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abolition-usa-digest       Saturday, May 8 1999       Volume 01 : Number 127




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Date: Fri, 07 May 1999 10:58:34 -0400
From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Sign the petition to STOP THE WAR NOW!

>I'm participating in an Internet campaign to stop the war in
>Yugoslavia before ground troops are deployed, and I'd like to
>invite you to join me.
>
>Please forward this message to any friends, family, co-workers,
>neighbors, or other people you know personally who may be
>interested.
>
>Then go to http://www.StopTheWarNow.com and sign the petition.
>It will be submitted directly to your representative in the U.S.
>House and to both your U.S. Senators.
>
>Every day that this undeclared war continues, it becomes more
>likely that ground troops will be deployed, and that we will
>find ourselves in another Vietnam-style quagmire. As the war
>escalates, it will become increasingly difficult for politicians
>to admit that they made a mistake, end the war, and bring our
>troops home.
>
>The bombing of Yugoslavia is a textbook example of the folly of
>foreign intervention: So far, the US-NATO air assault has
>accomplished the exact opposite of what President Clinton
>promised.
>
>Our bombardment has prompted more attacks on innocent civilians,
>worsened the plight of refugees, caused the conflict to spill
>over to neighboring nations, and inflamed anti-American
>sentiments around the world. Bombing errors have resulted in the
>deaths of refugees -- the very people we are supposed to be
>protecting.
>
>We acknowledge the terrible human suffering of ethnic Albanians
>in Kosovo -- suffering which has been exacerbated by our
>reckless attack on Yugoslavia. However, that tragedy does not
>justify American military intervention that puts our nation at
>risk.
>
>The job of the American military is to defend the United States
>and to keep Americans safe. Instead, our air assault on
>Yugoslavia has reduced our military preparedness, reignited Cold
>War tensions with Russia, and made us a more tempting target for
>terrorists.
>
>If the American people don't speak out, the war will continue to
>escalate, ground troops will be eventually be deployed, and
>American casualties will rise. If we don't want that to happen,
>we must persuade our representatives in Congress to stop the war
>now.
>
>Please forward this e-mail to everyone you know who might be
>interested in helping, but please don't send it indiscriminately
>-- spam will only hurt our campaign.
>
>Then go to http://www.StopTheWarNow.com and sign the petition.
>
>Thank you.
>
>Robert E. Nordlander
>[e-mail]
>333 Lopas Street
>Menasha, WI 54952
>
>Telephone: [phone]
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 07 May 1999 12:17:57 -0400
From: "William F. Santelmann, Jr." <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) De-Alerting petition drive in Lexington, MA

A petition drive asking President Clinton "to initiate by means of an Executive Order a phased
'de-alerting' with all nuclear powers of all nuclear missiles, to be completed before the end of
1999" begins in Lexington, MA on May 18. Petitions will be circulated until July 4, when they will
be collected and sent to President Clinton, with copies to all Massachusetts Senators and
Representatives in Washington.

The drive begins with a meeting on May 18 at which Lachlan Forrow, MD, President, The Albert
Schweitzer Fellowship, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Past Chair
(1993-1996), International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War [1985 Nobel Peace Prize],
will be the guest speaker to present the case for de-alerting and Abolition 2000.

This meeting will be at 7:00pm at the Lexington United Methodist Church, 2600 Massachusetts Avenue,
Lexington, MA 02421-6798. Petition forms and fact-sheet brochures are ready for distribution then.
The meeting is open and free to all.

This petition drive is presented by the Metro-Boston Committee to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons. You may
contact us by e-mail, either at [e-mail] or at [e-mail]. We would like to
hear from other groups bringing de-alerting to the public, and will share our triumphs and failures
with any group that will contact us.

William F. Santelmann, Jr.
Metro-Boston Committee to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 14:06:42 -0700
From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) The Electromagnetic Bomb - a Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - -

The Electromagnetic Bomb - a Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction
Carlo Kopp
Defence Analyst
Melbourne, Australia
[e-mail]

http://www.cs.monash.edu.au/~carlo/

High Power Electromagnetic Pulse generation techniques and High Power
Microwave
technology have matured to the point where practical E-bombs
(Electromagnetic bombs) are becoming technically feasible, with new
applications
in both Strategic and Tactical Information Warfare.

