BOOK REVIEWS

Mining and Indigenous Peoples: Case Studies, July 1999

Published by The International Council on Metals and the Environment (ICME)
294 Albert Street, Suite 506, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 6E6
http://www.icme.com

Reviewed by P. Jerry Asp, V.P. Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association

This is a good publication with case studies illustrating the significant changes to the relationships between Indigenous Peoples and mining companies, showing how Indigenous Peoples and mining companies can work together and achieve a win-win situation for both communities.The case studies kill the myth that, in North America, Indigenous Peoples only know how to do fancy beadwork and carve totem poles. Mining companies are starting to look at Indigenous Peoples as potential partners and a ready labour pool - not as a potential liability but as a potential benefit to their projects. This can only be positive to all future relationships between mining companies and the Indigenous Peoples they encounter.The case studies point out that direct legislation, Indigenous control of their traditional territories, and court decisions are now a fact of life for the mining industry. These changes are taking place worldwide not just in developed countries. Therefore, any mining company that wants to mine or explore for minerals will have to deal with the Indigenous population in a significant manner. These case studies are a good starting point for future project consideration.One weakness however, is that these examples have not taken into account the Indigenous view of "long-term". To people who have live in a region for 5 – 10 and even 20 thousand years, a mining projects of 20 or 30 years duration is not considered long-term. It is a disruption in the flow of time, much like effects of an earthquake or major flood but with the potential to be more disrupting to their way of life. The effects of an earthquake or major flood pass very quickly and life will go on, but once a community has moved from the "bush economy" to the "wage economy" they can’t turn back the clock. This potentially devastating issue needs to be addressed.As Indigenous Peoples were there before a mining project started and will be there after it has ceased, it must be understood that Indigenous Peoples are talking in terms of a "Sustainable Communities" not "Sustainable Development". What is going to be left for the community once the mining project is finished? Will they be left with a diversified community, improved infrastructure, better schools, better medical facilities, and transferable skills or will they be left, as in the past, with just an environmental headache?The examples assume that once a mine closes and the operations have ceased the skills that the Indigenous Peoples learned will be transferred to other projects. This may be true in some cases but definitely not in all cases. Most Indigenous Peoples do not like to leave their home area to seek employment. Therefore, more planning needs to go into existing and new projects as to the after effects of the mine closure.The challenge of the future will relate to: