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Overview
This lesson supports students to review the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and examine the importance of rights for specific groups of people. Students will analyze the articles within the UNDRIP and identify key differences from the UDHR.
Grade Level
8th-12th Grades
Essential questions the lesson will address:
● Why is it important for Indigenous people to have their own international document that protects their rights?
● Are there key differences between the UDHR and the UNDRIP? If so, what are they?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Review and discuss articles in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
● Articulate at least three reasons as to why it was essential to create a specific declaration to support the rights and dignity of Indigenous Peoples.
● Identify at least two UNDRIP articles that would not be supported in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Common Core State Standards (9th Grade)
Water Warriors Glossary and Concepts
● Indigenous peoples: Considering the diversity of Indigenous peoples, an official definition of “indigenous” has not been adopted by any UN-system body. Instead, the system has developed a modern understanding of this term based on the following:
○ Self-identification as Indigenous peoples at the individual level and accepted by the community as their member
○ Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies
○ Strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources
○ Distinct social, economic or political systems
○ Distinct language, culture and beliefs
○ Form non-dominant groups of society
○ Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities. (CITE The Fact Sheet)
● Tribal Sovereignty: Tribal sovereignty refers to the right of American Indians and Alaska Natives to govern themselves. Sovereignty for tribes includes the right to establish their own form of government, determine membership requirements, enact legislation, and establish law enforcement and court systems.(National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
● UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): A universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world. It elaborates on existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of Indigenous peoples, The UN General Assembly adopted the UNDRIP in 2007. (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)
International Document Reference
● The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), with specific attention to article 25.
● The entirety of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), with specific attention to articles 25, 26, 29, and 32.
Formative Assessment Strategies (What will you be looking for in their work, and how?)
The teacher can make note of:
● Student participation in the partner activity about human rights.
● Class-wide participation in the discussions related to the UNDRIP.
● Partner engagement in the UNDRIP activity.
Materials for Instructor
● Whiteboard, Blackboard, SmartBoard, or Flip Chart
● Water Warriors Glossary Board (Physical or Virtual)
Materials for Students
● Water Warriors Journal
● UNDRIP handout (1 per pair)
● UDHR (Students should have copies of the document in their journals from the previous class.)
LESSON PLAN
I. Discussion (10 min.)
Lead an opening discussion that supports students to reflect on what they have learned in the past three lessons. Discussion questions can include:
● What new things have you learned about human rights?
● What surprised you about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
● Had you considered water as being a human right before the last class?
● Has this new knowledge changed the way you respond or assess things in your daily lives?
Guide the discussion toward asking students if they think there are other groups of people that may have additional rights that are not listed in the UDHR or that may not have all their human rights fully protected in the UDHR. Target answers include:
● Women and girls
● Refugees
● Minority ethnic or religious groups
● Indigenous or Native people
II. UNDRIP (20 min.)
Share with students that a declaration, the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, was adopted by the General Assembly in 2007. Ask students if they know why the UNDRIP was needed. Have them popcorn share their answers.
Begin introducing the UNDRIP with a passage from An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People:
“Under the crust of that part of the earth called the United States of America are buried the bones, villages, fields, and sacred objects of the first people of the land- the people who are often called American Indians or Native Americans. Their descendants, also called Indigenous peoples, carry memories and stories of how the United States came to be the nation we know today” (p.1).
Ask students if they have any response to the quote. Have students popcorn share any comments. Then share the UN definition of Indigenous Peoples:
● Indigenous peoples: Considering the diversity of indigenous peoples, an official definition of “indigenous” has not been adopted by any UN-system body. Instead, the system has developed a modern understanding of this term based on the following:
○ Self-identification as indigenous peoples at the individual level and accepted by the community as their member
○ Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies
○ Strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources
○ Distinct social, economic, or political systems
○ Distinct language, culture, and beliefs
○ Form non-dominant groups of society
○ Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities. (CITE The Fact Sheet)
Pass out the UNDRIP or project it on the screen for all students to see. Tell students that, although the UNDRIP was adopted in 2007, it took 25 years to be written by Indigenous groups worldwide and UN member states.
Tell students it was created to ensure Indigenous peoples be treated with basic survival, dignity, and well-being. It was ratified by 144 countries.
Begin the review of the UNDRIP by choosing students to read each section of the Annex out loud. Pause after each section is read aloud and check students’ understanding and ask if there are any questions. When it makes sense point out some of the Annex’s details such as repeating verbs and how active verbs (-ing) are used rather than it being written in the past tense. The annex covers complex human rights issues, feel free to stop at any point to enable students to share any thoughts, observations, or feelings that may come up.
After the annex is shared aloud, review the Water Warriors glossary word definition for Tribal Sovereignty. They are now prepared for the next activity!
III. UNDRIP Partner Review (15 min.)
Explain to students that they will work in pairs to review the UNDRIP in depth. Have students sit with their partners and distribute the UNDRIP handout. Also, ask them to take out their copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) to use as a reference. Ask students to focus on the following:
Read through the UNDRIP with your partner and identify the articles that you both feel are the most important to uphold respect and dignity for Indigenous Peoples.
Identify at least two articles in the UNDRIP that you both feel would not be supported by the UDHR.
IV. Reflection Sharing (5 min.)
Have partners share their findings related to the prompts as well as anything important they feel came up in their exploration.
V. Homework
Find one current events story that involves the rights of Indigenous Peoples and water. Examples include Standing Rock and Pipeline Number Three. If there is time, show a media sample to the class such as this video from Standing Rock produced by Vogue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFjnudxcfv0