Center for World Indigenous Studies

For many years the Center for World Indigenous Studies has pioneered education, research and public policy concerning the restoration of native foods and medicines as a part of a wider program to strengthen tribal culture while reducing and eliminating chronic disease.  A large gathering at the Tulalip Tribes in March proved the wisdom of our... more →

After losing one friend it appears I have lost yet another.  Dr. Miquel J. Alfonso Martinez, one Cuba’s most outstanding diplomats who in my experience played a dominant role in the development of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations (as one of its active members). Alfonso had been, as he told me, a... more →

What a flat-out anti-war message. The science fiction epic film “Avatar” is a fictional story about the most pressing, real problems of today’s imperialistic world. It concerns big contemporary topics such as the human fight for natural resources, loss of culture and biodiversity, greed and inhumanity. The film is set on Pandora, a distant moon... more →

Uyghurs are a distinct people with their territories claimed by the Peoples’ Republic of China. They are largely practicing Muslims and speak their own language. For more than sixty years the Uyghurs have agitated against the growing domination of their territory by Han-the majority population in China. The Chinese government enforces school instruction in Mandarin... more →

Imagine if you will ships toweringly loaded with oyster shells and vessels traveling the Pacific Ocean carrying textiles, wood, ceramics and copper and tin and you might think such sights not unusual at all. But, imagine that these ships are made of balsa wood and the oysters are a variety of pink, red and white... more →