In this month's Underreported Struggles: O'odham Sacred site threatened by gold mine; appeal for Meitei women launched after brutal assault by Manipur police; The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People imitate their own environmental protection agency.

Underreported Struggles, December 2011

Featured: After more than 6 months of research and preparation, Intercontinental Cry launched "Indigenous Peoples of the World" an online directory for all Indigenous Nations ever mentioned on the website. The directory, which you can access here, currently features 412 distinct populations in 78 countries.

The Citizens' Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD) issued an urgent appeal concerning a brutal assault on a group of eleven Meitei women who were protesting against the ongoing forced evictions at Loktak Lake in Manipur, India. The Manipur police charged at the women with batons during a protest at the Thanga Ithing Village in Chingjinon December 19. The police also fired tear gas and about 200 rounds of ammo in an attempt to disperse the protesting women. However, that attempt ultimately failed. At the time the evictions were last reported on Intercontinental Cry (November 19) nearly 200 homes had already been set ablaze. That count has since risen to 1,147.

According to the Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) over a hundred indigenous leaders were murdered in Colombia throughout the course of 2011. Many of the deaths have a direct link with the demands for land by the native communities. "Currently, we’ve started coordinating with the government but this doesn’t mean we are satisfied. Our territories are permanently invaded by armed groups and are being used to grow illegal crops", said an ONIC adviser, in an interview with the radio show Otra Mirada.

The Hopi lost a court bid to stop the city of Flagstaff from selling treated sewage water to Arizona Snowbowl. Coconino County Superior Court Judge Joe Lodge, who ruled in favor of the city, stated that the substantial components of the case had already been decided in federal court, and the tribe was legally required to raise its objections earlier. A different case litigating snowmaking on health and environmental grounds is headed for oral arguments in January at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Photo Credit: Friends of the EarthThe Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), an Ogoni-based non-governmental, non-political organization for the Ogoni people of South-Eastern Nigeria, have announced the creation of a new Environmental Protection Agency to make sure that oil companies operating in Ogoniland, like Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell, are held accountable for their 'environmental crimes'.

After being saved from a toxic waste dump more than three years ago, the O'odham Sacred site of Quitovac is once again facing a serious threat. In late September, the US mining company Silver Scott Mines announced that it had acquired a 12,000 hectare concession near the site of Quitovac in Sonora, Mexico. Traditional O'odham Leaders issued a resolution condemning the company's intentions, and requesting that the Mexican Federal Government and the Government of the State of Sonora intervene in accordance with existing cultural and environmental protections laws of Mexico. The O'odham have also asked PROFEPA (Attorney General for Environmental Protection) to stop the proposed open pit mine operations .The company has since initiated a 6000-meter drilling program at the Quitovac gold mine site.

A Chilean Court ordered the Chilean police force to refrain from using tear gas in the homes of Mapuche communities near Ercilla. The court’s order also stated that tear gas should not be used when women, children or elderly people are present. The case was brought by the Mapuche community of Wente Winkul Mapu, after their homes were raided by officers firing tear gas in November of this year. The court’s decision cited several international law instruments, including ILO Convention 169.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) revoked its formal request to suspend operations at the controversial Marlin Mine in Guatemala. The IACHR's action follows a petition by the Presidential Commission on Human Rights, on behalf of the Government of Guatemala, which rountinely refused to obey the IACHR. Goldcorp was delighted to hear the news.

The Boreal Forest Network, the Boreal Action Project and the Winnipeg Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement sent out a call for a complete boycott of all Weyerhaeuser forest products until the company ceases all logging and sourcing in the contested traditional territories of Grassy Narrows First Nation, or as long as there is community opposition to those operations. You can take part in the action here.

Some 200 Indigenous people and supporters marched to the home of John Nady, a millionaire who is desecrating Rattlesnake Island, the spiritual center of the Elem community of Southeastern Pomo. John Nady, who invented the wireless microphones used by many A-list musicians, purchased the island eight years ago for a reported $2.5 million. Since then, Nady has been pushing to build two so-called "sustainable vacation homes" on the island. Nady began construction work on one of the homes in late November.

Beowulf Mining, the British company behind the Kallak exploration project in Jokkmokk, Northern Sweden, was caught drilling on Saami lands in breach of the Swedish Minerals’ Act. Once this was pointed out to the Swedish Minerals Inspectorate by Saami representatives, the company had no choice but to stop drilling.

Indonesian police and military forces reportedly razed 26 villages and forcibly evacuated 130 more in a coordinated attack in Paniai Regency, West Papua. According to this initial report By Nick Chesterfield at West Papua Media, the December 13 attack was ostensibly aimed at breaking the armed pro-Independence movement. As many as twenty Papuans are believed to have been killed in the attack.

Defenders of the Land (DotL) condemned the Harper government for using police to spy on First Nations instead of addressing Canada's continued violation of Indigenous Peoples' rights. Adding insult to injury, DotL indicates that the surveillance is being shared with private industry.

It's been more than one month since Peru's government sent investigators to the Amazon to probe the brutal murders and mutilation of at least 14 shamans, traditional healers or medicos, of the indigenous Shawi people of Peru's northern border region near Ecuador. So far, no arrests have been made. Alberto Pizango, Peru's top indigenous leader and president of the country's most powerful indigenous organization, AIDESEP, blames the deaths on cash and pressure from legal and illegal industries in the Amazon who poach natural resources from indigenous lands.

Photo Credit: 'Save The Kimberley' on facebookTraditional land owners won a major victory in their long-running battle against the proposed Woodside gas hub project at James Price Point on Western Australia's Kimberley coast. WA Supreme Court Justice Wayne Martin issued a ruling in favour of the Goolarabooloo Traditional owners, finding that the WA government acted illegally when it used 'compulsory acquisition' notices to take Goolarabooloo lands for the proposed gas hub. Unfortunately, the government does not seem the least bit phased by the decision.

Canadian lawyers for Mr. German Chub Choc announced an Ontario lawsuit against Canadian mining company HudBay Minerals over a brutal shooting in Guatemala two years ago that left Mr. Chub a paraplegic. This is the third human rights lawsuit launched in Ontario against HudBay related to violence at its formerly-owned Fenix Mining Project in eastern Guatemala. For more information on all cases, see www.chocversushudbay.com

The Tsilhqot'in people celebrated a B.C. Supreme Court judge's decision to grant an injunction against Taseko Mines Ltd, prohibiting the company from carrying out any more exploration work on Tsilhqot'in traditional lands for 90 days. Taseko had been seeking its own injunction and enforcement order to prevent anyone from blocking a road to the company's Prosperity mine project. The Supreme Court judge overruled the company's application.

More than half of the members of the Wayana indigenous communities of Apetina and Anapayke in southeastern Suriname have mercury levels above World Health Organization’s recommended limits, due to small-scale gold mining in the area, according to a research article by the Suriname Indigenous Health Fund and University of Washington-Seattle. Mercury, used in gold mining to separate the precious metal from other materials, seeps into the water supply and soil.

A Samburu community's struggle to hold on to their ancestral land and their grazing rights, has taken a turn for the worst. Following a recent court decision to block the creation of a new national park that would envelop the community's land, in late November, more than 300 police officers went to the community, killed at least one Samburu elder and confiscated as many as 10,000 of their cattle, goats and sheep.

Videos of the Month

The Psychic Landscape of Contemporary Colonialism: A talk by Kanien'kehaka Educator, Author and Activist Taiaiake Alfred.

First Earth: Uncompromising Ecological Architecture: a documentary about the movement towards a massive paradigm shift for shelter -- building healthy houses in the old ways. Available in 12 languages!

A Voice in the Desert: examines a cultural unity that has been interrupted, dissected and transformed by an arbitrary line: the US border.

Manoomin: The Sacred Food: a short documentary on the Anishinaabeg of Northern Minnesota and the wild rice (Manoomin) they consider to be a sacred gift from Creator.

Face to Face with Graham Russell: Are Canadian mining companies getting away with murder? In this 30-minute interview, Grahame Russell of Rights Action discusses the health, environmental and other heinous human rights violations caused by Canadian mining companies.

In this month's Underreported Struggles: Q'eqchi community destroyed by police, security forces in Guatemala; Tanzania government grants land title deed to the Hadzabe; Burma's president suspends work on the controversial Myitsone dam; Elder Mamos express profound concern over proposed 'eco-friendly' hotel on sacred lands.

Underreported Struggles, October 2011

Israel's adoption of the controversial "Prawer Plan" earlier this month has set the stage for the seizure of more than two-thirds of the Bedouin's total land base in the Negev desert; the destruction of 37 Bedouin villages; and the forced relocation of the indigenous inhabitants to an area beside a garbage dump. The first phase of the eviction is expected to begin as early as January 2012.

On October 26, the entire Q'eqchi community of Paraná was destroyed by the Guatemalan police and private security forces in Panzos, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. According to Guatemala Solidarity Project, the attack was directly overseen by a wealthy biofuels investor: Carlos Widmann, brother in law of ex-President Oscar Berger. All houses in the community were destroyed in the attack.

In an historical event, the Tanzania government has offered a traditional land certificate to the Hadzabe, an Indigenous People that even now, some believe to be extinct. The move, hailed by the villagers and supporting organizations, will ensure land tenure for the nomadic tribe. This is the first time in Tanzania's history the government has provided a land certificate to a "minority tribe".

