1 12 16 http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/2c6874b314ce1c02f454d588c0feff62.pdf 5e46ac46768096987ebd3e76d13fc254 PDF Text Text IN BRIEF citing plans for construction of two trans-Andean gas Armando Antonio Ptrez, two members of AN IS. The Perez pipelines importing natural gas from Argentina. and the brothers appealed to the Supreme Coun of justice. but to no planned construction of new gas· fired powerplants. The US. avail; the coun ruled to have them expelled from the com· based Natuml Resources Defense Council rettntly conclud· munity. ed a Study demonStrating that improvement of energy deliv· Presently. a warrant is out for the arreSt of Don Adrian cry SyStems m Chile would make Ralco unnecessary. Esquino. president ANIS. on the grounds that he has Stolen The lnternauonal Commission on J..arge Dams is an Org;t· land and murdered. On May 3. an explosion tore through the nization of engineers from 79 countries which promotes con· house of the Esquino family. but caused only structural dam· struction of dams throughout the world. Founded in 1928. age. Faced with this situation. Esqulno is urging human it is headquartered in Paris, France. rights organizations to pressure the Salvadoran state to protect the rights of Indigenous communities under fire. Information from: lntemarfonal Rivus Networl1 (IRN), 1817 Berllelcy Wily. Bcrlwley, Califomia 94703 USA; Tel: (+510) 818· Colombia: Another Zenu Leader Killed 1155: Fax: (+510) 8'18-1008; email: im@igc.al'(.O~ Lummi Indian Nation, 2616 Kwlna Road, Bellingham, \\whington 98226. USA: efore the very eyes of Indigenous and national authoriTel: (+360) 38'1·2288; Fax; (+360) 738-8863 ties, one by one the members of the San i\ndrts de Sotavento Resguardo (Indian reserve). are being killed. At 1:30pm on Sunday, August 18. on the site known as El Salvador: Deputies Threaten Indigenous La Arena (Olrdoba State), two armed men on a black motor· Organization, Target Community bike assassinated the Indigenous leader of the town council he deputies Renato Ptrez. Adolfo Varela. and acU\151 m and mayoral ex-candidate of the town of San Andrts. Albeno the rightiSI ARENA political pany jorge Rufz are present· Cheito Malo Alean. ly attempttng to evict the Indigenous residents of the J..as The Zenu leader was 38 years old. mamed. and had two Hojas county of the San Antonio del Monte Sonsonate juris· children. By profession, he was a civil engineer. lie was the diction. Ptrez. Varela, and Rufz accuse the leaders of the brother of Htctor Malo Vergara. Cacique (chicO of the San National Sah'3domn Indigenous Organization (ANIS) of Andrts de Sotavento Resguardo. who was assassinated on being land thieves and murderers. March 26, 1994, along with three other Indigenous persons. Through the Ministry of Agriculture and Ranching. the This year 12 Zenu leaders have been killed. plaintiffs presented their accusations against the members of The Zenu of the San Andrts de Sotavento protested the AN IS before the tribunals of Sonsonate. They arc accused of lack of any meeting \vith representatives of the state in search violating the agricultuml norms of the country. At this point of solutions to this crisis of civil order. Their attempts have 10 members of AN IS were summoned to appear before the so far yielded nothing. Sonsonate courts to present their testimony regarding this The Cacique Rosenburg Clemente confirmed that the situation. according to the president of AN IS, Fermin Garcia Indigenous people are scared because they don' know who woll be next or when. Guardado. Several lndogcnous nations inhabit J..as Hojas count)'. He added that the massacres ha,·e contmued unabated. mcludmg Nahuats, l.A:nkas. and Mayas. This regoon was aoded by the indifference of the authonues. This comes after acquored by ANIS on 1978 as a safe region in whoch to work those same authorities had promised on a recent meeting in with the communities. They organized cooperatl\'es and are Manillo to establish a vigilante SyStem and to assure peace working communally. In this same spot. 74 Indigenous peo· and autonomy in the Resguardo. pie were massacred in 1983 by the $ah'3doran army. It The International Brotherhood of Human Rights has proremains today a s.1cred place for them and they ask that it be posed the creation of a human rights commission in the area. respected . The Church in turn has suggested that a Reconciliation Since january a number of violent actions have been Commission be set up in conjunction with international directed at the Indigenous people of the region. such as on observers. Nothing has come of any of this. however. january 27 when unknown masked individuals entered the The Cacique requested that impunity be stopped and that community at midnight and nred bullets on the house of the the results or the inveStigations or the murders under way be spiritual leader and Indigenous leaders connected to ANI$. made public. At the same time they threatened to repeat the bloodshed of He also denounced the fact that there arc heavily armed I 983. At that time Amnesty International had led a camp.1ign mercenaries in the majority of the ranches existing in the of informing human rights organizations to pressure the region of the San Andrts de Sotavento Resguardo in Olrdoba Salvadoran Slate to inforcc jUStice. and Sucre. On the 12 of March, the national police ransacked the office of ANIS and detained Rafael Anuro Ptrez and lnformatwn from El Tiempo, Bogot4 B T Vol. 10No. 2 5 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Colombia: Another Zenu Leader Killed Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Colombia: Another Zenu Leader Killed Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 5 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note This article details the ever growing issue of indigenous leaders being assassinated. Attachment Title Colombia_in_brief.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Colombia Indigenous Leader http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/ccf107e5fa793d6a8cb2ab42e0bec9c0.pdf ac8d5662e6a1040d2808b01001d7db76 PDF Text Text CONFRONTING CULTURAL EXTINCTION "We call the colonists ahatai which is like our words for 'spirit of the dead'(ahat) and for 'the devii'(Ahataj). When they first arrived (in 1902-3) their foods were unfamiliar to us. Our grandparents were afra1d of the flour the ahatai gave them, thinking it might be poisonous. So they left it boiling on the fire, afraid that they would die if they ate it. Then one old woman said to her children, 'I am old and haven't long to live, so I'll try it. If I die from it, you'll know not to eat it.' And so we learnt to eat ahatai foods. " tanding waist-deep in the muddy water, holding nets strung between two poles, the Wichi fl.sherman detects the fish by noting movements in the river's surface. Plunging the net over the fish and swinging downward. the catch is enveloped in the trap. Swiftly and with minimal impact on the aquat- S ic environment, a natural resource ~:~keover of their land by outsiders. What was once a fenile grassland dot· ted with bushes and trees has become a dry. sandy desert, and with the shimmering chest-high grasses have gone many of the animals the Wichi used to hunt. Today, although numerically the Wichi are not in danger of disappear· ing. their traditional way of lire is van· ishing as the outside world slowly clos- yields a nutritious meal. The fisherman$ es in. In response, the Wichi are orgaserenily. however, belies the deepening nizing and trying desperately to secure crisis faced by the \Vichi people: For 90 their land. The occupation of the Wichi pcO· years. the)' have endt.red the gradual 10 pie's land aucsts to an Argentinian version of "ManifeSt Destiny: the guiding ideology behind the colonization or the North American \Vest Since the arrival of europeans, but particularly since the tum of the century, the Wichi have suf. fered continuous harassment. inter~ spersed with serious bouts of violence in which large numbers of 1ndigenous people were killed. Along with disease, the well-armed scnlcrs introduced herds of caule, which de'"'Stated the fragile arid landscape. Today, the Wichi are still fair!)' Abya Yala News �CONFRONTING numerous. Estimates range from 20.000 to 50.000 Wich! living in south· eastern Bolivia and northern Argentina. in a semi·arid region known as the Chaco. Wich! villages ha,·e their own territory, but often six or se"en villages will share the use of the overlapping areas. Each community usually consists of one or more dans. People belong to their mothers' clans: in matrilocal Wich! CULTURAL Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to single out efforts to combat desertification as a top priority. For the \:Vichf, desenification trans· lates into starvation: starvation because their traditional sources of food are disappearing. ln the winter they depend on fish from the Pilcomayo river and in the summer on vegetables grown in relationship with their surroundings. their gardens on what little land they have left. All too often, the settlers' cattle trample the gardens. undaunted by the Wichrs fences of thorn bushes. The \vild fruits and berries they used to Their small houses of mud. branches and leafy boughs are well adapted to the gather and the animals they used to hunt are gone. Now. even the scorching temperatures that reach 50° C in the shade in sum1ner. During the dry wimer momhs they depend on fish Pilcomayo river is threatened by the Hidrovfa development project (see below). from the Pilcom3yo River. In the wet summers. they cultivate corn , water· melons, bear"s and pumpkins grown in their gardens. which they encircle \\fith U state government of Salta province society. men move to their wife's village upon marrying. The Wich! people live in an intimate thorny branches to try to prevent the settlers' cattle from invading. They hum deer, amtadillo, peccary and iguana, and search for wild honey throughout the year. Members of some of the neigh· boring peoples-the lyojwaja, Nivaklt, Qomlec and Tapy'y-often live amongst the \· ichf, sometimes marrying into V nderlying all these problems is the EXTINCTION In 1987. the provincial government passed a new law that recognized the se11lers as having legal rights to the land. and proposed to give each se11ler. as well as each of the 30 Wichf communities in the area. title tO a small parcel of land. By this time, the se11lers had established themselves on the most fertile areas of land, and the Wich! knew that such an action would split up the region into hundreds of pieces, jeopardizing their access to much of the land. This would not onl)• be intolerable but was also illegal under international and Argentinian law. In 1991 the Indians. working with Survival International. an NGO based in England. prepared a land claim repon that demonstrated that at least 162,000 acres spread over the two State Plots traditionally belonged to them. L1ter that year, the provincial Governor signed a decree (No. 2609/91) recog- and its continuing refusal to grant the nizing that the area was indeed \Vichf title to their territory. In the area Indigenous land, and pledging to recognize this in law. The succeeding Salta under dispute. known as State Plots 55 and 14, which comprise about 138,000 and I 86.000 acres, respectively, live about 5,000 Wichf. along with a few small communities of Chorote, Toba government failed to take any decisive action, and allowed the situation to deteriorate dramatically. Shortly before leaving office at the end of last year, the and Chulup! peoples. same government presented a draft their society. W known periods of hunger. never hile the Wich! have always has life been as hard as it is today. with most of the animals gone, and their emoronmem drastically desenified-a s.'ndy desert where a grassland ecosys- tem once thrived. According to UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme), 'desertification' is not the spread of deserts but the creation of desert-like conditions in the dry lands, which make up 35 per cent of the Earth's land surface. It is a -- - phenomenon which it estimates may threaten the livelihood of one billion people worldwide. including the Wichl. In November 1995. a coalition of donors, governments. NGOs and grassroots groups met in a two-day confer- ence convened by the UN International Vol. 10 No. 2 Wichl fisherman on the Pilcomayo rivet. 11 �C O N~ ~~N T I ~~~ U l T U R A ~--~ X_T I~ ~~_O N --------------------------~~~ F~R O ~~~N G C l E~ ~ N_C T I ~~ be channeled. straightened, and dredged, with tributaries of the river blocked off and rock outcroppings in the channel detonated. The Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, figures among the 93 sites needing dredging. For the Indigenous peoples depen· dent on the rivers targeted by Hidrovfa, which includes the Wichl, the environ· mental impacts could be devastating. worsening their already precarious li\r. ing conditions. (See article page 30) n 1990, Wichf chose course of They contacted Survival I action . therequesting the ahelp of two International, Wicht men enjoy roasted fish on a honey collecting trip. land bill to the provincial parliament thm is completely against the interests of the Indians and, if approved, would dcpri\'e them of huge traCtS of their ter· free-market system. the Argentinian government undertook a regional development plan linking Paraguay ritory. mately, Chile with Brazil and the Pacific with the Atlantic. This 'dcveloptnem' process means that Indigenous peoples will be gradually pushed out. and that the connicts over land will intensify. Without the slightest consultation of the Wichf, a bridge is currently being built across the Pilcomayo River (which forms the border between Argentina and Paraguay) beside an Indian village called Nop'ok ·wet (La Paz). The \Vichl were told that their village is scheduled to be replaced by a frontier town. ln. addition, the government plans to construct a major highway that would cut through Wichl territory to link this town ' vith Tartagal. As a result of the general disintegration of the environment. the non· Indian criollos arc also becoming poorer. But in a desperate attempt to salvage a living. they are increasingly preventing the Indians from using the few remaining fertile areas. Men are barred from hunting (sometimes at gunpoint), women gathering wild fruits are threatened, and in some cases the Indians have even been denied access to muchneeded water holes. The criollos' cattle, no longer having grass to feed on. invade the Indians' vegetable gardens. often destroying a whole crop overnight. "They threaten us s.1ying. 