Commemorative "Indigenous Days" without Indigenous Rights

In another take on the "you got recognition" theme, whereby indigenous groups are recognized as existing, perhaps celebrated in national festivals, and otherwise commemorated but denied rights as indigenous peoples, the President of the Organization of Indigenous People in Suriname (OIS) addressed the following letter to Dr. R.R. Venetiaan, President of the Republic of Suriname:

Paramaribo, 10 August 2007

To: the President of the Republic of Suriname
Dr. R.R. Venetiaan
Paramaribo - Suriname

Esteemed President,
By means of this letter, the Organization of Indigenous People in Suriname (OIS)requests your attention for the following:

The day of August 9 is declared by the government to be “National Day of Indigenous People” and is at the same time declared a national holiday.

Assigning this day to the original inhabitants of Suriname – known to you all as Indigenous, called Indians before – was applauded very much by us, as an organization that attends to the interests of this group.

We have experienced this gesture towards the Indigenous community as a very positive one and have seen this in the light of recognition of our people within the Surinamese population.

But, to our big surprise we have learned only a few days after the proclamation of this day, both in the national media and also from our international contacts, that the state of Suriname has voted against acceptance of the “Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” during the consultation round at the United Nations.

Because of this act of the state of Suriname, which works against the rights of the Indigenous Peoples all over the world but especially against the rights of the Indigenous People in Suriname, we as representatives of the Indigenous People in Suriname must conclude that we, Indigenous People, still will have a very long way to go in order to go get recognition of the rights and titles to our lands, etc.

The OIS sees this act of the state of Suriname as a failure to appreciate the position of the Indigenous People, because the state of Suriname being also the only country in the western hemisphere that still has not ratified ILO Convention 169.

On behalf of the Indigenous People of Suriname and also on behalf of our Indigenous brothers and sisters everywhere else in the world, we want to call on you as President to take case that Suriname will vote in favor of the “Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” during the vote on September 3 in the United Nations.
Since you have expressed in your speech in Palm Garden on the 9th of August 2007, that you really recognize the Indigenous People, we as Indigenous People would really appreciate if you would convert your words in this respect into deeds.

The Organization of Indigenous People in Suriname,
Leon Ericson Wijngaarde
(President)


Editor's Note:

Convention No. 169 of the International Labour Organization has in fact been ratified by very few states, only 18, since it came into being in 1989. Among the signatories that are notably absent are: Canada, the United States, Belize, Guyana, and Trinidad, all of which also claim to recognize their indigenous populations.

Suriname commemorates International Day for Indigenous Peoples

Published on Monday, August 13, 2007

By Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent
Email: ivan@caribbeannetnews.com

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: For the first time in its history Suriname last week observed International Day for the Indigenous Peoples as a national holiday. Nationwide festivities and cultural activities were held by Amerindian organisations in Suriname, while indigenous peoples worldwide held ceremonies in recognition of their rights.

Read more...

Suriname: "New" Species Already Endangered

From the Associated Press, June 5 2007, an article on the "discovery" (one can be sure that the species are not new to the indigenous peoples of the area) of previously undocumented species of frog and insects in eastern Suriname. Having just been found by surveyors, they are almost immediately at risk, especially as the survey was done for mining companies, one of which, BHP is an Australian transnational corporation, with a woeful record of environmental destruction. Amerindians and Maroons of Suriname's interior, as the article notes, already suffer from poisonous contamination from mining, so the prospects for this "new" frog do not look too good.

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PARAMARIBO Suriname - A frog with fluorescent purple markings and 12 kinds of dung beetles were among two dozen new species discovered in the remote plateaus of eastern Suriname, scientists said Monday.

The expedition was sponsored by two mining companies hoping to excavate the area for bauxite, the raw material used to make aluminum, and it was unknown how the findings would affect their plans.

Scientists discovered the species during a 2005 expedition led by the U.S.-based nonprofit Conservation International in rainforests and swamps about 80 miles southeast of Paramaribo, the capital of the South American country, organization spokesman Tom Cohen said.

Among the species found were the atelopus frog, which has distinctive purple markings; six types of fish; 12 dung beetles, and one ant species, he said.

The scientists called for better conservation management in the unprotected, state-owned areas, where hunting and small-scale illegal mining is common.

The study was financed by Suriname Aluminum Company LLC and BHP Billiton Maatschappij Suriname. Suriname Aluminum, which has a government concession to explore gold in the area, will include the data in its environmental assessment study, said Haydi Berrenstein, a Conservation International official in Suriname, which borders Brazil, Guyana and French Guiana.

About 80 percent of Suriname is covered with dense rainforest. Thousands of Brazilians and Surinamese are believed to work in illegal gold mining, creating mercury pollution that has threatened the health of Amerindians and Maroons in Suriname's interior.