The development of conventional E-bomb devices allows their use in
non-nuclear
confrontations. This paper discusses aspects of the technology base, weapon
delivery techniques and proposes a doctrinal foundation for the use of such
devices in warhead and bomb applications.

Full article

http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/kopp/apjemp.html

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- ----------------
         Global Emergency Alert Response
   http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000
*********************************************************
                 [e-mail]
           GENERAL  AGENCY  SERVICES
David Crockett Williams                661-822-3309
20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA
*********************************************************
         The  Global  Peace  Walk 1999-2000
1999:   22APR Taos, NM, --->  Santa Fe 26APR
2000:  15JAN  San Francisco --> New York  24OCT
                        12 OCT Washington, DC,
            Columbus Day Ceremony Rededicating
The Washington Monument as a Symbol of Peace.
           October 24th is United Nations Day
"GLOBAL PEACE NOW!" Global Peace Zone2000
Remove the scourge of war from future generations
   http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk
   FOR ONE HUMAN FAMILY:  Love All, Serve All

- - - - - - - - - - -





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------------------------------

Date: Sat, 08 May 1999 14:33:33 -0700
From: Jackie Cabasso <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) REPORT FROM US ABOLITION CAMPAIGN; JOIN A WORKING GROUP!

Dear friends -- For those who were at the Feb. 12 - 24 Santa Barbara meeting,
and for those who weren't, following are the notes from the April 13
Facilitators' Group conference call.  Please note that after the introductory
section you will find a list of Working Groups, descriptions and convenors.
You are cordially invited to contact the convenors if you'd like to get
involved.! (Or let us know if you'd like to convene a group on another topic).
The Facilitators' Group has been meeting by conference call every few weeks.
We are tentatively planning a follow-up meeting in August, and will keep you
posted.   Many of us are off to The Hague and the NPT PrepCom meeting in New
York, so things will probably be on hold till the end of May. -- Jackie Cabasso
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -----------------------------------------

US ABOLITION CAMPAIGN FACILITATORS GROUP CONFERENCE CALL 4-13-99

Present on call: Jackie Cabasso, Matteo Ferreira, Alan Haber, Jan Harwood,
Sally Light, Pamela Meidell, Jo Peterson, Dave Robinson, Alice Slater, John
Burroughs, Esther Pank, Andrew Lichterman, Robert Manning, Tad Daley

Facilitator: Jackie Cabasso
Note taker: Andrew Lichterman

        It was noted at the outset that two facilitators' group members, Gordon
Clark and Clayton Ramey, were no longer receiving e-mails at their known
addresses.  Dave Robinson will get their new addresses if possible.

        As agreed at the end of the last call, the agenda was devoted mainly to
how to move forward with discussion and formation of strategies.  The group
decided that the means for now should be the strategy working groups identified
at the end of the Santa Barbara meeting, and that the first step would be
circulation of working group descriptions, contact points, and a general
invitation to participate in the working groups to the Abolition lists.-serves.
The working group descriptions and contact people are listed following these
minutes.

        In general, people thought that the conference calls were working as a
means to exchange information, and thought that the working groups could extend
and improve the network function of the Abolition campaign as it now stands.
Several people expressed concern, however, that the campaign was not moving
forward in terms of formulating common strategies which would make a national
campaign visible.  The view also was expressed that
our next gathering should not be just a repeat of the general discussion at
Santa Barbara, but instead that we would have progressed to the point of having
a name, and some cohesive common strategies/activities, to propose, so that we
could move forward with the launching of a campaign.  The working groups were
viewed as a first step towards this end.

        Tad Daley reported that the video Sleepwalking to Armageddon is nearing
completion, and may be shown on 60 Minutes 2.  The groups producing the video
are considering either large town hall  style viewings or distributing it for
use in house parties, with the particular aim of reaching new people rather
than just the existing constituencies of anti-nuclear groups.  Tad asked for
input on what we should be asking viewers to do as a follow-up action.  Several
people asked for preview copies or scripts of the documentary to determine
whether their organizations would be interested in participating in this part
of the campaign.  At least a fact sheet is likely to be available, and in
general the video makes the case that the danger of a nuclear conflagration has
increased in some ways since the end of the Cold War, with a focus on Russian
"loose nukes" and the dangers they present.  Several people expressed concern
that the particular dangers posed by the nuclear weapons policies of other
nuclear weapons states might receive too little attention, and stressed again
the desire for more information about the film's content.

