I woke up with a specific word that keeps spinning around my head – right before it reaches the point of my tongue, when I speak.

“SOVEREIGNTY”

From the Sacred Sites of Australia to Turtle Island. ALL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES strive for the freedom to govern ourselves, be self autonomous, and decide our own futures. That Indigenous determination is unwavering at COP29, even with the odds stacked against us. Today, I had the opportunity to interview Aunt Polly Cutmore, a Gomeroi Elder, who grew up in Moree. Aunt Polly leads her community in preserving water rights against the shady big business of coal mining companies in Gwydir and Macintyre Rivers located in Northern Wales, Australia.

While at the Conference of Parties, we walk beside these same snaky oil execs whose sole purpose in life is to frack our lands, push false solutions, and build pipelines until the water turns black. The disgusting behavior of hoarding wealth continues at COP29. Even though the Indigenous presence is strong, the heavy feeling of doom looms. The fact remains that COP29 is being held in an oil dominant country Azerbaijan, no different from COP28 in the United Arab Emirates.

I’ve met Indigenous relatives from the Global South, some places you couldn’t even identify on a map. Yet these Indigenous elders travel long distances to share their stories, and most importantly Climate Solutions in the form of Indigenous knowledge. We are much more than just our Indigenous knowledge systems. We act upon our beliefs, speak sacred languages, and pass on a deep sense of purpose interconnected with the land we are from. Aunt Polly shared “We are coming out of a colonial coma.” We’re awake now, the veil is lifted, we will no longer walk aimlessly under any colonial regime.

Learn more about Maria Polly Cutmore.

Ramiro is a Climate Generation Window Into COP delegate for COP29. To learn more, we encourage you to meet the full delegation, support our delegates, and subscribe to the Window Into COP digest.

Ramiro Vazquez, Jr. is an enrolled member of the Ojibwe Turtle Mountain Nation located in North Dakota. He previously collaborated with Minneapolis youth to create actions around issues that affect students in the City of Minneapolis. His love for water led him to lead the Rethink Your Drink Campaign in partnership with the City of Minneapolis Health Department to engage community members on water safety and preservation. Ramiro enjoys spending his down time on-bike or in his running shoes appreciating the natural wonders that nature provides.

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SOVEREIGNTY