Format: Short reports with discussion
Organiser: Paul Edward Montgomery RamÃrez, Cleveland State University, The Committee of 500 Years of Dignity & Resistance, Hilo Azul Consulting, pemontgomeryramirez@gmail.com
In an increasingly tense and polarised world, comes greater responsibilities for professional organizations. For disciplines that intersect into social, cultural, and human rights as strongly as archaeology, this is especially so. Amidst the diverse and numerous issues around the world that require attention and action, the reporting of Indigenous Rights issues does not often find its way out of the margins of the conversation. Even among organisations that have provided increasing opportunity for Indigenous Rights issues to be voiced, many are presented from a research or academic perspective as opposed to an activist one. They also frequently end being dispersed across numerous sessions, themes, and days that could limit interactions and organising around these issues.
Lifting of Indigenous voices and Indigenous Rights has been a long-standing element of the organising of the World Archaeological Congress. This session is organized to continue these foundations and responsibilities of WAC. It provides a platform for Indigenous People to offer brief reports on current issues facing the cultural heritage rights of their own or adjacent communities. Reports should be around 15 minutes and either presented in person, virtually, or read aloud by a proxy (either selected by the author, or a member of the Indigenous Council). Each report should be written to both provide information about the specific Indigenous Cultural Rights issue and serve as a call to action for archaeologists and heritage workers. Ideally, this would be divided as 10 minutes for background and 5 minutes for appeals. The session is open to all members of WAC (though speakers should be Indigenous People, or a non-Native proxy) to raise awareness of the issues raised in each report and foster networking for action.
The outcomes of the reporting will help to inform the future activity of the WACIC.