Get in line or get out of the way
Meet India Logan-Riley, a 31 year old Māori archaeologist, anthropologist, and activist in New Zealand fighting to ensure Indigenous sovereignty and wisdom are at the heart of global climate action.
Growing up in the idyllic Hawkes Bay on New Zealand’s north island, their adolescence was marked by 'emergency moments' of wildfires, rising oceans and local council meetings where they watched community elders argue against development on their land. The threat of losing their ancestral home, one way or another, was always real.
At university India studied archaeology and Māori history and in 2015 became the second young Māori to attended UN climate talks. And after being lauded for their powerful contributions, India attended the conference the following year as a member of the Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus.
For India however, the talks highlighted a lack of solutions addressing the needs of their people. In 2017 they cofounded Te Ara Whatu, a Māori youth-led initiative to help young Indigenous people reclaim a central place in the climate movement. It became the first indigenous youth organisation to represent local communities at the UN.
In 2021 India was asked, last minute, to address COP26. Frustrated by how little had changed for Indigenous communities in their six years of attendance, they issued a demand for world leaders to “learn our histories, listen to our stories, honour our knowledge and get in line, or get out of the way."
India’s ultimate mission is to create resilient and joyful communities that can thrive in a climate-safe world led. They’ve joined forces with ActionStation, an organisation working at a local level to address issues like economic fairness, family well-being, climate justice and prison reform. For India, it’s all connected.
For Indigenous peoples, there’s no way to not be involved in climate work. It just might not look like traditional activism. It might be growing a garden or helping raise our young people. These are forms of activism that keep our people going, it's our act of resistance.