'Indian, don't come around here. I own this land and 1 don't like Indians on it. If you want to hunt here, you must ask for my permission - or I'll kill you.' ...They don't own those resources. The things that we Wichf live on do not belong to anyone. They belong to God; a Wichf man was quoted saying in a 1994 report by Survival International. nder pressure to integrate its econ- U 12 omy into the emerging Mercosur with nonhwestern Argentina and. ulti~ The massive Paraguay·Param1 Hidrovfa industrial waterway project is anthropologists they trusted. They reasoned that the government might revoke the law if it could be shown that the whole area was Wichlland, and had been so for hundreds of years. They wanted the government to recognize their land rights and remove the settlers. They decided to carry out a census of all the Wichi in the region: to make a map of every village; to record an oral histo· ry of life on their lands before and after colonization; and most importantly, to compile one large map or the entire region. sho,ving all the places used and named by the Wichl. This would pro- vide irrefutable evidence of their inti· mate knowledge of the land. O n August 7, 1991, the report and map were formally presented to the provincial governor. Later that year. only hours before he left office, he signed a decree recognizing the Wichls ownership of the land. and confirming that they should be awarded a single. communal title to the entire area. As a result of the project the Wichf decided to form an organization also part of that plan. The project is headed by the five governments of the La Plata basin. It would require widen· ing and deepening the channels of the through which they could be represent· cials. They called it Thaka Honat (Our Land). Now. every village sends repre· Paraguay and Paran<\ rivers, Somh scn.uuives to its meetings. cd in meetings with government offi· 1l America~ second largest water system, to allow ocean-going ships access to the port of Oiceres. Brazil, 2,100 miles upstream from the ri,·er's mouth . Under the plan being studied, the rivers would Despite the existence of the Decree, the \Vid1t ha\'t still nor rectived title 10 rlleir Continued on page 31 Abya Yala News �ENVIRONMENT and integrity of ecosystems must be recuperated, especially in degraded needs of local populations and not external interests. Respecting this crite· areas of critical importance for the ria, all initiative must have as its origin structural restoration of hydrological and finality the needs and interests of systems. Proposed actions such as per- local communities. Even so. ils implemanent dredging and the conStruction mentation must adapt ilself to natural of dams for water regulation or for sed- conditions, avoiding negative social iment retention do not constitute solu- and environmental impacts. The govtions, but rather threats. They do I\Ot ernmental project for the Paraguaylook at the true causes of problems of Paron~ industrial waterway does not sedimentation of river beds and deteri- respond to either of these criteria. This oration of hydrological systems, but project, designed behind the back of rather the maintenance or the predatO· populations of the region, will not ry system which only seeks economic bring any benefits nor solutions for the benefits for large corporations, while needs of the peoples of the Basin, but financial and environmental costs are rather will increase even more their paid by populations and by nature. problems. generating greater impacts The infrastructure to be implanted and increasing social and environmenin the region must be in function of the tal costs, ""'ny of them irreversible. The existing resources destined for mega-projects promoted by, interllational financial institutions and entities of cooperation must be re-directed toward the tn•e needs of local populations, moving away from their current orientation to promote unsustainable projects which only benefit those small groups in whose hands ~wer and resources are concentrated. '1t From dtt curves of the Paragt,ay River. july 27, 1996 For more information: Glenn Swithes, Dircccor of the lAtin America Progmm at Ihe International Rivers Neiwoth, 1847 IJtrheley IVa)j B<rkeley, CA, 94703; Tel: 510/848·1 155; Fax: 5J0/8i8-J008 us Argentineans, they don't respect us. They cd to p<acefully takeover tl~t lands arcnmd don't recogni<e this latJd as ours. They play the bridge on lite 25 of August. \Ve will occu· land. Jn 1994, d~ey made their first trip Old- around, saying '"\Vait jusr a liule bit more... py the laml uruil the: g<wernmeru of Salta side their land to spcah at the United Bur whllt we walt, they ntO\'t ahead with give,.'$ a concrer.: n.ospon.se in regards to our Narions about dttir plight. In conrimradon. their projws: They seule Oltr latJd, lay down requests. This is an act of hop<. wt ttptoduet the latest attempt by the \Vicl1l their roads, d1eir lxlrb·wi~ ftnccs, aml dteir to secure rheir territory. towns. And rtOw thc:y a~ lmilding a bridge in IVe ash that you collaborate, by sending peo· La Paz and they that we have to paGh up and plt who belit\'t in our cause to accompany us For the Titling of Our Land: T<•keover of the gil't them space. and assure: that there be no acts of violence lnttnlational Bridge Over the Pilcomayo against our families. River (l.a Pav \V are 1101 animals n.mning loose. \Ve are e not dogs to be driven away at the whims of E\·trl aftet d1e taheo"e'; you can support our Many years have passed sinGe we requested their owner. \Ve are the flowers of the Earth, cause by sending leuers to: the go\'trnmtnt of Salta province, Argentirta, platJted by God Himself 10 and duive in to officially gmnt ItS title to the land that we these lands. Sr. Gobemador de Ia Provincia de Salta, D.& ha\·e always irdtabited. \Ve have stru ltlltrs. juan Carlos Pomero, Casa de Gobietno, Meetir1gs take place. new laws and decrees \Ve have asked the autJ1oritles to suurc: the Gra.n urg 4400, Salta, Argentina are passed, ar1d yet more topographic stud. titles 10 thestlatJdS befort: undertaking these ies... \Ve are nqw irt the fourth administra· large projeCts in rht places when: we live. Sr. Prcsideme de Ia RepUbliGa Argentina, Dr. tion. Yet they ha"e not rtSl){)ndcd to our These are fiscal lands and the Ia"~ therefore Carlos S. Mencm, Casa Rosada, Capital demands. Years pass and our lands become recognize our right of OW>ltrslt!p. Amlds1 all Federal, Argentina; Fax: 54 J 343 2249 or impoverislted, btt"m'se the people 'vho have this tall: of Mercosur. we see a more secure 54 1331 7976 come from the outside to occupy dtem Know future simply in the ownersltip of out land. not how to manage them. Years pass and we Asociaci6n de Comunidades Aborlge,les btcome poorer. Faced with no response and the upcoming Lahlta Honhat, San luis, Sta. Victoria Este, inauguration of the bridge, dtt 35 communi· Rh·adavla B. Norte, CP i58J, Pcia. Salta, Even thougl1 we lzm•e official papers making ties belonging to our QSSO(iation ha\'t decid· A~entina Continued from page 1!2 li•·• Voi.10No. 2 31 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Whichi: Fighting for Survival in Argentina Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Whichi: Fighting for Survival in Argentina Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 10-12, 31 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note The Wichi people of Argentina are under constant threat of land takeover, thus instituting cultural upheaval. This article depicts the organizing of the Wichi, in their attempt to secure their land and culture. Attachment Title Wichi.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Argentina Cultural Extinction Wichi http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/5e3d298dc18dc3d97bea91dc5e1a94c9.pdf 4fdba902e28b309ab938e4ba64e732cb PDF Text Text 5 E L F DETERMINATION AND TERR I TORY Venezuela: Amazonian Indians Request Support Indigenous peoples. Under the law, the new State of Amazonas has been divid- The Indians demand that instead their land rights be properly recognized and that subsequently consultations take place to devise an administrative regime that suits their cultures and ipalities. Indigenous peoples claim this ed inlo 'municipios: each with elected coincides with their customary systems law is unconstitutional and are chal- 'alcaldes' (mayors), and each in turn divided into a number of ·paroquias' of decision-making. The challenge to the 'Ley de with their respective elected heads. These areas and institutions do not correspond with traditional Indigenous political systems. Moreover. they over- Division Politid... .' is the second court V enezuela has passed legislation that threatens to undermine Indigenous peoples' control of their lands and destinies by dividing the state of Amazonas into electoral munic· lenging il in the courts. However, while the courts have delayed hearing the case, the local government has gone ahead with the dismemberment of the area. The Indigenous peoples are calling for international support to urge the courts to consider the case. The 19 Indigenous peoples of the Venezuelan Amazon are represented by ORPIA (Organizaci6n Regional de Pueblos lndrgenas de Amazonas). They have received the support of the Human Rights Office of the Catholic Church in Puerto Ayacucho. They have been demanding since February 1995 that the law creating the political divisions of the Amazon State in Venezuela be declared invalid by the Supreme Court. For eight months the Supreme Court of justice took no action over the case. It was only after concerted pressure from the Indians that the court finally declared in November 1995 that the case required an urgent hearing. Despite the initial sense of urgency, the court still has not declared its judg- mem. Until recently the Venezuelan Amazon was administered as a Federal Territory and run pushed through the 'ley de Division Politico-Territorial del Est ado Amazonas· without consulting with the lap with Indigenous territories for which titles have yet to be gained according to Venezuelan law. municipal use. Indigenous peoples have argued appointed from Caracas. More recently, as part of a nation-wide program of decentralization, the Territory has been declared a State and opened to local electoral politics. As a part of this process, steps have been undertaken to stitutional. pointing out that Article 77 of the constitution allows for exception- divide the State up into new adminis· the towns aboUl which the new 'municipios' are being created arc far However. the local Governmem Voi.10No. 2 Amazonas. Earlier this year, ORPlA successfully challenged the local Government~ attempts to build a road from the State capital Puerto Ayacucho south to San Fernando de Atabapo. .., Despite Indigenous objections and the filing of a case contesting the legality of the law, the local government has Adapted from a reporr by the IVor/<1 gone ahead with applying the new Rainforest Mo,·ement structure and forced through elections. Already the imposed system is causing Pleas.: send fa.<es or leuers: problems. New internal divisions have been created because the boundaries of · Expressing concern for the situation in the the new •municipios' and 'paroquias' do Venczutlarl State of Amazonas as a result of not conform to Indigenous ethnic the imposed tenicorial division boundaries. Party politics has been introduced imo the communities. New - Asking the Sup••me Courr of ]uslie< to clientelistic relations have been estab- declare null attd \'Oid the Ley de Division lished throughout the territory. Poli1ico Terri101ial dtl Es1ado Amazonas as Dominant communities and ethnic n:qu<St<d by the lndige110us peoples on 2 groups have strengthened their authori- Febn.ary 1995. ty over smaller and politically marginal ones. Most serious. the new 'municip- Ora. Cecilia Sosa, Presidenta de Ia Corte ios' have begun a process of expropriat- Supn:ma de justlcia, Av. Barall, Son jc>s< de ing untitled Indigenous lands for Avila, Ctmuas, Venezuela by Governors that the law dividing the State is uncon- trative units. case that ORPIA has filed contesting Government initiatives in the State of al administrative regimes in Indigenous areas to accommodate their cultural differences. They also note that the law is contmry to established procedures, as too small to qualify. Dr. Alfredo Duchanne. Magisrrodo Po11er11e, Corte Suprema de juslicia, Caracas, Venezuela Fax number for both: 00 58 2 563 8113 For further information: Forest Peoples Programme, 8 Chapel Row, O•adling1on, OX7 3NA, England: Tel: 00 44 1608 676691; Fax: 0044 1608 6767'13; Email: wrm@gn.apc.org 29 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Venezuela: Amazonian Indians Request Support Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Venezuela: Amazonian Indians Request Support Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 29 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note The Amazonian Indians of Venezuela are slowly being threatened by legislation that wishes to take their land away, and divide them into municipalities. For many years, these people have urged the support of international agencies to help in their effort to maintain their land. Attachment Title Venezuela.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Amazonian Indians Venezuela http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/38d5616f8ffb37922cbb6444a6fad084.pdf a836a70dadd09deb02b81a0619a72813 PDF Text Text -------------'-~ O_!: !...!~:....:; T I N G C_.::: N_F R O N:....,:_ C U L T U R A L E X T I N <T I 0 N y ( Reversing the Flow of Traffi.c in the Market of Cultural Property by Eric Bergman Indigenous nations today are struggling to preserve their cultural identity, not by placing it behind the glass of a museum, but by the active renewal of their collective and individual cultural traditional practices. The unique religious and secular items each culture creates are fundamental to its continuity. For centuries the Indigenous people of the Americas have suffered the steady loss of their cultural property. The international community is finally beginning to recognize the obvious right a community has to its own creations. The new awareness of this important link between people and cultural artifacts is resulting in the successful restitution of previously lost or stolen items. '' C onsidering that cultural property export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property, adopted by the whether for selfish purposes or out of constitutes one or United Narions Educational, Scientific ignorance, without consideration of the basic elements and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) of civilization and at its sixteenth session in Paris on the damage done to a living culture when it is stripped of the items of its national culture. and that its true v-alue November 14, 1970. This convention is the first major step taken by the heritage. international communit>' to address The Indigenous Perspectives can be appreciated only in relation to the fullest possible information regarding its origin. history. and traditional setting." So reads the preamble of the the centuries of plunder of cultural property of Indigenous peoples. Vast theft, continues today. Items are taken, To many people who trace their Convemion on the means of prohibit· quantities or anwork. religious arti· ing and preventing the illicit import. facts. and even funerary remains have roots to European cultures, the scien~ tific study or museum preservation of found their way into museums and cultural property is considered of great private collections worldwide. This value. h is important, however. to rec~ traffic, often in the form of outright ognizc that these views are not neces- Eric Bergman is an intent al SAIIC and resemdtes arlitles for Abya Yala News. Vol. 10No. 2 13 �C 0 H F R 0 H T I H G C U l T U R A l'--~E X T-!...!'-.:::...! I...,:::.....:.:.,._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ~~ ~~ 1 H C T_ : O N sarily shared b)• Indigenous peoples. Items of cultural or religious value created by Indigenous .peoples were not intended to be placed in museum collections. The removal of cultural materials to museum archives severs the living connection and contact a people has with its works and past. This is especially tme of cultures with an oral rather than written tradition. Museums and cultural scientists must strive to maintain the vigor of the cui· ture that created the objects they seek to study. All too frequently archeologists and anthropologists consider the dead to be objects of curiosity and study: "a storehouse of biological information" as anthropologist johan Reinhard says. referring to the frozen bod)' of an Inca girl that he exhumed in Peru (see accompanying story). For Indigenous peoples, however, the dead are not scientific objects. thC)' are their ancestors. perhaps even their family. AncestOrs were interred with careful attention to respect and ritual that will see them to their proper destin)' after death. These efforts are disturbed by archeologists, grave robbers, scientists and other col· lectors who continue to violate burial sites and the remains therein. Restitution and legal Recognit ion Standards for the protection of and respect for the cultural property of Indigenous peoples are greater today than ever before. Major museums and even some governments are cooperat· ing whh l ndigenous nations to volun· tarily repatriate obj ects to their cultures of origin. The United Nations and the United States are beginning to legally recognize the claims of Indigenous peoples to their cultural property. Unfortunately, individual governments and police forces are doing lillie if anything to cooperate with the Unhed Not Dead Yet: An lncan Mummy Find Rekindles the Fire Over Science and Ethics wo men enter an Inca ceremonial burial site. They spot some feathers: the headdress of a small statue. The men scramble down a ledge. There they find a carefully prepared grave. Taking out their axes they begin hacking awtrf. Soon they uncover the body of a young woman. A little more ax work and they completely exhume the body. One man stuffs it in a sack and the other removes the remaining funerary arti· facts. They depart into the darkening sky. Returning later with more accomplices. the two men scour the area for any remaining items. including two more corpses. Another sacred burial site has been picked clean and the bodies removed from their graves. The two men. American archeologist Johan Reinhard and his Peruvian partner Miguel Zarate. found the grave·site last September atop Nevado Ampato in the Andean Cordillera of modem·day Peru. The bodies were originally buried on top of the remote 20. 