Supporting the next generation of Indigenous leaders
One way in which Incomindios fulfils its goal of promoting and supporting Indigenous rights is via the Incomindios-Lippuner Scholarship, offered in partnership with the University of Kent. Named in memoriam of long-time Indigenous rights advocate Eva Lippuner, this scholarship gives one Indigenous person from North, Central, or South America each year the chance to receive funding for their studies in the field of Indigenous rights.
This scholarship enables Indigenous students to amplify their voices on the causes they care about, not only via the financial award of 5000 USD in support of their academic pursuits, but also through cooperation opportunities. These include a remote internship with Incomindios, presentation of a virtual lecture at the University of York, and collaborative work with the University of Kent. Applications for the 2025 scholarship should be submitted by 1 December 2024 - the successful candidate will be announced in January 2025, with the scholarship beginning in the first quarter of the year (all dates subject to change based on number of candidates).
In order to be eligible for the scholarship, Indigenous students must:
Be an Indigenous student from North, Central, or South America
Be currently pursuing – or have a confirmed place on – a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Indigenous rights, at an Indigenous or accredited academic institution
Demonstrate interest/activism in Indigenous rights/human rights/environmental justice
Have a nomination or reference from an Indigenous Elder or Indigenous Mentor
Be able to produce informative articles on their field of study for Incomindios platforms
Be willing to be promoted on social media platforms
So far, the scholarship has successfully funded three Indigenous scholars:
2021: Brittani Orona – Hupa, California, USA
Causes: Indigenous history and human rights, environmental studies, Indigenous science, public humanities & visual sovereignty
Brittani Orona is a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe and, during her time as an Incomindios scholar, was a PhD Candidate at the University of California, Davis in Native American Studies with a Designated Emphasis in Human Rights. Her dissertation focuses on Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk perspectives of traditional ecological knowledge, environmental health, and human and water rights on the Klamath River Basin in Northwestern California.
She has now received her doctorate and is a UC President's and Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California, Santa Cruz. Brittani has also since served as an Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University, and is an incoming Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies at UC Santa Cruz. Outside of academia, she is on the boards of Save California Salmon and the California Association of Museums.
Incomindios highlights: Brittani gave a series of webinars with Incomindios, the final one entitled "Hope and Renewal: Fixing the Earth with Indigenous Environmental Stewardship during Climate Change" - you can watch this here.
2022: Flavio Ayuso – Mayan, Yucatán, Mexico
Causes: Defending Indigenous territory, agrarian law & agrarian sociology
Flavio Ayuso is a Mayan rural and agrarian activist from Muna - a small community in southern Yucatan, pursuing a degree in Sociology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Since 2018, he has been supporting Mayan Ejidos communities to defend their land against mega-projects and real estate developments. His work has seen him involved in the agrarian judicial process of the Ixil community in Yucatán in defence of their territory against business interests, and investigating the protection of Indigenous rights during the new green energy transition.
Incomindios highlights: Flavio presented his work entitled "The Ejido Communities in Mexico forming Territorial Resistance: Ixil, Yucatán," which you can watch here. He also attended the twenty-second session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in April 2023.
2023: Jermani Ojeda Ludeña – Quechua, Peru
Causes: Indigenous language and culture preservation
Jermani Ojeda Ludeña is a final-year PhD candidate in Iberian and Latin American Languages and Cultures at the University of Texas at Austin. He is passionate about preserving Quechua language and culture, with his dissertation focusing on Quechua oral rhetoric, discussing the principles of Quechuan communication via an examination of radio broadcasting. As part of this, Jermani also intends to conduct film work with Quechuan broadcasters to cast a spotlight on the issue of the Quechuan language’s omission from a status as a national state language.
Incomindios highlights: Jermani conducted an insightful interview with Incomindios, which can be accessed here. He also attended the twenty-second session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in April 2023.
We would like to invite all eligible individuals to apply here, and for other readers to share this article with potential candidates. For any questions, email us directly at scholarship [AT] incomindios [DOT] ch; please also get in contact if you are interested in collaborating with us. You can donate to Incomindios HERE to finance the scholarship and our other projects – we are very grateful for your support.
The deadline to apply for the Incomindios-Lippuner Scholarship is 1st December 2023.
Author: Jordan Thorne