1 12 40 http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/031ef3fbb8d8308d81f0fadf44d6b31f.pdf 4c89684a6201614831c19497af997693 PDF Text Text Joumal of the S ouTH AND MEso AMERICAN INDIAN INFORMATION (ENTER Volume 7, Numbers 1 & 2, Winter/Spring 1993 Price $3 1993 YEAR OF THE WORLD'S INDIGEN OUS PEOPLES ~ ,._. ">. ,'_}''T<~o 0 : ~~'•. f : ' • ~ ,. ' '•; ',· , 0 ' •' ::A::,·.-~---~~-·-:::~~~-:-.-----.' ; , > I ' 0 0 ·:,' :-' ••: _:·_ .• _-- ' . ~~ #,_,., •• •.·• '-~---.,.,~ -. • .- • . ·.·-~- - '. - ~ �5 ~A~ I~ I~ Contents 1993 YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Opening of tho UN'• Yoor of lndigonou• People• ...... 4 UN Declaration of lndlgenou• Rlghts ........................ 5 Stotement of lndigenou• Nation• at the UN .............. 6 Second Continental Encounter .................................8 Indigenous Peoples' fund ....................................... 9 Stealing lndigenou• Genes ..................................... 10 PAHO Conference on Indigenous Health .................. 11 AMAZON IHTfllVIEW: Valerio Grefa, COICA ...................... 12 COICA Elects New Officer• .................................... 15 Am ozon I T1veC ferenc,e ... ... ... ... ... .................. 15 n1 10 r on CONFENAIE opooh to Shareholder> (Ecuador) ........ 16 Indians of Beni March Again (Bolivia) ...................... 17 Maseten Indian• Cocnpete with logger• (Bolivio) ....... 17 Halt to Timber Extraction (Brazil) ............................. 18 Violence Against Brazilian Indians ........................... 18 Constitutional Revision Throotens Indians (Brazil) ....... 19 Suicides Among the Guarani Kaleva (Brazil) ............ 19 SOUTHERN CONE Pachamama Day (Argentina) .................................. 20 Congres• on lndlgenou• language• (Argentina) ........ 2 1 Mapuches Convicted ............................................. 22 Second Mapuche Tribunal ...................................... 23 ANDES IHTfllVIEW: Genaro Oliver, CSUTCB (Bolivia) ....... 24 Traditional forms of Organizing (Bolivia) ................. 25 Indian Women'• Conference (Bolivia) ...................... 27 Troditional leader• Return (Bolivia) .......................... 26 Development Throotens El Choco (Colombia) ............ 27 MESO AMERICA Refugee• Return (Guatemala) .................................. 28 lxll Woman Tells Her Stocy (Guatemala) ................... 29 Statement By o Returnee (Guatemala) ...................... 30 Kunas Protest land Invasions (Panom6) .................... 31 lximche language Center (Guatemalo) ..................... 31 Mayan leode" Throotened (Guatemala) .................. 32 Anastocio Esquino Died (EI Salvador) ...................... 33 Second Encounter of Indian Press (Mexico) ............... 33 IHTfllVIEW: Arturo Pimentel, 8MZf (Mexico) ......... 34 NORTH AMERICA US Invade• Shoshone lond (Nevada) ...................... 36 Centenary of US Invasion (Hawai'i) ......................... 37 C SAIIC StoH Director: Nilo Coyuquoo Office Manager: Doniela Spiwak Development Coordinator: Kimberly Ro50 Volunteer Coordinator: Ro•o Alegria Accounting: Quipus Editor: Jim Freemon layout Jim freeman Printing: Alonzo Printing SAIIC Boord of Directors Gina Pacoldo (San Carlo• Apache/Chicano) Nilo Cayuqueo (Mapuch.Argentino) Carlo• Maibeth (Miskifo.Ni<:oroguo) Waro Alderete (Colchaqui-Atgentino) Xihuanel Huerta (Chiconlndia Guillermo Delgado (Quechuo-Solivia) Ahycr Ycrlcr News (ISSN 1056S876) is published four timM per year and available for on annual $15 per5anal membership, $25 for on orga nizational membership, oc $3 at certain new.,tonds. Foe Canada oc Mexico, add $5, for international memberohip•, odd $10. We would like to thank the following individuals for their generous assis· tonce to SAIIC: Alejandro Amaru, Jack Brown, Amy Coroun, George Frankl in, Gia Grant, Deb Gray, Don Greenwood, Samuel Guio, Norma Klahn, Pot Moony, T Reeves, Julie Rogers, om Glen Switkes, Billy R Trice Jr. . Thanks to the following foundations for the ir generous support: The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, General Service foundation, funding Exchange, Seventh Generation fund, Vanguard foundation. c-er Photograph Corrie Donn, Wes/em Sholhone (USA) and luis Mocos, Quichuo (Ecuador) at the United Nofion• for the opening ceremony of the 1993 Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples. P08ox28703 Oakland, California 94604 Phone: (510) 834-4263 Fax: (5101-834-4264 Peacenet E-mail: saiidtigc.org (!) ~" SAIIC AcfiviHe• .............................................................. 3 8 Item• Available ..................................................... 