700·foot mountain as part of a religious ceremony and remained there. frozen. for an estimated 500 years until Reinhard and Zarate arrived. Since then. the body of the young Inca woman was brought to a laboratory at Catholic University in Arequipa. stuck into an ice box and stripped of her clothing including a beautiful wool Alpaca dress. Scientists then conducted a battery of tests. took body tissue and fluid for tests. and then shipped her off to Washington D.C. to be put on display as an item of curiosity at the offices of the National Geographic Society. National Geographis 's display of the Inca woman's body and the archeologists' treatment of the burial site in general has drawn international criticism. ..The dis- T 14 play of mummies or any human remains stands in con· tradiction to the ethics regarding the handling of the dead.· said Dr. Konrad Spindler. a prehistory specialist at the University of lnnsbruck and leader of the research team studying the 5300·year-old .. Iceman .. frozen corpse found in an Alpine glacier in Europe in I 99 I . Although Spindler was invited to join the research team studying the lncan woman . he eventual· ly left the project because of his displeasure over the treatment of the corpse. Yachay Wasi. a non·profit organization dedicated to sharing and supporting indigenous culture of Peru. is sponsoring a petition in protest of National Geographic's handling of the situa· tion. Indigenous people in the United States and Canada are joining Yachay Wasi in protest. Although circumstances surrounding the decision to bring the Inca body to Washington remain unclear. National Geographic has made an admirable effort to consult the Indigenous people who are descendants of the Tawatinsuyu. or lncan empire. According to National Geographic spokeswoman Barbara Moffet. the second team of archeologists sent to excavate the Ampato burial site first paid a visit to the nearby village of Cabanaconde. No formal agreement was obtained by National Geographic. but Moffet claims that the villagers. who are believed to be the most closely related descendants of the Inca. were not only consulted. but eight villagers also volunteered to take part in the expedition. National Geographic has also made small a donation of photos and money to the village for the establishment of a museum in Cabanaconde. When the body of the Inca woman was brought to the National Abya Y News ala �CONFRON TI NG CULT U RA L EXTINCTION Nations. In addition, the US legislation is not applicable nor respected outside US borders. effon and can eliminate the need for legal baulcs. The legitimacy and coordination of the repa~riation effon arc also lions. charitable groups. Jlnd other Should an lndigenous nation wish to repatriate items removed from their innuemial. Any documentation or testimony that can assist in proving the may provide contacts. publicity, coun- community, they race a difficult but increasingly possible task. First the seriousness and costs of the effon n1ust be considered. An}' individual or institution thai has gone through great expense and effort to acquire and maintain valuable cultural items will not be eager 10 give them up. Securing the goodwill and cooperation of the pany current!)• in possession of the ite1ns in question is crucial to any repatriation Indigenous entities may be sy1npathctic to repatriation efforts. These groups cil, or other forms of assistance. Some claimams position will be very helpful. communities have been successfully Also the par1y making a claim for any pursuing repatriation for many yea.rs items should consider what measures and have developed mechanisms withwill be taken 10 insure the pr01ection of in their political system 10 respond to the items once regained: no one is like- concerns in"olving culturally sensitive ly 10 pan with rare ani facts if they sus- materials. journalists may be able to pect that they will be sold, stolen. or provide publicity and help bring public mishandled in any way. opinion behind the repatriation efforts. Many resources exist to aid Some govemments (most notably the Indigenous peoples' repatriation cam- United States) and the United Nations paigns. Non-governmental organiza- may also be of assistance. Geographic headquarters for display. former residents the National Geographic Society is aware of NAGPRA of Cabanaconde now living in Washington D.C. were in and the spirit in which it was drafted and chose to attendance. There was no charge to see the Inca exhibit. ignore it by not only funding the second expedition. but Despite National Geographic's overtures to the liv- also bringing the frozen body to Washington D.C . to be ing descendants in Cabanaconde. this case has raised put on public display. The display of the Inca woman also violated the spircriticism of the ethics of archeology. Does the curiosity of scientists justify the disturbance of graves? On what it of the United Nations. The U.N. Commission on authority do universities or other institutions take pos- Human Rights drafted a resolution entitled The session of the human remains of another society? Protection of the Heritage of Indigenous People which Among many national societies. such as the United states that · under no circumstances should objects or States and Peru. and especially among academics. any other elements of an indigenous peoples· heritage such as Reinhard. there is a double standard for the be publicly displayed. except in a manner deemed treatment of the dead. The legal and moral codes nor- appropriate by the peoples concerned" <Article 23>. mally relating to the handling of human remains and " Human remains and associated funeral objects must graves are ignored for Indigenous people. Although we be returned to their descendants and territories in a culare aware of no formal protests raised by Indigenous turally appropriate manner. as determined by the indigepeoples in Peru. many Native Americans feel the dead nous peoples concerned " <Article 21>. and should not be disturbed. studied or displayed at all. · Researchers and scholarly institutions should ...obtain Native American groups in North America have been formal agreements with the traditional owners for the fighting for protection of their ancestral burial sites and shared custody. use and interpretation of their herreburial of remains held by archeologists. Walter Echo- itage· <Article 33>. Hawk. who was a lawyer for the Native American The Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Rights Fund when Congress was considering NAG· Peoples. pending approval by the U.N. General PRA. says "If you desecrate a white grave. you wind up Assembly. also specifies the protection of burial sites. sitting in prison. but desecrate an Indian grave and you <Articles 12 and t 3. see attached article> It should not get a Ph.D .... and a fat check from National Geographic require a United Nations declaration to instill basic conit seems. The Washington D.C. based non-profit orga- sideration for the spirituality of a people. whether they nization supplied a grant of $100.000. mainly to fund be the ancient Inca or living descendants. " With this the second expedition. discovery. the spirit of Mount Ampato is challenging sciHad Reinhard and Zarate done what they did in the entists" says Eliane Lacroix-Hopson of Yachay Wasi: United States they would likely have been indicted for that despite legal limitations ... all involved should know grave-robbing under the provisions of The Native they are morally responsible in front of the Creator. American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Indigenous Peoples and their friends.· <NAGPRA>. Public Law t Ot -60Hsee section I 04 Hopefully during all the lesling. prodding. studying STAT.305t C> Fortunately for the anthropologist NAG- and analysis the scientists may actually learn something . PRA only applies within U.S . borders. Nevertheless. from the Incas: that they show respect for the dead. Vol. 10 No. 2 15 �C O N F RONTING C UL TURAL The United Nations The United Nations is taking an increased interest in cultural heritage and in the prote<:li~n of Indigenous rights. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has taken up the issue of the protection and restitution of cuhur· al property. For this purpose UNESCO established the Intergovernmental Comminee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (henceforth, just the Committee) which currently num- EXTINCT I ON NAGPRA: US Takes legislative Action for Repatriation In November 1990 the US Congress enacted Public Law 101-601, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. also known as NAGPRA. This law provides a legal infrastructure to aid in the protection and restitution or funerary remains~ and associated items of cultural patrimony. NAGPRA outlaws the traffic in such items. mandating a ma."<imum of five years in prison and/or a nne for "Whoever knowingly sells. purchases, uses for profit. or transports for sale or bers twenty-two member states of profit, the human remains of a Native UNESCO. h will hold its nimh session in Paris from September I 6-19. The eighth session was auended by sixty- American.. or "Native American cultur· al items"[ll70 (a)(b)) . NAGPRA also requires museums and other institu- nine nations, international customs tions receiving federal funding to sup- and legal bodies, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the International Council of ply inventories of their items and return Museums. Several important ideas were laid down including the rights of a people to expect legal protection of cultural property and secure aid in its return. The International Council of Museums has voluntarily agreed not to admil items into museum collections that are not proven 10 be legitimately acquired and 10 inform authorities if approached with illicit material. So far the Commiuee has not discussed any cases concerning Indigenous peoples. The United Nations Economic and Social Council's Commission on Human Rights adopted a declaration at its eleventh session providing for the protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples including. "the right 10 the restitution of cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken wlthom their free and informed con- sent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs." (Article 12). More recently. in june of 1995 the Economic and Social Council drafted the report entitled Protection of the heritage of Indigenous people. Although the repon lacks any real legal power. it helps to lend legitimacy 10 individual claims. 16 the items upon the request of a tribal authority. Thirty-four states have passed additional laws 10 fill gaps in the NAGPRA legislation. Although NAGPRA only applies 10 federally funded institutions within the United States, it has set a precedent with many museum authorities on an Zuni believe that when Spanish and US agents stole the communally owned figures from their designated resting places, it caused the spiritual imbalance that the world is suffering in this century. The return of the figures lO their shrines is necessary to reswre harmon)' and protect the Zuni communi!)< Anthropologist T.J. Ferguson, a member of the Ahayu:da repatriation effort, warns... It is extremely important that both tribes and museums recognize that the amount of time and money required 10 assemble information and reach an agreement can be substamial. • This was the case for the Zuni people, for whom the saga of the Altayu:da lasted nearly a centur)< The first objects were removed to the Smithsonian in 1897. In April of !978. Zuni leaders began repatriation effons by meeting for the first time with repre- The return of the figures to their shrines is necessary to restore harmony and protect the Zuni community. international level. Museum institutions in the US have also repatriated items to Indigenous communities in South America outside NAGPRAS jurisdiction. One notable case was the return of several rza11rtas (head trophies) from the Smithsonian Institute 10 the Shuar peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Austrian president, Thoma! Klestil, returned the mantle of Montezuma 10 Mexico. The beautiful mantle of feathers and gold had been out of Mexico for over 400 years. The Return of the Ahoyu:do An early and important repatriation effort in North America was the struggle of the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico 10 return the sacred Ahayu:da figures 10 their traditional resting places in tribal shrines. Figures representing the t"1n war gods, Uyuycmi and Maia~cwi are placed in shrines to harness their potentially destructive powers. The sentatives from the Denver An Museum. By 1992 the Zuni secured the return of 69 Altayu:da from 37 different sources. representing all known US copies. Most of the effons of the Zuni to repatriate the Ahayu:da were accomplished without any legal backing from NAGPRA, which was not passed until November of 1990. The struggle of the Zuni to mount their repatriation cam- paign was intense, but in the end they prevailed. Their success is due mainly 10 dedication and cooperation. The museums were not, at that time. required by law 10 cooperate with the Zuni requests, nor did the Zuni representatives seck a legal confrontation. Instead, the Zuni approached the maller by presenting a solid case to museum officials and embarking on a series of friendly negotiations. Cooperation and respect kept the negotiations from becoming adversarial. Although the museums stood to Abya Yala News �CONFRONTING lose valuable portions of their collections. they respected the sincerity and legitimacy of the Zuni appeals. One of the concerns the Smithsonian raised before agreeing tO return cultural artifacts 'vas the security of the figures. The Zuni developed elaborate measures. including surveillance of the shrines. to protect the Ahayt.:da from repeated theft. "Indian tribes requesting repatriation of human remains and artifacts should be ready. as the Zunis were, to address questions from museums about the security of artifacts after repatriation: says Ferguson. Repatriation appeals can even begin a friendly cooperation between muse- ums and Indigenous peoples. The Zuni provided valuable information to the museums regarding the nature and significance of items in the museum col- leclion and the museum provided a secure record of cullllral artifacts and histOry that they shared with the Zuni Pueblo. Zuni artists and ceramics stu· dems benefited from studying pottery in the Smithsonian collection . Zuni reli- gious leaders also guided the museums' curators in appropriate handling procedures for those sacred objects that remain in museum collections. "'The power and continuity of Zuni culture and religion have been reinforced by the return of the Ahayu:da to their shrine on the Zuni Indian Reservation, and that is good: says curator of ethnology and Zuni anthropologist. Edmund Ladd. The Sacred Weavings of Coroma For the Aymara people of Coroma in the southern Altiplano of Bolivia. the sacred garments of Coroma are communal artifacts that illustrate genealogies and are believed to embody the souls of their ancestors. Some garmems art 400 to 500 years old. In early 1988, Professor John Murra, a well·known ethnohistorian rrom Cornell University. received a postcard announcing an ethnic an exhibition in San Francisco that reatured the sacred weavings of Coroma. Vol. 10 No.2 CULT U RAL He recognized the weavings as those that had been stolen or bought illegally rrom the Aymara community in the late 1970s and 80s. He contacted the Bolivian embassy and social scientist Cristina 6ubba Zamora who was inventOrying the Coroma weavings at the time through HISBOL (a Bolivian grassroots development organization). Concerned community elders emphasized the importance of the weavings and considered the discovery of the art dealer~ collection as a sign of their ancestorS spirits wishing to return home. "When a sacred gannent is taken from the community, a Coromei\o believes that the spirits of the ancestors have been kidnaped: explains Susan Lobo, one of the advocates of the Coroma repatriation efforts. The Boli,;an embassy and two reprt· sentatives from Coroma comactcd United States authorities and in February of 1988 US Customs officials confiscated about 1000 objects (mOstly weavings) from the dealer. Delegates from Coroma then went to California to identify the collection confiscated by US Customs. ..Our ancestors must be so sad and lone· ly: oommemed one of the delegates viewing the weavings Native Americans in the US and academics joined Cristina Bubba Zamora in rallying support for the people of Coroma. A San Francisco law finn also aided the ooalition. With the backing of the UNESCO convention. signed by both the US and Bolivia. the return of Conynine of the weavings was secured. 