Indigenous people around the world have faced countless challenges in protecting and practicing their religions and beliefs. Indigenous beliefs are a part of Indigenous religions. Religion and beliefs are separate from Indigenous traditions, however. There are religious traditions within Indigenous cultures, and non-religious traditions within Indigenous cultures.

Globally, the freedom of religion is not fully realized until the protection of Indigenous religions and beliefs are included in this human right. 

Many non-Indigenous people think that Indigenous communities are of the past. That is not the case. Indigenous peoples deserve to have their religions, beliefs, and traditions protected as much as any other community. These communities have a history that is long and complex, and continues to be relevant. Indigenous communities all over the world have different histories, cultures, and beliefs, and yet they all fall victim to the same struggle of protecting their religions and beliefs. 

This article will focus on the importance of protecting Indigenous religions. It will discuss human rights from an Indigenous perspective. It will also emphasize the importance of self-determination for Indigenous communities, and explain what can be done to further protect Indigenous religions and beliefs.

Why is protecting Indigenous religions important?

To protect Indigenous religions, having an understanding and respect for their cultures can make a significant difference in protecting Indigenous rights to their religion and beliefs.

For centuries, colonial exposures to Indigenous peoples had a huge impact on those communities, including mass deaths, relocations, and forced assimilation. Around the world, colonizers forced their beliefs, religions, and perspectives on Indigenous peoples, rendering their religious traditions endangered. Even today, there is a huge impact on the effect of colonizers on Indigenous peoples.

Seeking specific examples to share in this article, I had a conversation with Dr. Brady DeSanti, a Religious and Native American studies scholar. He is the Director of Native American Studies and an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He is an enrolled citizen of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Tribal Nation, which is located in Hayward, Wisconsin. He has published articles which mostly focus on Ojibwe religion and its portrayal in film.

Indigenous people are misrepresented in popular culture and media; it often freezes them in time and portrays them as people of the past. Non-Indigenous people need to be able to see Indigenous people as citizens with ongoing and dynamic histories. Dr. DeSanti says, “I think it is really important that people see Native Americans, as opposed to sort of caricatures, as people that have citizenship in the United States.”

Human rights from an Indigenous perspective

The Indigenous perspective of human rights differs from the universal perspective of human rights in two major ways: communal human rights and “other than” human/animal rights.

Another big difference in the perspective of human rights is how Indigenous communities all over the world view a “person.” There is no single Indigenous culture or spiritual tradition, but there are similarities amongst the different cultures. This includes the idea of a “person.” Personhood is understood differently and more expansively than Western cultures. An example of the “person” being understood differently is through Indigenous creation stories. A common occurrence in different Indigenous creation stories is that humans were created last. Plants, animals, and other natural features were all made before humans. This means that most Indigenous cultures see nature as humans’ elder siblings that deserve respect and protection. Nature deserves protection through “other than human” rights. 

Dr. DeSanti believes that protecting Indigenous religions is a way to keep their traditions alive. Indigenous religions are rich and diverse, and reflect unique cultures and traditions of various Indigenous communities. Protecting Indigenous religions is a way to see them as people of today with present and active communities. Protection of Indigenous religions is a way to challenge the crucial role that Indigenous people play in world history.  

Individual Rights Vs. Communal Rights

The Universal perspective on human rights focuses on individual rights. This means that rights are held by individuals and ensure personal freedoms and protections. Examples of this include freedom of speech or freedom of religion. The rights outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) are individual rights. The emphasis is on the autonomy and dignity of the individual. It protects people from abuse by the state.

The Indigenous perspective on human rights focuses on communal rights. These are rights that are held by a group, not just the individual members. An example of this includes the right for tribes to strengthen their political or cultural institutions. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) has a list of communal rights. The emphasis is on the rights of groups with the goal of maintaining their cultural and societal practices.

A prominent example of this is the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe fighting against the Dakota Access Pipeline. This pipeline threatened their water supply as well as the destruction of their sacred sites. Fighting against this pipeline rallied community members as well as allies. Their commitment strengthened their self-determination and cultural institutions. 

“Human” Rights Vs. “Other Than Human” Rights

The Universal perspective focuses on “human” human rights. Rights are granted because everyone deserves to live with HUMAN dignity. People have natural rights simply because they are human.

The Indigenous perspective adds focus to “other-than-human-person” rights. This incorporates animal rights, including ethical treatment and legal protections to animals. It also covers rights of nature, including legal personhood for ecosystems and environmental protection. An example of this is when the Yurok tribe in California recognized the Klamath River as a legal person in 2019. This helps protect the river’s health and ensures that the river’s rights are protected. Indigenous communities put an emphasis on recognizing that humans are part of a larger ecological system, as well as having a moral-based responsibility to protect non-human entities. 

The phrase “other-than-human-person” originated from anthropologist Irving Hallowell. It refers to the concept that, in most Indigenous worldviews, “person” can also refer to plants, animals, and other natural features. Indigenous creation stories reflect this by portraying animals and natural forces establishing behavior that humans later on engage with. This means that the actions of animals and other natural forces are blueprints for later human conduct. Plants, animals, and natural features are humans’ relatives. Because of this, there is a kinship obligation toward nature in Indigenous cultures. From an Indigenous perspective, nature must be included within human rights. 

