Interview With Debra Harry, Indigenous People’s Council on Biocolonialism

Debra Harry, a member of the Northern Paiute indigenous group from Pyramid Lake, Nevada (US) is the founder and executive director of the Indigenous People’s Council on Biocolonialism, which assists indigenous peoples in the protection of their traditional knowledge and the genetic resources in their traditional territories. She holds a Masters degree in community economic development and is a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland School of Education (NZ). She previously received a three-year Kellogg Foundation leadership fellowship grant to study the impact of human genetic research on indigenous peoples.

Intellectual Property Watch caught up with her at the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Intergovernmental Committee on Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge, and Folklore, where she was a participant and screened a new documentary film she produced, called The Leech and the Earthworm. More information on the film can be found here. Watch our conversation below.