Indigenous Nations' Rights in the Balance: An Analysis of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Between 1994 and 2007, three different versions of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples were passed by various bodies of the United Nations, culminating in the final version passed by the UN General Assembly. Significant differences exist between these versions differences that deeply affect the position of all Indigenous Peoples in the world community. In Indigenous Nations Rights in the Balance, Charmaine White Face gives her well-researched comparative analysis of these versions. She puts side-by-side, for our consideration, passages that change the intent of the Declaration by privileging the power and jurisdiction of nation states over the rights of Indigenous Peoples. As Spokesperson representing the Sioux Nation Treaty Council in UN proceedings, she also gives her insights about each set of changes and their ultimate effect. This is a foundational text for Indigenous law and rights and the global struggle of Indigenous Peoples in the face of modern states.