Summary Of Symposium On Cultural Sovereignty By Rebecca Tsosie

In the article Introduction: Symposium on Cultural Sovereignty by Rebecca Tsosie, her symposium focuses on three main ideas. First, Tsosie discusses the various standpoints on sovereignty from David Matheson, Clauden Bates Arthur, and Kunani Nihipali, whose were Native Leaders. Furthermore, she describes the challenges in attaining cultural sovereignty and the critique on other perspectives of cultural sovereignty as well as better definitions of cultural sovereignty. Lastly, Tsosie list various strategies to restore cultural and political sovereignty. David Matheson defines cultural sovereignty as the fact that Native people have always been an autonomous nation. He proves his point by mentioning that Indians country had been created by a higher authority than this government. Specifically, to maintain cultural sovereignty, Matheson

The native people should approach internal matters according to their cultural laws and norms and external matters through laws and codes that encourage interactions with other communities. Lastly, Kunani Nihipali discusses his cultural perspective on sovereignty. For instance, the care for our ancestors, he empathizes is the best form of sovereignty we can implement and is the foundation of our sovergnity.
There are however, challenges in attaining that cultural sovereignty and an appropriate model for cultural sovereignty as Tsosie empathizes. For instance, according to Dr Duane Champagne discusses that the global market and technology are mainly methods of assimilation and can be an obstacle to cultural sovereignty. Furthermore, Champagne suggested that the American government can contradict with one 's cultural values and norms and that can create challenges in attaining cultural sovereignty. His definition of cultural sovereignty is the right for a Native community to decide their own policies, decisions and their visions. It is also the decision on whether to adopt to or reject to new cultural ways and to