When Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke performed a haka on the floor of New Zealand’s Parliament she brought global awareness of the constant colonial pressure to dismantle established rights for Indigenous people. In the viral video, she dramatically tears apart a proposed bill that would weaken Maori political standing established in a nearly 200 year-old treaty between the Crown and 500 Maori chiefs. She was suspended, and for a bill may never become law. The fight in New Zealand exemplifies a resurgence in efforts to backtrack on the gains in recognition and respect for established Indigenous rights.
Plus, we’ll get Indigenous perspectives on the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP29 in Azerbaijan that just wrapped up. There is growing concern and dissatisfaction that the concerns of Indigenous people about their vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change are going unheard.
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