A United Nations expert has urged Norway to reject the proposal by one of its parties to repeal key laws and policies designed to protect indigenous groups, saying its approval would represent an "enormous setback for the recognition and protection of human rights in the country." The proposal would take away many of the land ownership, self-determination and protection rights of the Sami people, Norway’s largest indigenous group, which also inhabits parts of Sweden, Finland and Russia.

Hondeklipbaai, a small community located on the northwest coast of South Africa, is trying to stop the world's largest diamond mining company from getting out of its promise to rehabilitate the land it has exploited for almost 80 years. De Beers is trying to sell the mine to a consortium led by Trans Hex Diamonds. However, the community of Hondeklipbaai says Trans Hex simply doesn't have the financial clout to carry out a rehabilitation programme of this magnitude.

The Elder "Mamos" or Spiritual leaders of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, have expressed profound concern over plans to build a new seven-star hotel on their ancestral land within the Tayrona National Park in northern Colombia. The Mamos warn that the site for the proposed hotel is located on sacred lands that are supposed to be held inviolate.

Indonesian forces opened fire on the Third Papuan People's Congress, dispersing the peaceful gathering that had attracted thousands of Papuans to Jayapura city, the capital of West Papua. Thankfully, the "tough response" seems to have backfired. As noted by New Matilda, the indiscriminate repression has served well to strengthen the Papuan voice and attract much needed support from around the world.

Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), a massive iron ore mining company based in Australia, is trying to get out of a state order that forces the company to protect any burial sites they encounter on Yindjibarndi lands in Western Australia's Pilbara region. The company also wants to avoid its legal obligation to consult the Yindjibarndi. "There are 250 [sites] or more in this country, some very important places for our religious ceremonies," says Michael Woodley, chief executive of the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC). Any number of those sites could be at risk.

Indigenous Peoples and supporting NGOs are calling on Philippines President Aquino to take back his decision to let mining companies fund and organize their own private militias to secure their operations. In no uncertain terms, It is the indigenous peoples and rural communities that are in dire need of protection from violence and attacks, not mining corporations.

In the last 6 weeks, Moroccan police forces have brutally assaulted peacefully-protesting Saharawis on two separate occasions, injuring men, women, and children. For the past 36 years, the Saharawis, Western Sahara’s indigenous population, have been forced to endure illegal colonization, resource theft, abuse and discrimination by Morocco, as well as nearly twenty years of waiting for a referendum on the status of Western Sahara as promised by the UN. The ongoing conflict gets little international exposure, since Morocco maintains a virtual media blackout in the occupied region and has banned NGOs from operating there.

For the first time in 300 years, a sacred place near the Mohawk River is back in the hands of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The Cohoes Falls property, as it's commonly known, is a key site in the story of the Great Peacemaker, Deganawida, the visionary who formulated the Great Law of Peace or Kaiienerekowa.

The recently-elected government of Papua New Guinea has promised to get rid of all draconian amendments to the Environment Act and restore the rights of the country's indigenous landowners. The controversial amendments were a not-so-subtle attempt by the previous administration to stop a lawsuit against the equally-controversial plan to dump mine waste off the Rai coast.

Armed with bows and arrows, the Ache community of Chupa Pou has successfully removed a large group of Brazilian farmers from their ancestral lands in eastern Paraguay, near the border with Brazil. Fortunately, there are no reports of bloodshed and the farmers left without any resistance; however, the farmers have said they will return to the Ache's land.

The expansion of coal mining operations in Jharkhand's Northern Karanpura Valley poses a major threat to the region's Indigenous population, their local environment and a precious cultural heritage that dates back more than 8,000 years. According to FIAN International, more than twenty new coal mines have been slated for the valley.

Two Saami communities have said they will do everything in their power to stop a mining company from exploiting their internationally-protected lands in Northern Sweden. The Saami communities of Girjas and Laevas recently found out that Kiruna Iron AB, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Australian company Scandinavian Resources Ltd., wants to develop two iron mines in the Kalix River Valley. Both of the proposed mine sites are located within the Saami's nationally-recognized reindeer herding grounds and the European Union's Natura 2000 ecological network of protected areas.

Hundreds of Namibians welcomed the return of 20 skulls that were taken to Germany during the Herero and Namaqua Genocide more than a century ago. Sadly, the return did not include any kind of apology or reparations from the German government, even though it was more than called for: The skulls, uncovered from German medical archives in 2008, were used to investigate the rather absurd theory of white supremacy by Eugen Fischer, teacher of the infamous Nazi physician Josef Mengele.

Burma's president unexpectedly suspended construction of the controversial Myitsone dam project "to respect the will of the people". The dam, located in one of the world's top biodiversity hotspots, would have displace 12,000 people and irreversibly affect Burma’s central river system and rice-growing area.

Featured Article

!!!This land is ours!!! A tale of land theft through violence and laws - In this guest article, Frauke Decoodt examines the ever-growing land rights struggle of the Maya-Ixil Peoples in Guatemala. The Ixil's ancestral land was usurped by the State government in 1984 during the genocide in Guatemala; however, it was not until May 2011, when a government representative told them they were living on 'state property', that the Ixil understood the scope of the historical theft. Now, the Ixil are doing everything in their power to right the historical wrong and restore their land rights.

Videos of the Month

We struggle but we eat fruit - a loving portrait of the Ashaninka Peoples and their efforts to protect their threatened forest lands and preserve their way of life.

Cycles of the Element - an upcoming documentary film about the effects of colonization on indigenous nations, and how to spark change from within to rise above it.

Strategies of Struggle from Below - an experimental documentary exploring diverse forms of social organization throughout the beautiful, unique but complex country of Colombia.

Blood in the Mobile - a 2010 documentary film that exposes the connection between mobile phones and Democratic Republic of Congo's bloody civil war.

In this month's Underreported Struggles: Ontario First Nation issues eviction notice to Canadian mining company; Displaced Triqui women forced to suspend peaceful sit-in; Kalahari Bushmen gain access to water on their ancestral lands

Underreported Struggles, September 2011

Burma's President announced that the Myitsone Dam on the Irrawaddy River would be halted "to respect the will of the people." Grace Mang, program coordinator at International Rivers, said: "The suspension of the Myitsone Dam is a great success for civil society groups in Burma and throughout the world. The decision shows that dam builders can no longer rely on dictatorial governments to push through projects that are rejected by their populations."

An alliance of indigenous peoples in the Cordillera region are outraged over a recent decision by the Philippines government to lift its moratorium on the acceptance and granting of new mining applications. The moraturium was instituted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in February of the year.

A Federal judge in Brazil suspended work on the controversial Belo Monte dam project, citing concerns that it would impact local fish stocks and harm indigenous peoples who rely on fishing. In his ruling, Judge Carlos Castro Martins explicitly forbade Norte Energia, the consortium behind the dam, from "building a port, using explosives, installing dikes, building canals and any other infrastructure work that would interfere with the natural flow of the Xingu river, thereby affecting local fish stocks".

Colombia's National Civil Registry finally promised to take action to correct thousands of outrageous identity cards that government notaries issued to the Indigenous Wayuu People. According to a recent report, as many as 50,000 Wayuu have received official ID cards that don false and degrading names like "Tarzan", "Alka-Seltzer," "clown," "gorilla," and "cappuccino" among many others. Estercilia Simanca Pushaina, a lawyer, writer and Wayuu leader, says the practice of falsely identifying the Wayuu has been going on for generations

A group of displaced Triqui women from the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala, have been forced by the government of Oaxaca to suspend their peaceful sit-in which began more than 12 months ago. The government took advantage of a new agreement with the Triqui to push everyone off the main plaza in Oaxaca city and prevent them from returning. The sit-in began in August 2010, one month before Triqui Authorities evacuated the town of San Juan Copala. The evacuation was ordered almost immediately after paramilitaries threatened to execute all supporters of the autonomous municipality.

In a huge win for Indigenous and forest dwelling peoples throughout Indonesia who are struggling to assert their customary land rights in the face of massive palm oil expansion, Chief Justice Mahfud M.D. ruled that two Articles of Indonesian law used to imprison community members are unconstitutional, unlawful and invalid. Articles 21 and 47 of Indonesia’s Plantation Act are responsible for the widespread criminalization of forest community members who often end up in jail for defending their land rights against the ever-encroaching expansion of oil palm plantations.

More than 100 Shuar indigenous people blocked the Morona River, disrupting Canadian-based Talisman Energy's exploratory drilling operations in the Peruvian Amazon. At least four of Talisman's cargo boats have been detained in the blockade.

A northern Ontario First Nation is urgently calling on Premier Dalton McGuinty to stop gold mining exploration on a sacred burial site. KI First Nation explains that the Toronto-based company God's Lake Resources deliberately ignored their widely-publicized moratorium on exploration and overstepped their Indigenous rights to explore for gold in an area where multiple sacred KI graves are located. KI has since issued the company an eviction notice.

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (ADNR) is now accepting public comments on the Wishbone Hill coal strip mine--a controversial 8,100-acre coal mine project that could drastically impact the health of thousands of families in southern Alaska. More than 80,000 people live downwind from the proposed mine site, which means they could be routinely exposed to toxic coal dust. One particular community lives less than one mile away from the site.

