Conversations with Indigenous people at Belem, Brazil : territorial & cultural rights, and rights of nature
Ashish Kothari
Dear friends, these 3 conversations
with Indigenous people on their struggles relating to
territorial and cultural rights, and the rights of nature, may
be of interest.
ashish
Mpatheleni Makaulule, VhaVenda indigenous nation (South Africa)
Mpatheleni Makaulule, of the VhaVenda indigenous nation in South Africa (and founder of Mupo Foundation), speaks to Ashish Kothari about the threats her community and others like it face from 'development' and centralised governance. She laments the breakdown of traditional governance systems, and stresses how women are trying to revive dignity and rights for their people. She talks about how nature has been violated, and needs to be protected. Interview taken on sidelines of meetings of Global Alliance for Rights of Nature, at Belem, Brazil. 9.11.2025.
Ned Tapa, Maori Indigenous people, Aotearoa (N. Zealand)
A conversation with Ned Tapa on the struggles of the Maori peoples from Aotearoa (called New Zealand by colonialists), and the over-century old legal battle to get the rights of the River Whanganui recognized. Ned describes what the river means to them (‘we are the river, the river is us’), why it is important for the rights of natural entities to be respected, and how the struggle has helped regenerate such ecosystems including in an urban area. Whanganui was perhaps the first river in the world to gain recognition as having rights in itself. The conversation is preceded by a clip from a ceremonial greeting by Ned’s partner Rihi Karena and him, at an event of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) in Belem, Brazil, on 8th November. Interview by Shrishtee Bajpai and I, on the occasion of COP30, 9th November, 2025.
Quetza Ramirez, Aztec youth, Turtle Island (North America)
Quetza Ramirez is an Indigenous youth from Turtle Island (North America), with Aztec origins. As someone who grew up outside his territory, he is trying to reconnect with and reclaim his Indigenous heritage. Quetzal is also a facilitator on the Youth Hub of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, whose meetings he was attending around the time of COP30 at Belem, Brazil. This is where Shrishtee Bajpai and Ashish Kothari caught up with him for this conversation on 12 November 2025, in particular with regard to the importance of young people continuing / revising their Indigenous roots and creating exciting livelihoods and pathways through this. And the importance of responsibility, the common well-being of life (not only human), of interconnectedness, of enjoying oneself, and more.
https://youtu.be/7P0s-38afj0?si=YCU0nJXOcmaAZ0RE
-- Ashish Kothari Apt 5 Shree Datta Krupa 908 Deccan Gymkhana Pune 411004, India https://ashishkothari.in