Barrick is committed to providing opportunities to enhance the social, educational and economic development of Indigenous peoples in the areas where we have operations and exploration projects. In addition to sharing the direct benefits from opportunities associated with the mine, such as employment and business development programs, our community relations staff around the world work closely with our Indigenous partners to develop initiatives that help preserve their unique cultural traditions and promote cross-cultural understanding between our Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees.
For example, in Chile Barrick is working in partnership with the Diaguita community of the Huasco Alto near our Pascua-Lama project, developing programs that contribute to the strengthening of their culture and traditions. Aspects of the program include: workshops that combine commercial training and reviving ancestral Diaguita artisanal techniques, participation in fairs and cultural and productive gatherings, and the Forestry and Agricultural Cooperation Program that provides technical training and specialized services to Diaguita community members who live in geographically isolated locations. As part of our commitment to promote the unique culture, traditions and history of this Diaguita community, Barrick published a book entitled Etnia Diaguita Chile, for distribution to over 2,000 stakeholders.
Barrick has also produced a unique documentary as a tribute to the Diaguita of the Huasco Valley, documenting their rich history, way of life and cultural contribution to the region.
Our community development team at Cowal in Australia supported the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation during final planning of the construction of a Wiradjuri Studies Centre, which will provide a place of healing and fellowship and serve as an education centre for the local Indigenous community. Please see the section on respecting and strengthening the Wiradjuri community in the case study Cowal Mine: A Study in Sustainable Development.
Barrick’s commitment to preserving Western Shoshone culture and traditions has resulted in a partnership with Great Basin College in Elko, Nevada, creating the ARTIFACT archeological training program and the sponsorship by Cortez Mine of the W.R. Wick Program for Language Preservation at the University of Utah in 2007and 2008. We also continue to support the Great Basin Indian Archives (GBIA), which was established with funding provided by Placer Dome USA in 2004. The GBIA, located at Great Basin College, is the only such program of its kind in the Great Basin Region, home to the Western Shoshone people. Barrick has funded a variety of language workshops for Western Shoshone tribal members in 2007 and 2008 as well as cultural programs to preserve artisanal traditions such as basket weaving.
At the Cortez Mine, Barrick has hosted several groups of Western Shoshone elders seeking to harvest pine nuts in mountainous areas near our mining operations. Barrick management participates in frequent Dialogue meetings with members of several Western Shoshone communities in Nevada. The location of these meetings rotates between the participating Western Shoshone tribes and each host tribe presents information on their community’s unique history and cultural traditions. Each of the Dialogue meetings begins and ends with a traditional Western Shoshone prayer.
Cross-cultural understanding is an important element of encouraging employment opportunities for Indigenous Peoples at our operations and development projects.Please see our case study on the Donlin Creek project in Alaska and read Overcoming substance abuse in Alaska from Beyond Borders.