The Pacific Region Breaks Every Indigenous Organizing Rule You Know

These are the 3 dynamics that make the Pacific completely different from other Indigenous regions.

In 2012, I became the Pacific member to the Global Coordinating Group. Held that role until 2014. Until it ended with the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.

In 2017, I became co-chair of the Indigenous caucus at the UNFCCC. As the Pacific representative. COP23 had Fiji as presidency. So after COP23 until COP24, I was the Pacific co-chair.

I traveled everywhere. Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Tuvalu, Fiji, Hawaii, Vanuatu. Multiple times. Until COVID hit.

The Pacific is one-third of the planet. I wanted to understand the dynamics better in this context.

What I learned: The Pacific isn't homogenous. Not even close.

You've got Polynesian, Micronesian, Melanesian. But there are other variables at play. Huge gap between Australia and Aotearoa on one side. Pacific Small Island Developing States on the other.

Then there's Hawaii. In a category of its own.

Most people think Indigenous rights means fighting pipelines. Or protecting sacred sites.

Pacific Indigenous organizing looks nothing like that.

Christianity Runs Everything

In most Indigenous contexts, traditional practices means dumping colonial religion.

The Pacific flips this completely.

Christianity isn't imposed on Pacific cultures. It became the infrastructure.

Prayer? Christian prayer. Community meetings? Sunday church. Food traditions? Church potlucks.

When something needs organizing, the church network does it. The Pacific Council of Churches is one of the most influential entities in the region.

This creates a problem other Indigenous regions don't face. How do you activate indigeneity when your cultural practices came through colonization?

You can't just reject Christianity. For many Pacific communities, Christianity is their tradition. Going back generations.

Land Rights Work Differently on Islands

Most Indigenous land struggles involve fighting for pieces of big territories.

Pacific operates within different geography.

Take Fiji. The entire country is roughly one large reservation. But Indigenous iTaukei still hold customary rights to most land.

The tension isn't about getting land back. It's about who controls environmental policy on that land.

Right now, key people in Fiji's climate ministries are Indo-Fijians. These Indo-Fijians don't have customary land rights.

So, the iTaukei ask: "Why are you making environmental decisions about our land?"

Different power dynamic than other Indigenous regions. It's not about recognition or sovereignty in the abstract.

It's about immediate environmental control.

The Australia-NZ Problem

Here's a pattern at every climate negotiation. When "Pacific voices" are needed, mostly Australia and Aotearoa NZ voices show up.