1n September 1992, Bolivian President Zamora received the weavings from the US government on behalf of the people ofCoroma. The extreme difficulty and expense in tracing, identifying and proving that the weavings were purchased illegally 'vas a major obstacle in this case. Many items could not be detennined to be illicitly obtained and had to be returned to the dealer. The return of the weavings attracted renewed interest and respect for the ancestral religion among many younger Corome1\os who had previously shown less interest it\ traditional culture. EXTINCT I ON The success of the Zuni and Aymara in recovering sacred artifacts from museums and unscrupulouS collectOrs is an important step in the prevention of the extinction of Indigenous peoples' living culture. Currently. the UN Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is slowly taking shape. Now is the time for Indigenous peoples' to par· ticipatc in this document and work on the issue of repatria<ion rights. Perhaps most importantly, everyone can help by being vigilant for the appearance of sacred items in the ethnic an markeL 't' Thanhs to the followblg individuals who volunteered their time <md expertise to the n:s«>rch of <his al'ricle: Lynde! V. Prou, UNESCO ()'aris); Marie Samuet Yachay \Vasi, Inc.; Pollyarma Nordscr-<md, American Indian Ritual Objul Repatriation Found<llion. References Feest. Christian F. 1995 "REPATRIA· TION": A European View on the Question of Restitution of Nalive American Artifacts. European Review of Native American Studies. 9:2 pp33·42 . F owler. Brenda. Sunday, June 16, 1996. Should Just Anyone Be Allowed to Stare? The New York Times. Lacroix-Hopson, Eliane. The Inca Challenge. Winter 1995196. Yachay Wasip 'Simin' (Vol.ll No.3) Lobo, Susan. Summer 1991. The Fabric of Life. Repatriating the Sacred Coroma Textiles. Cultural Survival. Vol. 15. Merrill, William L.; Ladd, Edmund J.; Ferguson, T.J. 1993. The Return of the Ahayu:da: Lessons for Repatriation from Zuni Pueblo and the Smithsonian Institute. Cuffent Anthropology Chicago v.34 no 5, pp.523-567. Metz, Holly. April 1993. Remains to be seen: Relic repatriation fuels Native American activists. Student Lawyer. Vol. 21 No.8. Moffet, Barbara. National Geographic. Public Affairs Spokeswoman. (Phone lnteNiew July 16, 1996). R einhard, Johan. June 1996. Peru's Ice Maidens. Nationcl Geographic. pp62-81. 17 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reversing the Flow of Traffic in the Market of Cultural Property Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eric Bergman Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Reversing the Flow of Traffic in the Market of Cultural Property Item Type Journal Article Author Eric Bergman Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 13-17 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note Indigenous nations have been conquered and exploited, thus their cultural icons being dispersed to countries all over the world. This article details the efforts of indigenous nations and the United Nations to return these cultural items to their rightful place. Attachment Title Reversing_the_Flow_of_Traffic_in_the_Market_of_Cultural_Property.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Cultural Identity Cultural Property Indigenous Peoples UNESCO United Nations http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/0ddd4b6fcd140b0ddcd65036b55c120b.pdf 00ca4c215dfc802619cc94fd725c133c PDF Text Text 5 E l F 0 E T E R M I N A T I 0 N A N D --. ' .- T E _.,'-.!' l ..c._,"'--'R-''--- - - - - - - - - - - - - R Rc..!.. T O " Y PachakutikNuevo Pais: Breaking New Ground in Ecuadorean Politics In an historic moment, Luis Macas, former president of CONAl£ (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador) ran as a candidate to the National Congress in Ecuador's last presidential elections and won a seat as National Deputy on the Pachakutik-Nuevo Pais (New Country) ticket. This was the first time in recent Ecuadorian history that an Indigenous leader sought election to a national office. In this interview, we talk with Luis Macas about CONAl£ and the future of the Indigenous movement in Ecuador. f~~wMt. Luis Macas lufs Macas during a recent visit to SAIIC. Our fundamental objective was to consolidate a social base in our country. united with workers, Afro- We wanted to consolidate a strategic Ecuadorians, women. youth, profes- base of Ecuadorian peoples for the near sionals, teachers, human rights work- and long range futu re. Y have to ou ers, and the grassroots Christian com- remember we had an absolute disad· munity. That is to say. all the inhabi· vantage facing political panics of the dida1cs? tams of our country who anxiously right, parties that have invested milor the Indigenous movement want change, transfomuuion. and bet· lions of dollars in their campaigns: the Social Christian Pany, the Roldosista it is an extremely valuable ter days for our nation and people. The fact we will forge this great Ecuadorian Party, the Popular experience. \Ve have experi· cnccd triumph and gains in movement, achieving the unity of Democracy party, the Conservative many forms. Firs1, the Ecuadorian peoples. is really a tri- Party. and the party led by Mr. Noboa. increased coverage of the Indigenous umph. For us. it means an historic All have invested money. and what they movement's struggle, the extension of step. It signifies having initiated a dif- want is to get back, with interest. their the Indigenous movement's political ferent process in the country. and one investments in the political campaigns. realm to other social sectors. and the that is unique in Latin America. I However, they are not the only ones formation of the Movimiento Unidad· would say this time we believe we have who personaH)' make investments but Plurinacional Pachakutic-Nuevo Pafs. gained a lot. also other businessmen. I would say In general , could you cvalua1e 1he For us, this is a move forward. Now, election process from the poi•u of view of the Indigenous w'inncrs- not just the significance of the number of votes, but also of this e lection and of the participation of Indigenous can· Indigenous peoples are not alone. but F 18 Abya Y News ala �SELF DE T ERMIHATIOH this is how corruption in electoral cam- meaning between a traditional cam- paigns begins. Once they are in power, the debts accumulated b)' the electoral machine have 10 be paid 10 the businessmen. In this last election, it was an incredible machine, as never before in the history of Ecuador. paign and the traditional fonn in which the political parties have driven their electoral campaigns. First, we focused AHD TERR I TORY on contenl. It was obvious to rely on Ecuadorian people a government program. Everyone has to submit 10 what they think. There is no consultation abou11he needs of the people, the community. So thats another difference. the candidates at a local, provincial and Theirs is an individual effort, the work national level. \Ve favored a govern* \¥e were also at a disadvantage con- ment program. \Ve didn't want to imi· cerning time, but the Indigenous candidates quickly achieved a national presence with people in positions a1 a local, provincial. and national level. In two months and two weeks. we saw the election of approximately seventy authorities at a national level. For us, this is a triumph. I tate the traditional political ways: the cheap offers 10 the Ecuadorian people of an aristocracy that scorns the people. Another difference is in electoral spending. They have spent millions of dollars in this electOral process. In my in an attempt to convince them and opinion they raised an offensive cam- auract their votes. the discourse of paign what everyone is accustomed to. don 't want to say we are in second or third place. We believe we are the first political force at a national level. Ours is a political force that lsn·t necessarily sponsored by any political party. Civil society expressed its political will with decision. I would say that in this game the lndigenous movement has played an important role. Before the convoking of the Indigenous movement, all the social forces, all the popular forces of our coumry decided 10 organize a national minga (communal work) to build something different, something that hasn·t been seen in the history of our patria. What were sonte of the differences between the campaigning style of t he Pachakutik movement and that of the traditio nal political parties? How did you implement the campaign? There is a radical difference in Vol. 10 No. 2 against the political clientelism, and nothing more. This clientelism is The difference is our proposals don't originate from the presidential candidate, nor from the candidates for deputies. Our proposals come from the people. We have been working on them for years. They are a collective effort, a collective force. They are the Ecuadorian peoples-an aggressive campaign. They have appeared on television and on the radio puuing out a series of lies to our peoples. They use these publicity spots to appear together with a poor woman or with a poor child. With these images the)' try to make an impression on the people. Also, the other urban sectOrs that see them are definitely affected. It may not reach the majority of the people, but it reaches a wide social sector "We didn't want to imitate the traditional political ways: the cheap offers to the Ecuadorian p eople in an attempt to convince them and attract their votes, the discourse of political clientelism, and nothing more." result of uprisings, struggles, and the marches of our peoples. This then 1ransfonns itself into a political proposal, into a government program. This isn't how Mr. Nebot proceeded. who only presented his political proposal, or Mr. Rodrigo Paz. What they do is sit down at a desk with their two specialists. write whatever, and show the of the country. If we had 10 describe our country right now. we would say that there it is absolutely covered in paint. The walls, trees, rocks, and paths are covered with posters. Everything is covered. We can observe the differences in the campaign proceedings. There are posters everywhere. Where did this 19 �S E L F DETERMINATION A N D TERRITORY paign to every last corner of our country- from the last community in the Amazon region, to the last plateau in the sierra region, to the last beaches in the coastal region. This has been our way of running a campaign. \ Ve have had to walk. We have been accompanied by these people. We anended meetings in plaz.1s. many of which were designed by the people. Because they asked . we had to walk to such places. \\1c had w auend serninars in such places. Everything was done in a collective and coordinated way. in common agreement , in a great minga. These are the differences we were able to establish. money come from, we ask ourselves? ence. A very wealthy campaign facing a These expenses> There, I would say, is campaign of programs that visits the where the corruption of the politics of communilies. How have we instituted our count ry is initiated. The aristocrats our candidacy> We have gone to the of national politics have an under- communities. We have gone to the standing of political work. What. for neighborhoods. We have gone to the families. We have gone to the coopera- me, personally is a sacred act, for them it is a civic act, transformed into one of buying and selling, of business. Because, neither at a provincial nor at a national level can you explain the polit- ical staying power of these men. I would be ashamed. For example, Nebot is a candidate for the second time. This is his second electoral cam- paign. For Abdala Bucaram. this is his third time. Even though the Ecuadorian people don't want them, nevertheless. these men keep appearing in our politics. There we established another differ- 20 tives. That is, we have gone to the peo- ple. We have gone to our peoples. to the Indigenous communities. V/e have • gone with a message. wilh a proposal. Our campaign has been absolutely differenL \ Vith this government program, what we have done is hold workshops. seminars, assemblies. Thankfully, the Indigenous movement has a national structure, as do the workers and some campesino organizations that are part of the Movimiento UnidadPiurinacional-Pachakutik. These struc· tures have helped us to bring the cam- What does your new pOSlltOn in Ecuadorian national politics imply for the project of establis hing a plur'i-national s tate in Ecuador? ls it compatible? Or, if it isn't, what is the principle objective of CON AI E now? I believe that parallel to the beginning of this process, to the great calling of the Indigenous movement in Ecuador, there has been a great answer from the Ecuadorian peoples. But what was the proposal? \Vhat was the content of this political process that called ian peoples? It is preto the Ecuado1 cisely this proposal. one of the construction of a modem state and a sHne that responds to the needs of all Ecuadorians. We have said that in Ecuador the legislation provides for-i n theory at least- individual rights, rights of the citizens, rights of the family, but it doesn't consider collective rights, the rights of Indigenous peoples. We are going to insist that it is time. in the ough in stage our country is living thr latin America, for a change, a qualitative transfonnation in the way we conceive the state and the nation, to put ourselves at the height of the advances humanity has achieved in these recent times. The construction of a plurinational state responds to this-to raise. to dignif)' the rights of Indigenous peoples. However, we are not only talking about benefits for Indigenous peoples. We Abya Y News ala �SELf wam to stan to revise the trndmonal, archaic legoslauon. We think ours Is a Constitution that doesn\ respond to this era. this information age. It absolutely does not respond. It benefits only a few groups in power in our country. In this, we have a great backing. h os because of this that we arc now a grc::n pohtical force in our coun· try. Secause there never was one before. all the Ecuadonan peoples have assomolated themselves to this proposal. Before. no polotical pany was capable of doing It, nor did they ever intend to change our country. Therefore. things only changed liule by little. We are going to continue fighting in the Nauonal Congress with or without sup.pon. Obvoously, we are going to look for the necess:>ry suppon in different sectors and progressive poliucal mo,·emcnts. We will buold a polhocal fooce on the parhament so that the interests of the people, and those of the Indigenous peoples. can be defended. What would you say to someone who Ignores the potential benefits of the CONAIE proposals and the general project o f the Pacha.k utikl How would you lnvite other sectors to unite: with P:tcha_ utik? k Our proposal is a national one. although ot has not been finished and presented to the others. What we want Is a nauonal debate. Everyone should particip:ltc in this. First, in our countr)'• we think the changes should be global and structural. The changes can't apply to only a minimal sector or society. one \vith economic or political power. \Ve want all Ecuadorian people to assess actl\'ely panocipatong in the neohberal model. Thos polocy is agaonst the Ecuadorian people. What we want IS to g1''e d1gmty to politics in our countr)'· We thonk the structure and traditional ways of doing politics in our country should be changed. This representative democracy has to transform itself Into a participatory democracy. Could there possibly be equality without participation in Congress? No. Haven't Vol. 10 No. 2 DETERMINATION lndogenous peoples htStoncally been o solated from Congress? I definitely believe that of we don' begin to understand ourselves. in the framework or mutual respect. if we don't begin to be conscious of each sector and it's particularities. our country Is finished. We believe It is necessary ond imponant that everyone have the opponunlty to panlcopate on the benefits tht statt can gl\·c: thtm. Htrt, we are obviously speakong not only of bettcnng the lives in the lndoos and the campesinos. but also of all Ecuador's citizens. On the other hand. we arc called to AND TERRITORY political institutions or the s tate: deputies, advisers. mayors. etc. How do you think this will change Lhe future of the Indigenous movement? I think this question is very important. The Indigenous movement is going through a cruclol stoge, precisely because of our great achievements. First. I would say there are people we have struggled Mth: regional organizations. grassroots organtzattons. provincial organtz.at•ons. communities. And, at least for me. this makes me think the Indigenous movement in Ecuador in general and CONAIE will undergo a great development. "I will continue working on the proposals that come from organizations and not just those from myself and from the National Congress. Proposals from underneath, from the communities, will be delivered to the National Congress. Only like this can we speak from a parliamentary level, instead of an individual one." a great chore. We have to search for an ideological focus point. I beheve the fundamental issue all Ecuadorians have spoken to us about IS odentny. Thos is onother of the cnses we hve \vith. Although in recent years we ho,·c seen an appropriate response to thos problem, there still isn't the rccognotion of human vnlues in ourselves. We arc not going to be able to change politically :md economically because we are living in o global crisis. Thos crisis is the absence of self-recognition. the absence of the recognouon of the human values in one's self. as well as the \oalues of the collecuve group. Therdore. we are also m0\'10& towards thts odea. What the lndogenous movement proposed years ago 1sn't an empty discourse. We believe the resources ror the development of our people are in ourselves. There are various elected Indigenous people who 'vill occu py places in the Second. our fundamental objective wasn't only tO win positions in these last elections at a local. provincial, and national level. Our fundamental objec11\'e was searchang ror a. way to consol· idate our organazatrons. Here l belie,·e we have taken an amponant step. This will serve to strengthen the organizations in their respective levels. We think that if there Is a collective decision our peoples will respond to the correct needs. At least, I personally think I shouldn' seule down and I won't. For example. I will cominue working on the proposals that come from organozatoons and n01 just those from myself and from the N3lional Congress. Proposals from underneath, from the communities. \viii be delivered to the National Congress. Only like this can we speak from a parliamentary level. instead of an individual one. This is what we propose. Because of this. I think it os a dofficult challenge. but we ha,·e to take it on. 