A top court in Costa Rica ruled that the ancestral lands of the Bri-bri indigenous people must be returned, handing one of the country’s most marginalized groups a legal victory. A lawyer for the indigenous group said that the ruling was “historic” and that the Bri-bri consider these lands to be sacred. Government agencies now have one month to decide which individuals living on the reserve will have to evacuate.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) hijacked a boat filled with emergency medicines for the Nukak, one of Colombia's near-extinct Indigenous Peoples. The National Indigenous Organization ONIC told Survival International that FARC gave those on board twenty minutes to flee. Once they did, FARC took the boat and everything in it, from medicines to stretchers, surgical equipment and computers.

A special Peruvian Government Commission officially confirmed Maple Energy's role in environmental pollution and health problems affecting two Shipibo communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Over the past three years, the Ireland-based company has been responsible for six oil spills on Shipibo lands. The announcement comes just two months after 32 Shipibo men were forced to clean up one of those spills with their bare hands.

A group of women from the Blood Tribe were arrested after peacefully confronting the US company Murphy Oil on the Blood Reserve in Southern Alberta. The women, who were eventually charged with "intimidation", were attempting to stop the construction of four new fracking sites in a massive area that was leased out to Murphy Oil by the Blood Tribe Chief and Council. The women, who have have trying to stop fracking on the reserve for more than year, said that they had no choice but to take action.

Indigenous peoples in the Malaysian state of Sarawak lost a 12-year old legal battle over a massive government land seizure that led to the notorious Bakun dam project. The Iban, Dayak, Kayan, Kenyah and Ukit peoples argued that the government unlawfully took the land, which had occupied by their ancestors for generations.

The Kalahari Bushmen are celebrating a major victory in their struggle to return home with their Indigenous rights intact. For the first time in nine years, the Bushmen have access to drinking water! The welcomed victory stems from a new partnership between Gem Diamonds Botswana and the NGO Vox United to provide the indigenous residents with access to water at four villages in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR).

In the Altai Republic, the Tubalar People are demanding compensation from the Russian space agency Roskosmos because of damages caused by a Proton rocket that crash landed on the Tubalar's traditional territory. The Tubalar say that the rocket, which used a highly toxic fuel called heptyl, has poisoned their cedar cones, one of the Tubalars' staple foods. They also say many people experienced respiratory problems and headaches after the crash.

Videos of the Month

Written Out of History: The Untold Legacy of Native American Slavery - Written Out of History blends historical facts with accounts of the forgotten legacy of Native American slavery as told by indigenous scholars and anthropologists.

The Lost Taino Tribe - THE LOST TAINO TRIBE examines the complex issue of Taino history in Boriquén (Puerto Rico) and documents the efforts of the Taino resurgence movement taking place throughout the Americas.

Body, Home, Mother Earth - In Body, Home, Mother Earth (Cuerpo, Casa, Madre Tierra) you will learn about the Tutu Naku Peoples, their traditional practices, their relationships with the Earth, and their struggle to preserve a biocultural heritage that is being eroded from the outside-in. (Film in Spanish and English)

Underreported Struggles is a monthly round-up of censored and under-reported news, compiled by Intercontinental Cry. If you want to know about these stories "as they happen", follow IC on Twitter or Facebook!

In this month's Underreported Struggles: The world's largest wine corporation pushes to destroy sacred forest; South Africa's President announces new bill to recognize Indigenous Peoples; Shipibo communities walk away from Maple Energy's bad faith; Southern Baptists call for the evangelization of the world's "unreached" Peoples.

Underreported Struggles, August 2011

The Colombian government prohibited mining in 47 coffee-growing municipalities, after UNESCO recommended that such activity be halted in the region. Cultural Vice-Minister Maria Claudia Lopez explained that the decision is aimed at protecting what is known as the "Cultural Coffee Landscape"(PCC). The PCC was recently designated a World Heritage Site.

A group of Mapuche youths who peacefully occupied a municipal government building in Ercilla, Chile, called off their protest after reaching an agreement with government officials. The occupation began in response to increased violence between police officers and Mapuche communities in the area.

The world's largest wine corporation, Spain's Grupo Codorniu, is trying to get permission from the state of California to clear-cut more than 1,900 acres of redwood forest in Sonoma County for that most decadent of alcohols: red wine. Among several environmental concerns, the proposed "land conversion" would severely impact the cultural and spiritual well-being of the Kashia Pomo, who regard the redwood forest as a sacred place that must be preserved.

Two Shipibo communities in the Peruvian Amazon broke off negotiations with Maple Gas Corporation, over the health and environmental impacts of six oil spills on their territory over the past three years. The move comes just one month after 32 Shipibo were forced to clean up one of the spills with their bare hands.

Thousands of people demonstrated in 17 countries, following protests in 15 Brazilian cities to urge the administration of President Dilma Rousseff to end its assault on the forests and the people of the Amazon. The demonstrators, mostly self organized via facebook, called on the government to immediately halt the controversial Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River, revoke the proposed gutting of the Forest Code, and protect forest activists from a recent wave of assassinations and intimidation.

Shell and BP are mere steps away from drilling exploratory wells off the Coast of Alaska and Russia, a region that everyone's playfully referring to as the "final frontier" for petroleum development. The notion of the Arctic being "undeveloped" or "undiscovered" probably couldn't be more insulting to the Inupiat, Saami and other Indigenous Peoples whose cultures and subsistence ways of life evolved over centuries of living in the region.

Grassy Narrows First Nation won a major victory in their long-standing legal battle to stop clearcut logging on their traditional territory. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that the Ontario Government never had the legal power to infringe on the Anishinabe community's Treaty rights for logging and mining development. The welcomed decision may finally bring an end to clearcut logging in Grassy Narrows Territory.

The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Peoples are speaking out against a planned quarry project that threatens a key religious and cultural area. The company, Granite Construction is seeking an agreement that would allow it to mine the quarry for 75 years. Tribal officials, however, insist that they been telling county officials about the property's spiritual importance for years. They consider the land to be the site of creation.

Indigenous Peoples in the eastern lowlands of Bolivia began a 600-km march to Bolivia's capital city to protest plans for a new trans-oceanic highway that would cut through the Isiboro Sécure Indigenous Territory and National Park (TIPNIS). The decision to mount the protest march follows the breakdown of talks between the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Bolivia (CIDOB) and the authorities in charge of the road project.

The Chinese government submitted a claim of ownership to the decidedly Monglolian (ie. indigenous) tradition of throat singing. According to Odsuren Baatar, a master of the difficult practice also known as overtone singing, China produced a video using one of Baatar's former students, which it then sent to UNESCO as a part of "China's cultural heritage." Baatar is quite furious over the discovery; and rightfully so. It would be like America claiming ownership of Yoga.

The Canadian company HudBay Minerals cut ties to its troubled Fenix mining project in Guatemala. The company, which recently announced the project's sale to a private Russian company, has been named in two separate lawsuits over the brutal murder of a respected community leader and the rape of 11 women by mine security personnel. Both lawsuits will continue despite the company's sale.

The President of South Africa announced his government is in the process of forging a new National Traditional Affairs Bill, which will provide for the recognition of Khoi-San communities, leaders and councils. It is believed the bill will be finalized by the end of the year, after a series of consultations. South Africa is also in the process of finalising its position on signing and ratifying ILO 169.

Indigenous leaders in Bangladesh burst into protest during the international day of Indigenous Peoples to demand constitutional recognition for the country's 45 distinct Peoples. The protest stemmed directly from the government's recent claim that Bangladesh "does not have any indigenous people." Instead, government officials argue, the Bangla-speaking majority, mostly Sunni Muslims, are the country's only Indigenous People.

Heavily armed drug traffickers from Peru are believed to be hunting isolated indigenous peoples in the Brazilian state of Acre on the border with Peru, in order to make way for coca-growing operations. According to latest reports, the Ministry of Defense has organized a "permanent occupation" until the crisis is contained.

Following Survival International's report on the Peruvian paramilitary invasion of Brazil, the Southern Baptist mission issued an urgent call to evangelize all the world's remaining 'unreached' Indigenous Peoples. A report by the International Missions Board of Southern Baptist Convention estimated that there are 300 potential targets in the Americas alone. A few days later, a well-known host on EWTN (an American Catholic TV network) referred to those targets as "savages", stating, "We have a whole world to conquer for Christ. Don’t we?"

The Indigenous Telengit Peoples in the Altai Republic are turning to the international community to help stop a new gas pipeline that would cut through their sacred lands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cultural Survival has responded to the Telengit's call by starting a letter-writing campaign on their behalf.

The villagers of Amador Hernández are growing increasingly active in raising the alarm about the impacts of REDD, a forest carbon offset policy that is worsening land conflicts and threatening indigenous rights around the world. In the case of Amador Hernández, the Chiapas government cut off vital medical services in order to gain access to their land. This apparent act of extortion has led to the deaths of several elderly people and children.

Videos of the Month

The Canary Effect - This coming October, Intercontinental Cry will be hosting a special screening of the award-winning documentary film "THE CANARY EFFECT" by Robin Davey and Yellow Thunder Woman. The film will be available in its entirety, for one full week, starting on October 12, 2011 at 2:00 am EST.

Umoja: No Men Allowed - This film tells the life-changing story of a group of Indigenous Samburu women in Northern Kenya who reclaimed their lives after speaking out against an epidemic of rape at the hands of British soldiers.

The Yarsagumba Effect - The Yarsagumba Effect examines the ecology of medicinal plant markets, exposing issues of biopiracy, indigenous knowledge exploitation and overharvesting around the world.

