Rudolph Ryser: Inconvenient truths about indigenous nations

Realists have long recognized that the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, as proposed by Bolivia’s President Evo Morales (he is an Aymara), is not a forum for indigenous nations to sit as equals with states’ governments to work out a redress of all past wrongs. It is a small opportunity to press for a long-delayed dialogue and future negotiations that can, among other things, begin to define and formalize an appropriate political status for indigenous nations in the global arena that simultaneously doesn’t threaten states’ stability.

Indigenous nations in the United States and the world over must begin to consider and resolve some of their own “inconvenient truths.” Consider these facts:

1. Of the 6,000 or so indigenous nations in the world virtually none have an internationally recognized political identity as a nation of people with collective interests, authority over peoples, use of lands and resources (the UN says 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity is in indigenous territories).

2. In the US, the on-reservation populations of Indian people have the most direct influence over tribal government decisions while off-reservation Indians have little or no influence except in a few instances.

3. 60 percent of the on-reservation population overall in the United States is made up of non-tribal, non-Indians.

4. Indigenous America’s population is growing at a rate of 2.9 percent annually compared to the US population growth at 0.7 percent, with a prospective result by 2050 of more than 6.745 million people. The question will be whether or not this is the US government’s population to represent or populations represented by Indian governments?