SKYWAVES:Indigenous News Worldwide

A news feature about the remaining cultures of Indigenous peoples globally and the struggles they face daily - including those in your back yard.

STORY ONE: Read Orginal Article here: www.ens-newswire.com/ In South America BRASILIA, Brazil, April 5, 2012 (ENS) - A federal judge has suspended the construction license of the Teles Pires hydroelectric dam in the Brazilian Amazon, saying the permitting process violated the rights of indigenous people protected under the Brazilian Constitution. In her ruling, Judge Celia Bernardes, a federal judge in the state of Mato Grosso, sided with federal public prosecutors and public prosecutors from Mato Grosso and the state of Pará who argued the dam would cause "imminent and irreversible damage to the quality of life and cultural heritage of indigenous peoples of the region." The dam would flooding a series of rapids on the Teles Pires River known as Sete Quedas, or Seven Waterfalls, the spawning grounds of fish of great importance to the indigenous residents.

STORY TWO: Read Original Article here: www.newswatch.nationalgeographic.com In Australia Indigenous Peoples Can Show the Path to Low-Carbon Living If Their Land Rights Are Recognized Indigenous peoples are living examples of societies living, sustainable low-carbon lifestyles. Successfully meeting the global climate change challenge requires that much of the world shift from high carbon-living to low. This shift is daunting. Current emissions for Australia and United States average about 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person. In the coming decades that needs to fall to two tonnes per person as it is currently in Brazil or Dominican Republic. Emissions from most Indigenous peoples are even lower and are amongst the lowest in the world. All options for making the shift from high to low carbon living needs to be explored and that’s why the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) invited Indigenous peoples to a special three-day workshop in Cairns, Australia last week. Climate change is the result of our behaviour,” said Youba Sokona, from the African nation of Mali. “One of the critical solutions is to change our behaviour, to change our production and consumption systems. Traditional knowledge of local and indigenous peoples have been left out until now.

STORY THREE: Read Original Article here: www.indigenousaction.org/ In North America Tuba City, Arizona - A group of Diné and Hopi people ( including traditional people and elders) upset by the latest colonial attack on indigenous peoples water rights, gathered to protest the visits of two US Senators to the Navajo Nation today. The people had gathered to say “no deal” to s2109, the bill that would allow more water to flow into Arizona for the benefit of companies and urban growth. Protesters chanted “water is life”, “free indian water ends now”, “let the water flow”, “sewage water for McCain and Kyl”, other chants were said in Diné. Protesters waited for Navajo president Ben Shelly and US senators McCain and Kyl to exit the meeting in, on the Navajo Nation. Earlier protesters marched in the streets of Tuba City, as Navajo Nation president Ben Shelly met with the senators to discuss the further dismantling of Navajo and Hopi water rights. Navajo Nation president Ben Shelly has left the meeting and said that there is no deal yet made, and that they are going to hear input from 7 of the 111 chapter houses (similar to districts) and council delegates. Senators McCain and Kyl were in Tuba City to gain official support from the Tribal governments for their bill, Senate Bill 2109, described in a Native News Network article as:

“News sources today include Environment News Service, National Geographic News Watch – Australia and Indigenous Action Media

“Skywaves is produced in the studios of WBAI NY. and in alliance with First Voices Indigenous Radio and First Peoples World Wide, the only direct funder to Indigenous communities globally. Email us at Skywavesnews@gmail.com or go to FPWW.org and Firstvoicesindigenousradio.org to download todays featured stories. Thanks for joining us.”

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