In the month's Underreported Struggles: Colombia's most powerful indigenous organization announces a new "Minga of resistance"; The Algonquins of Barriere Lake celebrate mining company's retreat from their territory; Security guards evict Indigenous families from their land on behalf of Italian businessman.

Cap-Ex Ventures Ltd. (Cap-Ex), a Vancouver-based junior mining company, has decided to proceed with exploration activities in direct violation of agreements made with the Innu of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam (ITUM), who have made considerable efforts to engage with the company and reach an agreement for exploration to proceed on their traditional territory. The company's irresponsible move, which violates federal law, leaves the Innu little choice but to protest.

In recent months many Bangladeshi indigenous people have taken the streets holding meetings, human chains and rallies, demanding constitutional recognition of their population. The ongoing demand stems from an ‘indigenous' debate, in which many government representatives have denied that any Indigenous People are in the country. An illuminating talk by a Bengali citizen puts the debate into perspective.

The Ramu landowners in Papua New Guinea were shocked to learn a Judge decided to approve the controversial deep sea waste disposal plan for the Chinese-owned Ramu Nickel mine. The approval came only after the judge acknowledge the risk of irreversible harm to marine resources. The landowners say they are going to appeal against the court decision.

Chile's Aysén Environmental Review Commission approved the environmental assessment of a five dam proposal on two rivers. The approval, however, is marred in controversy and has set off protests in many cities, including Santiago. Critics say the series of dams will destroy a largely untouched region of Patagonia. Protests hit Coyhaique, the city where the vote occurred, with over 1,000 people marching. Clashes with police resulted in water canons and tear gas being used on protestors. Reportedly protestors were throwing rocks at commissioners' cars. Dozens were arrested. Similar clashes occurred in Santiago.

The oldest and strongest grassroots indigenous organization in Colombia, The Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), issued a call for a "Minga of resistance" to restore autonomy and peace throughout Indigenous territories in the Colombian state of Cauca. The call for a "Minga"--a term that refers to a traditional gathering or activity for the collective good--arrives just ten days after The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) carried out a series of violent attacks in at least 5 indigenous communities.

The Algonquins of Barriere Lake are celebrating a recent decision by Cartier Resources Inc. to suspend its mining exploration activities in the Algonquin community's traditional territory in northwestern Quebec. The decision sets an important precedent in Canada concerning the Right of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as defined by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Committee to Protect Glen Cove announced a major victory in the 98-day struggle to protect the sacred grounds of Sogorea Te/Glen Cove in Vallejo, California. According to a recent press release , the Yocha Dehe and Cortina tribes established a settlement agreement with the City of Vallejo and the Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD). The agreement, which was signed on July 19, guarantees that both tribes will have legal oversight in any future activities taking place within the 15-acre site.

After struggling for more than 30 years to protect the Koongarra region from the threat of uranium mining, Kakadu Traditional owners can breathe a welcomed sigh of relief. The World Heritage Committee recently announced that it would redraw the borders of the Kakadu National Park to include Koongarra.

Security guards working for the Italian businessman, Idolo Augustine Mastronei, violently evicted a group of Bribri families from their territory in the Talamanca region of Costa Rica. The security guards, accompanied by officers of the judiciary, entered the Keköldi Indigenous Reserve to remove the Bribri families, it is said, because they were living on a 50 hectare estate that Mastronei purchased at an auction. Most of the adults were arrested during the eviction, "while the children were threatened at gun point inside their own houses by [the] private security guards."

All nine Chiefs from Matawa First Nations communities signed a historic declaration, making a commitment to stand together to protect the natural resources and territories of member First Nations. The Mamow-Wecheekapawetahteewiin- "Unity Declaration", states that the nine Matawa communities agree that they "must stand together in order to ensure our nation is protected. Therefore, we assert our Aboriginal and Treaty Rights to the land, water and resources by requiring our written consent before any development activity may proceed." The "Unity Declaration" further states that; "Failure to consult, accommodate and receive the consent of the First Nation(s) to proceed with any work or activity is an unjustified infringement upon our Aboriginal, Treaty and Custodial rights as First Nations."

The Fundación para la Sobrevivencia del Pueblo Cofán (FSC) and its US-based branch The Cofan Survival Fund have launched a new fundraising campaign, "The Campaign for 5000" to support the one-of-a-kind Cofán Ranger Park Guard program. The Cofan Ranger Park Guard Program, created and managed by the indigenous Cofán people of Northern Ecuador, has been responsible for the successful protection of over one million acres of some of the most biodiverse forests in the world.

The Malaysian Oil palm giant Shin Yang has heard the hopes and prayers of six Penan villages in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. Late last year, the six villages were horrified to learn that, not only were they going to be evicted from their land to make way for a hydro dam, but they were also going to be "dumped" in an area that's being converted into an oil palm plantation. Fortunately, the company voluntarily decided to halt work in the area "pending verification from the authorities" that the land has been designated for the Penan.

A new report by the Washington-based Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) shows that more and more Asian governments are granting Indigenous Peoples greater control over their natural resources and habitat in a bid to stem deforestation. Countries such as China, India and Vietnam are making "dramatic" progress, not only in stopping deforestation, but also in expanding their forests. Indonesia, however, remains excluded from the promising regional trend, the report said.

A pipeline rupture in Maple Energy's Oil Block 31-E, 75 miles north of the city of Pucallpa, Peru, spilling crude oil into the Mashiria River, the primary source of drinking water and key fishing ground for the neighboring indigenous Shipibo community of Nuevo Sucre. The local operator for the Dublin incorporated transnational then turned around and hired 32 community members to clean up the spill with rags and buckets without training, protective gear, or information about the health effects of petroleum.

Thousands of Indigenous Colombians have been given voter cards with fake, humiliating names by notaries who decided to "have a little fun" at their expense. With the Indigenous People unable to speak or read Spanish, the officials decided to fill out the voter cards for them, using names like "Tarzan," "clown," "pint-size" and "gorilla". The phenomonan has been captured in the documentary "We were born on December 31st," which tells the tale of the indigenous Colombians' treatment by election officials.

Conservation groups reported that one of the world's largest private equity firms, the Blackstone Group, is pushing for a brand new 72,000 hectare palm oil plantation in the middle of the rainforest. "[It] will be an environmental disaster for the rainforests in Cameroon; even worse than the planned highway through the Serengeti. The oil palm plantation will further fragment this unique landscape, restricting the natural movements of many animal species," says SAVE in their new facebook campaign "Stop Blackstone Deforestation in Cameroon".

A group of 18 US and Canadian citizens visited the community of Rigores, Tocoa, Cortes, Honduras to learn about the violent and illegal eviction which had occurred there on June 26. While the group was hearing testimonies about the attack, a group of security forces moved into the community in the style of a military assault, burning houses. Unlike the earlier eviction, the paramilitaries did not carry out any acts of violence, likely because of the presence of the human rights observers.

Aymaras in the Peruvian department of Puno lifted their 45-day strike against the extractive industry after reaching an agreement with the government of Peru over the Canadian-owned Santa Ana mine. According to Walter Aduviri, leader of the Natural Resources Defense Front of the Southern Zone of Puno, the government agreed to suspend the mining companies controversial project.

Videos of the Month

Village in Chiapas Starved of Medical Services for REDD - In this video, villagers from Amador Hernández, inside the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in the Lacandon Jungle of Chiapas, Mexico, describe an ongoing threat to their land as a result of the state government's pursuit of a climate change policy to "protect" the forest.

Hello, Can you hear us? - From the Zapoteco communities in Mexico to the Aymaras in Bolivia, AQUI SOMOS (Hello, Can you hear us?) looks at the struggles of four prominent Indigenous communities, with particular focus upon the Wayuu of Venezuela.

Doo’ko’oosliid: What the San Francisco Peaks Means to the Dine' - Doo'ko'oosliid is a Dine' Youth-made film about their community's relationship with the San Francisco Peaks. The film was put together during a one week Peace and Film Camp in 2011, under the direction of Rachel Tso, youth mentors Camille Manybeads Tso and Kira Butler.

The Experimental Eskimos - In the early 1960s the Canadian Government conducted an experiment in social engineering, separating three young Inuit boys from their families in the Arctic and sending them to Ottawa to be educated in white schools. All three grew up to be political activists and leaders in the struggle for indigenous rights in Canada. But it all came at a terrible cost.

Underreported Struggles is a monthly round-up of censored and under-reported news, compiled by Intercontinental Cry. If you want to know about these stories "as they happen", follow IC on Twitter: @indigenous_news or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Intercontinental.Cry

In this month's Underreported Struggles: 1000 Indigenous people in Colombia warned that they would be killed if they tried to leave their communities; Aymaras in Peru lift their 45-day strike against the extractive industry; Indian government employees detained by villagers over hydro concerns; Indigenous communities in South Africa successfully halted mining operations that threatened their livelihoods.

Underreported Struggles, June 2011

Indigenous Leaders from the Xingu Indigenous Territory in Brazil, sent a stern yet hopeful message to the Brazilian government about their culture, their rights, their aspirations and the needs of their people. The letter was signed following the first-ever Festival of Xingu Cultures, which brought together all sixteen Indigenous Peoples in the Xingu Territory.

Aymaras in the Peruvian department of Puno lifted their 45-day strike against the extractive industry after reaching an accord with the government of Peru over the Canadian-owned Santa Ana mine. In the days leading up to the accord, Riot police opened fire on group of Indigenous protesters who were trying to raid an airport. Sic people died and three dozen more were injured . Western media inaccurately reported that the protesters were Aymara. They were in fact, Quechas, who were leading their own protest against mercury pollution on their land.

