RebeccaSpooner

We’re not opposed to development, or to changes within tribal societies. The principle we exist to defend is that of self-determination for tribal peoples, who in many cases have a very complex relationship with the outside world and are vulnerable to exploitation or other serious consequences of development. Many tribespeople around the world happily use digital and mobile technology to talk to their neighbors and relatives, trade with industrialized societies, learn other languages and use money. Some have jobs, a few even study for PhDs, and of course, we have no problem with this, indeed far from it!

What we are opposed to is imposed development. We should not assume that our ways are innately superior and that tribes need to be brought up to speed with us in the name of “progress.” But too often tribal peoples are portrayed as backward and primitive simply because their communal ways are different. When development is imposed on any society against the will of its members, the consequences can be disastrous, and this has been seen around the world many, many times in the case of tribal societies.

Perhaps the greatest injustice faced by tribal peoples is the loss of their lands. Without their land, tribal peoples simply cannot continue to exist. Land is often stolen from tribal peoples without their consent in the name of 'development'. I've visited many communities, such as the Guarani who live in Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, who are living next to highways without access to food or healthcare, and with no way to return to the place where their ancestors are buried. When tribal peoples lose their lands, they lose their own kind of supermarkets (forest foods that they once gathered for example), their connection to their ancestors and spiritual life, and eventually they lose their sense of self and collective identity. Guarani children now have one of the highest rates of suicide which is a devastatingly clear example of how this loss of land and identity is affecting young people. Development projects are so hard to prevent because there are huge economic interests driving them. The pressure from development companies and governments keen to make as much profit as possible are a mighty force that makes the work of Survival International incredibly difficult. But that's not to say we can't win, and together with tribal peoples we are making excellent progress!

Hi KrustX. We have worked with tribal peoples in the Philippines for many years. See our Batak and Palawan tribes pages. We couldn't agree more that indigenous peoples in the Philippines are treated appallingly badly. Please do email us at info[at]survivalinternational.org with any information you have about the recent cases and we will pass on to our Asia campaigns team.

Hi Frajer, usually Survival will receive reports from the ground about atrocities facing tribal peoples, either from the tribes themselves, or people who work with them. We then send our campaigners to the field, and with the tribe's permission we will carry out extensive field work within the communities in order to get a full understanding of the problems they face. In terms of staying in touch, we now have the wonderful opportunity to use new tools such as Facebook, which some of our tribal contacts are on! With more remote communities we rely on phone communication, sometimes only satellite phones reach their very remote areas. And with the very remote tribal communities we receive reports from their neighbors or people they work with, and make sure we visit as regularly as possible to keep up to date.

Thanks Kekejo! One great way to support our campaigns is through donations. Some ways we use your donations are: - To conduct field studies with tribal peoples to investigate cases of human rights abuses - Maintain communication with tribal peoples - see for example our Tribal Voice campaign which enables remote tribal communities to stay in touch with us - Conduct educational and outreach work - Generate press attention to human rights abuses through writing press releases and producing adverts - Making short films that we send to as many people as we can to educate them on the problems faced by tribal peoples

There are many more ways to support Survival's work however! You can write letters to governments and companies involved in tribal rights abuses; sign one of our petitions; spread the word to your friends and family; organize an educational or fundraising event; or write to your MP or senator asking them to help uphold tribal peoples' rights. Check our Act Now section of the website for a list of current supporter actions.