An International Symposium on the Indigenous Right to Catch Salmon in Rivers will take place in Urahoro, Hokkaido from May 26-28, 2023.
This symposium is sponsored by Raporo Ainu Nation. Raporo Ainu Nation is currently engaged in a historic lawsuit in Sapporo District Court to pursue recognition of their Indigenous right to catch salmon in the local rivers. On March 23 at 2pm JST, Raporo Ainu Nation will present oral arguments to the court. There will be a debriefing session at the the High School Teachers Union Center after the hearing.
Additionally, to help raise support for their cause, Raporo Ainu Nation is sponsoring the international symposium, which will feature Indigenous guests from five countries and seven regions, including a chief of Haida Gwai, the president of the Sami Parliament, and aboriginal representatives from Australia and Taiwan. Each of these Indigenous communities have been fighting for their own fishing rights, and will come from far and wide to support Ainu fishing rights. Professor Hirofumi Kato, President of the Global Station for Indigenous Peoples and Cultural Diversity Studies at Hokkaido University (a co-sponsoring organization), hopes that “new discussions on Indigenous rights will start here.” The information for the event is posted below.
Title: Indigenous Symposium: The Indigenous Right to Catch Salmon in Rivers – A Gathering of Indigenous Peoples living with the Sea, Forests, and Rivers.
Sponsor: Raporo Ainu Nation
Co-Sponsors: Hokkaido University Research Group for Disclosure Documents and Hokkaido University Global Station for Indigenous Peoples and Cultural Diversity Studies.
Schedule: Friday, May 26, 2023 (2pm JST) – Welcoming Ceremony
Saturday, May 27, 2023 (morning) – Fieldwork (for Indigenous participants only)
Saturday, May 27, 2023 (2pm-6:30pm JST) – Presentations by International Indigenous Guests
Sunday, May 28, 2023 (9am-11:45am JST) – Presentations by International Indigenous Guests
Sunday, May 28, 2023 (12:45pm-4:30pm JST) – Roundtable Discussion with Raporo Ainu Nation and International Indigenous Guests
Note: The event will not be simulcast on Zoom due to privacy considerations. However, selected recordings will be made available online after the event. We will update this post with a link to the recordings at that time.
For more information, please visit Raporo Ainu Nation’s Homepage.
