Second International Indigenous Women's Conference

We heard the testimony of our Indigenous sisters on issues related to the global environmental crisis, the effects of exploitation of our ancestral territories and natural resources on our lives as women, the impacts of militarization and nuclearization, and the presence of foreign military bases in our lands and seas. We tried to understand how powerful nations and governments have imposed state laws on us which have institutionalized discrimination and repression and have facilitated the rape of our lands.

We were also made aware that patriarchal systems have been imposed on us by such oppressive structures to further divide our people and to assure the continued domination by these powerful nations and multinational corporations.

We are alarmed by the continuing number of Indigenous women and children being victimized by military operations in the guise of antiCommunism, as shared with us by our sisters in Central and South America and in Asia. The number of Indigenous women being raped, sexually abused, tortured, arbitrarily arrested, savaged, and becoming widows, has been increasing since the United States government launched its low-intensity warfare strategy on the various South and Central American and Asian nations which have national liberation movements.

The rapid degradation of the environment in our ancestral homelands has caused irreparable damage to our lives and lands. We grieve over what has happened to Mother Earth, and we share the pain of our sisters who have been victimized by racist policies, who have been dehumanized by militarization, who have become ''commodified" because of tourism and the debt crisis, and those who have to suffer incurable diseases, carry toxins in their breast milk, and give birth to deformed or mutilated babies because of nuclear radiation and toxic waste dumping.

Forming an International Network

We are strengthened by our sisters who refuse to be immobilized in spite of these dehumanizing situations. We are inspired by the courage, steadfastness, determination, and commitment of many of our Indigenous sisters to continue working for a transformed society where oppression of Indigenous women because of race, class, gender, and nationality will no longer exist.

We believe that the formation of an international network of Indigenous women will help to further our struggles to be liberated from all forms of oppression, but this network should always ensure that Indigenous women from the grassroots level are always represented in decision making bodies and general assemblies which this network will have.

We accept our responsibility for sharing what has transpired in this conference with the rest of our sisters who are not here with us, and we will strive to continue expanding the linkages between ourselves, within the region, and in the world.

We affirm our commitment to persist in empowering ourselves through sustained education work, setting up of more Indigenous women's organizations, and working out development and action programs which are sensitive and responsive to the needs and demands of the majority.

We are in solidarity with our sisters from the Americas who are going to celebrate 500 years of resistance against colonialism, and we look forward to joining with them in their celebration.

We declare:

The rights of the world's Indigenous people to self-government and self-determination to be inherent and inalienable rights, the assertion and pursuit of which must be acknowledged and respected by the industrialized nations of the world.

Colonialism and imperialism and the practices associated with these governmental policies, including militarism, tourism, and industrialization, to be genocidal practices which threaten the existence of the Indigenous peoples of the world.

Goals of the International Council of Indigenous Women

It will be our purpose to work towards the establishment of an International Council of Indigenous Women which would accomplish the following goals:

1. To provide for all Indigenous women a forum to share cultural, political, and spiritual experiences with each other and with the entire world;

2. To establish a network of communications or a system of interchange of cultural, political, and spiritual experiences between Indigenous women the world over;

3. To support the demands of Indigenous women based upon their right to self-determination;

4. To inform Indigenous women about their human rights and other fundamental liberties that are guaranteed by the U.N. and various governments, and to work so that rights that have still not been recognized are guaranteed;

5. To stimulate and support Indigenous women in their work to organic and establish networks of communication that serve to channel their concerns and demands, whether through women's organizations or mixed groups;

6. To actively participate in discussions within the Indigenous people's movements, the women's movements, and other relevant movements, in order to articulate, promote, and project women's issues in the broadest way possible;

7. To establish a relationship with international bodies such as the U.N., and national organizations such as parliaments and congresses, in order to pressure them to respond to questions concerning Indigenous women;

8. To forge networks of cooperation between Indigenous people's organizations and other non-governmental organizations that are interested in offering their support and direct cooperation to the Council.

Contact. Maret Sara, Sami Women's Association or Winona LaDuke, Indigenous Women's Network

Source: Aldrete, Wara, Gina Pacaldo, Xihuanel Huerta, and Lucilene Whitesell eds. Daughters of Abya Yala: Native Women Regaining Control Summertown: Book Publishing Company, 1992. p.42-46.