The Forest People Programme (FPP) advocates an alternative vision of how forests should be managed and controlled, based on respect for the rights of the peoples who know them best. They work with communities to secure their rights, build up their own organisations and negotiate with governments and companies as to how economic development and conservation is best achieved on their lands.http://www.forestpeoples.org/ Forest policies commonly treat forests as empty lands controlled by the State and available for 'development' - colonisation, logging, plantations, dams, mines, oil wells, gas pipelines and agribusiness. These encroachments often force forest peoples out of their forest homes. Some conservation schemes to establish wilderness reserves also deny forest-dwellers' rights. Cut off from their ancestral territories, forest peoples face poverty, the erosion of their customary institutions, loss of identity and cultural collapse similar to the first people of Kalahari, Botswana also known as the Bushmen. They were forced out of their ancestral land by the government to settle in camps where they are exposed to AIDS, drugs, violence etc. and are dying. When they try to hunt or gather food they are tortured and/or arrested.
http://www.iwant2gohome.org/ for more info
The judges ruled that our forced relocation from our beloved land was unlawful, and that we have the right to go back and hunt there as we have always done. However, despite the judgment, the government won't let us hunt and is stopping us using the water borehole on our land. It has also refused to help us with transport home. Because of this, most of us have not yet been able to return.
It seems that the indeginous people of the Kalahari have no power or are too small to fight for what they want because the government has the power to do as they please.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Green green power
Green green water is about power of the hydroelectric dam in Northern Manitoba. The power to destroy an indigenous culture and its people who refuse to be powerless in their struggle to survive , the power of money and power of activism.
In the 1970's Manitoba Hydro, a Canadian government-owned utility company signed a treaty, the Northern Flood Agreement, with the Aboriginal peoples of northern Manitoba to build hydroelectric dams that would change the lives of the Cree forever. Billions of Canadian tax dollars went into creating this series of dams. Since that time, thousands of acres of pristine wilderness have been flattened by rushing water; an Aboriginal economy which relies on hunting and fishing has been all but destroyed; and the many Cree residents claim that Manitoba Hydro is not living up to their end of the Northern Flood Agreement.
According to http://www.greengreenwater.com/ states that Green Green Water exposes the important story of displacement, resistance and insidious public relations that lie beyond the energy grid."
In the 1970's Manitoba Hydro, a Canadian government-owned utility company signed a treaty, the Northern Flood Agreement, with the Aboriginal peoples of northern Manitoba to build hydroelectric dams that would change the lives of the Cree forever. Billions of Canadian tax dollars went into creating this series of dams. Since that time, thousands of acres of pristine wilderness have been flattened by rushing water; an Aboriginal economy which relies on hunting and fishing has been all but destroyed; and the many Cree residents claim that Manitoba Hydro is not living up to their end of the Northern Flood Agreement.
According to http://www.greengreenwater.com/ states that Green Green Water exposes the important story of displacement, resistance and insidious public relations that lie beyond the energy grid."
Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki museum
The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki museum in South Florida is a tribute to the original Floridians - The Seminole Indians. Their culture, artifacts and history are proudly showcased in this beautiful museum in South Florida.
Oral History Program preserves Seminole history, memory, and culture through recording the spoken word. Additionally, the program utilizes the best practices available to the field. The program is currently in the process of digitizing and indexing the existing oral history interviews and conducting new interviews.
The Oral History Collection also houses material related to preserving the Seminole’s two languages, Miccosukee and Creek. The program preserves language through the use of a linguist, conducting interviews in the native language, and translating existing interviews into English.
The conservation program mission is to preserve the artifacts of the Seminole Culture through examination, documentation, treatment and preventative conservation.
Conservation treatments are decided upon through careful consideration and documentation of the physical nature of the object as well as taking into account the object’s place within Seminole culture. Most materials will eventually return to dust, it is the job of the conservator to slow down this process and preserve the original material of an artifact as it exists today. The conservation activities are integrated into the workings of the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki museum as a whole, including environmental monitoring, collections care, acquisitions, exhibitions, and education.
http://www.ahtahthiki.com/
Oral History Program preserves Seminole history, memory, and culture through recording the spoken word. Additionally, the program utilizes the best practices available to the field. The program is currently in the process of digitizing and indexing the existing oral history interviews and conducting new interviews.
