Center for World Indigenous Studies

The Center for World Indigenous Studies (CWIS) is a non-profit American organization. It was incorporated in 1984by Dr. Rudolph C. Ryser, Ph.D. grew to adulthood as a member of the Cowlitz tribe, but his actual heritage is Waskirini, Oneida and Cree; and Chief George Manuel (1929–1989, Shuswap nation) as an independent research and education organization. It was founded earlier as an unincorporated research and documentation clearing house in 1979 in response to calls for establishment of a documentation archive by the Conference of Tribal Governments in the United States and became a globally oriented organization in 1983 at the request of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples.

George Manuel, former chief of the National Indian Brotherhood/Assembly of First Nations in Canada, was first to initiate global communication and coordination amongst indigenous peoples emerging from colonialism. He served as the founding president of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples.

Joe DeLaCruz (1937–2000),[1] chair of public policy at CWIS and former president of the National Congress of American Indians, was once called the greatest American Indian leader of the twentieth century.

CWIS today is considered the premier indigenous think tank and archival repository serving the Fourth World.

Organization Description

Founded

The Center for World Indigenous Studies was founded in March 1979 by resolution decided by the Conference of Tribal Governments at the Tyee Motor Inn, Tumwater, Washington, USA. Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Chairman Cliff Keline proposed during the Conference of Tribal Governments General Assembly that the leaders must authorize by resolution the establishment of a documentation center to house tribal documents in an archive. The idea was that these documents could be shared between the tribal governments and consequently improve communications and provide support to each government. Calvin J. Peters, Chairman of the Squaxin Island Tribe chaired the tribal governance committee and Joe DeLaCruz of the Quinault Nation, Russell Jim of the Yakama Nation were joined by the leaders of Nooksack, Nisqually and Puyallup endorsing the establishment of a documentation center. At the time of the Conference decision Rudolph Ryser (Executive Director of the Small Tribes Organizations) to establish the Center. The Center operated under tribal authority from 1979 - 1983 and the Center was given documentation and archival responsibilities by the World Council of Indigenous Peoples. In 1984 the Center was chartered and incorporated under US Internal Revenue Service Code 501 (c) 3, and in the State of Washington as a charitable organization. The Center was essentially authorized under tribal laws, state laws and US federal laws and remains authorized under those laws.

Mission

To advance the application of traditional knowledge through education, research and policy analysis.

Vision

CWIS views the application of traditional knowledge rooted in different indigenous sciences and knowledge systems in all fields of human endeavor as essential for the survival of indigenous nations and communities and peoples throughout the world.

Values

We recognize the natural and essential nature of human that demands recognition of the diversity of cultural experiences and an embrace of a balanced relationship between the needs and wants of peoples and the ability of nature to provide support for life.

The Center for World Indigenous Studies is devoted to advancing traditional knowledge conducts research to examine and evaluate and propose solutions to social, economic, political, strategic and cultural problems; and an extensive education program to disseminate the results of research, encourage new adherents to Fourth World Studies through internships, Fellows and Association Scholars. CWIS publishes Occasional Papers reporting results of internal research and investigations, the Fourth World Journal (a peer reviewed publication), the Intercontinental Cry Magazine (publishing daily reports to support the world’s indigenous peoples, and to protect the diversity of nature through digital storytelling by a network of professors, editors, journalists, researchers and thought leaders), and pamphlets and books under the DayKeeper Press imprint.

Organization Activities

The Center hosts a comprehensive web site (cwis.org) that offers access to the Fourth World Journal, the Certificate/graduate studies Program offering study emphasis in the field of Traditional Healing Arts and Sciences and the field of Fourth World Geopolitics, a media and publications center, the Center for Traditional Medicine, and the Chief George Manuel Memorial Library. With more than thirty Associate Scholars and five Fulbright Scholars, the Center is recognized as a reliable and accurate source for indigenous, culture-based research, applying traditional knowledge systems to solving problems in indigenous communities, and presenting policy analysis of benefit to all peoples.

Important Milestones

1980 - Conducted a year-long study of Tribal-State Relations producing a report: "Solving Intergovernmental Conflicts: Tribes and States in Conflict, A Tribal Proposal” that proposed negotiation of a tripartite intergovernmental agreement between tribes, US domestic states and the US federal government to oversee and mediate conflicts between tribes and states.