Next conference call: Tuesday, April 27, 10 am PDT/1 pm EDT.  Jackie will set
up the call and post an agenda.

        We will pick up our old business, report back on the working
groups, and
move forward with our other designated responsibilities.
==================================================================
BELOW ARE THE ABOLITION CAMPAIGN WORKING GROUPS.  PLEASE CONTACT THE LISTED
CONVENERS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A GROUP OR OBTAINING MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT IT.  FOR THOSE GROUPS WITHOUT IDENTIFIED CONVENORS, PLEASE
RESPOND TO THE LIST IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THE JOB.

- -- STAR WARS/ABM WORKING GROUP

        This group was formed initially to respond quickly to the legislation
pending at the time of the Santa Barbara meeting authorizing further research
and limited  deployment of an anti-ballistic missile system by the United
States.  Although there is currently no convener for this group, those on the
conference call agreed that ballistic missile defense continues to be a key
issue of concern for advocates of nuclear weapons abolition, due to continuing
development of the system, its potential to revive a multilateral nuclear arms
race,  and the controversy over its possible extension in the Western Pacific.


Conveners: To be determined.

- --CIVIL SOCIETY CAMPAIGN TO ENROLL ORGANIZATIONS IN A BRIEF ABOLITION STATEMENT
AND CITY DIALOGUES ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT WITH PROMINENT MOVERS AND SHAKERS
WORKING GROUP

        This working group covers several related efforts aimed at mobilizing
opinion via existing groups in civil society and campaigns aimed at elected
officials in municipalities.  It includes various efforts to get mayors and
city and town governing bodies to endorse abolition statements, as well as
similar efforts aimed at non-governmental civic groups.  Campaigns represented
within this working group include A campaign aimed at creating discussion
forums among "opinion leaders" in major cities on nuclear weapons and their
abolition; a campaign
aimed at convincing a wide range of civic groups to endorse an abolition
statement; and the campaign to obtain endorsement of the Abolition 2000
statement by municipalities.

Conveners Pamela Meidell (The Atomic Mirror) [e-mail]; [phone];
Ed Aguilar (Lawyers Alliance for World Security, Philadelphia)[phone]

- --CONGRESSIONAL FOCUS (Originally Congress and Adminsitration, now split in
two)

        This working group will focus on initiatives relevant to nuclear
weapons
abolition in the U.S. Congress.  Examples include the pending Markey and
Woolsey resolutions, aimed respectively at scaling back U.S. nuclear weapons
research and production programs and at encouraging the Administration to
engage in meaningful negotiations to achieve abolition. Its work encompasses
grassroots efforts to mobilize widespread attention to particular measures and
issues pending in Congress.
Conveners: to be determined.

- --ADMINISTRATION FOCUS

        This group will work to focus attention on the nuclear weapons policies
and activities of the Executive branch, trying in particular to create forums
for discussion and criticism of nuclear weapons policies.  Its current
initiative is a teach-in at the University of Michigan on nuclear weapons
issues, with the organizers hoping to get administration officials to
participate and to publicly debate critics of existing nuclear weapons
policies.  If the teach-in model works the hope is to extend it to other
campuses.

Convener: Alan Haber (Michigan Coalition of Peace and Environmental
Organizations) [e-mail]; [phone]

- --YOUTH/CAMPUSES

        This working group aims to raise the level of awareness among young
people about nuclear weapons and efforts to abolish them.  It will work on the
teach-ins discussed in the Administration focus working group above.  It will
also attempt to gather and broaden the distribution of existing nuclear weapons
abolition materials aimed at a youth and campus audience.

Convener: Odile Haber  (Michigan Coalition of Peace and Environmental
Organizations) [e-mail]; [phone]

- --DIRECT ACTION

        Nonviolent direct action long has been a central part of the
movement to
abolish nuclear weapons.  Despite a lack of media coverage, direct action
continues at weapons and government  facilities around the country, from the
Nevada Test Site, to the weapons laboratories in Livermore, California and Los
Alamos, New Mexico, to Washington D.C. and the  newly opened Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant, also in New Mexico.   This working group will be a place for
people involved in particular direct action campaigns to raise national
awareness of their activities and  to exchange ideas and information.  It also
will try to provide resources which will be broadly useful, for example
nonviolence training materials and lists of nonviolence trainers.