The Obama administration extended its ban on uranium mining within the Grand Canyon's 1-million-acre watershed, putting an end to fears that even more mining claims and resulting mining projects could be on the way. The decision to safeguard the watershed will last until the end of 2011, around the time an environmental analysis of the issue is set to be released. Thousands of mining claims have already been filed in the watershed area.

Owners of Arizona Snowbowl ski area started clear-cutting rare alpine forest for new ski runs on the Holy San Francisco Peaks. According to an Environmental Impact Statement more than 74 acres are slated to be cut. More than a dozen protesters recently halted the "construction work" by locking themselves to heavy machinery and to each other inside the new waste water pipeline trench. More than 15 armed agents, including the FBI, showed after just six hours and broke the protest up.

Four government functionaries associated with a mega hydropower project in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district [India] were detained by villagers protesting over environmental issues. All four officials, who weren't abused in any way, were released a day later, after the state-run Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) assured the villagers that most of their demands would be accepted."

Citizens from the Yurok, Hoopa, Karuk and other Indigenous Nations, essentially turning a traditional practice into a protest, came together to gather seaweed, mussels and clams along California's North Coast. If the state of California pushes through its proposed MLPA Initiative, the customary practice of gathering these and other subsistence resources would be outlawed.

The French government-owned uranium company AREVA tried to stop countries from discussing the expansion of World heritage-listed Kakadu National Park to include lands home to a massive uranium deposit. Fortunately, the Australian government rejected AREVA's request.

Over the past 50 years, nearly 1.5 million tons of oil has been released into the delicate ecosystem of the Niger Delta in southeast Nigeria. It's one of the worst and most shameful oil legacies in the world. But even so, the Ogoni haven't lost hope. They may be ignored by the international community, but they are doing what they can to defend their land, their rights, and the chance to someday return to their normal life in a clean environment. http://intercontinentalcry.org/a-plea-to-the-international-community-dont-forget-the-ogoni/

Local populations around the world are standing up to the coal-fired power industry, resisting private and public-sector pressure to cast aside their rights, homes and livelihoods for projects that are clearly not intended for their benefit. As Grist.org highlights, hundreds of thousands of people in Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Australia, Colombia and elsewhere are standing up and saying NO.

More than 1,000 Penans will be forcibly removed from their rainforest home and "dumped in a vast oil palm plantation to make way for the controversial Murum dam", according to Survival International. The Penan have said that they don't want to move, but the government is refusing to give them a choice.

The Sudan Democracy First Group (SDGP) accused the Sudanese army, with the support of a government-backed militia, of pursuing a genocidal campaign in South Kordofan which is targeting the indigenous Nuba peoples. The SDGP backed up the charge with a six-page report which details a number of the army's atrocities and human rights violations of the Nuba.

Despite Argentina's blanket ban on evictions of Indigenous communities, the Quilmes community of Colalao del Valle is facing its third eviction attempt in three years. Police officers already tried to disperse the community on April 29th; but the community, which is attempting to reclaim ancestral lands, resisted.

Word got out that the Canadian government started spying on Indigenous people almost immediately after Prime Minister Stephen Harper took office in January 2006. Information obtained by Access to Information requests revealed that the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) was permitted to start monitoring First Nations engaged in direct action to protect their lands and communities and to gather and share intelligence on "First Nation leaders, participants and outside supporters of First Nation occupations and protests."

An initiative by Peru's Ayacucho regional government to set up a committee to manage social conflicts related to the mining sector received some welcomed praise from sector experts. "[The project] seems very interesting and very innovative," said the head of community rights and extractive industries at Lima-based NGO Cooperacción, José de Echave. "These types of initiatives are needed to create regional institutions that can start to look at the problems that can surface in the mining sector." Perhaps other industry sectors too.

Communities in the Transkei Wildcoast's Xolobeni area of South Africa successfully pressured the government to halt mining operations in the area. The Xolobeni area is considered the traditional home of the AmaDiba people who claim to have occupied the land for centuries. The AmaDiba Crisis Committee (ACC) said that, if the Xolobeni Mineral Sand mining project had proceeded as planned, the AmaDiba would have "faced permanent and significant changes to their traditional way of life and their connection to the land."

After a decades-long effort to restore a healthy, free-flowing Elwha River, hydropower generators at the river's two dams were finally shut down in preparation for the dam removal this September. The Elwha River on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula has been dammed for nearly 100 years. Removing the dams will revive the river’s legendary salmon runs, restore vital aspects of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe’s culture, and revitalize the ecosystem in Olympic National Park, from mountains to sea.

200 Indigenous people set up a camp outside of Paraguay’s Ministry of National Emergencies over issues related to land and assistance with crops. The encampment is comprised of members from at least eight Indigenous communities.

The Chilean Government announced the creation of a 210-acre marine reserve in the area of Hanga Roa Otia (Easter Island). The announcement was made by Pablo Galilea, the Undersecretary of Fishing, and, according to him, this reserve is a direct response to the strong demands made by Rapa Nui for protection of its marine wildlife in this area.

Up to 1,000 indigenous people from three communities in the Carmen de Atrato region of Colombia were "immobilized" by an armed strike led by FARC guerrillas. FARC ordered the indigenous people not leave their communities, under the threat of death.

The Yanomami and Yekuana, outraged by the nomination of a new indigenous health coordinator they didn't trust, captured an airplane used by health workers in protest. In the past, there have been major problems with corruption in the regional health office. Fortunately, the Yanomami and Yekuana, after protesting for a few more weeks, got what they wanted. The government agreed to assign their preferred candidate for the job.

Officials with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) invaded Grassy Narrows Territory to demand that a company contracted by the community halt maintenance work on a road used for emergency evacuations. After using a helicopter to bypass Grassy Narrows' blockade, the officials threatened the contractors with hefty fines unless they stopped what they were doing. MNR refuses to allow any lawful work on the road until Grassy Narrows agrees to lift their long-standing blockde against logging within the territory.

Videos of the Month

Before There Were Parks: Yellowstone And Glacier Through Native Eyes
For more than 12,000 years, the intermountain West's native peoples have called the lands known as Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks "home." This program explores modern indigenous perspectives on these great wilderness areas and explores the cultural divide that separates modern times from the not-so-distant past.

Saving Our Land: The People of Bougainville Speak Out
Clive Porabou's new documentary "Saving Our Land" gives voice to the silent majority of Indigenous People in Mekamui/Bougainville who are against Rio Tinto's plans to re-open the notorious Panguna mine.

Paraiso for sale
What price would you pay for paradise? And who would you be willing to take it from? PARADISE FOR SALE takes a look at the fast-growing migration of American retirees and developers to Bocas del Toro, Panama; and the effect it is having on a local Ngobe community. Through the film, we learn that the migration between Latin America and the US isn't just a one way street.

Underreported Struggles is a monthly round-up of censored and under-reported news, compiled by Intercontinental Cry. If you want to know about these stories "as they happen", follow IC on Twitter: @indigenous_news or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Intercontinental.Cry

In this month's Underreported Struggles: The Triqui people issue an urgent call for solidarity and action; Canadian company admits its wrongdoings to the Subanon people; Quechua community blocks geneticists from trying to collect their DNA; Residents from 10 villagers set fire to logging camps, machinery in Malaysia

Underreported Struggles, May 2011

Three women from Grassy Narrows are blocking the Ministry of Natural Resources (MRN) from accessing Segeisse Road in the Anishinabe community’s traditional territory. The road is in desperate need of work, and Grassy Narrows is attempting to fix it with their own contractors. Rather than do it themselves (because of community's ongoing blockade), MNR is threatening to lay $10,000 fines against the community and its contractors.

The British Colombia Supreme Court granted an injunction to the Wet'suwet'en Nation, preventing Canadian Forest Products Ltd. ("Canfor") from engaging in timber harvesting activities within a culturally vital portion of Wet'suwet'en Territory. Canfor had been seeking its own injunction after the Ginehklaiyex House Group blocked access to the territory in 2009; but the Wet’Suwet’en countered with their own injunction.

Owners of the Arizona Snowbowl ski area began construction of a wastewater pipeline on the San Francisco Peaks, a sacred site to more than 13 Indigenous Nations. Local environmental justice organizations, Tribal representatives, and members of Flagstaff community are currently preparing a course of action to defend the Peaks.

Roughly 10,000 Indigenous People are protesting against the oncoming Santa Ana silver mine in southeastern Peru near the border with Bolivia. The Indigenous people are concerned that pollution from the new mine would threaten their livelihoods and contaminate local rivers and lakes.

The Triqui people of the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala in Oaxaca, Mexico, issued an urgent call for solidarity and action for June 2nd, 2011. Late last year, the Triqui were forced to abandon the municipality, which had already been under siege by paramilitaries for most of the year. Just prior to the evacuation, the paramilitaries threatened to kill anyone that supported the municipality. Now, after being away for more than 5 months, the Triqui people are attempting to return home.

The UK-group Survival International reported that a Guarani community in Brazil decided to retake a part of their ancestral land, after living on the edge of a highway for more than 12 months. According to Survival, the Guarani simply marched back to their land, unwilling to further endure the appalling conditions they have been subjected to by the side of a road.