1982 - 1983 CWIS promoted and facilitated negotiation of a mutual assistance and cooperation agreement between MISURASATA (Miskito, Sumo, Rama and Sandinista together) and the National Congress of American Indians and distributes the agreement to all state embassies in the western Hemisphere.

1986 - CWIS facilitates collaboration agreement between the Chakma of the Chittagong Hill Tracts of eastern Bangladesh and Papuans of West Papua to strategize reversal of World Bank funding to the separate states supporting “transmigration programs.”

1989 - CWIS and Evergreen State College collaborate in the organization and conduct of the “Symposium on Indian Self-Government” and CWIS published the book “Indian Self-governance.”

1991 - CWIS converts its physical archive of documents to a digital libray an gives it the name: Fourth World Documentation Project (FWDP) (Indigenous Peoples’ Information for the Online Community). The Fourth World Documentation Project became one of the first online libraries on what was then called the World Wide WEB.

1992 - CWIS completes six years of research and publishes the major work: “Anti-Indian Movement on the Tribal Frontier” widely recognized as the authoritative analysis of a social and political movement that would have ramifications in the United States of America, Canada, Mexico and many countries in South and Central America. The publication records efforts my non-Indian organizations actively seeking to remove Indians from their treaty territories and replace them with non-Indian landowners from 1968 to 1992.

1994 - After 10 years of participating in the United Nations Working Group on the Rights of Indigenous peoples, CWIS, drafts "The International Covenant on the Rights of Indigenous Nations," which was subsequently submitted to nations worldwide for their ratification. The Covenant was initially signed by delegates from: Crimean Tatars, Numba People of Sudan, Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, Opethesaht First Nation, and West Papua Peoples’ front/OPM. A copy can be retrieved from the CWIS George Manuel Memorial Library.

1995 - A coalition of Indian governments (Lummi, Quinault, Jamestown S’Klallam, Sac & Fox, Mille Lac Chippewa and Absentee Shawnee) award CWIS a $50,000 grant to conduct a comprehensive, eight-month study of the negotiations and framework-setting processes of the Self-Governance initiative. Study concluded with a report on evaluating the “Self-governance Negotiation Process.”

1997 - CWIS opens seminar and certificate programs in Fourth World Studies and Traditional Healing Arts and Sciences leading to BA, and MA Degrees and begins conducting seminars in Mexico, the United States and Canada.

2001 - Concluded major three-years “Community Trauma Study” in Western Mexico under Principal Investigator Dr. Leslie E. Korn resulting in the publication of findings that revealed new insights into cultural approaches to mediating trauma in indigenous communities suffering from intergenerational trauma and trauma due to war, environmental degradation, interventionist development and economic displacement.

2002 - Published first of a series of Fourth World Atlas maps depicting the location of more than 1300 indigenous nations worldwide.

2002 - CWIS began conducting through its Center for Traditional Medicine a series of "Culture Foods and Medicines" 3-5-day workshops with US and Canadian Tribal communities for the prevention of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases.

2003 - Researched and Developed Indian Policy 1607 – 2003: A Political Odyssey course on compact disks for faculty and learners at the university level and distributed to the Evergreen State College Public Administration Graduate Program and other universities.

2004 - Began two-year American Indian Caregiver Health Study (under the sponsorship of the United States National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) to evaluate the efficacy of Polarity Therapy as a traditional healing method for reducing stress and improving quality of life among American Indian caregivers of family members suffering from dementia or memory loss.

CWIS convenes a symposium, Dialogue on Protected Knowledge and Tribally Directed Research involving presenters and responders from Pacific Northwest indigenous nations. Bound up in each tribal community knowledge base is information essential for the health and security of the community. An important part of this knowledge base is “protected knowledge,” or knowledge specifically owned by a family, individual or society within a tribal community.

Establishment of Chief George Manuel Memorial Library (online) including all CWIS archived documents.

2006 - Conducted extended research on the essential fatty acids benefits to native peoples contained in oolichan oil, seal oil, whale oil, deer, elk and bear demonstrating early consumption of these fats and proteins contributed to strong brain growth at early ages for native peoples. The results of the research contributed to the restoration of wider use of native fats and oils for health and healing practices.

2009 - CWIS forms the Good Government Research Group featuring the research skills of Heidi G. Bruce and Dina Gilio-Whitaker in addition to volunteers.

