Indigenous

The voices of the Jumma peoples continue to reach international platforms. As Jumma communities expand across the globe, their advocacy grows stronger. No matter where they live, they remain connected to their roots and committed to seeking justice, dignity, and rights for their people.

Near the porous Indo-Myanmar border in India, Ukhrul is inhabited by the indigenous Tangkhul and is situated in a geography that is breathtaking and burdened. It is remote, but more than that, it has long been exposed. For those of us born here, the hills are not just landscapes. They are witnesses.

This region may appear as a vast agricultural plain defined by rivers, canals, and rice fields. To us, it is the living heart of our civilization, the sacred landscape where our ancestors built temples, cultivated rice in rhythm with the floodwaters, and shaped a culture inseparable from the land.

The CHamoru people have endured five centuries of colonial tsunamis — Spain, Japan, the United States. Today, heavy U.S. military presence makes Guåhan an easy target for China and North Korea. Our David-and-Goliath struggle for self-determination continues. Who decides Guam's future?

Starting at dawn, in the highlands of West Papua, mist hangs low over the canopy, drifting between trees that have stood longer than memory. The sound of footsteps travels differently here, softened by earth that has held generations. For those who live here, the forest is where stories begin.