39 Printed on 100'% recycled paper with soybean Inks �EDITORIAL The commemoration of the 500 years of European Invasion Is now behind us. The wide-spread resistance to the officially planned events and the ·official" version of history was very successful, Increasing publlc awareness of the exlstence of the 45 million Indigenous people that llve on the continent of Abya Yala. But even more Importantly. native communlties.mobU!zed tiU'Oughout the continent. not only to demonstrate their presence. but also to make concrete proposals presenting alternative solutions to the problems faced bY Indigenous communities everywhere. Demarcation of Indigenous temtortes, Indigenous control over educational systems. sustainable economic development, and the right to self-<letennlnaUon are au demands titat wUI not go away untU they are fulfllled. Indigenous communities are Increasingly taking their destiny In their own hands, beginning bydecolonJztng themselves on an tdoologtcalleveL The exploitative rtght-wtng parUes. patemausuc Uberal parties. and dogmauc and manipulative sectors of the lefi wtng- au artstng from a Europeanl7.ed, Western perspecUve- have sought to preve.n t the autonomous development of the Indigenous Movement tn South and Meso America. In spite of their diversionary tacucs and atte.m pts at control which conunue to this day. Indigenous oommunlties havestrengthenc!!d themselvesbY alllnnlng theirdlSUnct Identity. and shaping their own poliUcal phllosophies which reOect their traditional spiritual and cultural. heritages. The search for unity amongst IndJgenc)us peoples - a unity which respects our diversity- ts manifested In the many represenlatlveorganl2ations which have been created onregtona]and national levels. organl2ations that seek to affirm our mutual solidarity and strengthen our common posltlOl)S. Many of us' sna;e the vtslon o_f a strong movement of Indigenous Unity on a Continental leveL The formation of the Continental, Commission of\ndlgenous Nations and Organl2aUons (CONIC) can be an ·~ /~ / .. / .._ ' Instrument for developing and strengtherung.-that unity. The' stcond Contirlental Encounter of Indigenous Nations and Organl?.ations. to be held In Mexico from the 8th to the 13th ofOctOQer. wi!J be a significant step towards this vtslon. It being 1993. It IS Important to examine the role of the·Uhtted Nations as It all'ects the Indigenous strugg)e. Many years ago. Indigenous delegates to the UNs Working Pro-!!p on Indigenous l'llpulauons proposed that 1992 be declared the Year of Indigenous Peoples as a gesture of reparation for 500 years of <>;1lonlzatlon. Coverrunental representatives at the UN refused. supporting Instead Spain's proposal to commemorate 1992 as the~ncounter ofTwo Worlds", whlle agreeing to declare 1993 as the Year of Indigenous Peoples. 'f. , The Inauguration of the Year oflndlg~nous peo~les took place on December 10. 1992 (see artJcle page 4). It was the first time that Indigenous representatives were tnvtted to speak to the ON's Ge(leral Assembly. Indigenous delegations from au over the world made great efforts to travel to New York for th.l s event at their OWn expense. since no UN funds were provided for this purpose. After the UN officials and government representatives addressed the Cene?J Assembly In the morning. the meeting was to continue In the afiemoon with the speeches of the Indigenous ';'P~nta~es. ~et when the Ceneral Assembly reconvened. the Indigenous representatives wilnessed, with great surprise and,~dJslllustonil'lent, that almost au of the government representatives and many of the UN officials had left. Many took this as a bad augury for the "lntemauonal Year of Indigenous Peoples", as well as a sign of great disrespect. These Inauspicious beginnings have yer to be overcome. FIVe months afier the tnaugurauon tn New York, the many promises of "Working tn partnership" with Indigenous peoples have stW not been fu!JlUed. For example, the Center for Human Rights In Geneva has announced that they have obtained several hundreds of thousands of dollars for Indigenous Peoples' Projects. but they have not yet consulted with any Indigenous organizations In order to decide what projects wUI be funded. Indigenous peoples have not been granted official partlciPQUO~ at tl!• upeomtng World Conference of Human Rights In VIenna. The ILO's Convention 169 has not yet been ratified by the majority of the world's nation-states. WhUe the Oral\ DeclaraUon of Principles and Rights of Indigenous Peoples may be approved afier 10 years of development (see page 5). It wUI then sUII need to be approved bY the Human Rights Commission and ratified by the many governments represented tn the UN before betng adopted bY the Ceneral Assembly. Whlle It Is certaJnly both worthwhile and necessary to strugg)e for the establishment of these tnternaUonal accords and then to ensure that governments act In compliance with them - It ts Important that this not replace the energy and attention that we need to giVe to strengthening our communiUes and organl2atlons. Our vtslon Is that, through organiZing for selfdetenntnatlon, buUdtng alliances with each other. and consolidating our Indigenous unity on a continental level. we can ensure the weU-betng of au Indigenous peoples and of our Mother Earth. SAIIC Board of Directors �Opening of the United Nations International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples On De<:ember 10. 