Category 5

Indigenous Peacebuilding

A process where Indigenous peoples utilize their traditions, rituals, and community practices to build peace and resolve conflict.

Great Law of Peace

The constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy, recognizing peace between multiple Indigenous nations.

Hiawatha belt

A symbolic belt of the Iroquois Confederacy representing unity and peace established through a treaty.

Meira Paibi

Indigenous women in Manipur who organized a peacekeeping movement using flaming bamboo torches.

Jarsummaa

A local peacebuilding process in Oromia, Ethiopia, involving community elders in dispute resolution.

Gumaa

A ritualized process in Oromo culture for exclusion and reconciliation with wrongdoers.

Siinqee

A symbolic stick held by married women in the Oromo culture to create peace and protect during conflicts.

Indigenous governance

Systems and practices of governance established by Indigenous communities, often differing from Western norms.

Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding

An event gathering Indigenous leaders to advance understanding and inclusion of Indigenous practices in peace processes.

Peace systems

Clusters of neighboring societies that do not engage in warfare among themselves.

Confederation

An alliance formed by separate parties or groups, like the Iroquois Confederacy, which promotes mutual cooperation.

Cultural resilience

The ability of Indigenous cultures to endure and adapt despite historical oppression and ongoing challenges.

Participatory democracy

A model of democracy that emphasizes broad participation of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems.

Free, prior, and informed consent

A principle that ensures Indigenous peoples have the right to give or withhold consent for projects affecting their land.

Decolonial approaches

Strategies aimed at addressing and dismantling colonial structures and practices, often emphasizing Indigenous perspectives.

Environmental peacebuilding

Recognizing and integrating environmental issues into conflict prevention, mitigation, resolution, and recovery.

Militarization of conservation

The use of military force in the enforcement of conservation efforts, which can lead to violence against local populations.

Restorative justice

A system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims.

National action plan

A structured approach a country takes to achieve specific goals or fulfill commitments, often related to Indigenous rights.

Cultural identity

The identity or feeling of belonging to a group based on cultural or ethnic distinctiveness.

Human rights abuses

Violations against the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled.

Transnational organized crime

Criminal activities that cross national borders, often impacting local communities lives negatively.

Ethnic conflict

A conflict that arises between ethnic groups within a state, often due to historical grievances.

Community-led initiatives

Projects and actions developed and implemented by community members, often in response to their own needs.

Sustainable development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Resilience

The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

Civil society

Organizations and institutions that represent the interests and will of citizens, separate from government.

Collective rights of Indigenous peoples

Rights that are held by a group rather than by its individual members, particularly regarding cultural and land rights.