Connecting communities

Indigenous peoples are everywhere. We live all over the world, in both developed and developing countries. As a result of colonization we tend to have the worst social statistics: the highest incarceration rates and the lowest literacy rates. We also have the greatest loss of language and culture, and certainly the greatest rates of land loss.

In order to protect their land and culture, indigenous peoples use a variety of different techniques: from lobbying politicians at the international and community level through to using court systems, good old grassroots organizing and with direct action. One example where all this work paid off is the recent adoption on the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in September 2007 at the UN General Assembly. Over a hundred and forty countries supported the declaration with only four countries opposing: New Zealand, Canada, Australia and the USA.

Technology, too, can also be a source of support for indigenous people. New media in particular offers important opportunities for indigenous communities to connect and communicate with each other. That is a very powerful thing, as through solidarity, there is strength. Getting the Declaration of Indigenous Peoples Rights, for example, took years and years of work by indigenous peoples from all over the world. A lot of the updates, for example, were shared via the internet because that was the cheapest way for people to communicate. It was certainly a lot cheaper for communities than sending representatives to New York.

With technology, people can share ideas and strategies. For example, on how one community has used the internet to revitalize its language. Or people on one side of the world can support another community fighting for local land rights. These are experiences that can benefit the global indigenous community.

Respect

Not all indigenous peoples have the internet at their fingertips and can get online to get their message out. Indigenous communities often have to do the best they can with what little they have. There are projects worldwide where indigenous people have set up wireless systems to bring the internet to some very remote locations. Other communities are building websites to promote their culture, sell traditional crafts online and even encourage tourism to their area.

I was involved in setting up a project to produce bilingual resources and promote indigenous languages in schools. Today in New Zealand, we have a parallel education system. Children can go to an English-language school or an indigenous-language school right through their secondary education. And video conferencing has played a part in making that possible. Not every school can offer every subject in the indigenous language, but there is often, for instance, a science teacher in a particular area who can teach in the indigenous language. Through video conferencing, other schools are able to connect to that one lesson. It’s an excellent example of how technology is being used to preserve very scarce language resources, and of how it can bring even very distant communities together.

The social aspect of today’s ICT is very important and useful for indigenous peoples. I spend a lot of time communicating with different indigenous groups, organizations and individual activists all around the world using email, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and sometimes even the good
old-fashioned telephone. You just have to use whatever comes to hand.

But there are still people in indigenous communities who are wary of using technology, and with good reason. A large part of traditional knowledge is sacred and is not meant for everyone. There would certainly be concerns in our Maori communities if the locations of certain sacred sites and knowledge were recorded and widely known. There is definitely a will to share the language and culture to support the community, but that has to be done in a responsible way, and in a way that respects and reflects the indigenous culture. But for those things that aren’t sacred, the things that we can share and want to share, being able to digitize them and save them for future generations can only be a good thing.

For me, technology is just another tool. Like all tools, it has to be used wisely, with care and in sync with the people around you. That means keeping everyone informed on how you are using it and what information you are sharing. In instances where technology enters the lives of indigenous peoples – whether it is mining technology or ICT – it has to be done with the community’s consent. After all, it’s not technology that destroys traditional lifestyles, it is the people who use it
___________________________

Teanau Tuiono is a Maori from the Ngapuhi and Ngai Takoto tribes. He is a member of the International Indigenous ICT Task Force and manager of the Indigenous Portal.

Related link:

Te Kete Ipurangi: the Online Learning Centre.
TKI is a bilingual portal-plus web community which provides quality assured educational material for New Zealand teachers, school managers, and the wider education community.