This coalition is monumental because the World Council becomes the first global Indigenous organization.
This sets the stage for Indigenous peoples around the globe to organize under different names and causes. Perhaps the most well-known is the United Nations Council of Indigenous Peoples, founded almost twenty years after the World Council.
The World Council is created to strengthen ties among Indigenous Peoples and fight for Indigenous rights worldwide. A five-person executive council is formed to carry out these mandates.
George Manuel is elected as president, Julio Dixon (Guayami Nation from Panama) is elected as the Central American representative, Clemente Alcon (Aymara from Bolivia) is elected as the South American representative, Neal Watene (Maori) is elected as the Pacific representative, and Aslak Nils Sara (Federated Samii Council) is elected as the European representative.
To include Indigenous delegates who could not attend the Conference — such as people from Asia and the Pacific — the group decides that the Council will be hosted every two years.
Image source: Ha-Shilth-Sa, vol. 2 no. 8, 1975.