From Cyberspace to Offline Communities: Indigenous Peoples and Global Connectivity

This article examines how indigenous peoples use two unique spaces of a globalizing world–-cyberspace and the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues–-to make their claims, foment alliances, and assert their right of self-determination. It describes how indigenous peoples’ use of these two spaces positions them so they are no longer simply reacting to globalizing processes and events but are situated so that others will have to contend with their alternative visions of the world. KEYWORDS: Internet, funding, globalization, Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, self-determination, United Nations