Alaska Inter-Tribal Council : Advocating for Alaska Tribal Governments

The Alaska Inter-Tribal Council has passed a resolution expressing recognition for Advances Made in Bolivia for Indigenous Peoples.

Resolution of the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council

Expressing Recognition for the Advances Made in Bolivia for Indigenous Peoples and Solidarity and Support for the Self-Determination Rights of the Indigenous

WHEREAS, the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council is a statewide consortium of federally recognized tribes in Alaska, which share a common bond with unique cultures, languages, spirituality, and traditional values; and

WHEREAS, we the Indigenous people of the Americas recognize that all Indigenous peoples share the duty to protect their respective cultures, languages, heritages, and traditions; and no higher authority on earth can exist that infringes upon these unalienable rights; and

WHEREAS, the passage of Bolivia’s new constitution on January 25, 2009, guarantees the Indigenous peoples of Bolivia rights that have been historically denied them for centuries such as the right to maintain their cultural identity, religious beliefs, spiritualities, practices and customs; and

WHEREAS, the Constitution of Bolivia recognizes and implements at its highest level the Declaration of Indigenous Peoples Rights; and

WHEREAS, Bolivia is a plurinational state which recognizes all of Bolivia’s Indigenous nations, peoples, and states that all 36 Indigenous languages are official languages; and

WHEREAS, with the passage of the constitution the Indigenous peoples of Bolivia now have control over all renewable natural resources in their territories and will receive collective titling of long-inhabited lands and territories in addition to the protection of their sacred sites; and

WHEREAS, traditional knowledge, science, and medicine are now valued, respected, promoted and treated as collective intellectual property; and

WHEREAS, the centuries old cultivation and use of the sacred coca leaf by Indigenous peoples for sustenance and spiritual and medicinal purposes is recognized and respected at the highest levels of government; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that as the Sovereign Indigenous People of Alaska we recognize the Indigenous peoples of Bolivia and President Evo Morales, as brethren; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council adopts a policy of support for the Indigenous peoples of Bolivia and their right to peace, justice, and support for their democratically elected president, Evo Morales; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council recognizes the contribution of Bolivia’s first Indigenous President Evo Morales, in taking the plight of Indigenous peoples, our culture, our relationship with Mother Earth, and our sacred symbols to the international arena.