Convener Matteo Ferreira (Shundahai Network) [e-mail];
[phone]

- --INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ORGANIZING AND CONCERNS

        The cycle of nuclear materials mining and nuclear weapons testing and
production always has had a disproportionate impact on indigenous people
world-wide.  Nuclear weapons testing has occurred for the most part on the
lands of indigenous peoples, without regard for their sovereign rights, and
with devastating effects on people and their lands.  Indigenous people have
taken the lead in many parts of the globe both in making the connections
between nuclear weapons and the effects of the entire cycle of nuclear
materials, nuclear power, and nuclear weapons production, and in advocating for
nuclear weapons abolition.  This working
group will provide a focus for making these voices heard both inside and
outside the movement.

Conveners: Michele Xenos (Shundahai Network), [e-mail];
[phone]; Pilulaw Khus (Coastal Band, Chumash Nation), [e-mail];
[phone]; Richard Salvador (Pacific Islands Association of NGOs)
[e-mail]; [phone]

- --NATO AND NATO 50TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING, APRIL 23

        This working group initially focused on the upcoming NATO 50th
anniversary meeting in Washington, D.C. and the likelihood that NATO nuclear
weapons policies would be debated there.  There has been interest in continuing
this as a working group, since the controversy over NATO nuclear weapons
policies, including a refusal to renounce first use, a potential
counter-proliferation role for nuclear weapons, and the expansion of NATO's
military scope to include broad out-of-area combat roles is likely to continue
for a long time.

Convener: Mark Mebane (Fourth Freedom Forum) [e-mail];
[phone]

- --INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS AND ISSUES

        This working group aims at coordinating the abolition campaign in the
United States with efforts world-wide, including Abolition 2000 and other
efforts in particular nations and regions to eliminate nuclear weapons.  With
the emergence of a new nuclear weapons and ballistic missile race in South
Asia, growing controversy over possible  theatre and domestic ballistic missile
deployments, and the stagnation of arms control negotiations, this working
group will help the abolition campaign in the U.S. remain aware of the effects
U.S. nuclear
weapons and military policies have on efforts to achieve abolition in other
nuclear weapons states and globally.

Conveners: Alice Slater (Global Resource Action Center for the Environment)
[e-mail];
[phone]; Richard Salvador (Pacific Islands Association of
NGOs)[e-mail]; [phone]or
3691; David Krieger(Nuclear Age Peace Foundation) [e-mail];
[phone]

- --AFFECTED COMMUNITIES

        Communities across the country have been affected by half a century
nuclear weapons research, testing, and production.  They range from workers at
DOE facilities to people who live downwind from those facilities to armed
services veterans exposed to nuclear tests.  Many of these groups already have
organized to put pressure on the Federal government to clean up the
environmental damage, to perform meaningful health and environmental studies,
and to provide compensation.  These groups share many of our concerns, and
often already are committed to abolition of nuclear weapons.  This working
group will focus attention on the destructive legacy
of nuclear weapons, and will work to integrate these communities and their
concerns into the broader campaign.

Convener: Joseph Gerson [e-mail]; [phone]

- --RESEARCH FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS COMPLEX

        This group will focus on the activities of the nuclear weapons and
production complex, and will explore the impacts of continuing nuclear weapons
research on the global test ban and nonproliferation regime and on efforts to
achieve abolition.   It will also examine the overlap between nuclear weapons
research technologies and other emerging arms races which affect chances for
abolition, including anti-ballistic missile technologies, spece weaponry, and
possible next-generation nuclear weapons.  The group will be both a means to
coordinate research efforts and to distribute relevant information within the
campaign and to a wider public.

Convener: Jackie Cabasso  (Western States Legal Foundation),
[e-mail], [phone]

- --MEDIA/CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

        This working group will be a place to develop and share media
strategies.  An initial  focus will be efforts to coordinate a campaign launch
that is cohesive and nationally visible.

