Inayan is the principle by which indigenous peoples of Sagada, Philippines have used to govern their communities – from the use of natural resources to the upbringing of children. It embodies the wholistic worldview that looks at nature as not separate from humans and that even inanimate objects have value in the cycle of life It is a value that is passed on from generation to generation and practiced by Igorots even outside of the ancestral domain. The principle of inayan guided Minnie’s journey in her efforts to bring indigenous peoples voices in different processes (from local to international) related to rights and resource management, particularly, forest resources. Early challenges and triumphs of the indigenous movement show how these have helped shape the direction of the discourse on indigenous peoples rights. Lessons from the different platforms will be shared.
Minnie is an indigenous Kanakanaey/Igorot from the Cordillera, Philippines. She was involved with the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) which was established to defend the ancestral domain of the Cordillera peoples from extractive and destructive development projects. As Secretary General to the CPA she conducted community education activities to inform indigenous peoples of their rights and led mobilizations against dams and mining activities. She became an active participants in the annual sessions of the UN Working Group that drafted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). As part of her international tasks she became part of the International Coordinating Committee of the International Alliance of Indigenous and Traditional Peoples of the Tropical Forests that facilitated the participation of indigenous peoples in the earth Summit in 1993 and follow up work in the different conventions arising from that Summit. She had a short stint with the International Labour Organization, to promote the ratification of ILO Convention 169 by Asian states in 2001, she then returned to working with indigenous organizations. After the UNDRIP was adopted she began working with international NGO’s to see how the declaration is being implemented on the ground. She has sat in advisory and leadership bodies of different multi-stakeholder platforms (such as TFD, PEFC) to amplify the voices of indigenous peoples. She is now working with Conservation International as Director of Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Program.