The Oral History Collection also houses material related to preserving the Seminole’s two languages, Miccosukee and Creek. The program preserves language through the use of a linguist, conducting interviews in the native language, and translating existing interviews into English.
The conservation program mission is to preserve the artifacts of the Seminole Culture through examination, documentation, treatment and preventative conservation.
Conservation treatments are decided upon through careful consideration and documentation of the physical nature of the object as well as taking into account the object’s place within Seminole culture. Most materials will eventually return to dust, it is the job of the conservator to slow down this process and preserve the original material of an artifact as it exists today. The conservation activities are integrated into the workings of the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki museum as a whole, including environmental monitoring, collections care, acquisitions, exhibitions, and education.
http://www.ahtahthiki.com/
Commnunication/ Tattoo and Piercing
Tattooing and body piercing have been customary for thousands of years in a variety of cultures. Tattooed mummies from Egypt, Peru, and the Philippines have been radiocarbon dated as far back as 2000 BC. Historically, the Japanese have used hand-held, non mechanized instruments to apply complex tattoos, which often cover large portions of the body. Polynesia and Japan are believed to be responsible for the introduction of modern tattooing into Western cultures via the exposure of European and American sailors to these practices while on commercial or naval visits.
Body piercing also has a long history, with rumoured reports of Roman centurions wearing nipple rings in their breast plates to hold their capes in place and as a sign of loyalty to their Emperor. The Mayans, Aztec and American Indian pierced their tongues as part of spiritual rituals. Slaves were also forced to pierce their genitals so that they wouldn’t have sexual intercourse without their owners permission.
http://tattoos.iloveindia.com/tattoo-and-bodypiercing.html
History has shown that tattooing and body piercing reveals a form of social/political status ex. Japanese whole body tattooing indicates that the Imperial family was wealthy and were allowed to wear extravagant clothing and they control the law also many tattoos is a form of cultural tradition. During slavery owners would brand their slaves with a hot iron cast with a specific marker to indicate that they were bought.
http://tattoos.lovetoknow.com/Tattoos_and_Social_Status
Symbols, such as cave paintings and carvings were mankind's earliest form of communication. Tattoos and piercing became the symbols that are known to have expressed man's deep passions, beliefs and identity.
Tattoo and piercing in the modern world is definitely a fashion item, but are also significant in indicating membership to a gang or association or sexual inclination.
I thought this website was interesting it gives the meaning of some tattoo
shttp://www.brighthub.com/education/languages/articles/25129.aspx
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Rastafarians
The Jamaican Maroon were runaway slaves who fought the British in the 18th century. Throughout the long years of slavery Maroons established free communities in the mountainous interior of Jamaica, maintaining their freedom and independence for generations. The Maroons intermarried with the Amerindians natives, establishing independence in the back country and survived by subsistence farming and by raiding plantations. Over time, the Maroons came to control large areas of the Jamaican interior. To this day, the Maroons in Jamaica are to a large extent self-governing and separate from Jamaican culture.
The Rastafarian name comes from the crowned emperor of Ethiopia, Tafari Makkonnene but adopted the name of Haile Selassie (which means "Power of Trinity").
who was proclaimed to be a divine being and a champion of the black people. He is revered in the name of Rastafari by the Jamaican Rastafarian movement which is as a religious symbol. Original followers of Rastafarianism believe that all people of African origin should be repatriated to Ethiopia. According to http://everything2.com/title/Rastafarianism the Rastafarians decoded the Bible, freeing it from distortions crated by Christians colonialists. Ideals of Rastafarianism include adherence to non violence, no accumulation of personal material wealth, vegetarian, consuming food unpolluted by industrial chemicals, dressing in clothes made from natural fibres, daily Bible consultations. The growth of hair into dreadlocks embodies these principles by allowing the hair to assume a natural, unprocessed form. An optional part of Rastafarianism is the smoking of marijuana, believed to aid in interpreting decoding the Bible.
Some myths and misconceptions about Rastafarian are that it gives them an excuse to smoke marijuana, they are racist and anti-white http://melissa-interrupted.xanga.com/659166571/item/ states that is somewhat true in most cases.