CWIS develops Climate Change Policy adopted by the Quinault Government to among other things promote initiatives that protects “sovereignty and long-term, health, economic, prosperity and social well-being of the Quinault people;” and exercise

Conducted a Yakama Indian Nation Communications study to evaluate the level of public on reservation near-reservation support of the Yakama Nation’s environmental protection and waste manage policies designed to remedy the adverse effects of nuclear radiation exposures and toxic waste on the Yakama people. This was a ground-breaking study the demonstrated strong support for the Yakama nation’s policies.

2010 - CWIS became a contributor to the Nairobi Work Program (NWP), a subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

2011 - CWIS collaborates with the Native American Research Training Center (NART) in Arizona to publish a Special Issue of the CWIS Fourth World Journal on Health Research.

2012 - CWIS publishes Good Government Research Group report #6 entitled “US Federal Taxation Disparities in Indian Country finding that Indian tribes pay more in taxes to the US government, state governments and County governments than they receive in grants and contracts from the US. The report stressed: measuring the increase or decrease of self-governing powers in Indian governments, the effectiveness of parties to Compact negotiations and recommendations to Indian governments for approaches to the exercise of governmental powers and approaches to negotiating future compacts with the United States. the report concludes that Indian nations and peoples pay more in taxes to the states and US federal government than they received in treaty payments, grants and self-government transferrs. "Essentially, American Indians are paying for their own support and extra to the US government," the authors concluded.

2013 - US Department of State/Indian Intergovernmental negotiations – World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. CWIS began facilitating bilateral talks and negotiations between the Quinault Indian Nation government and the US Department of State to set the structural foundation for US/Tribal talks on recommendations to the World Conference on Indigenous Studies. The main emphasis of talks and negotiations was the structuring an intergovernmental framework between the US Department of State and the Quinault government (with several other governments including Navajo, Ojibway, Tlingit and Haida Central Council and Yurok tentatively joining). Talks continue through the Fall months until December when the US Department of State and Quinault arrive at agreement on 15 of 17 points, but the US Department of State faltered on the questions of structuring actual government-to-government relations.

2014 - CWIS develops Joint Statement of Constitutional and Customary Indigenous Governments: CWIS drafts and secures the endorsement of the Joint Statement of Constitutional and Customary Indigenous Governments by eleven Fourth World governments in western Africa, southeast Asia, North America, Mexico and Argentina. The ten page document urged the United Nations in advance of its September 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples to act on five recommendations:

2015 - The CWIS Radiation Exposure and Risk Assessment Action Project produced the first of a series of in depth articles published in Intercontinental Cry Magazine (https://intercontinentalcry.org/fourth-world-nuclear-cloud/) disclosing the extent to which the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, Pakistan, Israel, and India detonated nuclear bombs and create waste disposal sites that exposed 23 indigenous territories to radioactive contamination and toxic chemical risks from 1945 to 2015.

The CWIS Good Government Research Group published Report #12 entitled “Realizing UNDRIP Implementation, A Study of Considered Mechanisms between UN Members and Fourth World Nations. The study systematically identifies and weighs the interests of states and nations and compares the achievement of those interests against eleven remedies derived from an assessment of state and nation interests that may come from each of the four proposals. The study reveals a significant probability that states and nations will more likely embrace the status quo (essentially doing nothing) as a first option and adoption of the Fourth World nations’ state-nation specific proposed Protocol as a second likely option.

2016 - CWIS prepares and delivers a written response to an invitation by the UN General Assembly President concerning questions about the future changes for the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – in response to the World Conference on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples mandate in the Conference Outcome Statement in 2014.

CWIS prepares and delivers a document to the UN General Assembly President entitled “Enabling Participation of Indigenous Constitutional and Customary Government in the UNO.” In addition to providing a detailed analysis more than 7000 nations’ potential participation at the UN emphasizing:

CWIS invited and received commitments from two Visiting Scholars from Xinjang University in East Turkistan (west Chain) to study indigenous knowledge for two months among Indian peoples in the Pacific Northwest United States. Dr. Sawut Pawan and Dr. Osmanjan Yakup (of the College of Humanities at Xinjiang University in Ürümqi, Xinjiang PR China) visiting in Olympia, Washington. We note their scholarship award from the China Scholarship Council as Visiting Scholars for two months emphasizing “Theory and Methods of Indigenous Knowledge Research.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Joe DelaCruz Center for Advanced Studies in Tribal Government". Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute, The Evergreen State College.

External links

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