wayfinders circle governance report english - Flipbook - Page 24
including community gatherings for decision making and rituals and ceremonies for specific purposes, needed to be adapted to imposed health
protocols. The experience of US Native Americans showed that a transition
to remote learning using technology is possible, especially among technologically adept youth who share this knowledge with their less technologically
savvy elders. Still, virtual learning platforms have yet to reach many remote
communities. Many Indigenous organizations have needed to reframe
project implementation, and must continue to do so due to the uncertainty
of the pandemic’s end.
Indigenous women, who remain largely invisible in Indigenous communities’
crucial governance and leadership concerns, are gradually participating in
capacity building activities. As primary actors in child rearing, food production, and resource management; and as significant players in peace-building
and conflict resolution, Indigenous women’s voices and paramount roles
require more amplification and recognition. Cultural practices and traditional beliefs in some societies among the Wayfinders may have impeded their
growth and empowerment, but values are being reshaped as to the role of
women in the protection and sustenance of life and resources. External influences are also at play as these change or clash with women’s view or outlook
of their roles, as per observation of Mayangna women who are conflicted
about their historically established social roles and relationship with nature.
Regrettably, they report these roles are weakened by the appropriation of
Mayangna women’s wisdom and knowledge by other cultures. Additionally,
they desire more dynamism, communication, and interaction among members of different organizations of Indigenous women, which can possibly
resolve their exclusion in community matters in some territories.
Perhaps meriting closer study is the Gabbra pastoralist people’s observations that contributory to the weakening of their existing governance traditions are external factors such as education, religion, political influence,
sedentary lifestyle, enforced government policies and lack of one unifying
and traditionally owned institution. A unifying institution to bind them
together is of paramount importance to their existence, and the preservation
of Gabbra culture. Existing tribal and inter-tribal conflicts that destabilize
communities need to be resolved through mechanisms that enhance peaceful co-existence of tribes. A viable traditional mechanism must be restored
and complement the contemporary government system.
The twelve initial members of the Wayfinders Circle are dealing with challenges as they practice and assert their self-governance. They are aware
these obstacles are not reasons to waver in their continuing journey to
protect their land and resources generation after generation. Indeed, all the
Wayfinders continuously make efforts to convey and pass on ancestral traditional knowledge to new generations, ensuring cultural continuity and ongoing resource management.
GOVERNANCE REPORT
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APRIL 2022
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