Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples,
Gender Justice and Peace

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Issue #03

Indigenous Women Change Makers in the Indo-Burma Border Region

March Newsletter, 2023

Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice and Peace

War and conflict across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas have intensified over the month of February, in many cases continuing to put the lives of Indigenous peoples in the most vulnerable positions – whether it be as soldiers on the front line sent to fight another peoples’ war, or displaced from their homes consequence of intensifying regional fighting. Conflict remains a constant and painful reality for many of our brothers and sisters around the world, it’s our responsibility to help usher safety, stability, and peace into their lives.

March is Women’s History Month, and in this newsletter edition, we honor the Indigenous women leaders in the Indo-Burma region who have been courageously advocating for the rights of their people for decades. We will also touch on the ongoing developments within Indigenous refugee communities and survivors of the Indo-Burma region. The Global Alliance has been working around the clock to assess the magnitude of the escalating humanitarian crisis within the region, and to begin delivering aid to those most in need.

Emergency Aid in Indo-Burma Region

Gathering of Indigenous women survivors (February 11th, 2023)

In the month of February, the Global Alliance continued to identified survivors of conflict who are in need of emergency assistance. Many of the survivors are widows or displaced due to regional conflict and medical emergencies. The majority of survivors currently have little to no monthly income and are scraping by to survive.

In February, the Global Alliance was also able to deliver emergency assistance aid to survivors, with the help of grass-roots partner organizations. Through small funds granted, we have been able to help youth survivors with basic education funds, while also providing survivors with emergency funds to assist in raw material purchases such as looms and yarn. The Global Alliance continues to help eligible survivors access government schemes & other emergency medical and legal assistance, connecting survivors with additional resource opportunities and strengthening their networks to help them move towards stability.

Read more about the initiative

Convening of Indigenous Women Leaders of Northeast India

Gathering of Indigenous women leaders in Langthabal, Manipur (February 25th, 2023)

On February 25th, 2023, the Manipur Women Gun Survivor’s Network (MWGSN) and the Northeast India Women Initiative for Peace (NIWIP) convened a group of Indigenous women leaders in Langthabal, Manipur, to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in the states of Northeast India, consequence to decades of regional conflict and the new influx of refugees fleeing from conflict and civil war in Myanmar. Women leaders at the meeting looked to outline strategical state level approaches to address the militarization of Indigenous Peoples’ land, as well as consequential martial laws imposed, both in Northeast India and Myanmar. The convening was a landmark meeting which brought together Indigenous women leaders from communities with histories of inter-cultural conflict; many leaders present were meeting and talking together in the same room for the first time.

Indigenous women leaders of Northeast India discussing recent events concerning their communities

Women leaders present at the meeting moved past differences and came to a consensus that they will work together as an alliance to meet the needs of refugees and conflict affected communities. The agreement was reached that leaders present at the meeting will also band together to address future crises arising from conflict zones.

Read more about the initiative

Indo-Burma Region Situation Report



MYANMAR SITUATION: Key Updates

  • 50,900 asylum-seekers have now crossed the Indo-Burma border since the February 1st, 2021 coup. Numbers are expected to be an undercount.

  • 1,912,769 internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are still seeking refuge within Myanmar’s borders. This includes 794,228 IDPs in Sagaing Region and 47,200 IDPs in Chin State, two of the three states sharing a border with Northeast India.

  • 19,836 Myanmar Nationals have been arrested by the military regime, and 3,022 have been killed by the military regime. These numbers include arrests of 486 children, and the deaths of 286 children. Many children have died or been crippled by land mines set by the military regime.

  • 182,000 Kerenni’s have been displaced from their homes in Eastern Myanmar, according to a new report from the USIP, consequence to sustained airstrikes, arbitrary arrests, raids on homes, destruction of homes and health facilities, among many other acts of civilian atrocities undertaken by the Myanmar military.


NORTHEAST INDIA: Key Updates

  • 15 insurgents arrested in India’s Northeast in the last month, adding to over 10,125 arrests of insurgents made in Northeast India since 2014. During that same period, 587 insurgents have been killed in counter-insurgency efforts, along with the death of 128 special forces personnel.

  • 94 Myanmar Refugees arrested in Manipur during the last month for “illegal” entry into the country, adding to a rising number of arrests of Myanmar asylum-seekers in Manipur, deemed unlawful by many experts. Courts in Manipur have consistently sided with Myanmar nationals, stating that they are not “illegal” immigrants, and should be treated as refugees.