't 21 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Pachakutik-Nuevo Pais: Breaking Ground in Ecuadorean Politics Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Pachakutik-Nuevo Pais: Breaking Ground in Ecuadorean Politics Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 18-21 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note Historically, Indigenous leaders have not been elected into national government positions. This article details the election of Luis Macas, and indigenous leader, to the national government and his fight to give indigenous peoples rights. Attachment Title Pachakutik_Nuevo_Pais.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Ecuadorean Politics Election Indigenous Leader http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/bd3ffbc0c4f790c0085b5f74769ee5c6.pdf 5b7341f908390f87f36673132f1c8d35 PDF Text Text C 0 N F R 0 N T_:_.!:.....:~_.::,_,'-"- T U R A L :..._: I N G C u L-' E X T I N C T I ., N' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0'---'-' New and Old Disease Threats in the Peruvian Amazon: The Case of the Urarina by Ritchie Witzig An estimated 90% of Indigenous people in the Americas died after exposure to novel infectious diseases brought by Europeans- and over half the Indigenous groups once present in the Americas have become extinct. Biological extinction mandates cultural extinction, although in the modem era cultural loss may preclude physical extinction. Isolated Amazonian peoples that have managed to keep their culture and language intact remain at risk of biological and cultural extinction. The Urarina of the Peruvian Amazon are one group still struggling with increasing threats to their physical survival as a people. he Umrina have lived in the Chambim and Urituyacu river basins for at least half a millennium. The word ·umrina" is thought to be derived from the Quechua root words of "people" and "below"-meaning the "people from below." The)' call themselves "KacM," meaning "the people." The Umrina have remained relatively isolated due to the remoteness of their settlements and by choice. The blackwater river basins where the)' live are supplied by a giant T Rircltie IVitzig is an irifeuious diseases physician currently direc1ing medical projects in 1he Amazon and Andean regions of Peru. 6 aguajal. or swamp, providing insulation from an)• incursions from the nonh. east. and west. The Umrina are ecologically flexible, able lO live both on the low-nutritional blackwater rivers or in the rainforest. They have resisted missionary influ. ence and cultuml integmtion (from colonists). All these facwrs may be the reason the Umrina speak a unique language, and have survived as a distinct people. However, in the present their traditional territory has been invaded, and they have yet to affiliate with any Indigenous rights group. Not surprisingly. the Peruvian government has not officially registered their lands. Incursions of "foreigners" (non-Urarinas) intO Urarina traditional lands are currently from river Abya Y News ala �CONFRONTING traders. loggers. colonistS. oil explorntion teams. and recently. "drug· voyeur· tounsts. All of these groups ha'-e brought s•gn•fic:~nt dlS<asc pressure on the Uranna that threatens thear way of life and Sul'\ival. Rl\'er trnders. loggers. and colomStS commg from lqunos to explon tht Ur.mn• and thear land for natural resources are known to ha"e transport· ed two measles ep1dem1cs m the latt 1980s and 1991. They cenamly brought the cholera ep1dem1c of September 1991 and October 1993 upri"er from tqu1tos. as well as dengue r.-·er and different strams of g;~Strom­ testinal and respiratory d1seases to which the Urarina have had no preVIous immunological exposure. The traders and colonists also bnng m poor nutri· tiona! quality foods such as nee and sugar that arc altering the d1ct in some Urarina villages. The Urarina tr:Jditlonol diet is high in protein which prc"ents malnutrition. even under the stress of several infections. Once their diet includes more refined foods. malnutrition and consequently disease morbid ity (the rate of Incidence of a dl.sease) and mortality will prob.1bly increase. The oil explorntion and dnlling teams are from Petroperu facihtlcs bordering Urnrina territory. but their personnel arc imponed from \"Orious areas in Peru. An oil pipehne crosses under the Chambira nver JUSI before the connuence of the Tignllo. on llS way from Trompeteros on the Comentes to S:lramuro on the Maral\on. The p1pehne then coursts across the Andes to th< Pacific. The northern secuon of th1s pipehne crosses Uranna l•nd JUSI nonh of the agua)<JI (S\\"Omp) suppl)•ng the \Vater lOr thear nvers. Pcuoperu has planned a huge Chambu-a 011 drlihng project tn the center of Uranna land as soon as they rece1ve stanup moneys The cultural. b1olog>eal. and ccol<>g~col effectS on the Uranru~ '"II hkely be devastating. 01l dnlhng teams are renowned ror transportang new strams of malaria and sexually tr:msnuned diS· eases mto temtoncs they explon. The Urarina do not marry outside thear Vol. 10No. 2 CULTURAL EXTINCTION group and se><-ually transmitted diseases are not yet a problem among them. New StrainS or malart.1, however. are CUrrtnt· ly dcc1mat1ng the Urarina peoples. In the past twoyears.twoAmeric:~ns ha"e amnged "Jungle ecology tours· that mclude a two wetk trip up the ., Amazon and Marafton ri\'ers. and recently the lower Chamb1ra nver. Dunng the n'·er tour. a ·shaman· from tquuos manufactures the sacred halluCinog<niC ayahuasca (Banistcriop<is caapt) for the tounStS to dnnk and ·expcntnee the JUngle hke the ru~ti,-es." Fmally. they am"< m Uranna villages to "look at the lnd1ans" and take pictures Right after a tour mthe spring of 1995. most or the children m one ,;llage which had been "isned c:~me down with a rcs1>1ratory ailment requiring antibi- l 1 Petropcu operations on the Maral'lon. otics to recO\•cr. This infection was most likely SUI>phed by these "drug-voyeur" tourists rrom overseas. The Urarina are alanned at this invasion. especially as they know the tour operators arc anned with weapons and Hike drugs, effectively mocking the Urarina religious ceremonies. The affected ,;llages organized to write n compktint lO the P eruvian Ministries of the Interior and Tourism in lqunos. and the rlmericon Embassy in L1ma. demandmg that the indi\iduals respons1ble be barred from their lands. In August 1992. a medical sun-ey was IOHlally conducted in Urarina territory As the Urarina had pre\'iously ne\'er seen a ph)'Stcian, 1t took eight days before a four-year-old girl was brought forward 1n critic:~l condition suffenng from malaria. amotbic dysen· tery. and three l)'ptS of wonn mfect1ons. After she reco\'ered. commumty members were Interested m complementing thear 0\\11 soph1st1cated tthnobotanical med1c1nes to prc\'ent morbidity and monaht)' from""''' d1seases. These maJ. ad1es mcluded mostly recently introduced d1seases. such as the deadly cholera and ma.lana. Uranna communi· tits suffered gra"ely from the introduction of cholera into the Chambira river system m September 1991 (cholera \\'35 remtrodueed into South Americ:~ in january 1991). Some communities ... they arrive in Urarina villages to "look at the Indians" and take pictures. Right after a tour in the spring of 1995, most of the children in one village which had been visited came down with a respiratory ailment requiring antibiotics to recover. 7 �CONFRONTING CULTURA L Children are especially at risk of diseases like malaria. reported population losses of up to 20%, an incredibly high population mortality rate even rrom this well· known disease that can kill in less than 12 hours. A second epidemic of cholera in the Chambira with significantly less monality followed in October 1993 after village heahh workers had been trained to treat cholera. Urarina communities also suffer from endemic vi\'W: malaria. which still produces significant mol'bidity and contributes to mortality especially among children, pregnant women, and the elderly. Other important illnesses documented in Urarina cotnmunities in the initial 1992 survey were helminth infections. dysentery (amoebic and bacillary). and viral and bacterial respiratory infections. After the initial medical survey was performed, the Urarina communities elected 3 village health workers (VHWs) who were then trained to diagnose and treat the most common medical illnesses. The VHW communities were provided medical supplies for their village as well as any surrounding Urarina comrnunity in need. VH\oVs and the Urarina people are encouraged to con· tinue using and developing their own medical system for r nany ailments 8 EXTINCTION which it can ameliorate. further medical surveys from August to October 1993, February to April 1994, January to April 1995, and October to December 1995 revealed progressive disease threats. furt hered training of the VHWs. and replenished medical supplies. When the second wave of cholera came up the Chambira, the VHWs were ready to give oral rehydration solutions and tetracycline to the sick. Only one fatal case was reponed from the VHW villages after that outbreak. The most recent disease th reat to the Urarina has been the deadly Plasmodium falcipan~m malaria strain. Previously confined to small areas of Peru. in the last 5 years this strain has spread across most of northeastern Peru. h first appeared in the Urituyacu river system 2 years ago, and spread into the Chambira river from the Tigrillo river in 1995. The Urarina region has been the most affected. The malaria research lab in lquitos has identified a staggering 79% of all P. falciparum cases in July. August. and September 1995 to have originated rrom the r nain river systems in which the Urarina live (Chambira, Urituyacu. and Corricmes). However. these figures still underestimate the severity of the new malarial suain on the Urarina. since most of their cases ar c never reported . A further p roblem is that the new strain has grade II (two) drug resistance. While colonists on the lower Chambira and Tigrillo rivers arc seeking the most effective drug trcatrnent at medical posts on the Marat'\on and Amazon rivers, it is unavailable to the Urarina because of logistical and financial reasons. To illustrate the seriousness of the epidemic, the Urarina village of Tagual had 6 people (5 children and one pregnant woman) out of 80 die or the new strain the week before the last medical survey and supply trip arrived. All other Urarina communities experienced monalit)r from the new strain, ahhough at a lower rnte. What is to become of the Urarina? The most negative spin on the future must be confronted as a potential reali- ty. If the past is an)' measure regarding Indigenous peoples in Peru. the govern- ment will attempt to assimilate them into Peruvian society. Young Urarina men, for example, will be drafted to do their mandatory military service ror • fatherland" Peru. Colonists will continue invading Urarina territory. Petropent will drill in the Chambira oil field. Ecological destruction and introduced diseases will gradually decimate them. Urarina mao dying of cholera, treated for the d isease just in time. Many people do not survive this treatable illness. for the optimistic spin, the Urarina could remain where they are, in their own territory and self·sufficient. Since Peru is a signatory of the International Labor Organization Convention 169 which e£rectively advocates for the defense of Indigenous cultures, it could legally recognize their territory. This would lead to their self-detem>ination. and the control of their own destiny. Thankfully. a few optimistic signs have emerged for the Urarina. First, Peruvian anthropologists have succeed· ed in petitioning the Peruvian Department of Agricuhure on their Abya Yala News �CONFRONTING behalf to conduct a population survey, the first step necessary for land titling. The survey is being conducted by the Peruvian NGO CEDIA (Centro Para el Desarrollo del lndlgena Amaz6nico). The s11rvcy started in November 1995. with expected completion in late 1996 or early 1997. However. this is only a start. With the odds stacked against them, the Urarina will likely ne<!d political support from outside Peru or they will join the long line of extinct cultures and peoples left behind by the ongoing colonization of this continent. 1' CULTURAL EXT I NCTION Map showing Urarina territOI)' in the blackwater systems of the Chambira and Urituyacu. The rivers drain from a swamp to the north, helping to isolate the Ucarina. Thanks to Rafad M<za, !..dis Ri\•era Chdi'<Z, )ost Morosco. jotge Quintana Zurita. Luis Icomcna, and Massitl Astendos Linares for their comribulions ro Urarina stlf-dtttnnfnation and d1e Urarina medical project To call aw:ntion to and protctl d1t Urarina~ territorial iruc:grity: \\~tt the Pr'tZ.itlent of Ptnl, Alberto Fujimori, urging him to secur~ the Urarina and other Indigenous peoples' tenitorial rights and to stop destruaive~ invasive tourism into Indigenous peoples communities. Send your letters to Ministerio de Ia Presidencia, -1297 Paseo de lc! Repti.bliat, Uma 1, Peru. To proUGl Indigenous peoples from importtd diseases: If you ar< working with isolated lndigtiiOIIS peoples (aruhropologists. l1uman riglus workers. ttc.), please co>ifin" that bo<h you and your local guides ha\'t all tile ncU$Sar)' \'DC· cinations and prophylactic medications. A.ny ptfSCn panicipating in rlfe project who is curn:ntly Ill should dtl>er b< left lxfli,d, or the project should lx delayed until that person has r<eovcn:d. 8AAZil If you a•• engaging in e<Olowism, please do 1101 enroll in •exotic'" tou~ pmmising to mttl isolat<d p<oples. Then: is no advantage for them to meet you. Tl1e tour opemtors arc in business to makt money. Tour operators l1a\'e no incentive to P'~'·tnt diSCQS( or impto\'e httdth among thes< peoples. Please Inform local Indigenous organizations or 01hcr adequate cnririts of tour operacotS operating u.ndcr such co11ditions. Vol. 10 No.2 i i ·Map Areas oil operation contracts and areas d irectly operated by Petroleos del Peru: Blod< 8 falls directly on top of the Urarina's territOI)'. 