1992 leaders and enous speakers scheduled for the afternoon delegates of Indlgenous communities from addressed a relatively empty assembly hall. around the world convened at the United Despite the absence of many U.N. officials. Nations headquarters In New York City for the mceUng had hiStoric Importance. as It the official opening of the United Nations was the first time lndtgenous peoples were International Year of the world's Indlgenous auowed to address the U.N. Speakers represenUng 20 Indlgenous Peoples. Indigenous leaders h eld strategy nations caUed on world leaders to halt the meeUngs In New York two days prtor to the genocide of thelr peoples and the destruction Inaugural events to share critical problems of their lands. The speeches raiSed common and formulate a unified. pro-active platform concerns, Including Invasion and exploitato take to the U.N. (see de<:laratlon. page 6) tion of Indlgenous lands; pollution of alr. The meeUngs were organl:!'.ed by the Conti- water and land; violation ofrelJgious freedom nental CoordlnaUng CommiSSion of Indlg- and human rtghts; protection of Indlgenous enous Nations and hosted by the Nattve cultures and languages; and Indlgenous selfdetermination of economic development. American Council of New York City. '"Themost sertous problems confrontDurtng the morning General Assembly Plenary MeeUng on De<:ember 10. the lng Indigenous Peoples are the progressive President General as weD as representatives expropriation ofour lands and terrttortes, the of Member States made official U.N. de<:lara- Irrational exploitation ofsoil and subsoU, and ttons regarding the role ofthe United Nations the destruction and contamination ofecosysIn "promoting and protecting the human tems which maintain the equlllbrlum of life,· rights of Indlgenous peoples", and how the said Noell Pocaterra UUana, of the Wayuu aJm of the International Year IS to focus nauonofVenezuela. Many of the otherindJgattention on the special situations and needs enous speakers also emphasized the relaof Indlgenous peoples. · tionship between ecological concerns and The Plenary meeUng was then ad- Indigenous concerns. In the words of Davl journed. to be continued by statements of Yanomarni. a representative oftheYanomaml Indlgenous speakers. Unfortunately. few people of the Amazon: Our word IS to protect nature, the members of the General Assembly returned Wind. the mountain. the forest, and the anito attend the continuation of the opening ceremonies, and the diverse Ust of Indlg- mals. This IS what we want to teach you. The 4 Abya Yala News �1993 YEAR OF INDIGEN OUS PEOPLES Indigenous delegates meet to formulate a unified plalformprior to United Nations ceremony. From left: Margarito Ruiz, Maya(Mexico); Marcial Arias. Kuna (Pa.namll); Domingo Raien, Mapuche (C/Uie), unidentified Mapuche (Chile) leaders in thench,lndustrtallzedworld think that they are the owners of the world. But the shabons (shamans) are the ones who have true knowledge. They are the real first world. And If their knowledge IS destroyed. then the white people too will die. It will be the end of the world. ThiS IS what we want to avoid. SAIIC attended thiS hiStoric event as a supporter of the Inherent right of lndlg- enous peoples to participate IndeciSion-makIng processes that alfect their lives. Yet the fact that thiS significant prescence of lndlgenouschlefs. political and splr1tual leaders at the United Nations received little local. national or lntemational press coverage bears witness to the fact that once again, the lncllgenous peoples of the world were not treated with due respect. UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples lnJ uly'of 1993, tile UN's Working Croup on Indigenous Populations IS expected to approve ~e final draft of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. which they have been working on for 10 years with the partlclpatlon of Indigenous peoples from all over the world. The draft will then be submitted for approval to all of the member nations of the UN. lfenough support IS bullt. the Declaration will then be adopted bY the Ceilera! Assembly, and become an Important InStrument for protecting Indigenous rights. We encourage IndiVIduals and oxganlzatlons to help build support for the Declaration. You can educate yourself and others about the Declaration, CirCulate Information among other~ce and social justice oxganJZatlons. and wnte to members of Congress and to the President. Copies of the current draft of the Declaration can be ordered from SAI!'C for a small fee to cover copying, postage. and handling costs. To Ond out more background lnfonnauon, contact: Center for Human Rights, United No~ons R oom S-2914, New York, NY 10017, Tel. (212) 963·2283 Vol7 Num 1 & 2 5 �1993 YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Statement of Indigenous Nations, Peoples and Organizations ThiS statement was p repared and approved by representatives Q/ the Indigenous peoples Q/the world present at theplanning meetings held In New YOf'kjor two days prior 11> the UN's InauguratiOn Q{the Year of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples (See article page 4). Gucumatz. Condor. Father Sun. Eagle. Anahuac. Mother Earth INVOKING the spirits of our ancestors and acting in our tradition of resiStance in the defense of Mother Earth. ASSERilNG our fundamental and htstortcal nghts. ASSERilNG au the mUllons of brothers and siSters who have sacrificed their Uves in defense of our mJllennlal culture: in the name of the more than 300 mUllon IndlgenouspeoplewholnhablttheEarth, and the efforts over years of work by Indlgenous peoples and NGOs, we. the members of the Indigenous nauons and