News of Note 3/14/25: $700M Compensation, AI Cultural Appropriation, Landmark Indigenous Rights Rulings
Top Stories
Indigenous leaders celebrate as court rejects appeal in landmark Yunupingu compensation case (The Guardian)
”Traditional owners say justice has been served for their people as the high court dismissed a commonwealth appeal in a landmark compensation case… [The Australian commonwealth is] liable for up to $700m in compensation for bauxite mining at Gove in north-east Arnhem Land. [...] ‘Native title recognises that, according to their laws and customs, Indigenous Australians have a connection with country,’ the judgment read. ‘It is a connection which existed and persisted before and beyond settlement, before and beyond the assertion of sovereignty and before and beyond Federation. “It is older and deeper than the constitution.’”
Exclusive: Adobe slammed for use of AI-Generated images of Indigenous people and artworks (National Indigenous Times)
”A review of Adobe Stock found numerous AI-generated images labelled as Indigenous Australians, many of which do not resemble Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These images also feature random markings that have no cultural or clan significance, raising concerns about authenticity and consultation. [...] AI-generated Aboriginal artwork has also been discovered on the platform, leading to fears that real traditional designs may have been used to train AI models without permission.”
Landmark Ruling on Uncontacted Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Strikes at Oil Industry (Inside Climate News)
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled on Thursday that the Ecuadorian government violated the rights of uncontacted Indigenous peoples living in the Amazon rainforest, a landmark decision that strikes at Ecuador’s powerful oil industry. [...] There are at least three groups of Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation in the Ecuadorian Amazon: the Tagaeri, Taromenane and Dugakaeri. Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation is a term used to describe Indigenous people who refuse or have not had contact with the outside world. The Ecuadorian government violated the rights of those groups by allowing oil drilling to go forward inside portions of Yasuni National Park where uncontacted groups are known to inhabit, the court ruled. Ecuador must honor the results of a 2023 referendum, in which Ecuadorian voters chose to stop oil operations in that region indefinitely, the court said.
What a landmark ruling for the Sámi people in Finland means for the protection of Indigenous rights globally (The Conversation)
”For Indigenous Peoples in Europe, this means they no longer have to rely solely on the traditional legal definitions of property to defend their rights. They can instead use open-ended concepts, such as the rights to decent living or culture, to frame their land claims based on their unique circumstances. [...] The Finland decision has two major implications for the recognition of indigenous land rights. It creates a shift in how we approach human rights generally — recognizing the collective nature of certain rights as opposed to mere individual entitlements. The decision also encourages us to embrace indigenous conceptions of land, beyond traditional property rights. These conceptions more readily see land as holding cultural and political significance.”
More News
10 unique community-led conservation solutions in the face of environmental despair (Mongabay)
Guardians of the Amazon: How Inga Women Are Leading the Fight for Their Land (Amazon Watch)
Indigenous and local women struggle for land rights despite their role in conservation, says report (Down to Earth)
Brandi Morin in Ecuador part 4: ‘Canadian companies destroy in the name of Canada’ (Ricochet)
Nickel miners dig up Indonesia’s Gebe Island despite Indigenous and legal opposition (Mongabay)
Rizal indigenous people welcome eviction of Masungi developer (Inquirer.net)
Explained: Is Meghalaya Investment Act a threat to indigenous residents? (East Mojo)
DRC conflict so far ‘devastating’ to Indigenous lands & people: Interview with Samuel Ade Ndasi (Mongabay)
Powering inequity: Lithium mining’s impacts on Indigenous communities and ecosystems in the Andes (Stockholm Environment Institute)
A $250M investment will help this lithium mine get up and running. That’s bad news for these tribes. (Grist)
Inside the Debate to Drill at the Nation’s Largest Wildlife Refuge (Atmos)
Tribes and Native American students sue over Bureau of Indian Education firings (Associated Press)
From Microfinance to Mutual Aid—Moving Resources to People, Not Banks (Nonprofit Quarterly)
Change Labs offers Navajo entrepreneurs tools for business success (Cronkite News)
How Indigenous Negotiators Fared in 2024 (International Institute for Sustainable Development)
Gardians of the Earth: indigenous resistance success stories (Istituto Analisi Relazioni Internazionali)