The Snowchange Project

Full, approved text of the The Mahinekura Reinfelds Declaration from Snowchange 2008

The Mahinekura Reinfelds Declaration

in memory of an Indigenous Maori leader,

educator and great communicator

from the tribal group Ngati Mutunga

We, the Undersigned Representatives of those Indigenous Nations and other peoples

associated with the Snowchange Symposium in December 2008 at Waitara, Taranaki,

Aotearoa /New Zealand who witness daily the destruction of our Mother Earth

through the thoughtless actions of humanity, make the following statement:

On this 7th day of December in the year 2008, we commit ourselves to those

principles contained in this solemn Declaration.

For the sake of the multitude of Nations that co-habit the fragile ecosystems on

planet Earth that have sustained our forebears, those present and for our

children’s children yet to be born, we will endeavor to make our collective

voices heard in a respectful but assertive manner in order to achieve

positive changes to arrest the progressive destruction of our environment.

We shall urgently venture to ensure that a necessary balance is achieved

in everything that we undertake in a fair and equitable way whilst respecting

life in all its forms and living in harmonious and sustainable ways within our communities.

We therefore commit to carry this Declaration forward to all the thinking and

caring peoples of the World, in the spirit symbolized by the white feathers

of the Prophets of Peace of Parihaka, Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Glory to God

Peace on Earth

Goodwill to all Humankind

With the specific objective of bringing together Indigenous peoples to share

their experiences, insight and perspectives on climate change, the

Symposium assembled delegates from Evenki, Even, Chukchi, Yukagir

and Sakha Nations in Siberia (Russian Federation), Inuit peoples of

Nunavut (Arctic Canada), Gwitchin Nation of Northwest Territories

(Arctic Canada) and Maori from across Aoteoroa. In addition

the Symposium gathered Snowchange Cooperative participants

from Finland, India, Mauritius, the United Kingdom and the USA

as well as a range of other stakeholders including government

officials, scientists, researchers, planners and environmental

managers. The Symposium was officially opened by the co-leader

of the Maori party and current Minister of the New Zealand

Government, the Honorable Tariana Turia.

We, the Snowchange Symposium

RECOGNIZE that Indigenous Peoples have been living off the land

since time immemorial and that the traditional (and modern) cultures

of Indigenous peoples are being threatened by a diverse range

of social, economic and environmental challenges in association

with climate change. Notwithstanding the complexity of these

challenges, and the need to better understand the links between

these often competing forces, the experiences and perspectives

of Indigenous peoples are an often neglected source of

understanding which offer important contributions to the

way we not only interact with one another but also our

planet. Furthermore, climate change is regarded as a

serious threat to the existence and survival of not only

Indigenous peoples but life in all its forms.

In order to find solutions to potential future crises caused

by a rapidly changing climate the following recommendations

were undersigned on the final afternoon of the Symposium

by all Snowchange participants. We collectively

1. ENDORSE that the Snowchange Network will develop a

community-to-community information sharing tool that will offer

direct dialogue, mechanisms and resources to address threats,

opportunities and processes relevant to the Indigenous communities.

Special emphasis will be devoted to industrial activities which

are planned on Indigenous homelands.

2. DECIDE on a concrete action so that the Snowchange network

with the Northern Forum Academy (Russia) and Barefoot College (India)

will initiate an historical South to North pilot project whereby

Siberian nomadic community women will be trained at the Barefoot

College of India to solar electrify several reindeer tents in the High Arctic

of Kolyma River in the Russian Federation. This initiative is a historical

event because for the first time in history Indigenous women from

Kolyma will travel to India. The solar electrification project will promote

decentralized systems of governance, bottom-up initiatives and gender

equality in one of the most remote regions of the World. This unique

pilot project having had its genesis at an earlier Arkleton Seminar will be

monitored and assessed by the Arkleton Trust (in the UK).

3. ESTABLISH an Indigenous education project between Siberian

Indigenous communities and the Maori peoples of Taranaki. The nomadic

school of Nutendli and the Evenki school of Iengra are the pilot communities

from Siberia to start this work with Maori from Taranaki. The intention

is to host an Indigenous education seminar in Sakha-Yakutia, Siberia

in 2010 devoted to this initiative. In the interim period the intent is

to establish a network of indigenous educators around the world

who can discuss and share practices that promote the issues of and

contribute to the sustainability of our Earth.

4. CONTRIBUTE our work, including an Indigenous assessment of

regional climate changes, to the Indigenous Peoples Climate Change

Assessment under the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous

Issues. Jointly with this process the Snowchange Cooperative

will work closely with all participants of our Symposium to send a

Snowchange associated Indigenous delegation to the

World Indigenous Summit on Climate Change in Anchorage, Alaska, USA

in April 2009.

5. PROMOTE the Snowchange network to develop a working group

to start assessing the needs and priorities as well as the organization

of the next possible Snowchange meeting tentatively planned for 2010.

We the undersigned agree to fulfill these tasks to the best of our

abilities and work hard to achieve these goals.

Delegates of Snowchange Cooperative (Finland)

Maori Delegates of Te Hurihanga Haupapa Trust Aoteoroa (New Zealand)

Other Maori Delegates from across Aoteoroa (New Zealand)

Indigenous Delegates of Chukchi, Evenki, Even, Inuit, Gwitchin, Aboriginal,

Kwaugiutl, Sakha, Yukagir and other Nations

Local and international delegates from United States of America, India,Canada and the United Kingdom