organtzauons, gathered in New York Clly, from the 8th to the lOth of Decem· ber 1992, Consider: I. That au Indigenous peoples have the rtghttoself-determ!natlonasexpounded in the prtnclples of the Universal DeclarauonoftheRlghtsoflndlgenousPeoples. Accordingly, Indigenous peoples have the nght to determine aU matters relattng to our polltlcal, economic. social, spiritual and cultural affairS. We call for the tmmedlate adoption of the above declaration. n . The struggle for our terrltor1al nghts lS common to aU Indigenous nations and peoples. and thiS rtght ls persistently denied by governments and dominant societies. ffi. EconomiC development practices ofNa· tlon States are destroying the natural resources which have been protected within Indigenous terrltortes. As a con· sequence. the survival of au spectes lS threatened. 6 The Indigenous peoples' contribution to the SOCial. intellectual and cultural dlverslly of the world. particularly to the ecology and harmony of Mother Earth must be valued and supported bYnatlonstatesandintematlonalagen· cles. V. Thehumannghtsoflndlgenouspeoples to our culture. Identity, rellglons and languagesareinallenable. Thesenghts continue to be sacrificed in the programs, pollcles and budgets of the nauon states and international agencles. VI. Whlle democracy IS heralded by doml· nant societies. what thiS means to Indigenous peopleslsrepresslon,genoclde. andm!seryinthe.Amertcasand in the rest of the world. As an example, the process by whk:h the dialogue for peace ls taking place in Central and South Amerk:a. there IS no direct parUclpatlon by Indigenous organizations and nations in spite of the fact that Indigenous peoples are directly affected bY the conditions of the wars. VU. Govenunentsconttnuetodesecrateand approprtaterellglousandsacredplaces and objects, depriving Indigenous na· tlons around the world of their basic spiritual ways of llfe. THEREFORE: The International Year of the World'slndlgenousPeoples. 1993,must not be merely celebrations or paternal· lstlC declarations, but rather, the resoIutton of the above requires that the United Nations and Its member states take the foDowtng actions: 1. RecognJ7.e Indigenous nghts to lndlg· enous terrltortes, inCluding the recovN. A by a Yala News �1993 YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Qucchua girl wearing a ceremol\ial condor mask and cape 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. ezy and demarcation of such territories. 7. Promote and strengthen lnc:l.lgenous eduRecogntu. honor, and document under caUon. culture. art. religion. phllosoInternational law all treaties. compacts. phles. literature and SCiences of Inc:l.lgaccords and other formal agreements enous nauons. concluded with Inc:l.lgenous peoples of 9. Return htstortc places and sacred sites the world. Additionally the Study on and objects to the Indigenous nations to Indigenous Treaties delegated to the whom they belong. Human Rights Commission must be 10. Demonstrate sincere commitment to the giVen priority attention by the United new partnership with Indigenous peoples Nations and Its member s tates. bymakingadequateflnanclalresources Recogntu and honor lnc:l.lgenous forms avaJlabletoimplementactfonspresented of government when such governments herein. Furthermore. make stgnillcant are practiced according to traditional donations to the Voluntazy Fund so that laws and customs. future projects be realized. and assure Promote and strengthen Inc:l.lgenous Inthat the Indigenous peoples have direct Input Into the management ofsald fund. teUectual and cultural property rtghts under International law and principles. 11. That the United Nations Secretazy Cen· eral and Its speciall7.ed agencies. comAdditionally. the study on Intellectual andculturalpropertyrtghtsundertaken mtsslons and programs to convene speby the United Nations commission on cia! consultations with Indigenous Human Rights should be given top prtpeoples of the world at the most local ortty. level practical. Consult with Inc:l.lgenous organiZations 12. That the Secretazy general of the United and nations regarding the ratlficatlon of Nations lnlmediately create a speclflc Covenant 169 of the International Labor lnc:l.lgenous program to be administered OrganiZation. and executed with direct partfclpauon of Indigenous organ!Zauons. Provide legal assiStance and technical tralnlngto the Inc:l.lgenous organiZations Written In the City of New York. December 9. and nations. 1992. Vol7 Hum 1 & 2 ,,.~ ·'J.'i.il 7 �1993 YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 'The: f~o....,.... liOns malcc: up the o~commlttcefor the Contsn<nto!Enooun· t.e!': Coord tnat111g Body of lncllgcnout Women of llohvtA Council of AU Lnnda. Chlk: Counc.IJ of Mnynn orgnnt:r.nuona or Ouatcmalt\ (COMO) Kunns Unftod for Nobguana. l'nnAmn M<>dcan Org.'Ulklng of and Com.mLNton Nallonal ~""Uon of lndlg<nouo P<ople of Ecuador (CONAIEI Soulhand- Organizations Am<rlcan lndlAn lnfOrm8UOn Center ISAIIC) Tona.Uerra. USA For lnfonnauon on the encoun· ter. please contact SAIIC or: Comisi6n Orgonizodoro M6xicono Apot1odo Poslol Num 28·145 Colonio Centro 06080 Mexico D.F. Tel: 52·5· 783·8002 Fax: 52·5· The fifth meeung of the Continental Commtsslon of Indigenous Nations (CONlC) took place from April 2-4. 