Land and Climate Change

Land rights are particularly important to Indigenous communities. Land rights often fall into the communal human rights category. The protection of land is very important to many Indigenous communities. Indigenous land often has spiritual connections and ritual ties to sacred sites.  Indigenous communities have faced hardship when maintaining their spiritual responsibilities and pilgrimage to sacred sites. This is largely due to environmental threats such as climate change, especially in the Arctic Indigenous regions. More specifically, Inuit communities are experiencing melting ice and permafrost. This threatens their homes as well as their traditional hunting traditions. They are also losing sacred sites that are important to their spiritual beliefs. 

In our discussion, Dr. DeSanti made it clear that there needs to be a more comprehensive understanding of human rights that includes environmental and cultural aspects important to Indigenous communities.

Dr. DeSanti pointed out that “climate scientists, now, are relying upon long standing oral traditions for the Inuit and Athapaskan speaking people, basically Indigenous communities in the arctic regions. This is to measure how ecological systems and knowledge have changed.”

Self-Determination

Self-determination within Indigenous communities includes political autonomy, cultural preservation, economic control, and social development. Indigenous peoples need to be able to govern themselves and make decisions with their community. They have a right to maintain and develop their cultural traditions, beliefs, and religions. They need to be able to control their land and resources to support their economic needs. They need to be able to establish and manage their own education, health care system, and other social institutions.

For example, all four of the Inuit tribes of Canada have signed land claim agreements that support their goal for self-determination. This has helped them provide a basis for on-going self-governing negotiations and control over their own affairs away from the Canadian government. 

According to Dr. DeSanti, preservation of Indigenous beliefs and religions can take a few forms. First, oral tradition and passing down traditions from elders is one of the oldest ways for Indigenous beliefs to be passed down and preserved. He also pointed out that there seems to be a renaissance of younger Indigenous people reclaiming their heritage and religious traditions, including sacred spaces and advocating for climate action to protect those sacred spaces. He also emphasized the importance of language preservation. He gave an example of the Omaha tribe having only three fluent speakers left. As Dr. DeSanti pointed out, “it is like a race against time.”

He also emphasized the importance of accurate representation of Indigenous religions and beliefs in film and media. There is a habit of portraying Indigenous populations as primitive or unsophisticated in film and media. Luckily, there have been more Indigenous creators, as part of the new renaissance, that have advocated and created better Indigenous representation.

The fight for Indigenous self-determination has happened over decades. The self-determination era in the late 1960s really started the fight for self-determination. This is the era in which the Indigenous communities, especially in the U.S., began to assert their rights to govern themselves and reclaim control over communities, cultures, and resources. Also, the establishment of Native American Indigenous Study Programs around the U.S. has helped with bringing awareness, as well as self-determination. However, there is a need for better recruitment efforts to increase the number of Native American faculty. 

Education and Awareness

Promoting awareness and fostering respect and understanding among non-Indigenous communities as well as addressing cultural appropriation is very important. One way to do this is through educational institutions. As mentioned before, there needs to be more initiatives for Native American faculty to join U.S. educational institutions. There also needs to be more support for Indigenous education of their own languages, cultures, and spiritual beliefs.

At the University of Nebraska at Omaha, there is a dedicated team of Indigenous staff that are mostly working in the university’s Native American Studies Program. All of the Indigenous members of the university contribute to the university’s academic and cultural environment. They promote Indigenous perspectives and knowledge across different disciplines, including religion and history. 

Dr. Desanti even pointed out how Indigenous religions are taught in religion courses: “A lot of religious textbooks start with Indigenous religions and end with Abrahamic religions. This replicates the idea that Indigenous religions are barbaric and evolve into the Abrahamic religions, which are the civilized religions. So, I start with the Abrahamic religions and end with the Indigenous religions.” Something as simple as teaching a religion textbook in reverse can give better respect to Indigenous religions.

There also needs to be opportunities to have Native American voices heard. This includes representation and inclusion. When it comes to education and policy, Indigenous voices MUST be included. There also needs to be better dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. A better dialogue can lead to greater mutual respect and understanding. There are a few ways this can be done: through community events, educational exchanges, and collaborative community projects.  

 
The protection of Indigenous religions and beliefs is vital for preserving the rich and diverse cultures of this world. Dr. DeSanti made sure to emphasize that. There needs to be more representation for Indigenous people all over the world. That way, all global citizens are able to understand the Indigenous perspective when it comes to culture as well as human rights. Indigenous communities require the ability to control and manage their own communities’ resources, such as legislation, education, and healthcare. The protection of the climate and other living things are rights that are not considered Indigenous rights but that still affect Indigenous communities’ religious traditions.  

Please click the photo below for a collection of my Human Rights and Religious Freedom columns:

Rebecca Clark is the Human Rights and Religious Freedom Editor at Wandering Educators. She is currently studying a master’s degree in Human Rights and Diplomacy at the University of Stirling. This degree is taught in partnership with the United Nation Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). During this program, she is learning how to use diplomacy to help ensure religious freedom around the world. Her career goal is to ensure that everyone is free to practice their religions and beliefs without persecution.