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On this week's Native Bidaské (Spotlight) on Friday, Native News Online chatted with Native News Online’s own, Jenna Kunze. The discussion was centered around Jenna’s work covering the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues held in New York. 

Jenna is Native News Online’s senior reporter and has been covering the largest annual gathering of Indigenous People from around the world for two weeks. 

As she is sitting outside the main conference room surrounded by delegates from all over the world, she describes what the last two weeks have been like. 

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“There has been so much content on the floor,” she says. “One of the most interesting things for me has been to see the throughline that all of these Indigenous Peoples’ organizations have come to the UN from all over the world saying a lot of the same things. They’re saying that their country, despite what the members on the other side of the room will tell you, that they're not doing a thorough enough job of implementing the United Nations Declaration of Right of Indigenous Peoples.” 

Pacific Islanders, Indigenous Siberians, Taino, Crimean Tatars, Indigenous North Americans, and even more are all agreed on each of their countries' lack of upholding their rights as Indigenous peoples. Specifically, they are all in consensus about their countries’ lack of upholding their right as Indigenous peoples to say “no” when the government asks for their land. 

Watch the whole interview below:

 

Native Bidaské, Native News Online’s weekly spotlight on the people making news and leading change in Indian Country is live streamed every Friday at 12 noon - EDT. Check Native News Online's social media channels for upcoming guests.

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About The Author
Neely Bardwell
Author: Neely BardwellEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Neely Bardwell (descendant of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indian) is a staff reporter for Native News Online. Bardwell is also a student at Michigan State University where she is majoring in policy and minoring in Native American studies.