ON THE QUESTION OF WHICH GROUPS OF PEOPLE
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS

AND

ON THE QUESTION OF INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS OF INDIGENOUS LAND RIGHTS

Statement of the Nuxalk Nation before the
United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations;
31 July 1984, Palais De Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

PURPOSE:

To convey to the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous 
Populations of the Commission on Human Rights, Sub-Commission on 
Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities the 
views of the Nuxalk Government regarding the "evolution of 
standards concerning the rights of Indigenous populations" as 
noted at Part 2 of the UN Economic and Social Council Resolution 
1982/34. And, further, it is the purpose of the Nuxalk 
Government to transmit the views of the Nuxalk Government 
concerning "the question of international standards of Indigenous 
Land Rights". 

DESCRIPTION OF THE NUXALK NATION: 

TheCreator, with supreme sovereignty over all worldly 
matters, created the territorial lands, waters, air and all the 
natural resources of the Nuxalk, including the Nuxalk peoples. 

The Nuxalk territory, encompassing 7,000 square miles, is 
situated adjacent to territories of other neighboring indigenous 
peoples along the northern pacific coast of upper North America. 

The Nuxalk, once with a population of over 60,000 indigenous 
peoples, now has 2,000 citizens who hold responsibility over all 
their territorial lands, waters, air and all its natural 
resources; 

no treaties or any form of consent to cede any part of 
the Nuxalk territory has been established with foreign colonies, 
such as Canada. 

The Nuxalk people, with powers vested in them by 
the Creator, exercising their responsibilities through a potlatch 
system of Nuxalk Government has since time immemorial lived in 
harmony with all the other natural resources within the 
territorial lands, waters and air of Nuxalk. 

STANDARDS FOR DEFINING GROUPS AS INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS: 

The Nuxalk people are the original people of their 
territorial land and they have the absolute inherent Right to 
self-determination which they exercise through their Nuxalk 
Government. 

Their Aboriginal Title and Right to self-
determination are confirmed and strengthened by their 
understanding that sovereign powers is vested in them by the 
Creator. 

The Nuxalk territorial lands, waters, air and all its 
natural resources were given to the Nuxalk people by the Creator 
to provide for their essential needs. 

Adequate amounts of land, water, timber, minerals, 
oil, gas, wild-life, fish and the many 
other natural resources within their Nuxalk territory were made 
available to them by the Creator in perpetuity to ensure socio-
economic development and the peace, order and just government of 
the Nuxalk people. 

These four principles of Aboriginal Title and 
Rights held the Nuxalk people together for thousands of years as 
long as there are descendants of the Nuxalk people within Nuxalk 
territory and their Aboriginal Title and Rights are never 
extinguished, sold or traded to the descendants of foreign 
colonizers, the Nuxalk peoples have and always will be a people. 

The Nuxalk people, with sovereign powers vested in them by 
the Creator, formed a potlatch system of Nuxalk Government based 
on trust, respect, honour and sharing of wealth for all things 
created. 

This potlatch system of Nuxalk Government managed and 
controlled every aspect of the Nuxalk society including such 
social, cultural, educational, economical, political, legal and 
spiritual activities which were always carried out in harmony 
with all the other natural resources within the Nuxalk territory. 

The potlatch system of Nuxalk Government carried out the Nuxalk 
peoples' inherent Aboriginal Title and Rights within the Nuxalk 
territory. This existence was very distinct from all other 
indigenous peoples outside the Nuxalk territory; for other 
indigenous populations exercised their own form of Aboriginal 
Title and Rights. 

Recently, the Nuxalk Government, through the potlatch system 
have adopted new citizens and made them part of the Nuxalk 
People. 

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR INDIGENOUS LAND RIGHTS: 

The Nuxalk people know they hold Aboriginal Title and Rights 
to all the territorial lands, waters, air and all its natural 
resources, including the Nuxalk people, within the Nuxalk 
territory. This fact is recognized by many other Indigenous 
populations throughout the world community. 

Many modern states, particularly those states formed as 
result of colonization, will not recognize the inherent 
Aboriginal Title and Rights that the Nuxalk people hold over 
their Nuxalk territory. 

If the Nuxalk people agree to extinguish 
their Aboriginal Title and Rights to a state composed of 
descendants of colonizers then colonization will have prevailed 
in spite of the fact that the world community is committed to the 
elimination of colonialism in all its forms. 

The Nuxalk people do not want a settlement 
of their Aboriginal Title and Rights which 
in any way reflects a policy of termination nor do they want a 
final cash-for-land settlement. 

The Nuxalk people want recognition and acceptance 
of their Aboriginal Title and Rights 
within the international world community. If colonialism was 
eliminated then the Nuxalk people, as an Indigenous population, 
can get recognition and acceptance from the inter-national world 
community for their Aboriginal Title and Rights they hold to 
their Nuxalk territory, a new modern state will take its rightful 
place. 

The Nuxalk people, as Indigenous peoples from time 
immemorial, are born with their inherent Aboriginal Title and 
Rights to all their territorial lands, waters, air and all its 
natural resources. That is what it means to be Nuxalk People. 

Accordingly, an Indigenous group is a people and therefore, their 
right to lands sufficient to their wants fall under provisions of 
existing international legislation (i.e. - International Covenant 
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, International Covenant 
on Civil and Political Rights, the Declaration on the Granting of 
Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and Resolution 
1514, December 1960).

Source: THE FOURTHWORLD DOCUMENTATION PROJECT

A service provided by TheCenter For World Indigenous Studies

Originating at the Centerfor World Indigenous Studies, Olympia,  Washington USA www.cwis.org<http://www.cwis.org>

 Questions may bereferred to: Director of Research Center for World Indigenous Studies PMB 214

1001 Cooper Point RD SWSuite 140 Olympia, Washington 98502-1107 USA 360-754-1990 www.cwis.org <http://www.cwis.org>usaoffice@cwis.org <mailto:usaoffice@cwis.org>