9 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New and Old Disease Threats in the Peruvian Amazon: The Case of Urarina Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ritchie Witzig Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title New and Old Disease Threats in the Peruvian Amazon: The Case of Urarina Item Type Journal Article Author Ritchie Witzig Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 6-9 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note Since the first Europeans came to the West, the Indigenous peoples have dwindled due to warfare, but more importantly, biological warfare. This article details the struggles of the Urarina people of Peru as the try to maintain their isolation from the outside world as to avoid biological deterioration, as well as cultural deterioration. Attachment Title New_and_Old_Disease_Threats_in_the_Peruvian_Amazon.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Cultural Extinction Disease Indigenous Peoples Peruvian Amazon http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/9e25b58b3ea3f6bf64774513d5bb9a50.pdf 575f00a4701652c8d0f3ed317e5af682 PDF Text Text _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __;~~ S E L_cF DETERMINATION AND TERRITORY Indigenous Peoples and Peasants of Bolivia Press Government for Solutions ~ s the month of September brings the spirit of spring to the Andes, Indigenous organizations have again challenged the neoliberal government of President S~nchez de Lozada and Aymara vice-president 0\rdenas. The call to march to La Paz by Indigenous peoples follows governmental failure to implement previously signed decrees in favor of Indigenous peoples--a Slate version of the ancient dictum, "I obey but I do not comply." The government has obstructed the application or laws and delayed measures aimed at solving the problems over Indigenous territories. The main demand of the march is to enact at least nine Decrees signed by the Government after the massive Indigenous peoples' march of close to 1 million to La Paz in 1990, and to have ntral laborers integrated into the General Labor Law Indigenous leader Marcial Fabricano, representative of CIDOB (Confederation of Indigenous peoples of Bolivia) called for the march. He also organized the 1991 "March for Territory and Dignity." joining Mr. Fabricano in the organizing process are Roman Loayza, representative of the CSUTCB, the national peasant confederation and Modesto Condori, representing CSCB, an organization of landless peasants also known as "colonizers." It is the first time, Indigenous peoples, peasants, and landless rural workers have come together in a strong A coalition. Urban workers, who have fared poorly because of neoliberal policies brought by governing parties MNR (Nationalist Revolutionary Movement) and MRTK (Revolutionary Movement Tupaq Katari), have lent their active solidarity. The Decrees in question, which agreed to grant rights over land, should Vol.10 No.2 have created Indigenous territories for the Siriono Indigenous peoples of the lsiboro National Park , Secure, Pillon, Chiman, Tim, Araona, Moseten, Chiman, Yuqi. Chiquitano, and \>/eenhayek (Mataco), all located in the eastern Amazon region. Their noninforcement prompted the march, as well as more ongoing problems no different from similar areas other nationstates share in the Amazon basin. Ranchers, lumber companies, miners, and landless peasants consider the Amazon ·an empty area," lawless., and ideal for "colonizing." Indigenous peoples have worked to defend their rights coordinating themselves nationally and forging international alliances to denounce this situation. Ranchers and landowners in the area continue to benefit from the conditions or lawlessness, and are actively pressuring the government to declare these lands (and territories) "negotiable" at market prices. The march constitutes a strong indictment against President Sanchez de Lozada's administration regarding the environment, biodiversity, and land and territorial management. Recent statistics published in Bolivia by LlDEMA (Environmental Defense League), demonstrate that the rate of deforestation has increased to unprecedented levels, as well as the percentage of national territory adversely affected by soil erosion. President Sanchez de Loz.ada, whose administration is plagued b)• inefficiency, has answered by menacing the marchers to postpone a debate over a law drafted by the National Agrarian Reform Institute, lNRA-Iikely due to strong pressures from ranchers and agroindustries whose interest he strongly supports. Indigenous peoples conflicts in Boli\•ia have been widespread since the election of President Sanchez de Lozada in July 1993. His administration has seen the return of old forms of rural labor enslavement and debt peonage in cattle ranches and other estates in the Departments of Chuquisaca, Beni, Santa Cntz, and Tarija (Chaco). There have been no significant actions taken by his administration to eliminate such illegal practices, although many Indigenous nations, such as the Guaran, have publici)• denounced it within the last four years. Practically all the well-known Indigenous peoples such as the Yuqui, Moseten, Chiquitano, Araona, Guaran, Chiman, and Weenhayek. have persistently endured physical abuse, enslavement, forced prostitution, debt-peonage, and the theft or their wages and lands. Long marches are a recent strategy by rural inhabitants to press for their human rights in Bolivia. This 1996 march differs from recent ones because, rather than simply complain, it explains Indigenous peoples' overdue demands. The Bohian case, amidst those of the other Amazonian countries, is another example where governmental measures could stop the environmental collapse this area is currently undergoing, Indigenous peoples in the area have a long-term commitment to restore this forest, but not when under heavy pressures from non-sustainable forms or land management. Obviously, land tenure laws cannot be implemented without the input or peasant and Indigenous peoples' organizations. Although the Sanchez de Lozada administration ran and enacted a Popular Participation Law, little has advanced in tenns or participation, and most decisions in ract continue to exclude Indigenous peoples' large representative confederations . ... 27 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Indigenous Peoples and Peasants of Bolivia Press Government for Solutions Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Indigenous Peoples and Peasants of Bolivia Press Government for Solutions Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 27 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note This article details the struggle of the Indigenous peoples of Bolivia as they seek to be treated with dignity in the nation they live, but separated as their own culture. Attachment Title Indigenous_Peoples_and_Peasants_of_Bolivia_Press_Government_for_Solutions.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Bolivia Indigenous Peoples Self Determination and Territory http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/99acaa47353a7f2af73d5d72f82ef53d.pdf b0de957245535c24001e4dff44289110 PDF Text Text S E LF D ETER M IN A TIO N A ND T E R R I T O RY In Our Own Words Ac~~~~w~ Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez is the author of A Mayan Life (La otra cara), first published in 1992. It is considered the first novel by a Mayan author. A Mayan Life traces the rich life of Lwin, a Q'anjob'al Maya, whose eyes reveal to the reader the bitter realities of Mayan existence in contemporary Guatemala. Gaspar Pedro Gonzales was born in 1945 in San Pedro Soloma, and attended the University of Mariano Galvez, majoring in Educational Planning. He is a member of the Academy of Mayan Languages of Guatemala. He has written on Mayan languages, Mayan literature, and educational policy in Guatemala. In continuation, we present excerpts from two separate interviews. The majority of the material comes from an interview conducted on May 5, 1995, by Bob Sitler, from the Department of Foreign Languages at Stetson Univer.sity, Florida. The other was conducted by SAIIC on July 5, 7996 any people, when they read my novel. take it to be autobi· ographical. In some ways, there are indeed parts of Ill)' own life that relate closely to this '' ble, that is immaterial. They also sa)' that all those who are born on this day hold these qualities. This is like the horoscopes of Western culture. you sec. I lived a good portion of my infant life in the community. So most of what 1 write is real, not imaginary. l lived it. work. For example, the initial seuing. I had the novel son of simmering in head for several years. I was always that initial education that I absorbed in the heart of the home. l was born in 1945 in San Pedro Soloma, in the department of In)' Huehuetenango. I was born on a very moving forward because, first, I had no special day when the Ma)"'n people hold a ritual celebrating the first ripening fruits of the Earth. That day is called Ox Tz'ikin in the Mayan calendar. and signifies "Three Birds: · The expert priests who study this say that this idea how to go about publishing my work. Second. there was a stage in the political life of Guatemala at which no writer. let alone a Mayan , had the certainty of living freely and s.~fely. ..tz'ikin" is in other contexts the spiril. attempt to publish it. But someone told me, ·why don't we wait a little.' The creativity, initiative, all that is inlangi- 22 aching to write. I would jot down notes, and then I carne up against a period of stagn:uion, in which I wasn't Yes. It was J978 when there was an national political conflicts had begun . When the tide of violence hit in the 1980s, anyone with paper or pen in his house was risking his life. So I took the drafts and stuffed them into a cardboard box. and saved them from the 80s, for the 90s. The 90s brought the movement of cultural revival and the fost-approaching commemoration of the 500 years of Columbus. It then seemed to me to be an opportune time to publish this thing. In the end I reached my goal. It was a struggle for someone with few resources, with liule influence in society. to achieve publishing. I think it was a ke)' experience that strengthened my spirit of resistance in the sense that I never threw in the towel. This is so important. I reach out to my fellow Attya Yala News �[ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __,~ L _!F_D E T E R M I N A T I 0 S E~ Mayan friends and I tell you that )'OU have to persevere. If you accept defeat, you'll never reach your objective. When 1 had to turn all this into Spanish. I took refuge in poetry, and lyrical and rhetorical speech in C..1Stilian. For that reason, as 1 was writing the novel. sometimes I would get a little ahead of myself in Spanish so as not to lose emergent ideas. There are ne,·enheless ways to say these things through the Mayan parallelism that exists in our oral literature. There are literary resources in Maya such as repetition. There are literary figures that I had to study to adapt these ideas to Maya. llS a bit ironic because poetic speeches are uncommon in Q'anjob• at The culture offers us another type of rhetoric. known by the elders, who in turn use it for ceremonies and special occasions. . "I thought the novel in Maya, and when the time came to bridge everything, I had to work it out theo· retically and avoid being too materialistic in Spanish. For example, concepts as love. God, and metaphysical manifestations are difficult to write with Mayan words. In our culture these experiences are felt . In the Mayan languages, these things are refereed to through material experience. 'love,' for example, has no translation in Q'anjob'al. lt"s not that these experiences don't exist. They are lived. They are not for analyzing or conceptualizing critically. No. they are lived situations. When I wrote the pan of the novel where Lwin and Malfn fall in love. I realized what love signified for a more complex, perhaps more sophisticated society. But for Mayas it"s feeling, experimenting. and living. \\1ords are not spoken. One lives, dances. is lured to a spiritual realm internally to the sounds of the marimbas. That night when they dance for the first time. they don"t say a word . There are no discourses. no sweet words. Vo1.10No. 2 " Writings abound on Mayans by non-Mayans. But a novel of this nature. written in the Mayan lan· guage. is, to the extent of my knowledge, the first. There is a novel. for example, juan Ptre:;:jolore, that presumably deals with the Tzotzil Maya, written by Ricardo Pozas, a Ladino author. There's El desrino del Indio, by Oliver L1 Farge. a novel on the Maya in Chiapas and Guatemala. Miguel Angel Asturias obtained the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1967 precisely due to his writings on the Maya. N A H D TERR IT ORY He is respected as one of the foremost Latin American authors. But our worlds are so completely different. The day more Mayan authors emerge. we will expand our different interpretations of Asturias. He is a m.m of the literary medium whose raw material is the Maya. much like contemporary painters. sculptors, and other Ladino aniSts. Though. his identification with the Mayan people is a whole different story Asturias" thesis is a scientific endeavor where Asturias the artist and Asturias the impassioned novelist are not present. If you get a ch.tnce to read this thesis. you won) see his later opinions on the Maya. In this work. he comes ofT as full of stereotypes and prejudices. as when he says that Mayas are indolent, filthy... He sees the plight of the "Indian" as the perfect opponunity to better himself. but in no way does he '"'lue that humatl being. When Miguel Angel Asturias tra,·els to Europe, especially France, he begins to mature and learns to appreciate the Ma)'lln civilization when faced with his hosts. His '"sion of the Maya is that of a Ladino. There is a certa.in tendency to engage in 'positivism,' to portray the Maya as stoic, battle-hardened. This in turn serves to construct a nationalist identity based on certain values. You have, for example, the case of Tecum Un>an (the leader of a Mayan rebellion]. The military adopts this Mayan symbol, shrouds it in myth , and shines it back on the Ma)'ll to entice them into the military. He becomes a warrior that defends the nation. But, whose muion is it? lt is a nation of the few. of Ladinos and for their benefit, not of the Mayan people. More concretely. I think that in Asturias' Men of Com (Hombres dt Mar:;:), this phenomenon occurs. He seeks to depict our society abroad, a society he recreates based on personal criteria, and he puts on display for the world after applying some literary cosmetics. But the Maya fail to appreciate it because it is like a bad ponrait. In A Mayan Ufe. 1 try to diston these stereotypes, and present the Maya with their values, their anguish, their view or the world, and of mankind in that pan of the world. 23 �S E L f DETERMINAT I ON "A P""and estheuc expression. lA rrom the necessity ror anisuc Mayan U/el Is m a cenain sense a staunch cnuque or the social conditions and, l>-1rttcularly. an attempt to make the Q'anjob'al cultUre known. A Mayan Life falls into the genre or testimonial novel because it is a testimo ny to the exploit:'ltion :md marginalization then is rampant ncross Mayan society. I think that thanks to a Mayan presence In different circles. in different stages or national life. it is becoming accepted that the Maran people speak. that they express thetr thoughts. and th.1t the bws be more closely heeded. In A Mayan ufc. there IS no invention. nor IS On)1hmg that we describe surreal. We are stmply transferring a son or radtography or a society that is ]i,ing. that IS dynonuC, that iS aware of a book published by a Ma)oan. Many non- Mayan rncnds have congratulated me ror the work. h has been an interna- tional success. I think that it is beginning 10 be seen as a key part or the culture or this diverse society. or course there are sectors or the populouon that still spurn this voice. There are sectors that oppose the strengthemng or the ~1a)>an languages, or thot MO)>an tdcnuty be reinforced. They want to standardaze the counuy. or "lodmtze" n, much as in past periods. ~lay.an soctety today is being born24 A N 0 TERR I TORY bardcd Ill " scnes or cultural im'3Sions. Progressl\·tl)• people arc less and less , responswc to m.1n1festations of spirituality. The medta tS a key factor in theSe invasions. The maJority or Ma)'3n houses have a radto. That radio says nothing about the Maya. It plays no Mayan music, nor do we hear Mayan languages. On the same side or the coin, the present religions, the religious sects, have divided the Mayan people. One village is rmctured into 4 or 5 churches. Social coheston •s wantmg. Society is diSJOined. Each factton tries tO pull the other to tts stde. We arc becoming complacent because our collective identity has d\\ondled. Nevertheless. 