International Funders for Indigenous Peoples celebrates 10 years of growing philanthropy
Participants at IFIP's 9th conference gather on Tis Wis Beach. By Edwin Kolausok.
By Edwin Kolausok
TOFINO, British Columbia – The 9th International Funders for Indigenous conference opened May 17 with traditional indigenous blessings on the breathtaking Tin Wis Beach in front of the Tla-o-qui-aht owned and operated Best Western Tin Wis Resort Hotel.
Local elder and councilor Levi Martin (Kaa-muth) of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, part of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Nation offered prayers and a traditional thank you ceremony.
The resort, on Canada’s Vancouver Island lies on the traditional ancestral homelands of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation. By holding their conference on indigenous territory and in an indigenous owned and operated resort hotel, IFIP helped to project growing reality of global repatriation of lands and resources by indigenous groups.
Three convergent tracks, Transformative Education, the Environment; and Human Rights Advocacy. Each track interlinked with each other on some level, demonstrating a holistic approach.
“In our rush to protect biodiversity hotspots and build resilience to climate change, we can easily overlook the loss of traditional spaces and customs for the precious inter-generational transfer of wisdom and traditional ecological knowledge,” presenters explained in the Transformative Education track. But, “An emerging array of innovative educational methods create space for reflection and dialogue in which participants can draw on indigenous knowledge, practices and beliefs to meet current challenges facing their communities.”
Indigenous knowledge, the sum of all knowledge up to this point, including ancestral learnings – is gaining traction globally. A panel discussed the fact that, “the current enrollment and drop-out rate of indigenous students in various institutions suggests funding, logistical support and mentoring support are still lacking.” It suggested that, “an educational focus on biocultural diversity, democratic process and global citizenry would enable Indigenous students to meet the challenges facing their communities, rather than alienating them from their ancestry.”
Many excellent presentations demonstrated how indigenous knowledge is assisting to allow communities to help themselves become more self-reliant rather than dependent on the colonial individualistic models of the past. Participants also learned how grant-makers and non-governmental organizations can be innovative leaders by breaching the colonial command-control barriers to liberate ideas that can improve the lives of people in communities.
The Environment theme demonstrated the incredibly exciting good work organizations are engaged in. Given the current state of exploitation of Mother Earth, heal or maintain its life sustaining ability for future generations to enjoy. Listeners found it refreshing to hear committed organizations and people help our planet
One panel, “From Conflict to Collaboration: A New Model for Sustainability in the Great Bear Rainforest,” demonstrated how competing interests developed a cooperative relationship despite competing economic and ecological interests. The preservation and socio-economic use of the Great Bear Rainforest, one of the largest coastal temperate rainforests on earth, is a testament to creative collaboration among indigenous people, environmentalists, philanthropy, forest companies and governments.
Other excellent environment presentations were provided on Partnerships in Russia, Fighting Alberta’s Tar Sands, Supporting Indigenous Participation in Community Protected Areas and Sacred Natural Sites and other important subjects.
Dedicated groups like the Christensen Fund, Natural Justice – South Africa, Coinbamad – Peru, United Nations University, The Lia Fund, Wungal Environment Foundation – Australia, Coast Opportunities Fund – BC, Oak Foundation, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Bering Sea Elders Advisory Group, Gitga’at Land and Resources Stewardship Society, and the Tierra Madre Fund are working hard to advance the rights of indigenous peoples, and to help each other and our planet advance forward.
The conference provided overviews of emerging trends in Indigenous Philanthropy, and demonstrated that coalition-building is enhancing donor effectiveness, increasing grantee’s capacity leading to sustainability for all.
IFIP convenes and educates donors to build capacity and enhance funding partnerships to improve the lives of Indigenous Peoples globally. Their mission is accomplished by increasing knowledge and understanding of the unique issues of Indigenous peoples by facilitating dialogue both among its grant-making members and between that membership and indigenous communities.
