Workshop - Modernization and transition in indigenous areas

Session Nr.1: "Restoring and Restorying: Salmon, Resistance, and indigeneity in the pacific Northwest"

In 2014, two hydroelectric dams were dismantled on the Elwha River, a cascading glacial stream on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. The dismantling made headlines as the largest dam removal in history, anywhere. One can argue that it marks a concrete political act of restoring a landscape, but it also marks an important symbolic gesture, an act of what phenomenologist David Abram thinks of as restorying: The dismantling of the dams has initiated a reexamination of the various people’s complicated relationship with the larger living community, and salmon are increasingly recognized to be the keystone also to this interethnic work of restorying. The events on the Elwha spearhead a development that has recently seized the Pacific West Coast as a whole. Across all of the Pacific salmon’s historical spawning range, a truly more-than-human alliance is emerging, and it is creating more respectful, ecologically sound and economically diverse human-salmon relations that resist the still-dominant narrative of modernity. Traditional indigenous voices are gaining strength and becoming more visible, and new forms of indigeneity – of belonging to place – are being tested. I will explore some of the ways in which the Pacific West’s civil society is currently trying to bring the various articulations of human culture into a certain resonance, or reciprocity, with the ways of salmon.

Session Nr.2: "Determination of spatial erosion risk distribution for management and planning in Yeka Ankorucha use “RUSLE” model, GIS and RS, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia"

The use of RS and GIS techniques integrating with RUSLE makes soil erosion estimation and its spatial distribution feasible with reasonable costs and better accuracy in larger area. Such methods provide significantly better results than using traditional methods of measuring and calculating Erosion related biophysical data on the field. Human activities such as urbanization and industrialization and the respective land use change within a basin is one of the contributing factors, which cause deterioration of river water quality through its potential effect on erosion. Sediment yield in the form of suspended solid in the river water body, which is transported to the downstream area, occurs as a sign of lowering of the water quality. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine potential soil loss using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) environment within selected catchment of Awash River Basin. RUSLE was used to estimate potential soil losses by utilizing information on rainfall erosivity (R) using interpolation of rainfall data, soil erodibility (K) using soil map, vegetation cover (C) using satellite images, topography (LS) using DEM and conservation practices (P) using data collected by GPS for the conservation actions made in the area .The results indicated that the rate of potential soil loss in Yeka Ankorucha catchment, Ethiopia ranged from very low to sever. The area covered by low to moderate potential soil loss was about 51%, whereas moderate to soil loss potential covered about 49% of the study area.

Session Nr.3: "Reflections on the Tribal Kitchen Project: a case Study about Solidarity Economy in Taiwan"

When indigenous people enter the global capitalist economic system, the economic development of tribal communities becomes fragile as external forces takes control. The issue is not only to let tribal community strive economically, but what is at stake is the autonomy of tribal community so to resolve the fundamental problem of economic inferiority. If social work is a matter of social reform, then economic autonomy, free from the constraints of corporations and government, is of crucial importance. The possibilities of social reform or progression of social work in Taiwan have been significantly restrained due to the dual repression of professionalism and neo-liberalism. In light of that, it becomes critical how indigenous people, who are often economically marginalized due to neoliberalism and globalization, can form a progressive resistance structure within tribal communities. Indigenous solidarity economy may be one promising route.

  Da-an River Tribal Community Work Station began as a social work station that developed tribal industry and upon realizing the exploitive nature of the capitalist markets, it adjusted its goal to work towards solidarity economy wherein the emphasis becomes better living on tribal land. This research begins with the experience at the co-op kitchen at the Da-an River tribal community of the Atayal people in Taiwan to examine the reality of social work in indigenous communities. It focuses on the process and challenges workers in the tribal community faces in developing tribal industry and with such local experience in solidarity economy in Taiwan.

Session Nr.4: "Mineral industry in Sami areas – the role of the Norwegian Sami Parliament "

Formation of indigenous institutions are imperative for decolonization in several ways, also in influencing on own employment opportunities in traditional and new industries. Framed by the contested relationship between indigenous peoples and mining industry, this paper looks into the role of institutions for indigenous self-determination and industrial development in indigenous areas.

More than in the neighbouring Sweden and Finland, the Sami parliament of Norway has gained considerable power to influence on national policy that affects the Sami people directly. The Norwegian state signing international conventions on indigenous rights and harmonizing national laws is one important framework, another is the new tools to exercise power given to the Sami parliament through the consultation agreement with the government and the authority to raise objection to mining development plans locally.

When the Norwegian government passed a new Mineral law in 2008, it was without the consent of the Sami parliament. This has challenged both the implementation of a national mining policy in Sami areas as well as the mining policy of the Sami parliament finding itself confined between the demand to protect Sami traditional livelihoods, and support new industrial development that can sustain local Sami communities.

The paper aims at studying the formation and development of a Sami parliament policy on mineral exploitation. The mineral policy is disputed within the Sami parliament and electorate, has divided political parties and affected the composition of governing bodies of the Sami parliament. This analyse is framed by internal Sami parliament processes as well as external processes performed by industrial actors, municipal councils and Norwegian state policy.

"The rising of the sea"

A 10min movie.

https://vimeo.com/134147522