wayfinders circle governance report english - Flipbook - Page 15
Active Management of Territory with Little
or no Formal Recognition of Land Rights
For the Gabbra, as with the other Wayfinders, the land is sacred. They see
the land as unowned by anyone, quite distinct from the Wampis, Achuar, and
Mayagna claims to land. The Gabbra are a nomadic people, choosing to
follow traditional patterns of movement dictated by the land, nature, and
culture—for example, migrating to the highlands during the rainy season to
allow the dry season pasture to replenish its water resources. The Gabbra
economy is almost entirely based on reciprocity, which is reflected in the
Gabbra traditional governance system, the Yaa, which manages the Gabbra
customary rules and ensures Gabbra cultural values, traditional spirituality
(spiritual obligations), and reciprocity are each followed.
Similar to the Gabbra, the Sámi are a reindeer herding people with claims to
much of far northern Scandinavia, but who have few recognized titled lands.
The Sámi Council implements Sámi governance, notably deferring to each
reindeer herding community’s rights to their areas and rights to decide their
own internal matters. Considering the vast expanses of the reindeer rangelands across all the countries of northern Scandinavia, the Sámi Council
employs a geographic representation model, while deferring to local
decision-making.
The Native American Land Conservancy of the United States was founded
by Indigenous leaders who were part of an intertribal cultural group interested in protecting off-reservation sacred sites in the Southern California desert.
With a majority Indigenous board of directors, it exists to reconnect its Indigenous membership to their traditional lands. Today, in addition to the management and ownership of sacred sites, they focus on education, advocacy,
and scientific research.
Sámi Governance
Established in 1950, the National Association of Sámi in Sweden is composed of 17
member associations and 44 Sámi reindeer herding communities in the northern
40% of Sweden. Reindeer herding is their greatest traditional livelihood as well as their
center of Sámi culture and society. The association safeguards and promotes the
economic, social, legal, administrative, and cultural interests of the Sámi with a
special focus on their reindeer husbandry. At the annual “National Meeting”
members elect the chair and members of the board, and approve finances and action
plans. The organization is built on the principle that each reindeer herding
community has the right to its area and right to decide its own matters. The reindeer
herding areas are divided into regions, each with its own representative to the board.
Every Sámi community consists of families, each with their own small reindeer
herding trade. The members of the community elect representatives to the board.
There are 44 Sámi reindeer herding communities in Sweden—each an independent
legal entity. Within the community, reindeer herding families have their own herds
and the tradition passes on from generation to generation.
S E E A N N E X F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N
Protected Areas as a Strategic Aspect of Governance
Warddeken in Arnhem Land, Australia, and the Udege in sub-arctic Russia,
have both chosen to manage and govern their territories in part through
nation-state protected areas systems, utilizing Indigenous-controlled protected areas as a central part of their governance. The Warddeken Land Management Company was formed by traditional owners of the lands to create
and manage the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area. The Warddeken
Land Management Company is a not-for-profit company formed and led by
traditional landowners. It leads programs to bring traditional clan groups
back onto country to manage the vast area, utilize traditional fire-burning to
mitigate the largest and hottest fires that destroy lands, and to reinvigorate
deep traditional cultural ties to the land.
G overn ance L e arnings from the I nitial M emb ers of the Way fi n d ers Circl e
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