FARC guerillas, violence against indigenous women in Colombia is on the rise. Now they are fighting back, but not with arms. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 9/1/23)

A Breton song at Eurovision, a baton race to raise funds for the language and a law to support regional languages against the government’s wishes in my report for “An Là” on BBC ALBA (13/06/2022).

Sweden is one of Europe’s leading mining nations and is estimated to have 91% of the continent’s iron ore. The town of Kiruna was built as a result of a mine and now the whole town centre has to move two miles to the East because of the advance of the mine. But reindeer herders are saying the mining has a detrimental effect on their livelihoods, the environment and the indigenous Sami culture. Near the town of Jokkmokk, British mining company Beowulf, are hoping to open a new mine and a decision on their concession is due soon with local opinions divided. But mining companies argue that they contribute to a green economy transformation (An Là, BBC ALBA, 10/3/22).

Five years left to save the Amazon? At COP 26 in Glasgow Brazil signed the declaration to end deforestation by 2030. But the rainforest may reach a tipping point before then from which there may be no turning back and the whole area will dry out, increasing the temperature in the region and ultimately globally. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 19/12/21)

COP26 is a “Big Theatre of Lies” according to an Amazonian visitor. People from the Brazilian rainforest blessed a Caledonian rainforest in Argyll, call COP26 a big theatre of lies, say that rich people and governments are only interested in money, creating a false green economy: “There is no green economy without indigenous people”. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 7/11/21)

The Atrato River in Colombia is flooding villages and fields more and more often caused by climate change. A court afforded the river a legal persona – the third time this has happened world-wide. It’s voice is expressed by residents – Guardians of the River Atrato. But there is also violence and intimidation of community leaders.

The Colombian President, Ivan Duque, promised at COP26 that 30% of the country’s territory would be protected by 2022. But community leaders say this needs to come with funding and economic opportunities for locals to work. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 6/11/21)

Classified by Unesco as severely endangered and spoken only by around 10,000 people you would think a “model” democracy like Germany would pull out all the stops to support Northern Frisian. But Welsh and Scottish Gaelic enjoy much more government help. Here is me singing the “national” anthem of Oorem/ Amrum island. I hope this little video increases awareness (sorry for the wind noise at the start).

The state of the Frasch (Northern Frisian) language: Since recording this video on the island of Oomrem/ Amrum I have found out that you can do an A-level/ Higher in Frisian only in one (1) high school situated on Feer/ Föhr. A very brief overview of the current situation:

As part of my report on the German general election I interviewed the candidate for the Danish and Frisian minority for parliament, Stefan Seidler, where he explains that the Frisian language and culture have no continued funding, but rely on project funding, which he hopes to change. For the first time in 60 years his party, the SSW is represented in the German parliament, the Bundestag. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 24/9/21)

My latest report on Northern Frisian and a follow-up to the above interview: There are 10,000 speakers of Northern Frisian, but in most schools the subject is not marked and was often dropped during the pandemic. The Frisian Council call for it to become compulsory. But the first member of the German parliament to represent the Danish and Frisian minorities for 60 years says he is making progress in rallying support in Berlin. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 05/01/22).

Canada’s Supreme Court recently granted the Sinixt hunting rights in their traditional territory. Some celebrated this as a reversal of the declaration of extinction of the Sinixt people by Canada in the 1950ies. But others say it’s not, as they still don’t have land rights. (An Là, BBC ALBA 1/6/21; Sinixt territory footage by Ali Kazimi)

Is it possible to revive a dead language? The Wampanoag language had died in the 19th century, but with the help of an old Bible (and other documents) they have reconstructed it and are now teaching classes. There are said to be around 10 fluent speakers so far. An exhibition about their culture has opened in Plymouth. (An Là, BBC ALBA 22/5/21)

Indigenous peoples in Peru are feeling threatened by oil, mining and logging companies grabbing their lands. Their cultural identity is also softening. (An Là, BBC Alba, 7/1/20)

The language and way of life of the Sakha people of Siberia is under threat. One of the challenges is climate change which also threatens their identity. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 18/11/20)

Illegal mining destroys Canaima World Heritage Site in Venezuela and threatens indigenous Pemon people. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 31/8/20)

Indigenous tribes of Colombia fighting for their ancestral lands in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta endangered by mining. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 20/07/20; Lockdown broadcasting: Created from Zoom interviews and User Generated Content)

In the Year of Indigenous Languages (2019) I scrutinised the state of the indigenous languages of the United Kingdom in five reports over one week

Scots is one of two indigenous languages of Scotland alongside Gaelic. It has a history as a literary language and dialects of it are today spoken mostly in the Lowlands and Northern Isles. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 18/11/19)