Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
or “populations” for fear the term “peoples” implies the right to independent
statehood according to international legislation. However, as reflected in the title
of the UN Declaration, the term “peoples” is now applied to Indigenous Peoples
with the full international significance of the term.
Figure 12. Romdó Suyá, ceremonial leader dressed as a spotted jaguar, working on the
court case to demarcate the Terra Indígena Wawi, Xingu Indigenous Park, 1999.
The Movement for Indigenous Rights
The struggle for Indigenous Peoples' rights surely began with the first colonial
invaders of ancestral territories, most recently with the arrival of European colonists
in the Americas and elsewhere. The international drive for recognition of Indigenous
rights gained momentum after the two world wars, along with nationalist movements
of peoples around the world struggling to gain independence from their colonial
masters. At the same time, the newly formed United Nations began the development
of the human rights framework, starting in 1948 with the adoption of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which established fundamental rights for all
members of the human family.
A human rights declaration establishes agreed-upon principles and standards.
However, because it doesn't impose legally binding obligations on the countries that
sign it, a declaration is the weakest form of international law. Unfortunately, this is
true of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
