Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 1, 1 January 1986 — lndigenous Peoples Conference in Australia [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

lndigenous Peoples Conference in Australia

Kealoha: Sharing of Different Systems Beneficial

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees Chairman Joseph Kealoha and T rustees Hayden Burgess and Moses K. Keale Sr. were among the more than 40 key administrators and officials who attended the annual meeting of the Indigenous Peoples International (IPI) conference Dec. 2-5 at Yulara, Australia. The Australia Department of Aboriginal Affairs hosted this year's conference at Yulara whieh is the site of Uluru or Ayres Rock, an awesome monolith whieh is sacred to the aboriginal p>eople. IPI was created in 1981 as a forum for administrators and officials of indigenous government agencies to exchange ideas and information about eaeh other's policies, programs,

administrative practices and concerns. IPI's current membership includes administrators working with indigenous people in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Land rights and quickening the paee of real eeonomie development for the world's indigenous p>eoples were two key areas of agreement by delegates at the Yulara meeting. It was also the consensus of those in attendance that eeonomie development is the key thrust to overcome the historical deprivation suffered by indigenous peoples. However, it was emphasized that eeonomie development must take into account the fundamental objective of maintaining and strengthening indigenous peoples' sense of their own

cultural heritage and traditions. Other conference topics discussed included: • Special approaches in education to strengthen a sense of cultural identity among young indigenous people. • Combatting adverse community attitudes in indigenous advancement — particularly in the area of land rights. • Improving the processes of consultation between indigenous peoples and governments. • The impact of modern communications on remote eommunities. • See Kealoha, page 5

• Kealoha, from page 1 Burgess, who is also the English speaking vice president of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples (WCIP), gave a report on the organization with respect to its efforts as a non-governmental voice of indigenous peoples throughout the world. Delegates viewed a number of audio visual presentations, including "Holo 1 Mua, OHA Moving Forward." Conference Chairman Charles Perkins, secretary of the Australian Department of Aboriginal Affairs, called the twoday session a major information-sharing exercise. He said, "We are not in the business of making recommendations, but of learning from eaeh other's experience. We have a eommonality of problems. We tackle them in different ways but the end result in eaeh case is the same — the advancement of indigenous peoples. Dr. Tamate Reedy, secretary for Maon Affairs in New Zealand, called the meeting "a unique opportunity for administrators, both government and community, to link and exchange experiences that help indigenous people, people who have become a minority in their own land." "The concerns are eommon, but the solutions are different," he added. Hazel Elbert, acting secretary of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, told reporters that "Information gained (at the eonference) will be beneficial to the Bureau of Indian Affairs as it moves forward with carrying out the administration's policy of strengthening tribal governments and developing reservation economics. Said Kealoha of the meeting: "The sharing of different systems to solve or advance the cause of indigenous peoples was especially beneficial." Fred Drummie, Canada's delegation leader who is associate deputy minister of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, announced that his country will host the 1986 conference. The date and plaee will be determined later.

Hawaii's delegation to the Indigenous Peoples International conference in Yulara, Australia, is pictured at far right of photo. They are Moses K. Keale Sr., of Kauai, Chairman Joseph G. Kealoha and Hayden F. Burgess of Oahu.