Towards 'Indigenous Development'

'Indigenous Development' is a field of endeavour that is growing considerably in our world today. It builds upon efforts of the past century or more designed to achieve social justice and cultural revitalisation for 'indigenous peoples' throughout the world. These are peoples who have been colonised, usually, by European populations and exist often as a minority in their own country and in marginalised positions. Significant issues, needs and problems confront these peoples such as health disparities, educational underachievement, imprisonment rates, poverty, and much more. Hence, in the first instance, 'indigenous development' is concerned with overcoming these negative experiences of marginalised 'indigenous peoples'.

A second and equally important theme of 'indigenous development' is the rediscovery and a reawakening of the creative and active heart and being of an indigenous people. As indigenous peoples advance cultural revitalisation - repatriate their languages, their histories, their ways of being in the world to themselves - they rediscover their native creativity based upon their own identity, language, history and culture. Ultimately, this reawakened and conscious creativity brings indigenous people to an experience of their own mana, their own self worth and they become motivated by what they have rather than what they have lost. And what they possess is an inexhaustible creativity.

Finally, 'indigenous development' broadens out and connects with wider notions of indigeneity in the world at large. As indigenous peoples strengthen their own indigeneity and deepen their confidence with it, they come to see opportunities to advance indigeneity at every turn. Fundamentally, indigeneity is about a kinship based, passionate, storied participation in the living universe. As modern technology and lifeways advance, distance is increased between humankind and the natural world and between each other. Indigeneity is about addressing this 'gap' between human consciousness and experience in the natural world by drawing us closer to the living earth, sea and sky which surrounds us. Indigenous Development therefore is about fostering indigeneity in the world at large.