framework of top-down development assistance. This principle is markedly different from self-determination.
what is handed down by their Elders. An important precedent of a document drafted in this way is the Mataatua Declaration of the Maori in New Zealand, which was submitted to the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1993.
The need for an integrating concept like TRR is especially high for indigenous peoples residing in countries where national laws offer only weak protection for their collective rights. Only a few countries have domestic legislation with provisions comparable to international law.
These include Canada and the Philippines, which have the supreme court Delgamuukw decision and the Ancestral Domain Law, respectively. Even where this type of safeguard exists, national action usually lags far behind what is recognized and provided for in law (Johnston, 1997). This lack of diligence offers much temptation to a self-regulated industry like tourism.
Partnership building
For sustainable partnerships to be built in the tourism sector between indigenous peoples and outside parties, it will be on a case-by-case basis, as common interests are identified. The main ingredient in any successful cross-cultural partnership is the individual who decides to serve as a
‘champion’ for change. These persons go beyond their job description, their career thinking and sometimes their cultural comfort zones to establish trust and a personal connection. They are willing to put their signature on new types of agreements, and to provide the leadership necessary for trying a new way.
Principles for building a successful partnership start at the personal level. It is individuals that carry principles into an organization or company, and demonstrate how they apply to the business at hand. Principles to consider in relation to working with indigenous communities on tourism and the wide realm of interconnected issues include:
· Preparation: taking a sincere interest in learning about the historical and contemporary issues of priority to indigenous peoples.
· Protocol: showing respect for the cultural traditions that govern relationship building and decision-making. Respecting the role of ceremony and prayer in the ‘workplace’.
· Presence: arriving in a community as a whole person, not as merely a professional or representative. Sharing your own personal values.
· Participation: accepting invitations to listen to the Elders and other recognized community authorities who speak for the people.
· Process: approaching problem solving through inclusive community means like sharing circles rather than just impersonal and linear
‘expert’ methodologies.
Within indigenous peoples’ organizations there is increasing awareness of the need to identify and train such ‘champions’. Many indigenous leaders are mindful of the bridges that can be built by welcoming to their inner circle gifted non-indigenous professionals and other individuals whose vision for sustainability is compatible. This type of partnering, com- bined with the politics of ‘perseverence’ practiced by indigenous peoples, is slowly but fundamentally changing the direction of discourses on sustain- able tourism. Expert forums on tourism, such as the process established under theUN Convention on Biological Diversityare for the first time having to address indigenous peoples’ experiences with tourism and other industrial economies, as a core issue. Indigenous peoples have sent the message that sustainable economies will not be achieved through ‘business as usual’.
Conclusion
Thus far, most talks on tourism involving indigenous communities have polarized around questions of control. The tourism industry envisions continued self-regulation, while affected communities seek safeguards for their traditional resource rights. Such differences cannot be readily resolved, given that they are ultimately value based. Therefore, effective mediating tools are required. These include indicators and early warning systems which address cultural sustainability.
For indigenous peoples to articulate their part of this equation, and build successful partnerships with outside interests, the topic of indigenous rights cannot remain a taboo subject. Self-review of tourism projects, according to their own values and knowledge, is necessary to provide technical parameters for innovation. Partnerships built on this foundation, and carried forward through the personal commitment of leadership on both sides, can lead to new prospects for indigenous communities seeking to maintain their cultural identity and peoplehood while pursuing a tourism economy.
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