Convener: Steve Kent (Kent Communications)[e-mail]; ([phone]

- --BOTTOM UP ORGANIZING (local movement building and making the connection to
other issues)

        Through discussing and organizing around the way nuclear weapons are
connected to other social ills and injustices, from local ecological
devastation, distorted government spending priorities,  and a culture of
violence which stretches from the state to the street to global inequality, we
can deepen our own understanding of what must be done to achieve abolition of
nuclear weapons,  as well as the understanding of those we hope to persuade.
We then open up the possibility that we will become part of a larger movement
which can make the changes which could make abolition possible.   This working
group will explore ways to make
connections on the local level with other organizing efforts which share some
of our concerns, and by doing so to help create the social movement needed to
achieve theabolition of nuclear weapons.

Convener: Andrew Lichterman (Western States Legal Foundation),
[e-mail] 510-839-5877

- --DEMOCRACY, POWER AND NUCLEAR WEAPONRY DRAFTING COMMITTEE

        This working group has taken responsibility for following through
on the
commitment made in Santa Barbara to develop a carefully thought out statement
on the relationships between democracy, power and nuclear weapons. A draft
statement is currently being prepared, to be circulated for comment in the near
future.

Convener: David Krieger (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation), [e-mail];
[phone].


******************************************************
Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director
WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION
1440 Broadway, Suite 500
Oakland, California USA 94612
Tel: +[phone]
Fax: +[phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
******************************************************
Western States Legal Foundation is part of  ABOLITION 2000
A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS

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 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
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------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 17:25:11 -1000
From: Richard N Salvador <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Global Indigenous Movement and The Hague (fwd)

fyi:

Dear Abolitionists,

the writer of the following, Tony Castanha, will also be a member of the
Pacific delegation to The Hague Appeal for Peace. He is a descendant of
Caribe/Taino indigenous peoples of the island of Boriken (Puerto Rico) as
well as descended from the Puerto Rican migrations to Hawaii early this
century as sugar plantation workers. There are some good historical
information on Indigenous peoples' organizing that will provide some
insights which are useful to understanding the Indigenous peoples' anti-
nuclear struggles. Tony is also a PhD candidate in political science
at the University of Hawaii and is a colleague. Thank you for your
interest. Please delete if this is irrelevant to you, but thank you all
for your kind support.

Richard Salvador
University of Hawaii at Mano
Honolulu, Hawaii


- ---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 16:32:14 -1000
From: Tony Castanha <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail], [e-mail],
     [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
     [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
     [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
     [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
     [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
     [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
     [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
     [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
     [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
     [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: Global Indigenous Movement and The Hague

Writer's Note: The following paper provides general background information
on the global indigenous peoples movement as recent phenomenon in conjunc-
tion with the upcoming Hague Appeal for Peace conference. The paper was
originally submitted for publishing to the Toda Institute for "Global Peace"
and Policy Research. This version is slightly edited. The section titled
"Indigenous Epistemology and Makiguchi" stresses that Soka Gakkai (a lay
Buddhist organization from which the Toda Institute arose) founder Tsuneburo
Makiguchi would surely have been a strong supporter of indigenous rights,
unlike symbolic gestures rendered by some organizations today. The writer
is a member of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and a descendant of the
Caribe/Taino indigenous peoples of the island of Boriken (Puerto Rico).

                             ***********

                THE GLOBAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MOVEMENT:
                 A CASE FOR EQUALITY AMONG ALL PEOPLES

                           Tony Castanha
                          (Copyright 1998)


The Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research has introduced seven
"megatrends" into its platform for Human Security and Global Governance
(HUGG). These megatrends concern shifts in global power structures and
distribution which could profoundly impact the world in the coming century.
In a paper submitted to Toda last year titled, "The Toda Institute's Missing
'Megatrend': The Global Indigenous Movement ('Indigenism:' Spiritual vs.
Material)," I proposed a missing megatrend within Toda's formula for global
peace. This trend is already in motion and concerns the roughly 300 million
indigenous peoples around the globe, over 5 percent of the world's population.
This trend, or "fifth generation of human rights," is already acknowledged
by Toda but,

     yet to be developed and articulated, that no longer speaks
     of rights, but of human caring, compassion, and love for all
     life forms. Emerging out of the most profound spiritual traditions
     of civility in the world, this generation of rights recognizes
     that human security cannot be ultimately achieved in its totality
     unless and until we see the individual as an integral part of the
     cosmos. (Tehranian, 1997)