  • 38,200 Myanmar asylum seekers are currently estimated in Mizoram, however, estimates are likely an undercount. The Mizoram government continues to issue Identity cards to refugees, however civil organizations still push the Indian government to afford stronger legal rights to asylum seekers.

  • 6,950 Myanmar asylum-seekers are currently estimated in Manipur, however, estimates are likely undercounted. The majority of refugees in Manipur remain in hiding due to fear of retribution by the Manipur State government.
Read the full situation report

Resources for Survivors in the Indo-Burma Border Region

UNHCR India Refugee Helpline:
Phone (toll-free) 1-800-103-5635

National Human Rights Commission, India:
Phone (toll-free) 91-11-24-651330
E-mail cr.nhcr@nic.in

Manipur State Human Rights Commission:
Phone (toll-free) 91-38-52-451017
E-mail shrcmanipur@gmail.com

To acquire a Refugee ID Card in Mizoram:
Contact local Refugee camp or government office Refugee ID cards are only valid in Mizoram

View the Indo-Burma region Refugee Fact Sheet

Indo-Burma Region in the News

Myanmar Air Force Target Civilians, Clinics and Schools

Burma News International, March 4th, 2023


“On the 61st anniversary of Myanmar’s first military coup led by the late General Ne Win on 2 March 1962, the Canadian not-for-profit organization, Associates to Develop Democratic Burma Inc., released its Special Report on unprecedented air strikes and bombings by the Myanmar Air Force against civilians and civilian physical infrastructures such as schools, clinics, places of worships of all faiths, residential homes and villages.

The 44-page report is drawn from the research and documentation by different organizations, such as the Karen National Union, Chin National Front, Kachin Independence Army, Karenni National Progressive Party, the Salween Institute for Public Policy, as well as Karenni human rights organizations, and the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian NGO. Additionally, the ADDB report draws on the Myanmar military’s leaked document of the 23 December 2022 meeting of military security chiefs.”

Read the full news article

Pressure mounts on Manipur govt after Myanmar asylum seeker dies at detention centre

The Print India, February 26th, 2023

“Guwahati: The death of a Myanmar national at the Foreigner Detention Centre (FDC) near Sajiwa jail in Manipur’s Imphal East district has drawn desperate appeals from rights groups to secure refugee rights for people fleeing junta atrocities since the February 2021 coup.

Lamkhochon Guite, 32, from Sayarsan village of Myanmar’s Tamu Township died in the wee hours of Sunday, police confirmed. He was lodged at the detention centre along with 70 Myanmarese nationals arrested 27 January from Moreh sub-division in the border district of Tengnoupal.”

Read the full news article

Indigenous Women Leaders:
Ja Seng Hkawn Maran

Ja Seng Hkawn Maran was a member of Parliament of Kachin State in Myanmar before the Myanmar government was toppled in the February, 2021, coup by the nation’s military. When Ja Seng was six months old, her father left home to join the Kachin Independence Army, the military wing of Kachin Independence Organization, which was fighting for autonomy, at the very least under a federal democracy promised in the Panglong Agreement.

Ja Seng began her political career by bringing women together to advance the rights of Kachin Indigenous Peoples by establishing the Kachin Women's Union. The Kachin Women’s Union sought a strategy of advocacy to advance the economic and political rights of Kachin women. She also worked with the Kachin Independence Organization for years pursuing ambitions to negotiate with Myanmar government on equal terms to honor the intentions of the Panglong Agreement and either liberate the Kachin State, or respect a genuine federal democracy. Ja Seng later ran for the Kachin Parliament under the Kachin State Democracy Party ticket, gaining her seat in 2015.

Ja Seng’s leadership in grass roots community organizing, and within State level policy-making, has deeply impacted the fight for the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Myanmar.

Indigenous Knowledges

Excerpt from greater coucals

if we follow the greater coucal,
we arrive in the city.

there are many
flying coucals
in the hills.
some coucals
fly for food
some coucals
fly for riddles
and arrive in the city…

some coucals
fly for a place to live
for education
with many excuses
some fly straight
some fly upside down
some fly in separate flocks
some fly high
some fly against the wind
there are forms of flying
many techniques of flight
take strength from fresh air
all arrive in the city…

By Mya Kabyar (Chin)

The Chin people are Indigenous to Western Myanmar. Consequence to heavy fighting in the Chin State of Myanmar, the Chin peoples are currently experiencing high levels of displacement, with nearly 50,000 peoples internally displaced from their homes, and estimates of over 70,000 Chin peoples seeking refugee in neighboring countries.



