WUNRN
International Funders for Indigenous Peoples
http://internationalfunders.org/ - Available in Spanish & English
http://www.internationalfunders.org/english/
Cultural Survival - http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/philanthropy-reciprocity
INDIGENOUS PHILANTHROPY AS RECIPROCITY – INDIGENOUS WOMEN
& GIRLS
Reciprocity, the practice of exchanging with others for mutual
benefit, is the basis for relationships in many Indigenous communities and
was the buzzword characterizing the International Funders for Indigenous
Peoples (IFIP) World Summit on Indigenous Philanthropy. The summit took
place September 24–26 in New York City, dovetailing with the UN World
Conference on Indigenous Peoples, the UN Climate Summit, and the People’s
Climate March. It brought together funders, NGOs, and Indigenous
leaders to foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous philanthropy by
allowing them to create relationships without the constraint of the
funder-recipient dynamic, working as equal partners.
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Vicky
Tauli-Corpuz, spoke at the World Summit on the important role that
Indigenous philanthropy has in the future of climate change. Her remarks
highlighted the importance of the climate march, particularly for
Indigenous Peoples: “Indigenous Peoples did not contribute to climate change,
but we are asked to solve the crisis. Controlling climate change requires
the respect and protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. I like to
believe that our funders have the same passion and commitment as
Indigenous people to leave a better future for our next generation,” she said.
Currently, less than one percent of philanthropic giving
benefits Indigenous Peoples. International Funders for Indigenous Peoples
is a nonprofit organization that aims to transform philanthropy globally
through encouraging and facilitating partnerships with Indigenous Peoples
to further vision, imagination, and responsibility to tackle the
challenges of our times. Its members include foundations and individual
donors who are focused on funding opportunities for Indigenous Peoples.
Conference speakers provided a closer look at philanthropy and
reciprocity as it operates in Indigenous communities. One panel considered
the role of youth in continuing the work of philanthropic leaders in their
communities and the necessity of educating them for the future. Neydi
Juracan Morales (Kaqchiquel Maya), a youth leader from the Comite Campesina del Altiplano,
shared that “young Indigenous women in many communities experience
discrimination four times: one for being a woman, two for being
Indigenous, three for being young, and four for being a leader.” Morales
spoke of the struggle to bridge the generational gap between her elders
and her peers, more so to prove to her family that being a woman should
not limit her work in advancing the political and social movements in her
community. “Women are a vital resource to Indigenous communities because
we know what our families need. Women play a huge role in maintaining the
household; it only makes sense that we have a vote in decisions,” she
said.
Also discussed at the event were the rights of
Indigenous people with disabilities and their role in Indigenous
philanthropy. Diana Samarasan, founding executive director of the
Disability Rights Advocacy Advocacy Fund, spoke of the
underrepresentation of Indigenous people with disabilities in
both political and social realms. She highlighted a different angle of
reciprocity—one between movements—in discussing the necessity of
acknowledging these members of our communities for the progress and equal
representation of Indigenous communities. “We have been funding
cross-movement work between the Indigenous Peoples movement and the
disability rights movement. Indigenous people with disabilities
have been invisible in both movements,” she explained. “The
disability community globally [as well as the Indigenous
movement] has the slogan, ‘Nothing about us without us.’ And that’s
how we, as a funder, have tried to build what we do around that concept...
the the structure that we use for funding is to incorporate the
voices of persons with disabilities at all levels of what we’re doing.”
Conference participants were encouraged to ask
questions and actively participate in the discussions in order to
gain broader perspectives. One such question asked how
Indigenous funders are incorporating the concept of reciprocity
within their respective organizations. Mirna Cunningham, a
Miskita leader and activist on the Reimagining Resources,
Reciprocity, and Relationship in Grantmaking panel said, “Our
concept of reciprocity is a concept of sharing…so our vision at
FIMI [Foro
Internacional de Mujeres Indigenas] is that we provide the
funds and the various groups provide their traditional knowledge. That’s
how it works, we share and we exchange.” The panel discussed the funders’
responsibility to view Indigenous philanthropy as mutually beneficial. As
Cunningham expressed, the idea is that each side provides their
resources to bring about sustainable and culturally sensitive
change.
“In traditional Indigenous communities you are aware
of what your neighbor has; that is, we know if he has one or two
camels. That is how we know what they need in hard times. But the modern
economy makes us put our money in the bank where we don’t see it. How then
do we know what we have and don’t have? We can’t share that way,” said
Dr. Hussein Isack from the Kivulini Heritage Trust.
Participants repeatedly underscored the idea that
protecting the environment protects resources for all,
including future generations—and that this is the highest form
of reciprocity. “Remember that water is our first food, and that food
is water. We must conserve our land and our water at the same time,” said
Melissa Nelson of The Cultural Conservancy during the Food Sovereignty,
Indigenous People, and the Future of Agriculture: a Global Strategy panel.
Sustainable land use was also a recurring theme. “Now that we control
over 40,000 hectares (150 square miles), the challenge is how
to manage it without destroying it. We can’t just continue with the
colonial way,” said Abdon Nababan of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of
the Archipelago.
Change must happen at several levels for reciprocity
to blossom; changing the culture of funding is essential and needs to
respect the way Indigenous communities operate. Tauli-Corpuz explained,
“Some donors want to see big impact in very little time, but it doesn’t work
that way. It took 25 years to draft and pass the UN declaration, so
it takes that long.” Sandra Macias del Villar of the Global Fund for
Children offered a donor’s perspective, saying that funders too often
restrict what the community wants to do. She argued that communities need
flexible funding, money that can be spent on anything from transportation
to meetings to Internet access. “Too many funders fund short term for just
a year or two. That is just not enough time to accomplish
anything,” she said.
Reflecting on the event as a whole, Atama Katama,
conference panelist and nonprofit leader, commented, “I feel that the
summit is very important to not just Indigenous people, but for funders
themselves to know more about the new level of working with Indigenous
Peoples, especially after the outcome document of the world conference. In
the same way, we Indigenous Peoples who are empowered by the process
of the world conference now have in mind, can think about,
can strengthen the passion to work with philanthropists who are here
today.”
Maori Grantmakers Recognized
The recipient of the 2014 IFIP Award for
Indigenous Grantmaking went to the JR McKenzie Trust. Founded in
1940, it is one of the oldest organizations in New Zealand that supports
the well being and development of the Maori people. This is the first
time an award was given to a foundation that has appointed Maori tribal
and community leaders on its Board to share in the decision
making. Executive Director Evelyn Arce said, “JR McKenzie Trust is a
model for the future of Indigenous philanthropy which places community
leaders at the center of the decision making process.”