This paper proposes that the global indigenous movement could very well
have a profound impact on humanity in the next century. Indeed, indigenous
peoples have much to contribute to saving and preserving the earth. But the
continued genocide against Native peoples and cultures today is not only a
threat to indigenous peoples but to humanity as a whole. We are all on the
brink of self-destruction as the present day capitalist world-economy usurps
global resources, intensifies global assimilation and violates the human
spirit. Thus, vibrant knowledge and practical skills from cultural, spiritual
and metaphysical indigenous traditions can be applied to restoring the
fundamental dignity and respect for the diversity of all peoples and for all
life forms. (Minton, 1998)

Who are the "Indigenous?"

     First peoples have a strong sense of their own identity as unique
     peoples, with their own lands, languages, and cultures. They claim
     the right to define what is meant by indigenous, and to be recognized
     as such by others. Some now live in cities, earning their living as,
     for example, lawyers and community workers--or in many cases strug-
     gling to make ends meet; others retain a traditional way of life.
     But they are united in their desire to maintain their identity and
     yet be able to adapt and survive. (Burger, 1990)

The term "indigenous" or "indi'gena" is derived from the Latin term "indigena"
which defines "the natives of a specific area in comparison to immigrants."
(Siebert, 1997?) In the context of the "Americas" the word is colonial in
origin, first used by the Spanish to describe the so-called "Indians" of the
Caribbean Antilles. The term "indigenous" was first used as a self-definition
by indigenous peoples in 1975, when the World Council of Indigenous Peoples
was founded. Some indigenous peoples believe the word is less derogatory and
offensive than other terms such as "aboriginal" or "native," and choose to
use the term as a unifying mechanism for indigenous peoples at the inter-
national level. (Siebert, 1997?) Nevertheless, many indigenous peoples
naturally prefer to use their own names in their own languages, for instance
Cree, Yanomami, Maya or Kanaka Maoli (indigenous Hawaiian), when identifying
themselves and each other.

In 1982, the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP)
adopted a working definition of indigenous peoples. It reads, in part:

     Indigenous populations are composed of the existing descendants of
     peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country wholly or
     partially at the time when persons of a different culture or ethnic
     origin arrived there from other parts of the world, overcame them,
     and by conquest, settlement or other means, reduced them to a non-
     dominant or colonial situation; who today live more in conformity
     with their particular social, economic and cultural customs and
     traditions than with the institutions of the country of which they
     now form a part ...

An emphasis on group or collective rights are fundamental to the protection
of indigenous culture, language, religion, lands and natural resources. The
use of the "s" in the term "peoples" refers to collective rights to be
enjoyed by the indigenous peoples concerned, rather than merely individual
rights as derived from the term "people." Since indigenous pre-colonial
occupation within states is distinguished from minority or ethnic group
existence, "indigenous rights" clearly differ from "minority rights." The
"numbers of indigenous peoples, therefore, does not constitute a criterion
in their definition." (Trask, 1993)

The Indigenous Peoples Movement

     The indigenous voice in world politics calls for the admission of
     indigenous peoples to the world community as equals. It calls on
     the nation-state to come to terms with the continuing existence of
     indigenous nations as enduring and distinct communities with a right
     to self-determination. Perhaps most compelling of all, the indigenous
     voice in world politics suggests that the harm that is and has been
     done to indigenous peoples, the so-called dominant society has
     already done to itself--alienating human beings from the spiritual
     reality of their own inner world as well as from the natural world
     on which they depend for their survival. (Wilmer, 1993)

The global indigenous movement is a recent phenomenon. At the first United
Nations World Conference on Human Rights in 1968 the term "indigenous people"
was not a part of the vocabulary of the conference. At this time indigenous
peoples were basically considered no longer in existence, "a remnant of
the past" inevitably assimilated into mainstream society. (Burger, 1993)
However, indigenous peoples and nations such as the Maori of Aotearoa (New
Zealand), Aborigines of Australia, and various indigenous nations of Canada
had been advocating for rights and the resolution of conflicts at the
international level since the late 19th century. (Morris, 1992) Typically
denied recognition and rights within the countries they live in, indigenous
peoples have joined together to voice their concerns and demand equality at
the international level.