1993. In the Ceremonlal Center Ixacacal Cuardta,ln Qultana Roo, MexiCO. The purpose of the meeung was to conunue preparauons for the Second Continental Encounter, a follow-up to the Ftrst Conunenta!EncounteroflndlgenousNatlons and OJ:gan!Zatlons which took place In Quito, EcuadortoJuly 1990.At theApr!lmeeung.ll was decided that the S«ond ConU:nental Encounter will take place from October 8-13 1993 to the Otoml- Nanhu Ceremonlal Center to the State of Mexico. The alms of the S«ond Continental Encounter are: .. To promote Indian unity on a Conunental level. upon the basiS of our own spiritualIty, WISdom. tradiUonal orgaw.auon and pollUcal philosophy: .. To create sYStems of communication and coordination on a continental level; .. To propose vtable alternatives and soluUons. based upon self-determination, whlchaddresstheiSSuesfael:ngourpeople. The matn themes for the S«ond En· counter are: 1. Spirituality and Tradition 2. Self-determtnauon. Legislation. and Indlg· enous Rights 3. l.a:nd Rights. Development, and the Envt· ronment 4 . Women. Family. and Community 5. Education. Culture and Youth 6. Organl7.atlon and Coordination An tntemaUonal orgnniZI:ng commit· tee with representatives from siX regions was fonned to plan the Enoounter. More than 300 hundred delegates and guests are expected to partiCipate. The participation ofspiritual lead· ers. women. and young people IS strongly encouraged. Gillen the hiStortcal pattern of doml· nauon of the South by the governments ofthe North. 1t seems very Otting that thiS effort to create Conunental Indigenous Unity IS betng Initiated by the Indigenous people of South and Meso Amenca. Yet our unity will not be complete without U1e participation of our Indigenous brothers and siSters of the North . Any North Amencan lndlgenous communi· ues and organl7.aUons that would Uke to send a representative to thiS meeting. please contact SAllC or: TONATIERRA P.O. &OX 24009 Phoenix, AZ 85074 (602) 254-5230 A detaUed outltne for the Encounter can be obtained from SAtiC. 208·3044 8 Abya Yala News �1993 YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Latin American Governments Establish Indigenous Peoples' Fund Inspired by an Initiative of the government of Bo!Ma. who met wtth other Latin Amertcan governments and With the government of Spain at the first lbero-Amertcan SummltlnGuadal~axa.MexlColnJuly,l991. an Indlgenous Peoples' Fund h as been established that expects to provide mlllions of doUars to lndlgenous communities. The process of developing this fund has taken place over the last two years. and has Involved representatives from governments of the region. extra-regional governments,Indlgenous peoples' organiZations (lnter-Amertcan lndtan Instttute. the presidents of the World Councn of Indigenous Peoples, and COICA-the Coordinating Body oflndlgenous Peoples' OrganJ.zatlons of the Amazon Basin). non-governmental organJ.zatlons. and International agenctes. The decision-making structure of the Fund IS designed to ensure direct partictpatlon of Indlgenous peoples. On the General Assembly and the Board ofDirectors. regional governments. Indigenous peoples of each regional member state. and extra-regional governments wiD all be equally represented. The four areas ofprtorttythe Fund wiD constder are: 0 Resources for Sustainable Autonomous Development: Securing legal recognltionofland and terrttortes, promoting natural resource management. restoring degraded Vol 7 Hum 1 & 2 areas and ecosystems. and fostering sustainable productive actMtJes. 0 Indlgenous Peoples' Rights: Promoting and protecting the rights of lndlgenous people. reforming legiSlation and other regulatory codes. OTra.!nlng for Management and Participation: Strengthening representative orgaruzatlons. establlshlngco-operative mechaniSms for plann.lng. consultation and action. 0 Identity and Culture: Protecting the cultural knowledge and technology of Indigenous peoples. promoting recognition of their Identity and awareness oflndlgenous contrtbutions. AtaFundmeetingonAprtll3. 1993 In MexiCO, an lntertm commlttee was formed to preside over the development process. RodolfoStavenhagen, a weU-knownMexican anthropologist. was chosen as the lntertm president of the commlttee which. once the Fund IS formaUy estabUshed. wiD serve as the Board of Directors. Not all Latin Amertcan governments have yet ratlfled thiS proposal. To aJd In thiS effort. please send your letters ofsupport for the Indlgenous Peoples' Fund to: Rodolfo Stovenhogen lnlerim Pre•ident, lndigenou• People'• Fund Stonford lno~tule for lnlemorionol Studie• Stanford, CA 94305 For more infonna· ~on pleo•e con- loci: Diego lturralde Ad-hoc Secretoriat Ca•illa 6326 La Paz, Bolivia FAX: (5912)39-lo-89 Phone: (5912) 36-13-37 Environment Protection Divi•ion lnler·American Development Bonk Ann Deuryffere 1300 New York Avenue, N.W. Wo•hington, D.C. 2o5n FAX: (202)623-1315 Pho~e: (202)623-1254 9 �1993 YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Stealing Indigenous Genes Genome Project Places Indigenous Peoples at Risk A band of molecular anthropologiSts are planning to collect samples from the hair roots. cheeks and blood of 722 "endangered" Indigenous peoples scattered throughout the globe to tmmortallze their genetic make-up and possibly tum a profit. AdraftreportfromthesecondHuman Genome diversity Workshop held at Penn State University on October 29-31, 1992 refers to Indigenous people as "Isolates of Htstol1c Interest (!Hrs), because they represent groups that should be sampled before they disappear as Integral units so that their role 111 human htstory can be preserved.