Assyrian Indigenous People

Aborigines of Iraq and Turkey struggle to preserve native title, while Kurds are granted native title on their customary lands.

© Tyson Yunkaporta

assyrian flag, assyria

Assyrian Indigenous peoples in the Middle East have had half their population massacred or removed over the last century.

Assyrian aboriginal peoples are descended from the first peoples of Mesopotamia, inhabiting a region overlapping what is today called Iraq and Turkey. They speak a form of their original traditional language, which is a combination of Aramaic and Akkadian.

They have been fighting for land rights and autonomy for the last century, against impossible odds. Unfortunately, their lands are rich with oil, and this puts them in the middle of the war-mongering machinations that are currently tearing our world apart.

This began earlier last century with the British insisting that oil rich Assyrian lands fall within Iraqi boundaries, rather than those of Turkey.

Assyrian indigenous people have petitioned international organizations and governments numerous times over the last century, and have continually been denied sovereignty.

They have retained customary links to land, language and culture, despite horrific genocide and dispossession that has removed half of their population in recent history. The homeless nation of Assyria has its own flag (pictured).

Since 2005, a few international governments (surprisingly including Australia) have been speaking out in favour of Assyrian autonomy. However, Assyrian indigenous land rights and autonomy are still far from being reality.

Some Kurdish indigenous peoples have actually been granted native title on Assyrian traditional lands.

The Kurds, Assyria's neighbouring indigenous peoples, are the largest indigenous group in the world, numbering around 30 million. They have suffered dispossession and genocide similar to that of the Assyrians.


The copyright of the article Assyrian Indigenous People in Aboriginal Rights is owned by Tyson Yunkaporta. Permission to republish Assyrian Indigenous People must be granted by the author in writing.




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Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages

4.   Jan 26, 2008 1:46 AM
In response to Assyrian Indigenous People posted by AP0630:


amen brother!

-- posted by woorama


3.   Jan 20, 2008 11:07 PM
In response to Assyrian Indigenous People posted by woorama:
WHAT?!?! you logged in, took the time to read the ...

-- posted by AP0630


2.   Aug 23, 2006 10:37 PM
In response to Assyrian Indigenous People posted by mamarobin73:


"cradle of civilisation" is a very subjective ...

-- posted by woorama


1.   Aug 21, 2006 8:25 AM

It seems that this region has always been locked in turmoil. This land that these poor people inhabit is so valuable to so many people, and for all of the wrong reasons. This is the cradle of civi ...

-- posted by mamarobin73



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