In the theme of International Day of the Indigenous Peoples 2024, Protecting the Rights of Indigenous in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination. In exercising their rights, Indigenous Peoples, including those in voluntary isolation and initial contact, are free to determine their political status, promote economic, social, and cultural development, and have the right to autonomy or self-government in their internal and local affairs.[1]
In accordance with ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, Article 13 states that “...special cultural and spiritual interests of the peoples concerned in their relationship with their lands or territories or both as applicable, which they occupy or otherwise use, shall be respected,” and Article 14 recognizes “the rights of Indigenous Peoples to ownership and possession of the lands which they traditionally occupy.”
Indigenous Peoples are groups that have significant differences compared to ordinary communities; they maintain social relationships across generations with their members; they preserve, utilize, and pass on their ancestral territories to the next generation as part of their identity with unique cultural patterns; they fulfill their economic needs by utilizing what is available in their territory; and they have political characteristics that distinguish them from ordinary societies.[2]
The way Indigenous Peoples maintain local wisdom enables them to preserve the forests of their territories for hundreds of years. This proves that Indigenous Peoples can live in harmony with their environment, where they hold control over the land, forests, and protect biodiversity. This represents Indigenous Peoples’ contribution to tackling climate change, as their forest lands store at least one quarter of all tropical forest carbon worldwide.
Indigenous Peoples are the groups who will experience the direct consequences of climate change because their relationship with nature greatly influences their daily lives. Significant climate change can threaten the habitats and ecosystems of Indigenous Peoples’ homes, showing that they depend heavily on forest lands to meet their food, water, medicine needs, and livelihoods within their territories.
Currently, Indigenous Peoples can be considered one of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. In Indonesia, protection for Indigenous Peoples is still not firmly established, and in reality, social conflicts frequently occur against Indigenous Peoples, which ultimately disadvantage them.
Development issues are among the common conflicts faced by Indigenous Peoples. Territorial development causes Indigenous Peoples to be displaced from their own lands. They are forced to leave areas they have inhabited for decades—even centuries—where their ancestors once lived.
Losing their homes is not the only problem faced by Indigenous Peoples; these lands are also used for gardening, utilizing water sources, and livestock to meet basic needs for survival. When forced to move from their lands to new places, new conflicts may arise with local communities who have already settled in those areas.
Moreover, the spiritual connection to the land is also lost, causing Indigenous Peoples to lose traditions and cultural identities that have been attached to their groups, meaning they can no longer pass down their culture to the next generation. Whatever traditions or cultures of Indigenous Peoples that are lost cannot be replaced by any material compensation. Therefore, if Indigenous Peoples no longer exist, what traditions can be inherited?
References
[2] https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/indigenous-peoples-and-nature-they-protect