INTERNATIONAL INDIAN TREATY COUNCIL HOSTS 40TH ANNIVERSARY TREATY CONFERENCE

San Francisco, California, August 28, 2014: The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) will hold its 40th Anniversary Conference, September 10 – 12, 2014, in Okemah, Oklahoma, on the family land of Phillip Deere, one of IITC’s original co-founders. The conference will attract North American and international attendees from Indigenous Nations and organizations, non-governmental organizations, as well as supporters, the media and academia. It will include plenary panels, workshops, and cultural activities. At the conclusion of the conference resolutions will be adopted that prioritize key issues addressing the rights of Indigenous Peoples which will guide the work of IITC in the coming year. Several hundred participants are expected to participate.

• Presenters include over 40 Indigenous leaders, activists, knowledge holders, youth and elders, from Oklahoma and the US, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Hawaii, Alaska, New Zealand, Latin American and the Caribbean. These include: Chief George Tiger, Muscogee Creek Nation, who will welcome the participants; Hinewirangi Kohu, Maori elder, IITC Board Vice President; Chief Willie Littlechild, Ermineskin Cree Nation, Expert Member of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; Faith Gemmill, Gwich’in, Alaska, Executive Director of Resisting Environmental Destruction of Indigenous Lands (REDOIL) and representative of the Venetie Tribal Government; Bumpy Kanahele, Nation of Hawai’i, Head of State; and Francisco Cali, Mayan Kaqchikel, Guatemala, IITC Board President.

• Roundtables and Commissions include: Struggles of Indigenous Nations in Oklahoma; Treaties; human rights; protection of sacred places and ways of life; food sovereignty; racism and criminal justice; environmental health; women, youth and children’s rights; and updates on international work.

• Cultural presentations and activities including Oklahoma cultural presentations on the evening of Wednesday, September 10 and an international cultural presentation on the evening of Thursday, September 11.

Since its founding in South Dakota in June 1974, the IITC has worked to support the struggles of Indigenous Peoples and Nations for Treaties and Treaty rights, human rights, self-determination, protection of sacred places and ways of life, food sovereignty, environmental health and justice. The IITC’s work includes advocacy, information sharing, training and capacity building, legal and technical assistance, coalition building, standard setting and policy development that recognizes and respects the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Rodney Factor, Assistant Band Chief, Seminole Nation, Oklahoma, and IITC Board Member stated, “It’s very important for us as Nations and Tribes in Oklahoma to hold the Treaty Council Conference here again for IITC’s 40th anniversary. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to share our work to defend against racism, Treaty violations and environmental threats like fracking and the proposed pipeline here in Oklahoma. We are also looking forward to hearing from other Nations about what they’re going through and the work they’re doing. We also really appreciate the Deere Family and the Muscogee Creek Nation for working with us to help make this conference a success.”

Andrea Carmen, Yaqui Nation, became involved in the IITC as a student working on the issue of forced sterilization of American Indian women by the United States government policy in the mid 1970’s. She met the Director of IITC’s information office in San Francisco, the late Bill Wahpepah (Sac and Fox/Kickapoo from Oklahoma) in 1975 and became a full time staff IITC member in 1983. She has been IITC’s Executive Director since 1992.

Andrea reflected on the last 40 years of IITC’s work and her own involvement in anticipation of the upcoming conference. “Working for the IITC for most of my adult life, I have been able to be part of many historic changes for the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights with real impacts ‘on the ground’ which is where it counts. The 30 years of work on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples transformed global discussions and understandings about Indigenous Peoples. The world community had to realize that we still exist, we have inherent and Treaty rights that can’t be ignored and that we also have essential contributions to make in global dialogues on human rights, racial justice, bio-diversity, sustainable development, climate change, food sovereignty and many other issues. Many challenges still remain and our work is far from over. The international Indigenous movement will continue defend Indigenous Peoples’ rights and ways of life. The IITC will continue to be an active part of that movement.”

In 1977, the IITC became the first Indigenous Peoples’ organization to be recognized as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. In 2011, IITC was the first to be upgraded to General Consultation Status in recognition of its active participation in a wide range of international bodies and processes in order to advance, defend and recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The IITC’s guiding principles affirm that Indigenous Peoples speak for themselves before the world community. To that end, IITC organizes, strengthens and facilitates direct participation by Indigenous Peoples in local, regional, national and international events and gatherings where issues impacting their rights and survival are addressed.

The 40th Anniversary Conference follows the 2nd International Indigenous Peoples Corn Conference that is being co-organized by the IITC and the Mvskoke Food Sovereignty Initiative in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, on September 8 – 9, 2014. This conference will bring together Indigenous traditional farmers, knowledge holders, food sovereignty activists, Tribal leaders, youth and elders together to share information, seeds, traditional knowledge and strategies to defend corn and other traditional foods vital to our ways of life as Indigenous Peoples.

For more information on the 40th Anniversary Treaty Council Conference and the 2nd International Indigenous Peoples Corn Conference visit http://www.treatycouncil.org.

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The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) is an organization of Indigenous Peoples from North, Central, South America, the Caribbean and the Pacific working for the Sovereignty and Self Determination of Indigenous Peoples and the recognition and protection of Indigenous Rights, Treaties, Traditional Cultures and Sacred Lands.