Indigenous Leaders Craft New Ocean Law Based on Ancestral Knowledge
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📰 The quick summary: Indigenous leaders are working to create an Indigenous Law of the Sea that would document traditional protocols for ocean stewardship and complement existing international maritime laws.
📈 One key stat: Indigenous peoples have maintained their relationship with salmon for over 10,000 years, highlighting the deep connection that predates modern ocean governance.
💬 One key quote: “What would the world look like if everybody started to operate the way that Indigenous people have, and the way Indigenous people have cared for these places?” said ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak, vice president of the Ocean Conservancy’s Arctic and Northern Waters program.
1️⃣ The big picture: Indigenous leaders are developing an Indigenous Law of the Sea to document traditional ocean stewardship practices that have sustained their communities for millennia. Unlike the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which only recognized states can sign, this initiative aims to center Indigenous voices and sovereignty in ocean governance. Led by ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak, vice president at Ocean Conservancy, the effort draws inspiration from Māori practices in New Zealand and seeks to create an international framework. The document wouldn’t replace existing international law but would complement it by sharing Indigenous protocols that have successfully maintained ocean health for thousands of years.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: This initiative creates space for Indigenous peoples to assert their inherent sovereignty and share ecological wisdom that predates colonial governance. The collaborative process brings together diverse Indigenous nations from Alaska, New Zealand, Hawaii, and beyond to document effective stewardship practices. Their traditional knowledge offers alternative approaches to pressing ocean challenges like climate change and deep-sea mining. By formalizing these protocols, Indigenous communities can strengthen their advocacy in international forums where they’ve historically been marginalized. The initiative recognizes that Indigenous relationships with oceans contain valuable solutions for global environmental challenges.
3️⃣ What’s next: Organizers have held one gathering in Alaska, bringing together tribes and native entities with Māori leaders who have already developed their own ocean governance framework. An informal Indigenous Peoples Ocean Alliance formed at the UN Ocean Conference in France. The initiative aims to expand beyond Alaska with more formalized international collaboration.
Read the full story here: Grist – What would an Indigenous Law of the Sea look like?
