INDIGENOUS PROJECTS
PROJECT 1
Indigenous Response to Earth Summit Agenda 21 Call to Action
(L-R) Chief Oren Lyons, HETF Co-Chair, Onondaga Nation; Christopher Stephens, INDI Director (kneeling); Janice Whitnrey Annunziata (me), UNEP Working Committee; Chief Bernie Parker, Seneca Nation; Chaz Wheelock, Oneida Nation (kneeling); Clan Mother Carol Jacobs, Cayuga Nations; Ambassador Johnson, UNEP Working Committee; Joanne Fox-Przeworski, Director UNEP; Dr. Noel Brown, UNEP Working Committee; Chief Jake Swamp, Mohawk Nation; Peter Jemison, Seneca Nation (kneeling); Tadodaho Chief Leon Shenandoah, Onondaga Nation; Chief Arnold Hewitt, Six Nations.
Following the UN Earth Summit held in Rio de Janiero in 1992, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was determined to focus the attention of the US and Canada on their environmental issues by drawing international concern for their cause through the auspices of the UN. The working committee of the UNEP included Chief Oren Lyons, Dr. Noel Brown, Director of the UNEP; Ambassador Keith Johnson; and Janice Whitney Annunziata, who then undertook to compile the documentation of environmental deterioration on Indian Lands.
After review by Cambridge University, the document, "Haudenosaunee Environmental Restoration- An Indigenous Strategy for Human Sustainability," was presented to the UNEP at the New York City meeting. The document was one of the first indigenous responses to Chapter 26 of Agenda 21 which was formulated at the 1992 Earth Summit.
As a result, THE HAUDENOSAUNEE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PROCESS (HEPP): Reinforcing the Three Principles of Goodmindedness, Peacefulness, and Strength to Protect the Natural World was developed and is designed to incorporate the traditional teachings of the Haudenosaunee as a guide in creating a process that protects the natural world.
Oren Lyons in his art studio working on his painting The Tree of Peace
(R to L) Oren Lyons, Rex Lyons, Janice Annunziata with Sami and white reindeer, a leader among reindeers, thought to bring luck, riches and eternal happiness.
The Sami peoples history goes back at least 10.000 years in this area. Long before the Swedish, Finnish or even the Viking culture had developed, the Scandinavian peninsula was populated by the Saemieh (hereafter referred to as Sami).
The Sami people inhabit a land they call Sampi, stretching from the Norwegian coast in the north west, across the northern parts of Sweden and Finland, to the Kola peninsula in the north east, a part of Russia.
Janice Annunziata with Sami representatives at Millenium World Peace Summit, August, 2000.
On the international level, Ms. Whitney served on the United Nations Environmental Programme Working Committee to bring indigenous environmental concerns to the international forum. Ms. Whitney continued her international travels to countries requesting assistance in designing a relationship between their nation state government and indigenous peoples governments modeled on the EPA and Haudenosaunee relationship.
In 2000, Janice travelled with Chief Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper, Onondaga Nation to meet with the Swedish government and indigenous Sami peoples, who sought advise and counsel to develop working environmental relations with one another.
Project 3 Maori Sustainable Environment Strategic Planning and Victoria University Indigenous Knowledges Conference- Reconciling Academic with Indigenous Realities
In June 2005, Janice Whitney was invited to present the Haudenosaunee Environmental Restoration Strategy at the Indigenous Knowledges Conference - Reconciling Academic Priorities with Indigenous Realities, held at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. A publication of papers was published after the conclusion of the conference.
The Indigenous Knowledges Conference was hosted by He Pârekereke, the Institute of Research and Development in Mâori and Pacific Education, organized by University of Wellington Indigenous Program staff and supported by Nga Pae o te Mâramatanga.
The Conference highlighted the work of indigenous experts in a range of academic disciplines. Scholars from a range of disciplinary fields and nations gathered together to generate new thinking about academia and its role in indigenous communities and societies.Bringing together established and emerging Mâori and indigenous academics for intellectual discourses in such a forum, encouraged discussion of indigenous research priorities from an indigenous perspective, and led to the development of discipline-based responses to the real-world struggles of Mâori and indigenous peoples. Ms. Whitney's paper was included in the University's publication of an edited book based on the conference.
Before the conference began, Ms. Annunziata had the honor of participating in a Hikoi
at Ngati Whare. The Maori tribal community of Ngati Whare offered conference delegates a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity to spend two days at their Marae in the beautiful Whirinaki
rainforest at the edge of one of New Zealand’s most important National Parks. The Ngati Whare elders opened their Marae to conference delegates such as myself, who afterward headed onto Wellington for the Indigenous Knowledges Conference.
I and other delegates travelled to the tribal area from Auckland and spent 2 days discussing the conference themes, and learning about the tribal history of the guardians of the Whirinaki rainforest, gaining a better understanding of Maori life in New Zealand in one of the country’s more remote and beautiful areas.
There was a brief stop on the journey at Rotorua, at the tribal area of Te Arawa. Staff of Te Wananga o Aotearoa in Rotorua welcomed us and spoke to us about the Wananga, and about the area. Maori Committee members also travelled with my group, becoming friends and answering our many questions about the conference and Maori cultural matters.