TVI Resource Development, Inc. (TVIRDI), after years of violating the human rights and customary laws of the Subanon People, admitted its wrongdoings in a cleansing Ceremony led by the Subanon's traditional judicial authority. During the ceremony, the company acknowledged that Mount Canatuan is indeed a sacred site and that they were wrong for desecrating it. They also agreed to pay the fines as stipulated by the traditional authority.

Land acquisition plans for Posco's proposed mega steel project in Orissa were postponed following resistance from indigenous villagers who oppose and support(!) the project. The agitating villagers say the Government-led plan to acquire land is, in no uncertain terms, "illegal". The acquisition would ruin the livelihoods of thousands of families.

Leaders from the Quechua community of Q'eros blocked a group of geneticists from entering their community to collect DNA samples for the National Geographic's Genographic Project. The Quechua, concerned that no one was properly consulted about the visit, turned to the Cusco state government for help. Cucso ultimately ultimately sided with the community, forcing the Genographic Project to back off.

Seven people were killed at Barrick Gold's North Mara mine in Tanzania after more than 1,000 people, desperate to find leftover scraps of gold, invaded the modern mine site. Following the the fatal confrontation, police "stormed a local mortuary and stole the bodies of four of the dead". They also arrested and charged two members of Parliament, a legal adviser, and journalists for allegedly "instigating people to cause violence." Just days after these and other disturbing events took place, even more allegations of sexual assault surfaced against employees of the company.

CONADI, the Chilean Government’s Indigenous Corporation, purchased more than one million acres of land for 115 Mapuche communities in Chile's Araucanía Region. The move brings an end to several long-standing land claims, including that of the the Mapuche community of Cea Trecalaf No. 2, which was broken up more than 35 years ago.

Hundreds of Maasai, Sukuma, Barbaig and Taturu pastoralists refused to leave the Maswa Game Reserve because of their historical ties to the land. The Tanzania government wants the pastoralists out of the reserve, which borders the world-famous Serengeti National Park, because of an all-too-familiar claim: "environmental degradation concerns".

The Goa government ordered the closure of an illegal open cast iron mine after a sustained protest by Indigenous villagers. The villagers, concerned about a mining company's takeover of a hill vital to their beliefs, wisely set up a protest camp outside the private home of Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, an official who had the authority to shut down the mine.The Minister conceded to the villagers after just one day.

The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench forced the Provincial government to halt work on a campground expansion project within the Cold Lake First Nation's (CLFN) traditional territory. The welcomed ruling also brought an end to the emergency cultural camp set up by a group of Dene to physically halt any construction work from taking place in the area.

A group of Navajos turned to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), after years of fruitless legal fighting in the US, to halt a risky uranium mining operation that threatens the drinking water for about 15,000 people. Similar to the Navajo move, the Lakota--partly driven by their own concerns with uranium--are attempting to approach the United Nations International Court of Justice (IJC). Systemic discrimination by the entire US court system is leaving Indigenous Nations like the Lakota and Navajo no choice but to seek justice elsewhere.

Fisherfolk and indigenous people in southern Chile also turned to the IACHR for help in their 15-year conflict with Celulosa Arauco y Constitución (CELCO), a paper pulp company which plans to dump toxic waste into the ocean. They're also trying to take the Chilean state to task for alleged human rights violations.

Residents from 10 Bidayuh villagers set fire to five logging camps and thirteen heavy machines in a dramatic protest against logging activities on their land, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. As reported by Free Malaysia Today, the villagers took matters into their own hands because the government refused to address any of their complaints about what was happening on their land without their consent.

In the lead up to the 7th Arctic Council meeting in Nuuk, Greenland, a group of 20 NGOs sent an open letter to the Arctic Coastal State Foreign Ministers of Canada, U.S., Russia, Greenland, Denmark and Norway, demanding a moratorium on all offshore drilling in the Arctic. The letter is an important first step for solidarity against Arctic offshore drilling--and perhaps all troubling developments in the global North. The entire region is itself being increasingly viewed as a haven for all forms of economic development under the scolding hot sun.

The Philippines government, in a surprise move, cancelled its Financial and Technical Assistance Agreements (FTAAs) for several mining concessions in Palawan. However, the Indigenous People of Palawan are not quite ready to celebrate, given recent moves by the MacroAsia Corporation, not to mention the Health Departments near-portrayal of Indigenous People as "dirty animals".

A Purepecha community stood up to organized criminal gangs in the state of Michoacan, western Mexico; declaring an emergency "state of siege" and blocking all access routes to their community. Leading up to what Purepecha leaders have called "an act of desperation," a group of heavily-armed men opened fire on the community, seriously injuring one person. The armed men where officially escorted by the police.

Videos of the Month

The Dark Side of Green - In the southern region of Mato Grosso do Sul, on the border of Brazil and Paraguay, the most populous indigenous nation of the country silently struggles for its territory, trying to contain the advance of its powerful enemies.

Don’t Dam the Patuca River! - A Chinese dam project threatens Central America's largest tropical rainforest and local Indigenous peoples: the Tawahka, Miskito, Pech and Garifuna.

Algonquins of Barriere Lake vs Section 74 of the Indian Act - Barriere Lake Solidarity has produced this video to help bring attention to the current struggle of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake: The Canadian Government's attempt to take control of the community through an obscure provision of the Indian Act.

The Huarani: Savages of Oriente/Protectors of the Forest - There is more than one side to every story. The tale of the Huaorani is no different. As we continue to witness the destruction of their homeland in the world’s largest rainforest, it is impossible to ignore how our own fate is linked to theirs.

Underreported Struggles is a monthly round-up of censored and under-reported news, compiled by Intercontinental Cry. If you want to know about these stories "as they happen", follow IC on Twitter: @indigenous_news or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Intercontinental.Cry

In this month's Underreported Struggles: Chinese forces arrest 300 Tibetan monks in an ongoing military siege against a monastery; The Mirarr People demand the protection of a massive uranium deposit in northern Australia; Guatemala's highest court affirms the collective land rights of a Maya Q’eqchi’ community, a first-of-its-kind decision in Guatemala.

Underreported Struggles, April 2011

At least fifteen members of the Qom community (of the Toba people) began a hunger strike in Buenos Aires over the Argentine Government's failure to uphold its promises, mainly concerning the Toba's land right. More than 150 Toba and other supporters have also been blocking traffic at an intersection in the capital city.

The Swedish Supreme Court upheld a decision from the country's lower courts, recognizing the rights of the Sami indigenous people and their ancestral tradition of herding Reindeer. The case had been sitting before the courts since 1997, when 104 Swedish landowners tried to sue three reindeer herding collectives owned by the Sami in the area.

The Alberta government approved a $2.7-billion expansion of the Christina Lake oilsands project, putting even more pressure on the Beaver Lake Cree Nation, their environment, their traditional way of life; and the nearly-extinct woodland Caribou. The Beaver Lake Cree are in the midst of an ongoing legal battle against all tar sands operations within their territory.

Indigenous groups paralyzed Nepal's capital city and other parts of the country in a surprise National Strike aimed at changing Nepal's new constitution. The groups want the government to include provisions for the rights of Indigenous people and autonomy to better protect women and minorities from discrimination.

Toronto's High Park, located near the edge of Lake Ontario, is home to more than four dozen Haudenosaunee burial mounds, some of which could date back 3000 years, making them older than the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Today, some of those burial mounds are being casually desecrated with the implicit sanction of Toronto's City Council.

On April 21st, Chinese forces arrested 300 Tibetan monks from the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, eastern Tibet. Two elderly Tibetans died after being assaulted by Chinese police forces when they formed a human chain to try and stop the police from taking the monks away. The Tibetans have been protesting since March 16th, when a 20-year old monk from the Kirti Monastery self-immolated in an act of protest.

The South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment delayed its decision on whether or not to allow oil drilling near the Sacred site known as Bear Butte. The board previously approved a drilling application; but then reopened the case after determining that it had failed to consider state laws concerning the protection of cultural resources related to property with an historic designation. The Board is expected to make its decision on May 18. Bear Butte is sacred to many Plains Peoples, including the Lakota, Cheyenne, Dakota, and Arapaho.

Bengali Settlers burned down at least 95 Jumma houses and injured more than fifty people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The attacks began after the Jumma tried to stop a group of settlers from illegally clearing bushes on their ancestral lands. The Jumma first sought help from police; but when they refused to help, the Jumma took matters into their own hands. The resulting clash ended with three people dead. The senseless violence could have been avoided if the Bangladesh government had fulfilled its promises to implement the 1997 CHT Peace Accord, which brought an end to more than twenty years of atrocities against the Jumma.

The Constitutional Court of Guatemala issued a precedent-setting decision in favour of a Maya Q’eqchi’ indigenous community in El Estor, recognizing their community's collective land rights, and ordering the government to take all measures necessary for issuing a land title to the community. The decision is the first of its kind in the country. It also arrives amidst two additional lawsuits in El Estor, regarding the death of a Q’eqchi’ community leader in 2009 and the rape of several Q’eqchi’ women during an eviction in 2007. Canadian mining companies are at the center of all three cases.

Roughly 150 Indigenous People and supporters occupied the ancient burial site at Glen Cove, Vallejo, California, blocking the Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD) from gaining entry to the site with bulldozers to begin work on a new public park. The GVRD's plans, which involves grading a hill and building toilets and a parking lot in the area, would deface the landscape and desecrate the sacred site. The occupation is ongoing. For updates, please visit http://protectglencove.org.

