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The Indigenous Peoples of the so-called Americas have lived for over 500 years in confrontation with an invasive society that holds an opposing worldview. As a result, we are now facing an environmental and ecological crisis that threatens the survival of humanity and much of natural life. Despite this confrontation, Indigenous Peoples have sustained and protected 80% of the remaining biodiversity in the world.
Indigenous Sovereignty arises from Traditional Indigenous Knowledge (TIK), which belongs to each Indigenous nation, tribe, first nation, community, etc. It consists of spiritual ways, culture, language, social and legal systems, political structures, and inherent relationships with lands, waters, and everything upon them.
We are unified in our recognition that the ancestral teachings, lifestyles, language revitalization, spirituality, cultures, and leadership of our people, as well as the survival of our future generations are entirely dependent upon our respectful, inherent relationship with the natural world and our responsibility to the sacred principles and Original Instructions given to us by the Creator. Our lands, waters, and air are at the core of our existence – we are the land, we are the water, we are the air; and the land, water, and air is us.
We honor the wisdom of Indigenous Peoples, whose laws are drawn from their inherent relationship with Mother Earth; we commit to advancing Indigenous rights, sovereignty and jurisprudence, and other non-rights-based pathways found in customary law and traditional Indigenous knowledge.
We reject all forms of depredation, exploitation, abuse, and contamination, and we urge real action to halt biodiversity loss, climate change, threats to Indigenous Peoples and Earth defenders, and other urgent threats to our living planet.
