Global Indigenous Movements - Shared Struggles, Common Goals
Global Indigenous Movements - Shared Struggles, Common Goals · Years 7–10
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga · Learning Intentions
- Investigate a social, historical, economic, or political question using evidence
- Analyse multiple perspectives on complex social issues
- Understand how historical and contemporary forces shape society and identity
- Evaluate the relevance of Māori concepts and frameworks to understanding social issues
Paearu Angitu · Success Criteria
- I use at least two different sources or perspectives in my investigation
- I can explain how historical events or processes connect to present-day conditions
- I can present a clear position supported by specific evidence
- I connect at least one Māori concept or value to the social issue I am investigating
Whakataukī | Proverb
"He waka eke noa"
We are all in this canoe together.
Indigenous peoples worldwide face similar struggles - land theft, cultural suppression, environmental destruction, systemic racism. But we also share common values: connection to land, collective wellbeing, sustainability. This whakataukī reminds us that Indigenous solidarity crosses borders. When one community fights for justice, we all benefit from their courage and wisdom.
🌍 Global Indigenous Movements
Unit 5: Shared Struggles, Common Goals
📋 Learning Objectives:
- Compare Indigenous movements across different countries
- Identify common struggles and shared goals
- Analyze strategies for resistance and sovereignty
- Understand global Indigenous solidarity networks
Treaty violations, land confiscation, te reo suppression, health inequity
1975 Land March, Māori Renaissance, Waitangi Tribunal claims, te reo revitalization
Treaty settlements, te reo in schools, increased Māori representation, cultural renaissance
Environmental protection, tino rangatiratanga, socioeconomic inequality
Stolen Generations, land rights, deaths in custody, health crisis
1967 Referendum, Tent Embassy (1972), Mabo land rights case, Sorry Day movement
Native Title Act, national apology (2008), cultural recognition growing
Constitutional recognition, treaty negotiations, justice system reform
Treaty violations, boarding schools, Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, water rights
American Indian Movement (AIM), Wounded Knee occupation, Standing Rock (DAPL), Idle No More
Tribal sovereignty recognition, Dakota Access Pipeline halted (temporarily), land back movements
Pipeline resistance, MMIW crisis, water protection, sacred site defense
Reindeer herding rights, mining on sacred lands, language suppression, cultural erasure
Alta Dam protests (1979), Sami Parliament establishment, language revitalization
Sami Parliaments in 3 countries, language rights, land rights recognition
Mining resistance, climate change impacts, cultural preservation
🤝 What Do All These Movements Share?
Fighting pipelines, mining, dams, and environmental destruction on ancestral lands
Language recovery, traditional practices, ceremony protection, identity reclamation
Right to govern themselves, control resources, maintain distinct identity
Young Indigenous people leading climate justice, #LandBack, cultural renaissance
Connection to land, collective wellbeing, 7-generation thinking, reciprocity
UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights, international solidarity, knowledge sharing
💭 Critical Thinking Questions
1. Why do you think Indigenous peoples worldwide face similar struggles despite being in different countries?
2. How can Māori in Aotearoa learn from and support Aboriginal Australians or Standing Rock water protectors?
3. Research ONE current Indigenous movement happening right now. What are they fighting for?
🌟 Extension Challenge
Create a Solidarity Poster: Design a poster showing connections between 2-3 Indigenous movements. Include images, quotes, shared goals, and a call to action!
Sketch your poster design here
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Level 3–4: Investigate how historical, political, and economic processes shape societies; understand how people participate in communities to create change; analyse different perspectives on social, cultural, and environmental issues.
Level 3–4: Gather, evaluate, and synthesise information from multiple sources; construct well-reasoned arguments using evidence; communicate social science understanding clearly in written, oral, and visual forms.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
Social Sciences taught well in Aotearoa should be uncomfortable — because the history of this land is one in which Māori and other communities have faced injustice, and in which those injustices are not yet fully addressed. Mātauranga Māori offers frameworks for thinking about social change that go beyond Western political theory: the concept of tino rangatiratanga (self-determination), of kotahitanga (unity in purpose), of utu (reciprocity across time) — these are not abstract ideas but working tools for analysing how power has been distributed and how it might be redistributed more justly. Social Sciences that centres these frameworks gives students the analytical vocabulary to name what they see in the world and imagine what could be different.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Resources already provided
This handout is designed to be used alongside other resources in the same unit. Related materials are linked in the unit planner. All content is provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will investigate global indigenous solidarity movements through a historical lens, using whakapapa of resistance to trace how communities have organised across borders to assert tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake. This unit connects Aotearoa's struggle for sovereignty to broader international movements for indigenous rights and decolonisation.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ I can analyse and compare perspectives from multiple indigenous resistance movements globally.
- ✅ I can explain how solidarity across difference has strengthened indigenous rights campaigns.
- ✅ I can evaluate the significance of international indigenous solidarity for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide graphic organisers for comparing movements. Entry-level tasks focus on identifying key events; extension tasks require evaluating the effectiveness of solidarity strategies and writing a persuasive historical argument.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key historical terms (sovereignty, solidarity, colonisation, decolonisation). Provide bilingual glossaries where available; allow discussion in home language first.
Inclusion: Use structured note-taking templates and chunked readings. Neurodiverse learners benefit from visual timelines and choice in how they demonstrate understanding — oral, visual, or written formats all valid. Ensure content is presented sensitively given the potential for personal connection to histories of dispossession.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Centre whakapapa as a methodology — tracing the genealogy of resistance ideas across cultures and time. Frame the hīkoi as both a political act and a cultural expression of rangatiratanga. Connect to the whakataukī: "He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata."
Prior knowledge: Best used after foundational study of colonisation and the Treaty of Waitangi. Familiarity with basic historical inquiry skills is recommended.
Curriculum alignment
- Social Studies — Understanding: Students understand that historical and contemporary events reflect the perspectives and interests of those involved and their significance for different groups.
- Social Studies — Understanding: Students understand how the Treaty of Waitangi has shaped New Zealand society and the ongoing significance of indigenous rights.