The Ngobe people introduced two bills to Panama's National Assembly in order to protect their self-governance practices and their territories. The first bill would revoke a controversial Executive Decree that violates the Ngobe's basic right to choose their own leaders. The second bill would prohibit any mining or dam construction projects that would negatively affect Ngobe communities.

The Mirarr People renewed their opposition to the multibillion-dollar Jabiluka uranium deposit in Australia's Northern territory, declaring their wish, in solidarity with the people of Japan, to include the deposit as part of the UNESCO world heritage-listed Kakadu National Park. Simply put, the Mirarr want the uranium to stay in the ground, where it can't harm anyone, and so future generations have it to protect.

Bolivia is getting ready to ratify one of the most radical environmental bills in global history, The Law of Mother Earth. The law, which has also been tabled at the United Nations, would give the natural world legal rights, specifically the rights to life and regeneration, biodiversity, water, clean air, balance, and restoration.

With the Garifuna People just days away from commemorating the 214th anniversary of their eviction from the island of Saint Vincent in 1797, agents from the Honduran Ministry of Security began to violently evict Garifuna families from the island community of Punta Gorda, off the coast of Honduras. More than 40 families were effected by the expulsion.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) officially requested the Brazilian government to suspend work on the Belo Monte Dam complex, citing the project's potential harm to Indigenous communities living within the Xingu river basin. The government wasted no time dismissing the request.

The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied an emergency motion to stop all tree cutting and other preparations to spray reclaimed sewer water on the San Francisco Peaks, outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. The San Francisco Peaks are sacred to 13 Indigenous Nations in the southwestern US.

Videos of the Month

Censored: FMG’s Great Native Title Swindle - Censored from Vimeo.com, this video is a record of a supposed 'native title' meeting staged by the Australian iron ore mining company, Fortescue Metals Group (FMG). It shows how FMG, its agents, a lawyer and an "opportunist splinter faction" tried to divide the local Yindjibarndi community in order to gain support for the company's planned $8.5 billion Solomon Hub project, in the Pilbara region.

We Have Everything And Lack Everything - Indigenous Peoples and Campesinos in southern Guerrero, Mexico are resisting two mining projects that threaten their land and territory; their autonomy; and their enormously successful community police force and alternative justice program

Protecting Rivers and Rights: The Promise of the World Commission on Dams - The World Commission on Dams (WCD) report is still our best roadmap towards ensuring that future dams minimize social and environmental impacts, the legacy of existing dams are addressed, and affected people directly benefit from the projects. Watch this video, produced by International Rivers and EcoDoc Africa, to learn more about the promise of the WCD.

Underreported Struggles is a monthly round-up of censored and under-reported news, compiled by Intercontinental Cry. If you want to know about these stories "as they happen", follow IC on Twitter: @indigenous_news or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Intercontinental.Cry

In this month's Underreported Struggles: Barriere Lake Algonquins discover a Canadian mining company working on their land; Indigenous leaders blast the Bangladesh government for not recognizing the Jumma as "Indigenous Peoples"; UK mining giant Vedanta Resources reportedly brands the Dongria Kondh "terrorists".

The Kayan community of Long Teran finally gained recognition for their native customary rights over their ancestral lands in Sarawak. In a recent ruling, the Miri High Court affirmed Long Teran's rights and cancelled some land leases which had been granted to the "notorious global palm oil giant" the IOI Group, by the Sarawak government of Sarawak. Just prior to the court ruling, Long Teran peacefully reclaimed a part of their ancestral lands in an act of collective resistance. For more news on Sarawak, keep an eye on sarawakreport.org.

Five Tzeltal men are being "held hostage" by the Chiapas government in Mexico. Now known as the "Bachajón 5," the five men believe the government is attempting to force them to accept a proposed ecotourism project on their lands and abandon their support of the Other Campaign. Initially, 117 indigenous Zapatista supporters were arrested by the government; however, most of them were released after protests erupted across the country. A five-day international protest is set to begin for the Bachajón 5, beginning April 1.

A group of Barriere Lake Algonquins discovered a Canadian mining company preparing for a new mining exploration project on their unceded lands. When informed of the situation in Barriere Lake, workers on site--mostly Crees from the Mistassini and Oujebougamou First Nations--voluntarily agreed to stop working and leave. Barriere Lake community members are now planning to maintain a constant presence at the site to stop any further developments.

Eleven Mayan Q'eqchi' women announced a $55 million lawsuit against a Canadian mining company for being assaulted and gang-raped during a forced eviction in El Estor, Guatemala four years ago. The women say they were raped by the company's security personnel, as well as police and military during the eviction. Detailed information and background on the lawsuit can be found at http://www.chocversushudbay.com/

The Toba Qom set up a protest camp in Buenos Aires over systemic discrimination, human rights abuses, and the ongoing suppression of land rights by the Argentinian government. A follow-up to the Toba's four-month blockade, which was violently dismantled last November, the indigenous people are now demanding to meet with Argentina's president to denounce their case.

Indigenous women from the community of Lake Tyers, in East Gippsland, Victoria, started a blockade against the state government's self-imposed rule over their community. The blockade officially went up on March 8, International Women's Day, in order to stop a government-appointed administrator and his staff from gaining entry to the community. In response to the blockade, the government withdrew several services meant for the reserve.

United Native Americans, Inc. (UNA), formed in 1968 to promote the General Welfare of Indigenous Peoples in the United States, began a protest campaign against the Hearst Corporation, over the historical theft of the Black Hills and the Homestake Gold Mine (said to be the Largest Gold Mine in the Western Hemisphere). UNA believes that it's time for the company to pay punitive damages to the Lakota Nation for the illegal theft. This Coming August 29, 2011, a gathering will be held at the Homestake Gold Mine in Lead, South Dakota, to Demand Reparations and Accountability. Information on the event can be found on UNA's Facebook page.

A shocking allegation was made against the UK mining giant Vedanta Resources. According to a recent report, paramilitaries were told at meeting sponsored by Vedanta "to warn Dongria Kondh villagers not to oppose Vedanta else they will be branded Maoists (terrorists) and then killed." The allegation stands in stark contrast to Vendata's "enlightened rhetoric" concerning the Dongria Kondh.

Indigenous leaders and political parties in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, blasted the government's move to deny the Jumma recognition as "Indigenous people" in the new Constitution. "They termed the move as a 'conspiracy' to deny the groups their ethnic status and their constitutional right to land and of self determination."

At least a 1,000 police officers and soldiers evicted more than 3,000 Q'eqchi Mayas from lands claimed by an agribusiness firm in northern Guatemala. During the eviction, the security forces torched or otherwise destroyed the Mayas homes and crops with tractors and machetes. Nearly a dozen people were injured during the eviction.

A "serious chemical spill" was reported at the site of the Ramu mine processing plant, which sits on the edge of Basamuk Bay in Papua New Guinea. Since the spill, indigenous peoples living near the bay have observed a sudden and dramatic change in the Bay's coral reefs: they've all turned white. Coral bleaching is a strong indicator that the reefs are being deprived of essential foods.

"While the rest of Panama was celebrating Carnival," observes Cultural Survival, the Ngöbe came together to elect a new president for the Ngöbe Bugle Congress, the largest Indigenous organization in Panama. The government of Panama--who recently ratified ILO Convention 169--has been attempting to impose a new electoral system on the Ngobe since 2010. The Ngobe are widely opposed to the imposition, which violates their rights as defined by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples... and ILO Convention 169.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) approved the water and air quality permits for three uranium mines near the Grand Canyon, including the Arizona 1 mine and the proposed Canyon Mine near Red Butte. The Havasupai Nation, who consider themselves to be "guardians of the Grand Canyon," strenuously object to all uranium mining in the region and especially near Red Butte, a sacred site the Havasupai visit to pray and perform ceremonies "for the well-being of the world".

Members of the Blood Tribe started calling for a moratorium on hydro fracking within their reserve in southern Alberta, Canada. According to the grassroots effort, Protect Blood Land, the Blood Tribal Council gave two oil companies drilling rights to almost half of the Blood's reserve without consulting anyone. Given the dangers of fracking, Protect Blood Land wants a moratorium until a proper referendum has taken place on the reserve. The group further raised concerns that some people are being threatened for opposing the deal and coerced into supporting it.

Traditional Authorities from the autonomously governed Wixarika community of Tatei Kie, declared the Wixarika Peoples' "total opposition" to mining in the ceremonial center of Wirikuta in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. In a written declaration, the Traditional authorities state that "We will not hold back in the face of anything in its defense and we convoke the whole world to join the effort to avoid this terrible destruction of the sacred, definitively opposing the dark interests behind it, which seek our spiritual death."

A new mega dam project on the Patuca River threatens to erase dozens of Tawaka and Miskito communities in Honduras. The deposed Zelaya administration previously withdrew the project as a result of community opposition. However, with the coup regime in power--at least, for now--Honduras' "historical politics of persecution of community leaders" and development at the expense of Indigenous People is back on. On the brighter side, indigenous representatives came together in February and declared that they will "permanently rebel, watch and denounce and take collective action to defend Rio Patuca, its fishes, ecosystems, and the Tawahka and Rio Platano biosphere reserves."

The Evenk people in northern Siberia launched a new campaign against the Russian oil giant Gazprom. The company intends to build a new pipeline through the Evenk's territory; however, the Evenk say that doing so would threaten their traditional hunting and fishing grounds. Gazprom, on the other hand, says it would be too expense to re-route the pipeline.