· By recording gene codes the plan's partiCipants hope to find unique genes which can be used to cure diseases. which they wl1l patent and make millions. The plan ts being advanced by the Human Genome Diversity Project. an Informal consortium of universities 111 North Amertca and Europe backed by the u.s. National Insutute of Health (NIH) as part of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO). HUGO ts the multinational. multi-bJIIlon dollar lnltlative to map the human genetic structure. Part of the plants to leave a duplicate sample of the DNA of each Indigenous community with their national governments or regtonaJIJlStltutlons. Access to an IHrs complete genetic make-up makes It theoretically possible to devtse cheap and targeted biological weapons trained solely on that community. Human rtghts violations agaiJlSt Indig· enous peoples, by their own governments and/or other governments within their region, ts a major cause of their "physical exUnction·. Permanentsamplesofhumangenetlc material are invaluable to the Human Genome Project and to medical research. Under 10 U.S. law, any products or processes dertved from the unique collection wl1l be patentable. The commercial profit In Indigenous germplasm was brought home to pharmaceutical companies earlier thts year when th.l rty cttl7-ens of Llmone, an ISolated Italtan community. were discovered to have a unique gene that codes agaiJlSt many forms ofcardlo· vascular disease. Swedish and Swiss phar· maceutical companies, as well as the Univers ity of Milan. have since swarmed over the townspeople, taking blood and other samples and applying for patents. If the gene ean be turned Into a marketable drug the profits wl1l be tremendous. Will Indigenous peoples have a share In such profits? The members of the Human Genome Diversity Project estimate that an lnltlal five year sweep of relatively accessible populations wl1l cost between $23 million and $35 million and wl1l allow sampl!ng from 10 ,000 to 15,000 human specimens. White blood cells from each person wl1l be "tmmorta117.ed" at the Amertcan Type Culture Collection 111 Rockv111e. Maryland. Human blood can only survive 48 hours outside ofstorage so samples collected wl1l have to be alr-llfled lmmedl· ately. "One person can bleed 50 people and get to the airport In one day," the report estimates. The Indigenous Peoples and Health Workshop held 111 Wlnnlpeg. Canada April 13·18, 1993, wh!ch wasorganl?.edbythe Pan American Health OrganJz.ation (see article page Ill, passed a resolution crtticl7.1ng the Genome project. The resolution states: This Is yet another example of research being done on Indigenous people with· out their consent and without all relevant Information being provided to them. The consequences of this research have not been fully explored nationally, interAbya Yala News �1993 Y EAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Pan American Health O rganization Conference on Indigenous Health The first conference ever sponsored by the Pan American Health Organl7.atlon that focused exclusively on Indigenous peoples health ISSues was held from April 13 - 18 In Villa Marta. Wlnnlpeg Canada. Forty Indigenous delegates from South, Meso and North America as well as Canadian government and non-governmental representatives attended the Indigenous Peoples & Health Workshop '93 "In hopes of launching a dialogue on the health status of Indigenous peoples.· Presentations. seminars and dlseusslons addressed the gravity ofthe health crtsts In Native conununltles. covertng topics rangIng from the dearth of health services and faclllttes In Native communities. to the slgnJficant role of traditional Indigenous medicine. to the ominous Human Genome Development Project. Poverty, oppression and lack of self-determination were seen to be the prtGenome conlinued nationally. or In consultation with Indigenous people. Thts type of research wlll have a negative tmpact on future health programs and projects In Indigenous communities. by un dermining Indigenous peoples' trust In the medical and health professions. Source: Rural Advancement Founcia· ttcn Intematlonal For more infonno~on contact SAIIC or: Rural Advancement Founda~on lnterna~onal 71 Bonk Street, Suite 504 Ottawa, Ontario K1 P 5N2 Canada Tel: 613-567-6880 Fax: 613-567-6884 Vol7 Num 1 & 2 mary culprits of the alarming health situation confronting Indigenous peoples. In light of the crtsts. a recommendation to declare a state of emergency In s peclflc communities and populations was put forth. Systematic community participation In definIng and Implementing health poUcles was regarded as crucial for achlevtng positive results. The necessity of pursuing ongoing efforts to defend Indigenous lands. Improve nutrition and housing. prevent environmen tal pollution. and legallze Indigenous m edicine and practices was diScussed at