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Sharing knowledge Down Under Indigenous people gather in Australia for conference
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Published Monday, June 10, 2013
AUSTRALIA
The chief negotiator for Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve shared Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation's (LKDFN) vision for the protected area with the world late last month.
Steven Nitah, Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation's head negotiator for Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve, takes in the scenery at Kakadu National Park in Australia last month. Nitah travelled to Australia in May to participate in the World Indigenous Network Conference where he gave a presentation about the First Nation's approach to establishing Thaidene Nene. - photo courtesy of Steven Nitah |
Steven Nitah gave a presentation on the reserve at the World Indigenous Network Conference in Darwin, Australia on May 28.
"The important aspect of the presentation is that we're close to an agreement that would see the establishment of Thaidene Nene and protect it under the constitution of this country," he said.
The conference brought together 1,200 indigenous people from 50 countries all over the world to share ideas.
In his presentation, Nitah told the audience the goal for Thaidene Nene is to establish an economy based on protection.
The proposed reserve would encompass 33,000-square-kilometres from the eastern arm of Great Slave Lake.
Nitah said audience members were intrigued by the partnership between Canada's federal government and the LKDFN. Parks Canada and LKDFN are working collaboratively to establish the reserve's boundaries and plan its management.
"The grassroots approach, I think, that Lutsel K'e is involved in from the bottom up and developing a relationship with Canada and the value we bring to that discussion, I think, they found very interesting," he said.
Last year, aboriginal rangers from Australia and Parks Australia visited the Northwest Territories to share information about the country's Indigenous Rangers Network and Indigenous Protected Areas.
Nitah said the Australian government has indigenous land and sea managers who use traditional methods to combat problems, such as large-scale forest fires.
Nitah said traditionally, aborigines in Australia burned small, controlled fires to prevent large forest fires from developing. That prevention method is being used again today.
"They reintroduced that practice and are trying to get ahead of forest fires," Nitah said. "It burns off all the dry materials that fuel large, uncontrolled forest fires."
Nitah said he also learned about indigenous people in Africa who are urging industrial farmers to use insect-deterring plants in their fields instead of chemical pesticides.
Nitah said the conference was not just a way to share knowledge, it also solidified a relationship between the world's aboriginal people.
"It's confirmation to me that indigenous people throughout the world face the same challenges," he said. "We've all experienced colonization and the terrible impacts of those policies of the colonizers. That's still impacted today, especially when it comes to land and resources management and access to it.
"Those are common things that perpetuate through the aboriginal world."
Nitah said the gathering is also a way to make sure governments and international organizations keep their promises.
"It's also a good opportunity for the indigenous community of the world, from a grassroots perspective, to keep accountable governments and organizations like the United Nations that make declarations on indigenous peoples rights and human rights that sometimes get left to the wayside," he said.
In his presentation, Nitah told the audience about the history of Thaidene Nene as the homeland of the LKDFN. He also shared the story of why Chief Pierre Catholique refused to sign his support for the original park, which was proposed by the federal government in the 1960s. Nitah said Catholique was flown to Ottawa to sign support documents in front of bureaucrats and politicians. At the time, Catholique told the LKDFN that he had felt pressured into making the decision and refused to sign.
"He is the father of aboriginal rights in the Northwest Territories and throughout Canada," Nitah said in his presentation.
That decision provided the opportunity for the next generation of LKDFN to work in partnership with the federal government, instead of handing over control, Nitah said.
Natural Resources Canada is performing a Mineral and Energy Resource Assessment on the proposed park area, which Nitah said has taken four years. He said it is now expected to be released next month, which will help determine the park's boundaries.
Nitah said he anticipated an agreement-in-principle will be signed this fall.
In the meantime, he said he is already looking forward to the next conference.
"It's a real good opportunity and going forward, if we could have these conferences every four years or so, it would help create a better global environment and global community," he said.
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