As long as blacks remained outside of Africa, especially in the United States, they would continue to be afflicted by a "slave mentality" which would prevent them from achieving the true greatness which they deserve. Discrimination against Rastafarians, usually due to misunderstandings but sometimes due to outright prejudice, has always been a problem. From the very beginning Rastafarianism appealed mostly to the lower classes in Jamaica, and those in power viewed any revolutionary movement which organized the masses as a potential threat. Today, the discrimination tends to focus on the prejudice that Rastafarians are drug addicts and unfit for work. There have been cases where employers or the government have discriminated against Rastafarians, in particular with regards to the wearing of dreadlocks.
To learn more about Rastafarians: http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/americas/jamaica/rasta.html
The Rastafarian name comes from the crowned emperor of Ethiopia, Tafari Makkonnene but adopted the name of Haile Selassie (which means "Power of Trinity").
who was proclaimed to be a divine being and a champion of the black people. He is revered in the name of Rastafari by the Jamaican Rastafarian movement which is as a religious symbol. Original followers of Rastafarianism believe that all people of African origin should be repatriated to Ethiopia. According to http://everything2.com/title/Rastafarianism the Rastafarians decoded the Bible, freeing it from distortions crated by Christians colonialists. Ideals of Rastafarianism include adherence to non violence, no accumulation of personal material wealth, vegetarian, consuming food unpolluted by industrial chemicals, dressing in clothes made from natural fibres, daily Bible consultations. The growth of hair into dreadlocks embodies these principles by allowing the hair to assume a natural, unprocessed form. An optional part of Rastafarianism is the smoking of marijuana, believed to aid in interpreting decoding the Bible.
Some myths and misconceptions about Rastafarian are that it gives them an excuse to smoke marijuana, they are racist and anti-white http://melissa-interrupted.xanga.com/659166571/item/ states that is somewhat true in most cases.
As long as blacks remained outside of Africa, especially in the United States, they would continue to be afflicted by a "slave mentality" which would prevent them from achieving the true greatness which they deserve. Discrimination against Rastafarians, usually due to misunderstandings but sometimes due to outright prejudice, has always been a problem. From the very beginning Rastafarianism appealed mostly to the lower classes in Jamaica, and those in power viewed any revolutionary movement which organized the masses as a potential threat. Today, the discrimination tends to focus on the prejudice that Rastafarians are drug addicts and unfit for work. There have been cases where employers or the government have discriminated against Rastafarians, in particular with regards to the wearing of dreadlocks.
To learn more about Rastafarians: http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/americas/jamaica/rasta.html
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sikhism
Sikhism- with over 20 million followers and ranking 5th in the worlds largest religion. Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind and denounces superstitions and blind rituals. Sikhism is open to all through the teachings of its 10 Gurus enshrined in the Sikh Holy Book and Living Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib according to http://www.sikhs.org/
Hinduism- Over a billion followers, ranked 3rd in the worlds largest religion. Hinduism is a conglomeration of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices that originated in India, characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births. If you would like to read more on Hinduism check out
http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/p/hinduismbasics.htm.
In India, Sikhs are considered the minority group because they constitute 2% and is out numbered by the Hindus. Sikhism has influences from Hinduism, arose a seperate religion over some 500 yrs ago.
According to http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/29825 it is stated that Hindus belived in many god(polytheistic) while Sikhs recognises one holy book which is the Granth and believe in only one god
Hindus-worship murti (idol), some emphazises on strict vegetarian,
Sikhs-do not belive or worship physical idol, picture, statue or symbol, do advocate a stance for vegetarian or consumption of meat. Hindus believe in the cast system which is linked to ones past, on the contrary, Sikhs believes ones previous lives Karma do not matter, but what does in this life determines ones status.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_and_Sikhism#Cultural_differences for more indept information.
Operation Blue start was formed in 1984 when Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi (which later resulted for her assasination) ordered the military to wipe out Sikh separatist who was amassing weapon in the Golden Temple. This triggering the anti-Sikh riot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Blue_Star
9/11 plays a major part on Sikh discrimation here in the West, because they appear to be Muslim alike and is proving to be a persistant problem. The following link are actuall stories of discrimination against sikhs after 9/11 http://www.sikhspectrum.com/112006/denise.htm
Sikhs do face horrible cases of racial discrimination, they also deal with issues regarding stereotyping that arise from radical behavior, attitudes and actions differing from the "norm" of any one society, and religious discrimination which pit them against individuals in their own homeland.
