Consent

Abstract

There was once a mining company that was desperate to open a mine deep within the Australian outback. The challenge for the company was the fact that the mine would sit upon the land of indigenous peoples. Under Australian law, the company needed to gain the consent of the local community before any mining could start. Every month, the company’s anthropologist went to talk to the village elders. One old lady sat there in silence during every visit with her eyes closed, letting the men of the village voice their fears and concerns. The anthropologist was concerned by the silence of the woman. She wanted all the elders to speak. She wanted to consult fully. After two years of visits, the community was still withholding its consent. After one awkwardly long silence, the anthropologist was surprised to see that the woman had opened her eyes. The woman fixed the anthropologist in a long stare and said in her broad Aussie accent: “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?”²

“Companies come to us wanting to consult with us about their operations. They often want to know how long it will take our community to respond. We tell them that sometimes it will take one night, sometimes one day, sometimes it might be a week, a month or even years. It depends on the question they ask.”

Indigenous leader, El Estor, Izabal Guatemala (2013)¹