The Native American and Indigenous Studies Association’s annual conference was recently held in Wallmapu, for centuries the homeland of the Mapuche people.
University of Queensland academics Dr Angela Baeza and Professor Bronwyn Fredericks write below that Wallmapu is not just a place that hosted an important conference, but is “a landmark of ongoing Indigenous resistance, territorial struggle, and self-determination”.
Baeza is a Diaguita Woman from the Chilean desert, educator, and a Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures at The University of Queensland, where Fredericks is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement).
Angela Baeza and Bronwyn Fredericks write:
One of the world’s most important Indigenous conferences recently took place in Abya Yala: the Native American and Indigenous Studies Conference (NAISA).
Abya Yala is a Kuna word that means “land of maturity” and refers to Latin America, which is home to about 800 Indigenous groups.
The conference, from 22-24 July, was held in Wallmapu (Temuco), for centuries the homeland of the Mapuche people – Mapu meaning Land and Che meaning People – in the south of Chile and Argentina.
Mapuches are the largest Indigenous group in Chile, accounting for around eight percent of the population.
This ancestral land was highly impacted by colonialism; the native forest was destroyed, and hydroelectric power is still looking for new sources of energy.
This exploitation has led to water pollution affecting Mapuche communities and their traditional ways of life.
An invitation
The theme of this year’s conference, ‘Memories, Territories and Movements’, did not just have an academic focus; it was also an invitation to reflect on Indigenous knowledge, rights and resilience while in Indigenous homelands.
NAISA being held in Wallmapu is evidence that discussions about what constitutes traditional knowledges and how they relate within disciplinary contexts are not only discussed in universities, and institutions, but also in Indigenous territories, homelands, and communities that are still struggling for survival and rights.
Wallmapu is not just a place hosting an important conference; it is a landmark of ongoing Indigenous resistance, territorial struggle, and self-determination.
NAISA highlighted the issues for the peoples of Wallmapu and provided an additional advocacy platform from which to speak.
The conference organisers have highlighted that in the process of extractivism and environmental transformation: “Indigenous Peoples struggle for land recovery and care, for environmental, racial, and gender justice, and look to incorporate the diverse bodies, identities, languages, and cultures that sustain peoples and societies. In sum, it is a struggle for the continuity of life.”
Indigenous futures
One of the authors of this article, Dr Angela Baeza, explains: “As an Indigenous woman from Chile, living in Australia has strengthened my understanding that Indigenous peoples everywhere carry responsibilities to place, family and future generations.
“It has also shown me that the challenges we face are interconnected, so when I see Indigenous people from all around the world, including Australian Indigenous Elder scholars, such as Distinguished Emeritus Prof Aileen Moreton-Robinson, and Emeritus Professor Tracy Bunda, and other Elders like Uncle Gregory (Cheg) Eggert, I see more than a conference, I see relationship, opportunities between Indigenous peoples in Latino America, Australian and beyond.
“More importantly, I see Indigenous futures centred in where they have always belonged: in Indigenous communities and led by Indigenous peoples.”
Indigenous people in Latino America are advocating for language revival, environmentalism and culture revival actions.
Similarly, in Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are still fighting for recognition, and sustainable lives in ways that incorporate health, wellbeing and education within Country. They are inseparable from Country, and inseparable from Indigenous concepts of self.
“Indigenous peoples are deeply linked via continuity, and custodianship of lands, and waters, along with relationships that criss cross throughout the world,” explained one of the co-authors of this article, Professor Bronwyn Fredericks.
“NAISA conferences offer active participation in this continuity, and ways to assert and reclaim agency, and offer opportunities to share and collaborate in working towards stronger Indigenous futures.”
The NAISA conference is an example of the strength of Indigenous-led scholarship. We encourage Indigenous scholars, early career researchers, and community leaders to engage in this and other global conversations as they are invaluable intellectual arenas to celebrate Indigenous excellence.
Author details
Dr Angela Baeza is a Diaguita Woman from the Chilean desert, educator, and a Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures at The University of Queensland.
Professor Bronwyn Fredericks is an Indigenous woman from south-east Queensland, and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) at The University of Queensland, a theme lead with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures, and Chair of Croakey Health Media.
Previously at Croakey by these authors: Reflections on a mural: If We Lose Our Reef, We Lose Ourselves.
See Croakey’s archive of articles on the cultural determinants of health
Add Comment