The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states in Article 11: “Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, objects, designs, ceremonies, technologies, visual and performing arts and literatures”.
It has been proven that the most powerful tool for social change in the world is culture, and part of this is the arts and creative expressions. There is nothing else that transcends the barriers of language, economics, culture, and place in a way that engages people and communities like arts and creative expressions do. Indigenous Peoples cultural expressions manifested through arts and cultural expressions play a very important role within their cultures.
For Indigenous Peoples and many ethnic groups around the world, the benefits of cultural expressions and folkloric aspects have been tangible and rise to the utmost importance for the perpetuation and well-being of their communities, to include social, cultural, and economic benefits. Cultural expressions and folkloric aspects in Indigenous Peoples are one of the highest aspirations for their self-determination.
The cultural expressions and folkloric aspects of Indigenous Peoples focus on experiencing “shared belonging” and, at the same time, learning from each other creating solidarity. This has been done from generation to generation.
Probably most importantly, this type of community synergy linked to arts and cultures creates a collective “energy” inspired and focused toward a common goal or cause, through song, sculpture, dance, painting, tattooing, the telling of traditional knowledge, and visual art. Its purposes are many, including celebrating a special occasion or event, honoring an ancestor or a particular person, or expressing appreciation for the bounty of the earth, sky, water, fire, and seas.
Indigenous Peoples can generate knowledge through their traditional knowledge linked to their cultural expressions and folkloric aspects. Socially, participation in cultural expressions enhances social cohesion within communities, promotes health and well-being, and provides a range of benefits in many sectors of indigenous society. Cultural expressions and folkloric aspects, in particular, have provided an avenue for indigenous women’s advancement in personal development, self-esteem, financial independence, and empowerment within their communities. From the cultural aspect, indigenous artists express their identity, connection to the land and their community through their art. The visual arts sector provides cultural maintenance and promotes traditional culture.
A recent national study, “Building Public will for Arts and Culture,” developed by Arts Midwest and Metropolitan Group and released in April 2015, revealed that the key motivation and primary value of arts and culture identified by study participants was connection. The ability to connect with others, with new ideas and other cultures, even with oneself and the creative process is of paramount importance.
Additionally, in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Article 11.2 stated: “States shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which may include restitution, established in conjunction with indigenous peoples, with respect to cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free, prior and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs.”
Therefore, it is of great relevance to create strategies and laws that lay the foundations to protect the cultural expressions of Indigenous Peoples and in this way create respectful relations between the states and Indigenous Peoples.
Currently, many cultural expressions and folkloric aspects of Indigenous Peoples have been commercialized without their consent by Western companies and Indigenous Peoples do not receive economic benefits from these cultural expressions.
