Indigenous Stories: Sacred Lands & Modern Conflicts

Mauna Kea, the highest mountain in the Hawaiian island chain, a drama is unfolding around the planned Thirty Meter Telescope. The mountain, sacred to the Hawaiians, becomes the scene of a conflict between scientists and indigenous people. While astronomer Doug Simons wants to explore the boundaries of the universe and strives for groundbreaking discoveries, Jojo, a Native Hawaiian, fights passionately to protect the sacred site. The conflict raises fundamental questions about faith and knowledge, shaped by religion, homeland, conservation, and scientific progress. History shows that there are no easy answers. Proud scientists are pitted against Native Hawaiians who protect their culture and nature. Mauna Kea becomes a symbol of the complexity of our time, in which the urge for knowledge collides with the need for conservation.

A new race for space has begun. With repercussions reaching even the remotest corners of the earth. Spaceports are springing up around the globe and could catapult indigenous societies along the equator - such as the Papuans - into a new era. The Indonesian government is hoping West Papua is its key to joining the circle of space nations. The island Biak is ideal for launching satellites into space at a low cost. But launching rockets from here will fundamentally change the lives of Marten Abrauw and his clan.

The homelands of Colombia's largest indigenous community are threatened. A fight for their traditions wages against the big coal giants. In Colombia, the indigenous Wayuu people have traditionally lived from fishing and the land for centuries. The families, settled in the immediate surroundings of Latin America's largest coal mine, are fighting for their ancestral territory. But despite the lucrative mine, the local population lives in poverty. When coal mining began in La Guajira, the mine operators promised the local population progress through, for example, connection to the state power grid. However, these promises have still not been fulfilled 40 years later. Instead, the fishermen are increasingly deprived of prey and have no access to their only source of fresh water. But the Wayuus are not giving up and are fighting for their homelands.

Get to know the most famous reservation in South Dakota and their inhabitants. Approximately five million Native Americans live in the United States, with nearly 80% in urban metropolitan areas alongside diverse ethnic groups. However, 20% of Native Americans still live on reservations. South Dakota holds five of these reservations, including the famous “Pine Ridge.”