length. As a result of this conference. a com mtsslon of Indigenous delegates. working In conjunction with PAHO to promote Indigenous health Issues on local. national and International levels ts being established. In addition. an Int ernational task force dedicated to ensuring that Indigenous health tssues find a place on the agendas of any meetingS pertaining to Native peoplests planned . as well as an Information network to educate and update Natlve com- Deleg(JleS to the PAHO confertncefrom left to right: Rosa munities on rel- Baldiz6n, Maya (Gu(Jlemola): Rosa .Garcfa. Purepecha evant ISSues and (Mbcico): Carmen Pereira. Mojeiia (Bolivia); Yolanda n ew developments Nahuelcheo, Mapuche (Chile): and Gilberta 8(Jlz, Maya ' concemtnghealth. (Guatemala) 11 �Organizing to Save the Amazon An Interview with Valerio Grefa, new Coordinator of COICA Valerio Grefa was elected General Ccordlnalor Q[ the Coordlnattng Body Q[ Indigenous Peoples' OrganiZatiOns Q[theAma· zon Basin (COICA) in Manaus, BrazU. in November 1992. He is a member of the Qulchua nation, from the commWllly of San Pablo, Napo Province, Ecuador. The commu· nlty is part of FECUNAE, the Federation of NatiJJe CommunUies Q{the EcuadorlanAma· zon. which is part of CONFENlAE, the Con· federatfJ)nofindlgenousNatiDnsoftheEcua· dor!an Amazon. which in tum is aj]lltated wah COICA. In the Amazon basin there ate more than one and a half mill ton Iru:Ugenous inhabuant.s.jrom more than 400 natJDns. SAIIC: How long have you been active In the Indlgenous movement? VG: I have been acUve In the Indigenous movement since 1976. I am one ofthe first leaders that had the honor of estabUshtng the UnJon of NaUves of the Ecuador1an Amazon IUNAEI. SAIIC: What are the chief problems you had at that Ume In the Napo area? VG: The first problems were to end the slavery that the ertolloland owners maintained along the shore of the Napo River. especially between Coca and Nuevo Rocafuerte. They owned large haciendas. and made people work for meager wages. They used debts that were passed from generation to generation. which were unpayable debts. as an excuse to make the people work. The organiZation ended this abuse by the crtolloland owners once and for all. The lands for the most part passed Into the communJty's hands. SAIIC: Your communJty. San Pedro. IS part of FECUNAE. Who does FECUNAE represent? VG: FECUNAE represents In particular the Quichua peoples of the lower Napo In Ecuador. There are 53 organiZations now that make up FECUNAE. 12 SAIIC: You have represented both FECUNAE and CONFENlAE? VG: Yes. twice I was president of FECUNAE, and then I was honored With representing CONFENIAE In 1989. 1990. and 1991.AndnowlamrepresentingCOICA as General Coordinator. SAIIC: So you resigned from your position as president of CONFENIAE to as· sume the post In COICA VG: Yes. when I was elected Coordlnator of COlCA. I Immediately called a meettng. - anampiJOedassembly.aswecallltof CONFENIAE to formally resign the presidency. On the 17th of December this cer· emony tookplace, In which Angel Samarenda became the new president of CONFENIAE. SAIIC: Who carried out the meeting In BrazU? Which local organJ7Altlon hosted It? VG: The organiZer was COICA The host organiZationwas the Coordlnatingl3ody oflndlgenous OrganiZations ofthe BrazUlan Amazon(COIAB).COIABISanewmemberof CO! CA. SAIIC: And I understand that In this meeting of COICA there was Increased participation. What other countries participated. and what other lndlgenous organiZations? VG: In this case Venezuela. Guyana, Surtnam, and French Guyana became new members. So COICA now has nJne members. SAIIC: Can you tell us what the structure of CO!CA IS llke. the governJng board, the coordinating board, or the coordinators? VG: There have been two levels of organization In COICA since our last assembly. First there Is the coordinating councU, which IS made up of all the presidents ofthe member organiZations of COICA that IS. nJne members now. Then on a more operaAbya Yala News �AMAZON Uve level we have estab!Jshed the govemJng coordinating board. as we call It, which IS made up of five coordinators. InCluding four area coordinators and the General Coord!nator. SAHC: Whatcontactsdoyouhaveon a regional and International level. llke !n Europe and the United States? VG: Well, COICA has put a lot of effort Into establlsh!ng International contacts. But It IS our objecUve to respond !n a coordinated way to the proposals ofour base communities. That IS h ow It was possible to sign an environmental agreement between the NGOs of the north and COICA. !n the same way It was possible to sign the cllmate agreement. as It's called. between European clUes and COICA. We began wtth seventeen clUes. and now there are more than 200 cttles. In the same way. there are other proposals !n the World Bank. proposals !n the United Nations, !n the OrganiZation of AmertcanStates(OAS). and to organiZations thathavetodowlth thertghtsoflndlgenous peoples. We have as our work agenda the International Labor OrganiZation's (IW) Agreement 169. and we are !n dialogue with governments to get them to pass thls agree· ment. We support It because It IS an !nternatlonal or legal tool that takes Indigenous demands Into account !n a more concrete