Nomad Globalization

February 22, 2005 12:52 PM

The world currently has over fifty million Mobile Indigenous Peoples (MIPs), known more popularly as "Nomads" (not including modern or industrialized Nomads). In 2003 representatives from twenty-six MIPs from four continents convened for the first time to form the World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples in which was chartered the Dana Declaration which calls for a new approach to conservation, including land and animals, and Nomads. More reading here.
posted by stbalbach (8 comments total)

It was held in Durban, South Africa. That seems like an awfully long way to walk. Particularly with a moose on your back.
posted by waldo at 2:13 PM on February 22, 2005

From the Dana Declaration:

"The Declaration is an attempt to forge a new partnership between conservationists and mobile peoples in order to ensure that future conservation policies and programmes help maintain the earth's ecosystems, species and genetic diversity while respecting the rights of indigenous and traditional communities which have been disregarded in the past."

Reminded me of John Marshall's A Kalahari Family, where Ju/'hoansi water holes were being ruined by elephants newly attracted to a neighboring World Wild Life reserve. It's a long documentary, but well worth seeing if you're interested in indigenous peoples and globalization.
posted by carmen at 4:41 PM on February 22, 2005

entirely wonderful. too little attention has been paid to extra-national peoples. great stuff.
posted by moonbird at 5:57 PM on February 22, 2005

Great post, stbalbach. I like the definition of "mobile peoples" in the footnote at the bottom of the Declaration:

By mobile peoples, we mean a subset of indigenous and traditional peoples whose livelihoods depend on extensive common property use of natural resources over an area, who use mobility as a management strategy for dealing with sustainable use and conservation, and who possess a distinctive cultural identity and natural resource management system.

"Extensive common property use of natural resources." Sounds familiar...
posted by mediareport at 8:04 PM on February 22, 2005

MIPs? Are you kidding me? Nomads works just fine. And yes, I read the link, so I understand why they use MIP. I just think it sounds silly and pretentious.
posted by snwod at 12:05 AM on February 23, 2005

Thanks for the post and the links, stbalbach!
posted by madamjujujive at 4:42 AM on February 23, 2005

Finally getting the recognition i deserve.
posted by nomad at 4:52 AM on February 23, 2005

MIPs also seems less clear, to me at least, than nomads, since "peoples" means multiple groups of people, so to say that there are "over fifty million Mobile Indigenous Peoples" suggests that there are far more than 100 million people in the group referred to.
posted by dreish at 9:38 AM on February 23, 2005