Indigenous peoples, beliefs, and rights in the Arctic – in comparison to the Global South
The course focuses on the status of indigenous peoples, their beliefs and rights in both the Arctic and the Global South from an interdisciplinary (law, political science, anthropology, sociology, economy, history) perspective.
5 ECTS Credits — Studies start 5 February 2025 — University of Eastern Finland
Course dates
5 February 2025 – 2 April 2025
Registration period
5 December 2024 – 22 January 2025
Coordinating university
University of Eastern Finland
Instructors
Credits
5 ECTS
Course dates: 5.2.-2.4.2025
Registration dates: 5.12.2024 - 22.1.2025
Coordinating university: University of Eastern Finland. Course code on Peppi: FT00DU63.
Responsible teacher: Dawid Bunikowski (if.feu@ubdiwad))
Credits: 5 ECTS
Course offered: 1/3
Course summary:
The course focuses on the status of indigenous peoples, their beliefs and rights in both the Arctic and the Global South. The course is interdisciplinary (law, political science, anthropology, sociology, economy, history). First, histories and cosmologies (and “native religions”) of chosen indigenous peoples are analysed. Second, recognition of political rights (self-determination, political autonomy), land rights (including indigenous natural resources management) and cultural and linguistic rights (e.g. a traditional way of life, shamanism, indigenous languages at schools) is discussed.
The course shows the two following cases. One is about chosen indigenous peoples in the Arctic or the Global North: the Sami people in the Nordic countries, the Inuit in Greenland and Canada, the Nisga’a in British Columbia, and the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East in Russia. The second is about nine Indigenous Nations that settled across the ten administrative Regions of Guyana (a former British colony) representing the Global South. These are as follows: the Wai Wais, the Macushis, the Patomonas, the Arawaks, the Caribs, the Wapishanas, the Arecunas, the Akawaios, the Warraus.
Sustainable development is about human rights, it means also indigenous human rights – both in the Global North and the Global South.
Learning outcomes:1. The student should understand the status of indigenous peoples, their beliefs and rights in both the Arctic and the Global South as well as histories and cosmologies of chosen indigenous nations.
2. The student should be also aware the differences in recognition of indigenous rights across the world.
Learning methods:
- The course is split into seven one-week sections.
- A weekly lecture is given online in Teams (in a real time) and recorded there.
- Each section requires analysing materials at Moodle and writing a short assignment (test) on a given topic. Each assignment (test) must be passed. Discussions with the lecturer or questions from the students are encouraged at Moodle. (Students might be also required to work in groups while making weekly assignments.)
- In the end of the course, the student also should write a seven-page essay (with footnotes and bibliography) on a topic agreed with the lecturer. It should be sent via Moodle.
- The student is encouraged to contact the lecturer, if she or he has some comments, opinions, questions or problems concerning the course. The lecturer will convince the students to discuss chosen topics or problems at forum at Moodle.
Completion methods:
Study methods: Online lecture and exercise course. The course includes lectures (Teams), group assignments and final essay. There is an eLearn website, too. Evaluation criteria: 0-5. The evaluation is based on the weekly assignments (50 %) and final essay (50 %). Study material: 1. PP presentations, (scientific and popular) articles, learning materials, international reports (from the United Nations), and video lectures as well as films. All is available on eLearn. 2. Articles by D. Bunikowski:- (with Agnieszka Szpak), Saami truth and reconciliation commissions, The International Journal of Human Rights, 2021, DOI: 10.1080/13642987.2021.1926237. 27 pp.
- (Chapter 2.) The Philosophy of Law in the Arctic, [in:] Philosophies of Polar Law, ed. by D. Bunikowski and A.D. Hemmings, Routledge Research in Polar Law, Routledge 2021. UK. 16 pp.