1 percetve that there exists a rovorable cm'\ronment to publish. ror example. the results or scientific investigations in Guatemala. or the works or people who write novels o r poetry. You can't conceal the truth indefinitely. Eventually these things must be tOld, and the political atmos· pherc must give In, and begin to develop a conscience or these things. Still. It remains the reality that Ma)•an authors ha,·e great difficulty in publishmg thctr work, because the cconomtc factor tS so cructal. I know people who ha,·e wnucn documents or lit· erature, and there they are locked up in a box because they dont ha,·e the resources to pubhsh n. << T he reality is that education poll· cics, or simply. education. is constructed on philosophical bases. If in a n a tio nr~l education plan, the policies are not well defined, ot· even the philosophies, it Is hard to imagine what the goals or an education system arc. This IS the tOpiC or another work or mine. In Mayan Languages and Education (Las ld1ornas mayas y Ia tducact6n escolar) . I try to present some ideas as an educ:monal planner. to suggest mcchamsms. pohctes. and educational phtlosophtcs ror this country with multthngunl. multicultural. and muluethmc charactensucs. I also proposed to wnte what turned out to be my other book. llecouse. the first step in the construclion or ll:ltiona1hy is precisely th'! or education. But if we rail tO construct our education rrom and within a culture, we nrc probably distorting, or we're dcstroymg the idcmity or an entire porttOn or the population which in thts case is primartly Indigenous and-in thts country-above all Maya. Various mswutcs tn 1hc mterior of the country are usmg A Mayan Life in courses hke lnerature or anthropol<>g): On the same token we are stri,ing to coordm:nc w1th educa11on authori- ties. to present to them these sugges· tions to tmphcate them in curricula-because we have known first hand the effects or an education based on dcstntclion. Chi waltoq skawllal he k'ul ayex he masanil yul hin q':'lnej. yin mas.c\n k'ulal jetoq ko mns.,nil. ("From here I greet you all in my language. may peace reign in the hearts or all.") " To obtam atopy of A Ma)'an Life. writ< to: Yax Te' Press. 3520 Coolhe~ghts Dri•·c. Rontho Palos Vcrdrs. CA 90275·6231; Td/Fax 010) 377-8763 Abya Yala News � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource In Our Own Words: A Conversation with Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title In Our Own Words: A Conversation with Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 22-24 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note This article is an interview with the Myan author, Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez, as he details the importance of Indigenous histories being written in the native languages, as well as by a native of the culture. Attachment Title In_Our_Words_A_Conversation_with_Gaspar_Pedro_Gonzalez.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Culture Guatemala Mayan http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/47349985db60326b46a226155e2ca650.pdf 44f955d3831f447747d580d72fe88684 PDF Text Text S E L F DETERMINA T ION A N 0 TERRITORY Gold Miners Invade Yanomami Area, Again ince the government suspended its surveillance operation of the Yanomami area on March, 1996, thousands of gold prospectors have re-invaded the Yanomami area in Northern Brazil. Since then there has been no attempt by FUNAI (National Indian Foundation), the police, or the armed forces to stop the gold miners from invading the demarcated Yanomami area. S Davl Kopenawa Yanomami, the Yanomami representative ·we Yanomami und a message to you. \Ve are very worried that our Yanomami area is being again h1vadcd by gold mineN. TJ1is is why we Yanomami arc informing that the gold mi"trs <H't in the ri\'t.:r Cauimani and the high Cacirimani. They an: also around Xiteia, Homoxi. Papili, 011d for the moment there are: 35 illegal runways in the Yanomami area. The number ofgold miners has ani,,ed at 3000 in Brazil and 4000 in Venezuela. leader. writes: :De-~t'l; o!S .il~ q;...~o • .o~~ •"• C:4 r o' a-~ . elC Jt~olo •.nlO.. , c.o.r t'<~o. ,.,...-... .J,~...,.. The invasion of the gold miners has set off a dramatic rise in malaria cases, and resulted in the deaths of at least three Indians, shot with guns supplied by gold miners. "'\Vc Yanomami want help from you to publicize the inva· sion of gold miners. \Ve ask that this dcmouncemeru arrive to the \'arious countries of Europe and the Urlited Stale$ so that they know what is happening in the Yanomami area. \Vt ask that d1e organizations of those countries SUfJport us and S<nd leuers <o <he Pre.sidell! of Brazil asking rhar he free <he funds for the op<m<ion of removing the gold miners so this situation e.ruls." Letter sent by David Kopenawa in tne hopes of stop- ins tne latest invasion of Yanomami land. . s Voi.10No. 2 The invasion of the gold miners has set ofr a dramatic rise in malaria cases, and resulted in the deaths of at least three Indians, shot with guns supplied by gold miners. In April alone 12 Y anomami died from malaria and pneumonia. Tuberculosis and venereal diseases are also increasing throughout the Yanomami area. The gold miners are also supplying guns and ammunition to the Yanomami in exchange for food or sexual relations with Yanomami women. The presence of guns has heightened the level or ( 25 �SELF DETERMINA TION \OOiencc among 1he Yanomam1. lradmg 10 numerous dea1hs and InJUrieS. One Yanomami leader lostlhe use of an ann after bemg sho1. In early May lhree Yanomami were sh01 de.1d during !riba! conflicls. There are reports thm gold minc1·s arc encouraging ~ribal conflicts. FUNAI officials fear lhat al any moment Venezuela will also expel several1hous.1nd more Brazilian gold nuners who crossed 1he border as the resuh of earher eviclions from 1he Yanomam1 area. FUNAI also said 1ha1 planes have been seen flying over 1he l':lrima, Cmrimani, Parafuri, Paapi. X1dea. and other rivers in the area. The mmcrs :md ANO T E RRITORY 1heir machinery ha•·e been seen workmg in 1he Ca1nrn.1n1 Paap1u Aracaca. Curimala, and Mapula rivers. The Yanom::um reserve was officially dcmarca1ed by 1hc llmzilian government in 1992 :t(tcr international protests over the mass invasion of up to 40,000 gold miners at 1hc end of 1he 1980's. nr.een pcrccm of the Yanomami popula1ion died as a resuh. Besides 1he 1crnble efTec1 on the Yanomami people, 1he presence of 1he gold prospec10rs also causes huge em;. ronrnemal damage. contaminating rivers and destroying riverbanks and fores1. We urge you to appeal to President Fernando Henrique Cardoso to free the funds needed (approximately US $6 million) to restart the miner removal operation. Sample letter: Presidente Fernando HenMque Cardoso. Palacio do Planalto. 70 159-970. Brasilia OF Brazil; Fax: 06 1-2267566 Dear President Cardoso. The survival of an ancien! people. the Yanornami. is in your hands. The Yanomami are known throughout the wolid as one of the last large groups of Indigenous peoples who have been recently contacted. Now they are threatened by a new illegal invasion of gold miners and your inexplicable delay in authorizing the funds needed for their expulsion. an operation already jointly planned by differenl departments of your government in cooperation with the government of Venezuela. We would like to remind you that on 29/ 3/96 in London. Juslice M inister Nelson Jobim promised the intemalional press and non-governmental organizations that this operation was imminent. Three months have passed and nothing has been done to stop the entry of new gold miners or remove those who are illegally inside the demarcated Yanomaml area. 26 The good resul1s oblained by 1hc Com1SSA0 Pr6-Y3nomami's (CCPY) heahh programme, will be complclcl)• undermined if 1he invasion is allowed to contmuc. for the Yanomami it is a mmtcr or life and dca1h. For 1he Brazilian government it would be a mauer of honoring 1hctr word. During his reccnl VlSil 10 Europe Justice Minister Nelson job1m promiSed 1ha1 1he federal pohcc and 1he armed forces would be used 10 expel 1hc gold prospec1ors. '!I lrifonnarlon from CCPY (Comissllo Pr6~mommni) Sec bdom We know from reports from the area itself that the consequences for the Yanomami are disastrous: there has been an increase of malaria and venereal diseases and cases of injuries and even deaths caused by firearms supplied to the Indians by gold miners. Many rivers are being polluted and contaminated. A visit by members of the Human Rights Commission of the OAS to the Yanomami area in December. 1995, found that a binational operation to put an end to the chronic problem of invasions on both sides of the fronlier by mostly Brazilian gold miners was needed. The internatiOnal commun.ty expects that you. Mr. President. will fulfill your commrtments and protect a people who are vulnerable. but have the same right to life as anyone else. Therefore we appeal to you to free the necessary funds for the operation to remove the gold miners who have illegally entered into the Yanomami reserve in Brazil immediately and introduce a system of permanent vigilance to prevent them retumlng. Yours sincerely. For more information contact: Claudia Andujar. Comissao Pro-Yanomami. Yanomami Campaign Coordinator. Rua Manoel Nobrega 111 cj .32. 0400 1-900 Sao Paulo SP Brazil: phone (011> 5511 -289-1200: fax(011) 55 11 -284-6997: email: apccpybr@ax.ibase.org .br Al:::l(a Yala News � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gold Miners Invade Yanomami Area, Again Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Gold Miners Invade Yanomami Area, Again Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 25-26 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note This article details the Yanomami Valley, which was under government supervision until 1996. Since the supervision was stopped, numerous gold miners have come to valley seeking riches and ultimately destroying the land for the people who live on it. Attachment Title Gold_Miners_Invade_Yanomami_Area_Again.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Gold Miners Territory Yanomami http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/9984adb5bd3df97691c0357ef88ffeba.pdf dd3c713619bf542a720dded28a4d213d PDF Text Text IN BRIEF citing plans for construction of two trans-Andean gas Armando Antonio Ptrez, two members of AN IS. The Perez pipelines importing natural gas from Argentina. and the brothers appealed to the Supreme Coun of justice. but to no planned construction of new gas· fired powerplants. The US. avail; the coun ruled to have them expelled from the com· based Natuml Resources Defense Council rettntly conclud· munity. ed a Study demonStrating that improvement of energy deliv· Presently. a warrant is out for the arreSt of Don Adrian cry SyStems m Chile would make Ralco unnecessary. Esquino. president ANIS. on the grounds that he has Stolen The lnternauonal Commission on J..arge Dams is an Org;t· land and murdered. On May 3. an explosion tore through the nization of engineers from 79 countries which promotes con· house of the Esquino family. but caused only structural dam· struction of dams throughout the world. Founded in 1928. age. Faced with this situation. Esqulno is urging human it is headquartered in Paris, France. rights organizations to pressure the Salvadoran state to protect the rights of Indigenous communities under fire. Information from: lntemarfonal Rivus Networl1 (IRN), 1817 Berllelcy Wily. Bcrlwley, Califomia 94703 USA; Tel: (+510) 818· Colombia: Another Zenu Leader Killed 1155: Fax: (+510) 8'18-1008; email: im@igc.al'(.O~ Lummi Indian Nation, 2616 Kwlna Road, Bellingham, \\whington 98226. USA: efore the very eyes of Indigenous and national authoriTel: (+360) 38'1·2288; Fax; (+360) 738-8863 ties, one by one the members of the San i\ndrts de Sotavento Resguardo (Indian reserve). are being killed. At 1:30pm on Sunday, August 18. on the site known as El Salvador: Deputies Threaten Indigenous La Arena (Olrdoba State), two armed men on a black motor· Organization, Target Community bike assassinated the Indigenous leader of the town council he deputies Renato Ptrez. Adolfo Varela. and acU\151 m and mayoral ex-candidate of the town of San Andrts. Albeno the rightiSI ARENA political pany jorge Rufz are present· Cheito Malo Alean. ly attempttng to evict the Indigenous residents of the J..as The Zenu leader was 38 years old. mamed. and had two Hojas county of the San Antonio del Monte Sonsonate juris· children. By profession, he was a civil engineer. lie was the diction. Ptrez. Varela, and Rufz accuse the leaders of the brother of Htctor Malo Vergara. Cacique (chicO of the San National Sah'3domn Indigenous Organization (ANIS) of Andrts de Sotavento Resguardo. who was assassinated on being land thieves and murderers. March 26, 1994, along with three other Indigenous persons. Through the Ministry of Agriculture and Ranching. the This year 12 Zenu leaders have been killed. plaintiffs presented their accusations against the members of The Zenu of the San Andrts de Sotavento protested the AN IS before the tribunals of Sonsonate. They arc accused of lack of any meeting \vith representatives of the state in search violating the agricultuml norms of the country. At this point of solutions to this crisis of civil order. Their attempts have 10 members of AN IS were summoned to appear before the so far yielded nothing. Sonsonate courts to present their testimony regarding this The Cacique Rosenburg Clemente confirmed that the situation. according to the president of AN IS, Fermin Garcia Indigenous people are scared because they don' know who woll be next or when. Guardado. Several lndogcnous nations inhabit J..as Hojas count)'. He added that the massacres ha,·e contmued unabated. mcludmg Nahuats, l.A:nkas. and Mayas. This regoon was aoded by the indifference of the authonues. This comes after acquored by ANIS on 1978 as a safe region in whoch to work those same authorities had promised on a recent meeting in with the communities. They organized cooperatl\'es and are Manillo to establish a vigilante SyStem and to assure peace working communally. In this same spot. 74 Indigenous peo· and autonomy in the Resguardo. pie were massacred in 1983 by the $ah'3doran army. It The International Brotherhood of Human Rights has proremains today a s.1cred place for them and they ask that it be posed the creation of a human rights commission in the area. respected . The Church in turn has suggested that a Reconciliation Since january a number of violent actions have been Commission be set up in conjunction with international directed at the Indigenous people of the region. such as on observers. Nothing has come of any of this. however. january 27 when unknown masked individuals entered the The Cacique requested that impunity be stopped and that community at midnight and nred bullets on the house of the the results or the inveStigations or the murders under way be spiritual leader and Indigenous leaders connected to ANI$. made public. At the same time they threatened to repeat the bloodshed of He also denounced the fact that there arc heavily armed I 983. At that time Amnesty International had led a camp.1ign mercenaries in the majority of the ranches existing in the of informing human rights organizations to pressure the region of the San Andrts de Sotavento Resguardo in Olrdoba Salvadoran Slate to inforcc jUStice. and Sucre. On the 12 of March, the national police ransacked the office of ANIS and detained Rafael Anuro Ptrez and lnformatwn from El Tiempo, Bogot4 B T Vol. 10No. 2 5 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource El Salvador: Deputies Threaten Indigenous Organizations, Target Community Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title El Salvador: Deputies Threaten Indigenous Organizations, Target Community Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 5 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note This small article details the efforts of the indigenous people of Las Hoyas county to stay on their land, while deputies of the area attempt the evict the main indigenous cultures from the area. Attachment Title El_Salvador.