Spiritual Perspectives
Concerns of the World's Aboriginal Peoples

By The Baha'i Community
Special to The Independent

The following are excerpts from a statement by the Baha'i Community of Canada to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in November 1993.

"The suffering of human beings during the twentieth century has nowhere been more acutely felt than in the lives, families, and communities of the world's aboriginal or indigenous peoples. To right the wrongs experienced by aboriginal peoples is a daunting challenge. The experience of the Baha'i international community, however, provides a measure of hope that humanity can find solutions to the difficulties that have brought such intense suffering and can embark on a process of healing and social development.

Spiritual Principles
It is significant that when aboriginal cultures approach the discussion of social problems, leaders and members of the community refer frequently to the Creator and to the human spirit. Yet social, economic, and political theories and practices of the West during the past two to three hundred years have been driven by an excessive and socially corrosive materialism that has, in turn, driven approaches to governance and economic and social development.

Oneness of Humanity
What is striking in the Baha'i experience around the world is that aboriginal peoples have a keen desire to encounter and enter into just and equitable relationships with other peoples. In the Baha'i emphasis on unity in diversity, aboriginal peoples find an ideal that matches their own aspirations. Their drive towards self-determination and self-reliance reflects their desire to enter directly into relationships with other peoples without the filter of a dominant culture or government that makes their participation in the global village indirect and secondary.

Self-Determination
Perhaps the most powerful motivation behind the interest in self-determination is the desire of aboriginal peoples indeed of all peoples to have greater local control over their lives and communities. The kind of society Baha'is see emerging from contemporary social up-heaval is one in which local government will have a far greater role than it does today.

Economic Development
The effects of material deprivation are most acutely felt at the local level, and Baha'u'llah's admonition to eliminate existing extremes of wealth and poverty is most readily appreciated there. Tragically, many aboriginal communities are among those that most vividly illustrate the consequences of the lack of justice and moderation inherent in existing economic practices and patterns.

The Need for Healing
Aboriginal leaders and spokespersons repeat frequently the crucial importance of addressing the healing of families and communities with resources dedicated to this stage in the overall process of aboriginal development. Current social ills rob aboriginal communities of the opportunities their youth should have in order to grow and provide leadership, and dedication to a process of healing is essential.

The Family
The health of the family forms the basis of the health of a people, of a nation, and ultimately of the world itself, and to prosper it must have greater support from all social institutions. The family unit has been a cherished and prized element in the community and social life of aboriginal peoples around the world, and the more dominant cultures might wisely look to the reverence and regard aboriginal peoples give to it.

Affirmative Action
"If any discrimination is at all to be tolerated, it should be a discrimination not against, but rather in favor of the minority, be it racial or otherwise." This is a Baha'i principle that the community's administrative practice tries to uphold. Justice demands such a principle, often translated as "affirmative action." Without it, social change will be too slow and the privileges of members of dominant and majority peoples will continue to eclipse the rights of those from minority or oppressed sectors of society.

Education
Greater investment in education is needed, both in aboriginal communities and in the schools attended by children and young people from all other segments of society, with the principle of unity in diversity serving as a core concept in school curricula and educational programs, whether those programs focus on race unity, morality and religion, history, or literature. In this way, unity in diversity will become central in the consciousness of young people."

To see the full statement referred to above please go to: http://info.bahai.org/article-1-9-1-8.html, request a printed copy from: The Gallup Baha'i Community, Box 1822, Gallup, NM 87305, or call (505) 863-4377.

This column is the result of a desire by community members, representing different faith communities, to share their ideas about bringing a spiritual perspective into our daily lives and community issues.

For information about contributing a guest column, contact Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola at the Independent: (505) 863-8611, ext. 218 or lizreligion01@yahoo.com.