While the massive COP21 UN climate change conference was happening in Paris, France, last month, Indigenous people from around the world were having their own gathering in a chateau north of the city.

Reuben George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s anti-pipeline organization the Sacred Trust travelled to Europe for the conference. He said the most fruitful discussions came with fellow aboriginal people than at the conference itself, which he described as “a lot of politics.”

“We had Indigenous people from all around the world that sat down and were doing good work,” he said. Indigenous people from Mongolia, France, Switzerland, Indonesia and most South American countries were there.

Ta’kaiya Blaney of Sliammon sang in Paris

“We sat down and we asked, ‘What can we do? How can we make change, how can we support one another? How can we educate people in a better way?’ And it all came down to our Indigenous rights,” he said. “We have our own laws and they’re all in common no matter what area of the country we’re from.”

He said he made many worthwhile contacts and gathered valuable information. He lists the highlights as being all the Indigenous nations in Panama claiming their traditional waters as a sanctuary, and other nations solidifying their traditional laws.

“Lots of the South American nations are making things happen and … securing their indigenous rights,” he said. “Just like us, they’re creating treaties, taking what they have and starting to solidify laws.”