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] El Salvador Indigenous Organizations http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/2a4c391a0f0fa931935a70b8163c898b.pdf 4ba6dc78b143c2fcd4672657c592651c PDF Text Text H BRIEF Ecuador: Occidental Signs Unconscionable and Fraudulent Agreements in the Amazon S-based transnational OCCIDENTAL is currently negoti· ating with Indigenous communities in Ecuadorian Amazonia, offering linle more than twentieth century trinkets--<:hainsaws, medicine chests, and rain-coats-in exchange for undefined access to Indigenous territOry for "petroleum activities.• OCCIDENTAL is one of the worlds largest oil companies, currently operating in over eleven different countries outside the US, and extracting over 200,000 barrels of crude per day. Indigenous communities have been pressured ro sign completely inadequate agreements, in the presence of the military- agreements which oblige the communities to allow the companies to carry our undefined petroleum exploration and extraction activities for undefined periods of time. Occidental has used various fonns of coercion 10 secure agreements \vith the leaders of the Indigenous communities. Leaders of the Secoya report that prior to negotiations, the legal representative of Occidental threatened to bring the military to the community. Occidental's legal representative also told Secoya communi!)' leaders that "they did not want to see anyone else at the discussions.• Such statements amount to coercion and directly violate the Secoya people's right tO independent consultation. In one instance, Occidental brought a draft agreement to the negotiations and was very reluctant to include any of the proposals made b)• the community. In the end, only a vague reference to the possibility of temporary employment was included . In previous discussions, Occidental had wid the community that the company onl)• ' vamed pem1ission to do seismic testing. However, the agreement signed permits Occidental to carry our any form of "petroleum activity." A Secoya leader later realized that the granting of pem1ission for "petroleum activities" was a mistake, and asked Occidental to change the agreement. Occidental also reportedly told Secoya leaders that the company could not pay in advance because they didn\ have the money. To explain this situation, the company used the analogy that "a farmer cannot pay the rent for the land until he's harvested all the com.• The company also told the Secoya leaders that if they did not gram permission, the Ecuadorian government could expropriate the land and the community could lose its territory. Occidental operates in an area of over 200,000 hectares called Block 15. This block includes a pan of the Limoncocha Biological Reserve, a protected area, and pan of the Secoya, Siona, and Quichua Indigenous territory. Occidental signed an agreement with the Ecuadorian government that grams the company extraction rights for 20 years. Using Occidentals own estimates of the existing reserves, the entire production of Block 15 will supply the equivalent of US oil consumption for just 12.7 days. U lnfomwlion from: Carlos Sergio Flguein:do Tawz 4 Write lerrers 10 the directors of occidental corporation denouncing the immoral and illegal way in which they are carryi11g out negoliatio11s. demand that they suspend negotiations and conduct all future negoti· ations ethiwlly <md legally: Ray R. Irani, Preside11t and Chief Executive Officer, Occiderual Petroleum, 10889 Wilshi~ Boulevard, Los Angtles, CA, 9002'1-'1201; Mastorm Cum1ingham, Occidental Exploration and Production Co.. A>< Amazonas 3837 y Corea, Casilla J 7-15-0095-C, Quito, Ecuador Chile: South and North American Indigenous Peoples to Protest Chilean Dam Project A n historic meeting of Indigenous peoples from North and South America has been scheduled to coincide with the annual meeting of the worlds largest association of dam construction and hydroelectric technology companies. At issue is the planned construction by ENDESA, Chiles largest private company, of Ralco Dam, the second in a series of six dams planned for the Biobfo River, ancestral Andean homeland of the Pehuenche Indians The Indigenous delegation will begin its activities in Chile on October 9 in Santiago, culminating in a demonstration at the annual meeting of the International Consonium on Large Dams (!COLD) in Santiago on October 16. Despite the fact that 100 Pehuenche Indian families, Chile's most traditional Indigenous group would have their villages flooded by the project, no relocation plan was included in ENDESAS em~ronmental impact statement, which was submiued in April to Chilean environmental authorities. The Pehuenche say they are determined to exercise their rights guaranteed under Chilean law ro remain on their ancestral lands, and have called for support from North American Indigenous people, many of whom have personall)• experienced the impacts of large dams. Nine native peoples from the Nonh will be making the trip to meet the Pehuenche, and ro participate in political discussions, spiritual ceremonies. and public demonstrations. The delegation includes prominent leaders from diverse Indigenous communities and nationally-based Native American organizations. Ralco would be a 155 meter-high dam with a 3,400 hectare reservoir. The dam would generate 570 Mega,vatts of electricity at a cost of $500 million . The dam would also Oood over 70 km of the river valley, inundating the richly diverse forest and its \vildlife, and leaving downstream portions of the river dry for months at a rime, devastating fish stocks. The first dam on the Biobfo, called Pangue, was constructed after the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank assured investors that it would be the only dam built on the river. In response to a complaint by the Pehuenche and Chilean environmentalists, the World Bank has now initiated a formal inquiry into irregularities in the Pangue loan. Environmenral groups and Chilean Energy Commi.ssion officials have questioned the need for construction of Ralco, Abya Yala News � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ecuador: Occidental Signs Unconscionable and Fraudulent Agreements in the Amazon Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Carlos Sergio Figueiredo Tautz Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Ecuador: Occidental Signs Unconscionable and Fraudulent Agreements in the Amazon Item Type Journal Article Contributor Carlos Sergio Figueiredo Tautz Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 4 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note This article details the accounts of the United States based oil company, Occidental, attempting to persuade indigenous peoples to allow them to use the land for monetary gain. Attachment Title Ecuador.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Amazon Ecuador http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/512ee31d74e56371967a3cbb83b0c11a.pdf 911660bf48a3164e2c55c177c8202793 PDF Text Text EN VIRONMENT Hidrovia: Declaration of the Rio Paraguay The following declaration states the conclusions of participants in the Floating Seminar of the Paraguay River, organized by Sobrevivencia - Friends of the Earth Paraguay and the Coalition Rios Vivos Paraguay-Parana-Plata, who in three boats descended the Paraguay River between 17-27 July, 1996 as part of a permanent dialogue with the populations of the La Plata Basin. Along the way. they travelled through sections of the river programmed for large-scale engineering works as part of the Paraguay-Parana Hidrovla industrial waterway. currently being planned by the governments of the region. Participants included citizens of the countries of the La Plata Basin, North America, and Europe. W e, Indigenous peoples of the Paraguay basm. u:.dnional communitres. scttnt&sts, env11onm<mal expcns. and ttol<>g!Sis from various countries, COrK.'Cmtd w1th the future of our rivers, have taken p;~n '" the Floating Seminar on the Pr.raguay River. and united in our message, propose strategies for the construction of su. tainable societies in the s region. We are the Eanh. the peoples, the plants. the animals. the waters. the sun's rays, the breath of the wmds. We wJnt to honor the Eanh 3S the pl:tee of allll\•mg beings. \Vc have come to ttsufy to the depredation we have witnessed along our entire descent of the Paraguay River. from Corumbj to Asunci6n. The model of occupation established in our region bears no relation to the needs of the peoples who live along the river bank, nor with the potenllal of il$ ecosystems. indigenous peoples h3\·e been txpelled from thetr terntones and dtpm·td of their sustamabk means of 'VlSdom. of happiness. and of hie. liuge barge convoys have replaced the anetstral means of transpon and navtg.1tion adapted to the natural conditions of the river: mining and mineral loading docks contaminate their surroundings: logs pile up in the lumber mills which consume the final remains of the lush anctent for<Sl$: enormous columns of 30 smoke and JShes darken the sky in midday announcang the Imminent end of prosperity on the eonh and the tel ipse of its ongmal cultures. Signs of the inevitable collapse or this hean of Amtrica in wh- rhythm pulses and breathes the security of life in the La Plata Basin. lations. cspectally Indigenous peoples. JSSunng the sustainability, the equahty. and the respect for di\'trshy in our SOC'I· eties. Sustamable societies are based on the sell-determmation or local communities and original peoples in full "-"<rcise of their right to decide on the man- Facing this situation, and because agement and administration of the ecosystems which they are part of. paths which serve to improve the conAdministration or resources should we still have time, we wnnt to propose dition of life in the basin: paths which do no< destroy. but which restore the balance today threatened. The salvauon of the plantt and its peopks. present and future, demands the creation or a new c•v'lhzation based on an ethic which respects ils limits. di\'ersity. solidarity, equality. justice. and libeny. V..'c are alia unh In our diversily. \Vc be directed and controlled by local cornmuntttes throughout the: process. based upon cnteria or sustainabihty. defined by studtes which dettrmme their carrpng cap;~city. and the forms or processmg and commtrcialization. having as thetr basis self-sufficiency and inter-dependence. The diversity of habitats and cultures who live in them determine dif· assume the shared responsibility w fercm uses which in tum make inter· pro<ect a.nd to restore the Earth so that its natural resources m:.ty be used wise· ly, presel'\;ng ecologtcal balance and the social. economtc. and sptritual , ..J. change possible, and establish factors of inter-dependence which must be respected and made compatible. We constder that our region must be thought of as an integrated whole lor the destgn or pohCles lor management and temtonal use. The La Plata 8.1>in in ilS entirety must be the unit for all plans. projects. or activities. The restoration of ecosystems which have been damaged by the currem predatory development, is a need which can not be delayed. The balance ues which assure sUSt:unabJht)'· The txisting patterns of consumption. of producuon and dtstribution of resources. currently oratnted toward e>.:traction. concentrmion, and expro- priation, bring human societies and the ecosystems which sustain them to an inevitable disaster. All initiatives must therefore be urgently directed to meet the needs of local and tradtttonal popu- �ENVIRONMENT and integrity of ecosystems must be recuperated, especially in degraded needs of local populations and not external interests. Respecting this crite· areas of critical importance for the ria, all initiative must have as its origin structural restoration of hydrological and finality the needs and interests of systems. Proposed actions such as per- local communities. Even so. ils implemanent dredging and the conStruction mentation must adapt ilself to natural of dams for water regulation or for sed- conditions, avoiding negative social iment retention do not constitute solu- and environmental impacts. The govtions, but rather threats. They do I\Ot ernmental project for the Paraguaylook at the true causes of problems of Paron~ industrial waterway does not sedimentation of river beds and deteri- respond to either of these criteria. This oration of hydrological systems, but project, designed behind the back of rather the maintenance or the predatO· populations of the region, will not ry system which only seeks economic bring any benefits nor solutions for the benefits for large corporations, while needs of the peoples of the Basin, but financial and environmental costs are rather will increase even more their paid by populations and by nature. problems. generating greater impacts The infrastructure to be implanted and increasing social and environmenin the region must be in function of the tal costs, ""'ny of them irreversible. The existing resources destined for mega-projects promoted by, interllational financial institutions and entities of cooperation must be re-directed toward the tn•e needs of local populations, moving away from their current orientation to promote unsustainable projects which only benefit those small groups in whose hands ~wer and resources are concentrated. '1t From dtt curves of the Paragt,ay River. july 27, 1996 For more information: Glenn Swithes, Dircccor of the lAtin America Progmm at Ihe International Rivers Neiwoth, 1847 IJtrheley IVa)j B<rkeley, CA, 94703; Tel: 510/848·1 155; Fax: 5J0/8i8-J008 us Argentineans, they don't respect us. They cd to p<acefully takeover tl~t lands arcnmd don't recogni<e this latJd as ours. They play the bridge on lite 25 of August. \Ve will occu· land. Jn 1994, d~ey made their first trip Old- around, saying '"\Vait jusr a liule bit more... py the laml uruil the: g<wernmeru of Salta side their land to spcah at the United Bur whllt we walt, they ntO\'t ahead with give,.'$ a concrer.: n.ospon.se in regards to our Narions about dttir plight. In conrimradon. their projws: They seule Oltr latJd, lay down requests. This is an act of hop<. wt ttptoduet the latest attempt by the \Vicl1l their roads, d1eir lxlrb·wi~ ftnccs, aml dteir to secure rheir territory. towns. And rtOw thc:y a~ lmilding a bridge in IVe ash that you collaborate, by sending peo· La Paz and they that we have to paGh up and plt who belit\'t in our cause to accompany us For the Titling of Our Land: T<•keover of the gil't them space. and assure: that there be no acts of violence lnttnlational Bridge Over the Pilcomayo against our families. River (l.a Pav \V are 1101 animals n.mning loose. \Ve are e not dogs to be driven away at the whims of E\·trl aftet d1e taheo"e'; you can support our Many years have passed sinGe we requested their owner. \Ve are the flowers of the Earth, cause by sending leuers to: the go\'trnmtnt of Salta province, Argentirta, platJted by God Himself 10 and duive in to officially gmnt ItS title to the land that we these lands. Sr. Gobemador de Ia Provincia de Salta, D.& ha\·e always irdtabited. \Ve have stru ltlltrs. juan Carlos Pomero, Casa de Gobietno, Meetir1gs take place. new laws and decrees \Ve have asked the autJ1oritles to suurc: the Gra.n urg 4400, Salta, Argentina are passed, ar1d yet more topographic stud. titles 10 thestlatJdS befort: undertaking these ies... \Ve are nqw irt the fourth administra· large projeCts in rht places when: we live. Sr. Prcsideme de Ia RepUbliGa Argentina, Dr. tion. Yet they ha"e not rtSl){)ndcd to our These are fiscal lands and the Ia"~ therefore Carlos S. Mencm, Casa Rosada, Capital demands. Years pass and our lands become recognize our right of OW>ltrslt!p. Amlds1 all Federal, Argentina; Fax: 54 J 343 2249 or impoverislted, btt"m'se the people 'vho have this tall: of Mercosur. we see a more secure 54 1331 7976 come from the outside to occupy dtem Know future simply in the ownersltip of out land. not how to manage them. Years pass and we Asociaci6n de Comunidades Aborlge,les btcome poorer. Faced with no response and the upcoming Lahlta Honhat, San luis, Sta. Victoria Este, inauguration of the bridge, dtt 35 communi· Rh·adavla B. Norte, CP i58J, Pcia. Salta, Even thougl1 we lzm•e official papers making ties belonging to our QSSO(iation ha\'t decid· A~entina Continued from page 1!2 li•·• Voi.10No. 2 31 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Declaration of the Rio Paraguay Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Declaration of the Rio Paraguay Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 30-31 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note This declaration states the end of the Floating Rivers Seminar, in which indigenous peoples went down the river to protest for more sustainable measures to be taken in the construction of industrial waterways. Rio Paraguay