The Haudenosaunee Game: Lacrosse

Lacrosse is the oldest team sport still played in Turtle Island, with a long and rich history. The sport originated around 900 ~ 1,000 years ago as a Haudenosaunee past time. Early versions of the game were played with anywhere between 100 and 1,000 players, on fields that could sometimes stretch miles. Lacrosse was often played to settle disputes or to bring different tribes together over trade and sport. Many see the sport of Lacrosse as a gift from the Creator, and view it as a kind of medicine. Culturally, Lacrosse is also viewed as a bridge between players and Ancestors, understanding that in the Sky World, Ancestors are playing amidst the players. It is tradition in many Haudenosaunee cultures to gift young boys a lacrosse stick at birth.

The Iroquois National Team is currently ranked 3rd in the world. Not only are they extremely competitive in international competitions, but their team also often travels to tournaments on Haudenosaunee Passports. The Haudenosaunee passport has been around since 1923, when it was used to travel to Geneva during the League of Nations. The passport has been accepted for travel by dozens of countries.


The Birth of Polo

Polo is widely recognized as the world’s oldest team sport still played today, with many historians projecting well over 2,000 years of history (depending on definitions, Polo’s history is actually closer to 5,000 years). The sport can be traced back to a sport known as Sagol Kangjei, played as early as 3,100 B.C. in the Kingdom of Manipur, present-day Northeast India. The sport is known to have developed widely during the reign of King Kangba (1405 - 1359 B.C.), and began spreading far and wide through Central, Southern and East Asia as a popular pastime among Indigenous Nations.

For many, Polo was also seen as a way to train and focus a warriors’ skills on horseback. The sport was popularized in England after British tea-planters in Manipur brought the game to the west. The first game in England was played in 1869. In Meitei (Manipuri) mythology, Polo was brought to their people by the God Marjing, the Ancestor of Meitei horses. The game has held sacred traditional meaning in Manipur for over 5,000 years.

Fellowship and Scholarship Resources for Indigenous Peoples and Refugees

Fellowships

FSC Indigenous Fellowship Program
“The FSC-IF invites applications from Indigenous Peoples to enable them to strengthen their skills, knowledge, capacities, and networks through fellowship opportunities with the aim to facilitate the implementation of a project at the sub-national, national, regional, or global level and to share their experience and learning process with their Indigenous peers.”

Indigenous Leaders Conservation Fellowship
“Through this fellowship, we are creating opportunities for Indigenous leaders to explore solutions to the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss using the traditional knowledge of men and women.”

NAIS Fellowship
“The NAIS Fellowship seeks to support emerging scholars — such as graduate students, early career faculty, and community-based scholars — working within or across the international, interdisciplinary arenas of Indigenous Studies.”

Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship
“The Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship promotes intellectual leadership in Native American communities by supporting outstanding Native Americans who hail from a wide variety of fields and who utilize different modes of expression in communicating their knowledge and work.”

Scholarships (refugees and scholars from conflict zones)

HEC Paris – Imagine Fellows
“The HEC Foundation and HEC Paris, driven by the conviction that higher education has a key role to play in making the world a more peaceful place, have created “HEC Imagine Fellows”, a unique scholarship program intended for students from war-torn countries.”

Scholarship for Displaced Students – Columbia University
“The Scholarship supports displaced students from anywhere in the world who are unable to complete their higher education. These students will receive up to full tuition, housing, and living assistance while pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees…”

Humanitarian Scholarship – University of Manchester
“The University of Manchester has created fully-funded scholarships for 20 students who are fleeing war and persecution, with people now able to apply to start studying in September.”

Sanctuary Scholarships – University of Edinburgh
“The scheme aims to provides further academic training for doctoral students whose research studies have been affected by conflict.”

DAFI Scholarship – UNHCR (Myanmar not included)
“The DAFI (Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative) scholarship programme offers qualified refugee and returnee students the possibility to earn an undergraduate degree in their country of asylum or home country.”

Sanctuary Scholarships – University of Bradford
“The University of Bradford provides these scholarships to enable new students seeking asylum, or those already granted refugee status who cannot access student finance, to participate in higher education.”

Additional Resources

inHERE Project – Higher Education in Europe

Explore UN’s Higher Education Scholarship Opportunity Board

Times Higher Education – University Scholarships for Refugee Students

Upcoming Global Events

March, 2023

April, 2023

Location

Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice and Peace P.O. Box 27
New York, NY
10032, USA