Hinduism- Over a billion followers, ranked 3rd in the worlds largest religion. Hinduism is a conglomeration of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices that originated in India, characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births. If you would like to read more on Hinduism check out
http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/p/hinduismbasics.htm.
In India, Sikhs are considered the minority group because they constitute 2% and is out numbered by the Hindus. Sikhism has influences from Hinduism, arose a seperate religion over some 500 yrs ago.
According to http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/29825 it is stated that Hindus belived in many god(polytheistic) while Sikhs recognises one holy book which is the Granth and believe in only one god
Hindus-worship murti (idol), some emphazises on strict vegetarian,
Sikhs-do not belive or worship physical idol, picture, statue or symbol, do advocate a stance for vegetarian or consumption of meat. Hindus believe in the cast system which is linked to ones past, on the contrary, Sikhs believes ones previous lives Karma do not matter, but what does in this life determines ones status.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_and_Sikhism#Cultural_differences for more indept information.
Operation Blue start was formed in 1984 when Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi (which later resulted for her assasination) ordered the military to wipe out Sikh separatist who was amassing weapon in the Golden Temple. This triggering the anti-Sikh riot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Blue_Star
9/11 plays a major part on Sikh discrimation here in the West, because they appear to be Muslim alike and is proving to be a persistant problem. The following link are actuall stories of discrimination against sikhs after 9/11 http://www.sikhspectrum.com/112006/denise.htm
Sikhs do face horrible cases of racial discrimination, they also deal with issues regarding stereotyping that arise from radical behavior, attitudes and actions differing from the "norm" of any one society, and religious discrimination which pit them against individuals in their own homeland.
The caste system has been abolished by the indian constitution, but discrimination tend to exist in the smaller villages in India. In the Indian community an individual last name represented their cast but in 1699 Sikh women were given the last name Kaur and men Singh which initiated the end of the caste system social stratification and much of the Hindu rituals and legalism. The link below has more detailed information http://www.sikhwomen.com/equality/kaursignificance.htm
Sikhs today are part of the indian government, engineers, doctors, lawyers and most of are in agriculture, sportsment. They are also statiscally the wealthiest in the state of Punjab actually India's largest company Ranbaxy Laboratories is ran by the Sikhs.
Sikhs today are part of the indian government, engineers, doctors, lawyers and most of are in agriculture, sportsment. They are also statiscally the wealthiest in the state of Punjab actually India's largest company Ranbaxy Laboratories is ran by the Sikhs.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Polygamy
Anti-polygamy laws arose in Canada out of objections to the lifestyle of early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons. The first Mormons came here from the United States in 1888, just two years before their church finally ended the controversial practice of male devotees taking multiple wives. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/01/21/f-polygamy.html#ixzz0qczEdVse
This is not the care in Bountiful B.C Canada, where polygamy has been silently practiced for over 50 years. Polygamy is an ongoing controversial matter here in Canada. The Muslims believe that the holy Qur’an allows them to practice polygamy under strict rules, in Africa it is to not only to show a man’s wealth but to also assure the continuation of his family.
If polygamy, polygyny, polyandry are derived from religion and are being practiced with abuse and violence then people should not consider polygamy a form of religion belief. I believe that polygamy shouldn’t be legal in Canada if it offences women, man, or child, even though most of the crimes are carried out by men.
http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070801_225028_11328
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1156413
This is not the care in Bountiful B.C Canada, where polygamy has been silently practiced for over 50 years. Polygamy is an ongoing controversial matter here in Canada. The Muslims believe that the holy Qur’an allows them to practice polygamy under strict rules, in Africa it is to not only to show a man’s wealth but to also assure the continuation of his family.
If polygamy, polygyny, polyandry are derived from religion and are being practiced with abuse and violence then people should not consider polygamy a form of religion belief. I believe that polygamy shouldn’t be legal in Canada if it offences women, man, or child, even though most of the crimes are carried out by men.
http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070801_225028_11328
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1156413
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