By Brandi Morin (Cree/Iroquois)
Photos by Julien Defourny
The water that once ran clear enough to drink now flows a sickly brownish-green, carrying the acrid smell of death down what used to be a living river. Where children once played and fish swam freely, garbage now lines the banks and toxic mining waste piles high on either side. The playground sits abandoned and overgrown, a rusted monument to a community that mining has all but erased.
Compiled by Indigenous Peoples Day MA and Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples Day. Events will continue to be added as information becomes available.
By Georges Theodore Dougnon (Dogon, CS Staff)
Across the globe, Indigenous youth are rising as powerful leaders in the fight against climate change, combining ancestral knowledge with innovative action to protect their lands, cultures, and futures. Through the Cultural Survival Indigenous Youth Fellowship, young leaders from Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Bangladesh have designed and led projects that not only address urgent environmental challenges but also strengthen community resilience and intergenerational connections.
Mussa Juma Siwayombe, Executive Director
A media-based campaign spearheaded by the Media Aid for Indigenous and Pastoralists Community (MAIPAC) is making strides in raising awareness about the harmful effects of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Tanzania's Longido District. The project, supported by Cultural Survival, is using radio programs, video documentaries, and social media to advocate for the abandonment of the practice and protect the well-being of young girls in Maasai communities.
By Brandi Morin (Cree/Iroquois)
Photos by Julien Defourny
By Djalma Ramalho Goncalves (Aranã Caboclo, CS Consultant)
September 13, 2025, marks 18 years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
In celebration of the 18th anniversary of the adoption of UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Survival is taking a look back at the top wins for Indigenous Peoples over the past year. From historic land back cases to positive legal rulings, there has been important progress.
May 2024: UN States Adopt Treaty Protecting Traditional Knowledge
Cultural Survival stands in solidarity with people in Nepal, especially with Indigenous Peoples, against the government's decision on September 4, 2025, to ban 26 social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The government claims this ban was put on social media platforms because they did not follow the registration regulations.
Por Lygia Zamali Fernandes (pesquisadora e membro/a de uma comunidade da Floresta) com colaboração de Edson Krenak, CS Staff
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
