| On August
9-10, 1999, commemoration of the International Day of the World's
Indigenous People was held at United Nations Headquarters in
New York City. Attended by Indigenous representatives from around
the world, the event opened with chanting, drumming, messages
from Indigenous and UN representatives, and a traditional Sacred
Pipe Ceremony for Peace conducted by Chief Arvol Looking Horse
of the Lakota (Sioux) Nation in United Nations Plaza.
In accord with the theme of the conference,
"Indigenous Peoples and their Relationship to the Land,"
a dialogue session was held in the afternoon of August 9th,
initiated by statements form Indigenous and United Nations
representatives, including the International Labor Organization
(ILO), the United Nations Development program (UNDP), and
the World Bank. On the following day, morning and afternoon
workshops were arranged with UN staff to inform participants
of programs and methods of tacking problems pertaining to
land-rights and other issues.
The conference ended on the afternoon
of August 10th with performances by various Indigenous musicians,
presentations in honor of the late activist Ingrid Washinawatok,
and an exhibition of Aboriginal art opened by the Austrian
ambassador to the UN. The event closed with a reception sponsored
by Norway and Sweden.
The events were organized by the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,
in cooperation with the ILO; the NGO Committee on the Decade
of the World's Indigenous People, and the United Nations Department
of Public Information (DPI).
The International Shinto Foundation was
honored to sponsor a luncheon for conference participants
on August 9th at the Church Center for the United Nations.
During the panel session that same afternoon, ISF Director-General
Yoshimi Umeda read the following statement as a contribution
of Shintoism, the Indigenous religion of Japan, to the discussion. |