This landmark event began coordinating religious leadership as a driving force for building tolerance, fostering peace and encouraging inter-religious dialogue among all regions of the world.
In addition to inviting religious leaders to sign a Declaration for World Peace, the Summit encouraged the creation of an International Advisory Council of Religious and Spiritual Leaders that is designed to serve as an ongoing interfaith ally to the United Nations in its quest for peace, global understanding and international cooperation.
Left to right: Bawa Jain, Summit Secretary-General; Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General; and Ted Turner, Summit Honorary Chairman, preside at the World Millennium Peace Summit, NYC, August 2000
Indigenous delegates from Central and North America leave their powerful message at the UN- the ice is melting in the Arctic and we must act now to protect Mother Earth
For the first time in history, approximately one thousand of the world's preeminent religious and spiritual leaders gathered for the World Peace Summit at the United Nations August 28-August 30.
Janice Whitney Annunziata and delegates from Equador and North Dakota, attend the World Millennium Peace Summit, NYC, August 2000
ENVIONMENTAL JUSTICE PROJECTS
PROJECT 1 Environmental Protection and Justice for Native Hawaiian Communities sponsored by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
Janice Whitney Annunziata was invited to participate at the Third Annual Native Hawaiian Conference, held in August, 2004. The Third Annual Conference was entitled: "La‘ahia ka Mana o na ‘Oiwi – Empowered for the Future." This conference theme served as a reminder that as Native Hawaiians move forward to meet challenges, they remember the lessons of their ancestors and consecrate their power to make positive changes for their communities.
Janice served as a plenary speaker, and also presented a workshop entitled "Environmental Protection and Justice for Native Hawaiian Communities."
"Janice Whitney of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shared her experience working with native peoples in achieving environmental justice and pointed out that with pending federal recognition of a National Hawaiian government, Native Hawaiians have a unique opportunity to ensure the connection of culture and politics is established and that traditional cultural practices and practitioners are integrated into a Native Hawaiian government."
Project 2 Environmental Justice EPA National and Regional Work
President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations on February 11, 1994 to focus federal attention on the environmental and human health conditions of minority and low-income populations.
The Order established an Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice and directed federal agencies to develop strategies on how to identify and address the disproportionately adverse human health and environmental effects of programs, policies, and activities on minority and low-income populations.
EPA National program offices and all ten Regions participated in a Mile High Workshop. The goals were information sharing, networking, team building and problem solving. Several complex issues of national concern were addressed and information about regional approaches was shared.
While serving on R2's Environmental Justice workgroup, we successfully worked with our Public Affairs Office, who in turn entered into a contract with EPA Headquarters Office of Civil Rights. The contract is managed by R2 and provides translation of documents or web pages and simultaneous interpretation of meetings and presentations. Engaging directly with communities in their preferred language is important to help residents better understand EPA efforts and build their capacity to participate in deliberative processes. Equal access to the decision-making process to promote a healthy environment is an important tenet of environmental justice.
I served as the Project Officer for this EPA Community/University Partnership (CUP) grant for Environmental Justice on Iroquois Reservations, totaling $298,654.
Cornell University's American Indian Program Director and the State University of New York College (SUNY) formed a consortium to improve environmental justice outreach to five Iroquois nations: Onondaga, Akwesasne, Tuscarora, Tonawanda and Seneca.
The consortium proposed a results-oreinted dialogue with the Iroquois communities that facilitated assessment and understanding of environmental concerns on Iroquois reservations while attracting Iroquois students to consider careers in environmental sciences.
The project consisted of a series of workshops, lectures and two search conferences. There were ten environmental justice summer internships, two from each of the five reservation communities, which were filled by undergraduate students with an interest in addressing the reservation's environmental problems.
Project 4 African Burial Ground National Monument 290 Broadway, NY, NY
In November of 1993, the African American Burial Ground was designated a National Historic Landmark. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the burial ground as part of a historic district that includes the Commons and City Hall Park to the south, Foley Square, and Duane Street.33 On October 4, 2003, the remains of the 419 slaves were reburied on the location where they were discovered. The ceremony consisted of a six-day event that began at Howard University where the remains had been placed in mahogany coffins. They were transported to Philadelphia, Newark, Wilmington, and Baltimore where a ceremony was held in each of the five cities. The journey culminated in New York City when the remains were carried on a boat to a port in Lower Manhattan—the port signified where the original slave trading ships used to dock 200 years ago.34 Reverend James A. Forbes, Jr. of Riverside Church presided over the ceremony, and a Yoruba priest blessed the remains before they were lowered into the earth.35 In 2006, the African Burial Ground was designated a National Historic Monument.
KEY DATES IN PRESERVATION ACTIVITY
1992: President George H. Bush signed a law officially stopping the project to excavate the graves at the African Burial Ground.
1993: African Burial Ground and the Commons Historic District are designated a New York City Landmark.
1993: African Burial Ground is designated a National Historic Landmark.
October 4, 2003: The remains of the 419 slaves from the African Burial Ground were reburied on the location where they were discovered.
2006: African Burial Ground is designated a National Historic Monument.
