Declaration On The Rights Of Indigenous People Essay

For hundreds of years the rights of indigenous peoples have been violated. Whether it was denying them the rights to sacred lands, denying them the ability to practice their religious ceremonies, or simply denying their existence all together. It was not until 2007 that an internationally recognized declaration of the rights of indigenous peoples was drafted and ratified. Since then there have been over 140 countries to ratify this declaration. The questions that now persist are whether or not this Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP) clearly defines the terms “Indigenous Peoples” and “Indigenous Individuals” or whether the DRIP is an adequate source of guidance that determines if an individual can claim the rights as an indigenous person. These questions raise concerns about the overall effectiveness and adaptability of the declaration. The DRIP does provide the necessary information as to the rights of the indigenous population or individuals. However, in the DRIP it states in Article 4, Indigenous peoples have the right to self-government related to matters internally. Determining whether or not the individual can claim their own indigenous identity, specifically relates to the Articles 4 and 33. It is their right to claim their identity and it is …show more content…
Parameters could be placed to provide guidelines on the definition of what it means to be an indigenous individual. It would be something written along with the DRIP that can be ratified as a Universal Indigenous Indicator where the World Council of Indigenous Peoples would draft a check list that would characterize indigenous individuals specific to location and historical records. This should only be implemented if there is a need to. Currently the DRIP is valuable as a reference for indigenous rights to be upheld in any