- (with Elena Gladun), Indigenous self-government in Finland and Russia, [in:] Innowacyjny samorząd. Rola samorządu w kreowaniu innowacyjności regionalnej (Innovative self-government. The role of self-governance in the creation of regional innovativeness), ed. by L. Czaplewski, D. Jurewicz and A. Szóstek, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek/Publishing House, Toruń 2020. Poland. 29 pp.
- Human security as philosophy of law and legal pluralism in Arctic indigenous areas, [in:] Unconventional Aspects of Human Security. Cases from the Barents Region, edited by Kamrul Hossain and Anna Petrétei, Juridica Lapponica 45, University of Lapland: Rovaniemi 2018. Finland. 60 pp.
- The Right of Indigenous Peoples to their Own Law, Nordic Journal of Law and Justice, Retfærd, Nr. 2, 2017. Denmark. 17 pp.
- Arguments from cultural ecology and legal pluralism for recognising indigenous customary law in the Arctic (chapter, with Patrick Dillon), [in:] Experiencing and Safeguarding the Sacred in the Arctic: Sacred Natural Sites, Cultural Landscapes and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, ed. by Leena Heinämäki, Thora Martina Herrmann, Springer 2017. US. 29 pp.
- Sámi reindeer husbandry: legal-philosophical and cultural: anthropological dimensions, Rajshahi University Law Journal 2014, Volume 09. The journal also mentioned that it was actually published in 2016. Bangladesh. 15 pp.
- Indigenous peoples, their rights and customary laws in the North: the case of the Sámi people, [in:] East meets North - crossing the borders of the Arctic, ed. by M. Lähteenmäki, A. Colpaert (editors), Nordia Geographical Publications 43:1, Yearbook 2014. Oulu 2014. Finland. 11 pp.
- Minority Rights Group, Indigenous peoples in Guyana, https://minorityrights.org/communities/indigenous-peoples-3/,
- The Amerindian Act, 2006, https://moaa.gov.gy/legislation-the-amerindian-act/ and https://moaa.gov.gy/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/AMERINDIAN-ACT-2006.pdf,
- Government of Guyana’ responses, March 2023, Monitoring mechanisms for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, available in a Word document,
- Global Voices, Money from trees: What of Guyana's Indigenous people and their rights — and do they benefit from the carbon trade?, 14 May 2024, https://globalvoices.org/2024/05/14/money-from-trees-what-of-guyanas-indigenous-people-and-their-rights-and-do-they-benefit-from-the-carbon-trade/,
- A story of an indigenous person from Guyana (Romona Bennett: Kabakaburi's daughter, https://landofsixpeoples.com/news304/nc312079.htm).
- Grades: 0-5.
- All the weekly assignments (short writings or tests) should be done and passed on the time (on the last day of the week).The essay should present a good level and be ready as the final exercise within 2 weeks after week 7.
- Both weekly assignments and essays are assessed for grades from 1 to 5. And, 0 is a negative grade.
- The final grade consists of these two partial grades (per 50%): one is for all the assignments (tests) together (1-5) and the second is for the essay (1-5).
- Timing and, especially, quality are taken into consideration while giving grades.
- Individual and collective feedback will be given after completing both each assignment and essay.
Week 2. Beliefs and cosmologies of indigenous peoples - introduction.
Week 3. The Sami people in the Nordic countries.
Week 4. The Inuit in Greenland and Canada and the Nisga’a in British Columbia.
Week 5. The indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East in Russia.
Week 6. Nine Indigenous Nations that settled across the ten administrative Regions of Guyana: the Wai Wais, the Macushis, the Patomonas, the Arawaks, the Caribs, the Wapishanas, the Arecunas, the Akawaios, the Warraus.
Week 7. Comparison of the difficulties of the analysed indigenous peoples - from a Guyanese indigenous perspective.
Sending essays as the final exercise within 2 weeks after week 7. Additional information: 1. Prior knowledge or special skills are not required.
2. Only passion to understand both indigenous peoples and the Other is recommended. Photo credits: Dawid Bunikowski.
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