October 1, 2007: The memorial for the African Burial Ground site was completed and opened for visitors.
Future Generations- Youth: Climate Change
Project 1 Global Change Workshops: Native Peoples Native Homelands Climate Change Workshop
Chief Oren Lyons and Janice Whitney Annunziata
"As co-chairs, we recognize the sacrifice of time and endless energy of the steering committee members who met throughout 1998 to bring a vision to reality, including Chief Oren Lyons and Janice Whitney for envisioning and catalyzing the Native Workshop and this subsequent report." Robert Gough and Patrick Spears, Native Peoples Native Homelands Workshop Co-Chairs (pp. iii-iv of report)
This workshop was one of the series of US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) regional climate change workshops. USGCRP comprises 13 federal agencies that conduct or use research on global change and its impacts on society, in support of the Nation's response to global change.
USGCRP is steered by representatives from each of these agencies constituting the Subcommittee on Global Change Research of the Committee on Environment within the National Science and Technology Council, which is overseen by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
This series of workshops is seen as a first step in a U.S. national assessment of the potential consequences of climate variability and change.
"The Native Peoples-Native Homelands Climate Change Workshop was held on October 28 through November 01, 1998, as part of a series of workshops being held around the U.S. to improve the understanding of the potential consequences of climate variability and change for the Nation.
This workshop was specifically designed by Native Peoples to examine the impacts of climate change and extreme weather variability on Native Peoples and Native Homelands from an indigenous cultural and spiritual perspective and to develop recommendations as well as identify potential response actions.
Native Peoples, with our spiritual traditions and long community histories of change, adaptation, and survival in specific regions, are providing a unique contribution to the assessment and understanding of climate change as well as to the development of sustainable economies in this country." https://www.globalchange.gov
"Having known Janice Whitney now for a number of years... I have personally found her experience and counsel to be invaluable. Her communication skills are impeccable. She is particularly adept at reaching across cultural boundaries. She is personable, well liked and highly respected." Associate Executive Director, US Global Change Research Program
Project 2 Future Vessel and Our Uniting Water
Future Vessel and Our Uniting Water Ceremony. King Gustav of Sweden accepts the water from the youth of Sweden at the Our Uniting Water Ceremony in Lund, Sweden, June, 2000
Future Vessel is underway, driven by the children's energy and indigenous peoples perspectives and visions.
In conjunction with the Global Youth Environmental Convention, Future Vessel held another Uniting Water Ceremony in Lund, Sweden, where children from 85 countries around the world united their water from their home countries into a crystal bowl.
King Gustav, the King of Sweden, is the latest nation state official to accept the water from the youth and promise to work to protect and preserve the environment for the future generations yet to come.
Previous recipients include the Dalai Lama and Kofi Annan.
In June 2001, HRH The King of Sweden was Guest of Honor at the Opening Ceremony of the International Youth Convention in Lund, south of Sweden.
Young participants from 80 nations united water from places they love and care for in their home areas.
Globetree receives the Global Roll of Honour Award by the United Nations Environment Program and gets a unique assignment: to establish and run a Children’s Meeting Place on the ground of the United Nations in Nairobi, Kenya.
The meeting place is a big, beautiful acacia tree where children and decision makers of the world meet and dialogue what is important for children. Many mayors are inspired to inaugurate a Children’s Meeting Place close to their City Halls. Partnership between cities and municipalities in Sweden and the Lake Victoria Region start. http://second.globetree.info
Project 3 Global Youth Environmental Convention, Lund, Sweden
TThe GEYC was organized by the International Institute for Industrial and Environment Economics (IIIEE) from the 15th to 19th of June 2000.
To ignite this vision, youth, ages 14-17 from over 85 nation states participated in a year-long internet training course in environmental protection, which culminated in a five-day conference and graduation at Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Global Youth Environmental Movement has since spread around the world.
Youth understand the importance of preserving the earth for our future.
Janice Whitney Annunziata teaches "From Conflict to Cooperation: Negotiation Skills for Young Masters"
Left to right: Stuart Pledger, Sustainable Leadership; Anna Bornstein, poet and writer; Chief Oren Lyons, Onondaga Fathkeeper, Haudenosaunee Confederacy; Tonia Moya, Greencross International; Dorin Dumitru Prunariu, cosmonaut, Rumania; Janice Whitney Annunziata (me), Rex Lyons, Chief Lyons' son.
Project 4 The People's Climate March 2014 in NYC
The People's Climate March (PCM) was a large- scale activist event orchestrated by the People's Climate Movement to advocate global action against climate change, which took place on Sunday, September 21, 2014, in New York City, along with a series of companion actions worldwide, many of which also took the name People's Climate March.
With an estimated 311,000 participants, the New York event was the largest climate change march in history. Described as "an invitation to change everything," the march was called in May 2014 by the global advocacy human rights group Avaaz and 350.org, the environmental organization founded by writer/activist Bill McKibben, and it was endorsed by "over 1,500 organizations, including many international and national unions, churches, schools and community and environmental justice organizations."
Yoko Ono and Whoopee Goldberg were among the many celebrities who attended the Climate March.
