As the Gregorian calendar winds down, we enter a period when since ancient times we pause to reflect, assess, envision and prepare ourselves for the next cycle of life. For us Haudenosaunee, and many other Indigenous civilizations, our new year will begin in about three weeks. It is the time of mid-winter—the transition from the current to the new.

Reflecting on the past year has been interesting, challenging, rewarding and inspiring. All in all I feel it was more of a hopeful time than a negative one. Across the world Indigenous nations and peoples continue to have to struggle for the recognition and acknowledgement of their rights. The good news is that we have become more visible in the consciousness, media and forums where we are making our arguments and asserting our presence. One can now find news articles, reports, and other information about Indigenous nations and peoples more readily than even five years ago.

After the 1977 United Nations conference on Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, the Haudenosaunee organized a de-briefing of what the event had meant, what we had learned, and how it would inform our plans and strategies going forward.