A major hydroelectric expansion project in Canada's Northwest Territories was put on hold, allegedly due to problems with the project's "business model". The Dene have expressed numerous concerns about the Taltson dam expansion, which would bring new transmission lines through a pristine area that they consider sacred.

Judges in the Chilean province of Arauco voted to rescind the infamous "terrorism" charges that were laid against 17 Mapuche activists for an incident in October 2008. The judges also acquitted all but four of the activists. Those same four activists are now on an indefinite hunger strike.

Videos of the Month

Oil in Eden: The Battle to Protect Canada's Pacific Coast - "Oil in Eden" provides an essential summary of the issues surrounding "the defining Canadian environmental battle of our time:" the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Project.

We Women Warriors - We Women Warriors follows the lives of three indigenous women in Colombia as they strive to nonviolently defend their peoples autonomy in a climate of constant military violence.

Conservation Refugees - Expelled from Paradise - an award-winning documentary by Marketfilm and Friends of People Close to Nature, introduces us to some of these refugees and the struggles they now face as displaced peoples.

Underreported Struggles is a monthly round-up of censored and under-reported news, compiled by Intercontinental Cry. If you want to know about these stories "as they happen", follow IC on Twitter: @indigenous_news or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Intercontinental.Cry

In this month's Underreported Struggles: Ngobe Leaders reach an accord with Panama, securing their land from mining and exploration; 4,000 indigenous people block entries to the oil-producing department of Arauca, Colombia; the Innu Council of Pessamit discovers a mining company illegally drilling on their territory.

Underreported Struggles #47, February 2011

A BC Judge dismissed the Sinixt Nation's application for a judicial review, giving Sunshine Logging clearance to begin logging within the Perry Ridge wilderness preserve. According to the Sinixt lawyer David Aaron, the application was dismissed because the Sinixt "are not a group capable of sufficiently precise definition with respect to their group membership." The Canadian government still considers them to be legally non-existent.

Ngobe-Bugle Leaders agreed to call off their massive blockade on the Pan American Highway after reaching a late-night accord with the Panamanian government. In exchange for re-opening the Highway, Panama's delegation promised not to prosecute anyone that participated in the nationwide protests; to release everyone that was arrested during the clashes on Feb. 25; and to create a new law prohibiting mining and exploration activities within the Ngobe-Bugle's territory. Additional talks will take place on March 1st.

A Brazilian judge suspended work on the massive Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in the state of Para, citing more than two dozen unmet environmental and social conditions. "The suspension... is a reprieve for the people and the environment of the Xingu River Basin," said Leila Salazar-Lopez, program director with Amazon Watch, in a recent press release. Federal judge Ronaldo Desterro also urged the national development bank, BNDES, not to fund the project.

52-year-old Gwich'in and Yup'ik activist Desa Jacobsson started a fast in protest to "the comprehensive violation of subsistence rights and continued de-humanization" of Indigenous Peoples"in Alaska by State Governor Sean Parnell, the Calista Corporation, and the Federal Subsistence Board. Now on her 20th day with out food, Desa says that her fast will continue until all of her demands are met. Alaska’s Big Village Network and other entities in Alaska are preparing their own actions "meant to raise the call of change and equal rights."

Indigenous Communities in Peru agreed to send thousands of seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a secure seedbank located on the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago in Norway. The vault, often described as the "Noah's Ark for seeds", was built as a refuge for seeds in the case of large scale crises, such as climate change. More than 10,000 seed samples are currently stored at the vault.

A Judge in Ecuador found that Chevron must now pay $8.6 billion to help restore the Amazon. On February 14, Ecuador's Superior Court Judge Nicolas Zambrano ruled that Chevron is legally liable for the 18.5 billion gallons of oil that now sits in the Amazon raiforest, a toxic legacy that some refer to as the "Amazon Chernobyl." Unfortunately, the company wasted no time announcing that they will do everything in their power to have the ruling thrown out.

The Mohawk Councils of Kahnawà:ke, Tyendinaga and Akwesasne issued a joint statement rejecting the planned shipment of nuclear waste through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system. "The St. Lawrence River provides drinking water to some 40 million people," said Kahnawà:ke Grand Chief Michael Ahrihron Delisle, Jr., in the joint statement, issued Feb. 9. "But for us, it's much more than that. If there is an accident, there is no place for us to go. This is our home. We cannot and will not tolerate the passage of nuclear waste through our Territory. There is no excuse for this to take place."

Diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks revealed a US Ambassador's "obsession" with Venezuela, radicalism and fears of an Indigenous rule in Peru. As reported by Censored News, the cables show repeated attempts by former US Ambassador Curtis Struble to discredit Indigenous people rights an interests in favour of industry. Other cables show another Ambassador, James Nealon, making identical claims.

A community in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, in southwestern Nigeria, threatened to shut down all of Chevron's nearby oil operations unless the US company adressed their demands by the end of February. The people of Obe-Nla say that Chevron has given them nothing but environmental degradation, marginalisation, exclusion and the outright denial of benefits that other communities receive.

The Evenk people in northern Russia spoke out against a new gas pipeline that threatens to degrade their hunting and fishing grounds. "We are not against progress or economic development, but we feel like we are the ones who will suffer from this," states an Evenk petition, which was signed by 213 people. "Our reindeer pastures and hunting sites are being seized, rivers are being poisoned and fish are disappearing." The Evenk are asking for the pipeline to be re-routed somewhere else.

Indigenous Peoples in Mexico and the United States came together for an "unforgettable meeting of cultures" this month in South Texas. After learning about a Canadian mining company's plan to mine silver on the Wixarika's traditional territory in Mexico, the Native American Church invited the Wixarika to attend the International Convention, which was joined by Lakota, Navajo, Chippewa, Cree, Coahuiltecan, Chichimecan and others from around the Hemispshere. Participants at the Convention ultimately voted unanimously to join the Wirikuta Defense Front.

Various media reports this month suggest that more and more Indigenous Peoples are choosing a "green future". For instance, the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico are moving ahead with the first utility-scale solar plant on tribal lands, a project that could bring millions of dollars to the poverty-stricken Nation. Elsewhere, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in British Colombia agreed to develop a locally-owned wind farm; and in Saskatchewan, the Muskoday First Nation is continuing to develop their own, independent, organic food co-op. Green projects like these offer a sustainable way for Indigenous Nations to get out of the economic crisis imposed by Nation States.

The London-based mining company Global Coal Management Resources (GCM) managed to re-open negotiations with the government of Bangladesh over their proposed Phulbari open-pit coal mine, a project that would negatively impact, according to some estimates, up to 470,000 people. GCM fled from the Phulbari region in 2006, after the Bangladesh government promised to ban open-pit coal mining and expel the mining company, then known as Asia Energy Corporation.

The Kashia Pomo in Sonoma County, California, won a major victory in defence of their Indigenous Rights, thanks to the California Fish and Game Commission (CFCG). The CFCG voted on Feb. 3 that the Pomo should be allowed to permanently fish, gather food and conduct ceremonies in the marine protected area at Stewarts Point. According to archaeological evidence, the Pomo have used Stewarts Point and the surrounding shoreline for the past 12,000 years.

As many as 4,000 indigenous people blocked all routes leading to the department of Arauca in northeastern Colombia. The protesters demanded the release of three leaders who detained by the military for allegedly having links to the ELN paramilitary group. According to El Espectador, "The protesters also called for the establishment of a permanent verification and monitoring commission to investigate the situation of indigenous groups in the Arauca region, with particular respect to the extraction of petroleum, and the use of indigenous peoples in the middle of the conflict.."

The Innu Council of Pessamit filed a complaint with the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources after discovering that a mining company, Nevado Resources Corporation, was carrying out illegal drilling activities on the Pessamit Innu's territory. "We have never given Nevado permission to drill on our territory. We demand that it cease all activities immediately", stated Raphaël Picard, current chief of the Innu Council.

The UK mining giant Vedanta is trying to overturn the August 2010 mining ban on the Dongria Kondh's Sacred Mountain in Orissa, India. According to Survival International, Vendata filed a petition with the Orissa high court, challenging the decision, "as well as an associated decision to restrict the growth of an alumina refinery also operated by Vedanta."

The Alberta court of appeal issued a ruling against the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), dismissing the indigenous community's right to "meaningful consultation." ACFN had asked the court to cancel several government leases to Shell Canada because they weren't informed of them beforehnd. The court, however, determined that they were adequately informed, because notices of the sales had been posted on some websites.

Videos of the Month

Eagle Rock (Migisi Wa Sin) - Timeless Media Productions and Michigan State Environmental Journalism Students present "Eagle Rock", a mini-documentary about a sacred site as old and as valuable as Stonehenge; and the Sulfide Mining controversy that surrounds it.

Doug George-Kanentiio on the Origin of Indigenous Peoples - Doug George-Kanentiio, speaking at the event "Return Our Ancestors" American Indians and NAGPRA - Voices from the Haudenosaunee. Recorded at Binghamton University on May 6, 2010.

Niyamgiri You Are Still Alive An award-winning documentary about the struggle to protect Niyamgiri from the UK mining company, Vedanta.

Underreported Struggles is a monthly round-up of censored and under-reported news, compiled by Intercontinental Cry. If you want to know about these stories "as they happen", follow IC on Twitter: @indigenous_news; or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Intercontinental.Cry