Indigenous rights series shifts focus to who decides

A Global Voices Spotlight series on Indigenous Rights now frames the central issue as decision-making power rather than recognition alone.

Indigenous peoples number 476 million, about 6.2 percent of the global population. They steward 25 percent of Earth’s landmass and have long protected biodiversity, often better than official programs, the article says.

Recognition remains uneven. The Assyrians, who survived Ottoman and Iraqi genocides, are not recognized as Indigenous in any regional constitution, it says. Taiwan recognized the Siraya after 30 years, while Japan has denied Ryūkyūan claims as U.S. military bases continue to occupy Okinawan land.

Where states control decisions, extraction follows, the series argues. In the Philippines, Indigenous leaders in Nueva Vizcaya face more than 30 criminal cases after an anti-mining rally. In Brazil, 258 Indigenous people were murdered in 2025 defending land rights, according to Cimi. In China, a new cotton law made supply chains state-traceable and coerced over seven million Uyghur, Tibetan and other Indigenous farmers under government supervision.

Community-led decisions preserve culture. In Nigeria, 14 Kam community members created 307 audiovisual recordings in Kam, a language with 8,000-11,000 speakers. In India, educator Kshetrabasi Juanga documents the endangered Juang language. In Russia, Buryat designer Oksana Alkhunsaeva keeps textile heritage alive while supporting her family.

Modernization cuts both ways. Nepal’s Rana Tharu language is threatened by English and Nepali, while Nigeria’s Hausa Dambe is gaining safety through tournaments but losing cultural context to YouTube contests. Ghana’s traditional medicine sector serves 60 to 70 percent of the population, and African markets for cassava, millet and sorghum are expanding.

Indigenous peoples must be recognized as rights holders and decision-makers — especially when newfangled technology has implications for their lands or intellectual heritage.

Chadian activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim makes that argument. In Australia, Indigenous children are 23 times more likely to be under supervision and 28 times more likely to be in detention.

The article warns that preservation often rests on a few individuals. It calls for resources and broader Indigenous collaboration before leaders burn out.