In 1957, the International Labor Organization's (ILO) Convention 107 attempt-
ed to protect the rights of indigenous peoples, but the document formulated
soon met indigenous criticism for its "assimilationist and paternalistic"
approach. (Burger, 1993) ILO Convention 169 in 1989 "updated the archaic
provisions of 107 but was reviled by many native peoples as ignoring the
legitimate aspirations of indigenous nations and continuing to protect states
in their denial of native claims for self-determination." (Morris, 1992)
During the 1970s, indigenous movements such as the American Indian Movement
(AIM) began to grow and call for international recognition of traditional
rights and practices. The 1971 and 1977 Declarations of Barbados, which were
documents drafted by indigenous representatives and progressive anthropolo-
gists, expressed the need for a global re-examination of the impact of
colonialism on indigenous peoples, and recognized "the necessity of a
hemispheric indigenous movement led by native peoples." (Morris, 1992)

The 1982 establishment of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, the
only body of the UN where indigenous peoples, nations and organizations are
represented, led to the 1993 Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples. This most comprehensive document recognizing the rights of indigenous
peoples includes the indigenous right to self-determination. In addition,
1993 was the International Year of the World's Indigenous People, when the
second UN World Conference on Human Rights asked the General Assembly to
proclaim a decade of commitment in support of the rights of indigenous
peoples. (Burger, 1993) And in 1992, a K'iche' Maya woman named Rigoberta
Mench Tum was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to battle human
rights abuses in Guatemala.

Despite the gains, however, the Draft Declaration and indigenous rights in
general are constantly being subverted. The Draft has been derailed on its
way to the General Assembly. A group of states, led by the United States,
have taken the liberty to determine what the Draft Declaration will imply
as policy. (Morris, 1996) The U.S. intends that its own treatment of indi-
genous peoples under "US Indian Law" be emulated by other nation-states,
and "is attempting to create a broader, more encompassing hegemony that
minimizes the possibility that indigenous peoples might actually be pro-
tagonists of their own destinies." (Morris, 1996) So why is it that
indigenous peoples have to constantly struggle to maintain rights and
dignity? Why is it that nation-states constantly exploit indigenous lands
and resources? Why is it that indigenous peoples, who have existed since
time immemorial, must constantly present their case for equality among all
peoples?

Indigenous Epistemology and Makiguchi

     We are at a critical juncture in human history in which the forces
     of globalization can tip us toward either more humane forms of
     governance or growing global gaps that will turn the world into
     islands of riches in oceans of structural violence.

     The opening of a new century has always served as a symbolic turning
     point in human history. The twenty-first century is not an exception.
     The world stands at a historical juncture between the roads to
     self-destruction and self-renewal. (Tehranian, 1997)

The global indigenous movement has everything to do with "self-renewal"
within any future system of global governance. Indigenous peoples do not
simply oppose modernization and progress but insist on defining and pursuing
development consistent with their own cultural beliefs and practices. (Wilmer,
1993)  For the indigenous world, technology is not only conceived of as
"material technology," or as a way to overcome the natural world (the path
traveled by the West), but as the application of knowledge to social,
psychological and spiritual technologies. In contrast to the western view
of solving "the problems" of the natural world, the indigenous view

     begins with the assumption that the limits of nature are ultimately
     immutable. In order to live within the limits of nature, their
     cultures have emphasized technologies of consciousness and ecosystem
     management. The technology of consciousness was necessary to the
     survival of indigenous peoples who chose to remain vulnerable to
     the natural world.... Western culture emphasized changing the natural
     world wherever it resisted human manipulation. Indigenous cultures,
     on the other hand, choose ways of adapting to the limits of the
     natural world. (Wilmer, 1993)

There are at least two central areas where the indigenous peoples movement
can benefit humanity in the coming century: 1) through ecological preserva-
tion and subsistency; and 2) through increased levels of spiritual conscious-
ness or awareness by less dependency on the material world. The latter area
is basically contingent on success in the former area. That is, there will
not be any possibility for heightened human spiritual development as long
as humanity continues to worship the "money god," value excessive materialism,
and exploit the natural world. This trend surely spells the demise of the
human race. However, indigenous spiritual awareness and technology can
contribute to the preservation of life on the planet. Franke Wilmer notes
that in addition to

     the development of a kind of "inner technology" of heightened
     consciousness, indigenous peoples also acquired a different kind
     of knowledge about the natural world, a kind of knowledge that
     is unique to oral history and a philosophy of learning to live
     within the limits of the natural world.... Indigenous peoples'
     knowledge of the environment is based on information accumulated
     over hundreds, even thousands, of years. It is not a knowledge of
     the ecosystem that can be acquired in a laboratory in a matter of
     several decades. It can only be acquired over time if it is the
     sort of knowledge considered valuable. This kind of information
     was not deemed valuable to Western societies until very recently.
     (Wilmer, 1993)

Indeed, indigenous knowledge of our ecosystem can be applied to help save the
earth today. Deforestation, global warming, and the nuclearization of the
planet are some of the major global environmental problems calling for urgent
action. Surely Soka Gakkai founder Tsunesburo Makiguchi would agree that
urgent action is necessary today. Makiguchi's profound belief in the oneness
of humanity in nature and of the earth basically parallels indigenous philo-
sophy and metaphysics. He observed within Japanese society how the pursuit
of profits and the learning of "masses of fragmented, unrelated facts" in the
classroom alienated children, youth and adults from traditional values and
the natural environment. (Bethel, 1997)  Human potential for goodness and
greatness had been squandered because of the lack of direct observation and
contact with the natural world. (Bethel, 1997) Makiguchi's reverence for life
echos the indigenous spirit. In A Geography of Human Life, he writes that
humankind should

     ... regard people, animals, trees, rivers, rocks, or stones in the
     same light as ourselves and realize that we have much in common with
     them all. Such interaction causes us to feel, if not consciously
     think, 'if I were in their (or its) place, what would I feel ... or
     do?' Sympathetic interactions occur, therefore, when you regard or
     feel another person or object that you are in contact with as a part
     of yourself or as one of your kind. You share experience with that
     person or object and are able to place yourself in the position of
     that person or object. (Makiguchi in Bethel, 1997)

If Makiguchi were alive today, he would most likely be supportive of the
indigenous peoples movement and an advocate for the protection of indigenous
rights and dignity. This man, who gave his life for his belief in peace and
unity on earth, would surely see that indigenous peoples and culture have
much to contribute to global society, but are endangered. Thus, the Toda
Institute's work concerning indigenous peoples must be more than symbolic.
As Rigoberta Mench said before the UN Commission on Human Rights in 1993:

     I am convinced that peace is more than a symbol. It is at the heart
     of the entire society. And I insist, once again, that symbolic acts
     are not sufficient for indigenous peoples. Our civil, political,
     economic, social, and cultural rights cannot wait any longer.

                            ***********


                            REFERENCES

Bethel, Dayle, "Makiguchi's Philosophy of Peace and Human Security," A
   paper presented at the Toda Institute international conference on Human
   Security and Global Governance, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i, June
   6-8, 1997.

Burger, Julian, "The Gaia Atlas of First Peoples" (A Future for the
   Indigenous World), London: Gaia Books Ltd., 1990.

Cultural Survival, "State of the Peoples" (A Global Human Rights Report on
   Societies in Danger), Boston: Beacon Press, 1993.

Jaimes, M. Annette, ed., "The State of Native America: Genocide, Colonialism
   and Resistance," Boston: South End Press, 1992.

Morris, Glenn, "US Model of Indigenous Rights Subverts Inter-sessional
   Working Group," Fourth World Bulletin, Spring/Summer, 1996.

Siebert, Ute, "The Meaning of the category 'indigenous' within the United
   Nations: The politics of the debate on a definition," 1997?

Tehranian, Majid, "Human Security and Global Governance: Power Shifts and
   Emerging Security Regimes," A paper presented at the Toda Institute
   international conference on Human Security and Global Governance,
   Honolulu: University of Hawai'i, June 6-8, 1997.

Trask, Haunani-Kay, "From a Native Daughter" (Colonialism and Sovereignty
   in Hawai'i), Monroe, Maine: Common Courage Press, 1993.

Wilmer, Franke, "The Indigenous Voice in World Politics" (Since Time
   Immemorial), Newbury Park/London/New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1993.




















































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