way. SAHC: What IS COICA's proposal to the environmental groups ofEurope and the United States? Is It only economic support or IS It something more profound? VG: We have estab!Jshed as one of our basic objecUves that the Ama7..on basin be considered a uniVersal unit, a global unit. which calls on Its protagoniSts - the Indlgenous people - to ra1se our voice of attention. our voice of protest to the world, because the Ama7..on basin Is the last frontier Vol 7 Hum 1 & 2 oftropical forest and of biodiversity !n which the basic rtghts of the first nations are Involved . That IS the baste objective. The second objecttve Is. proposing to International development organl7-attons development alternatives proposed by the Indigenous peoples. what we call a utonomous development. which permits the peoples' self-determination. Because we cannot ISOlate the development of the Indlgenous peoples from the preservation of nature and the envtron· ment, we seek sustaJnable development. a harmonic development between man and nature. SAHC: When do you plan to begin COICA's actual work? VG: Among the fundamental resolutions that were made !n BrazU IS the approval of the statute. and !n Its approval COICA's dellnlttve seat was estab!Jshed !n Quito. Ec· uador. So our llrst activities correspond to that . to the transference of belongtngs that we have !n Lima and to establlsh a perma· nent office !n Quito. Our aspiration IS to estab!Jsh a basic Infrastructure which w1ll allow us to work with satiSfaction and attend to the demands of our Indlgenous organiZations. SAHC: InaddJUon toCOICA's work!n the Amazon. do you plan to make contact with other Indlgenous peoples !n the highlands. the p lains. and throughout the continent? 13 �AMAZON "I believe that we have to redaim the power of our Pacha Mama, the wisdom of our Pachacama, and all the spirituality of our earth, of our territory, of our power. Only when we respond to this material struggle spiritually, will we have a complete struggle.• Valeri() Grefa continued "If we are protecting the Amazon basin, its floral life, It is obvious that we need to sign agreements with other forests that stlli exist on the planet.• 14 VG: If we are protecting the Amazon basin. Its floral life. It IS obvious that we need to sign agreements with other forests that still exist on the planet. That IS the reason that In 1992 In the month of Februaty we held a world conference of the Indigenous and lrtbal peoples of tropical forests In Malaysia. The second meeting ts expected to take place In May. possibly In Peru. SAIIC: We also understand that on a continental level there ts coordination. a network among Indigenous peoples from all geographical areas. and there IS an otgantzation called CONIC. Do you have contact with these brothers and siSters? VG: Our Intention IS to coordinate all the actiOns that other groups. other Indigenous otgantzations are taking on a continental or world level. to demand the rights that belong to us. So the doors are open. we are very willtng to coordinate and have solidarity with all those organiZations that are fighting In a sincere way for the rights of Indigenous peoples. We cannot remain ISolated. we cannot keep our diStance from the leaders of otganl7.ations that have slm.llar goals. SAIIC: The U.N. declared 1993 the Year of Indigenous Peoples. What do you think about that? VG: Actually, I have my doubts about thiS declaration. I th.lnk that maybe the United Nationswantstouse 1993tocoverupthe500 Years of genOCide. of barbartsm. since the amval of Columbus to America. Indigenous peoples have to unJte to ra.tse that voiCe of protest as soon as someone tries to make It a folkloric year. I understand that tf there are good Intentions on the United Nations· part. It should be a year of reflection. a year of decision-making. a year of recognition of the fundamental rights of Indigenous peoples. recognition of the otgantzatlons that are representative of the Indigenous peoples of America and the world. It should be a year of passing laws, International norms that benefit Indigenous peoples. Otherwise It will be a world maneuver to control. to separate us. lin not very optimiStic, but rather hopeful. SAIIC: Is there a movement among the Indigenous peoples In Ecuador to reclaim Indigenous sp!rttuallty? VG: I think that when we talk of splrttuallty.In an tnc11rect way we are talklng of the phUosophy of the Indigenous peoples. I understand that we. theIndigenous peoples. must recover the splrtt- the splrtt that has led our peoples for mUlennJums. and which has been seiZed by the sp!rtts brought by Columbus. so many saints. so many VIrgins. that we are practically ldolatrlzlng 1n churches. monuments. and that In thiS way we have abandoned our own splrtts which have guided us - the splrtt of the lakes. the splrtt of the waterfalls. the splrtt of the mountains. the splrtt of the whole world viSion of the peoples. I believe that we have to reclaim the power ofourPacha Mama. the wisdom ofour Pachacama. and all the sp!rttuallty of our earth, of our territory. of our power. Only when we respond to thts material struggle splrttually will we have a complete struggle. I think that not only In Ecuador but also In Central America. In South America, In all of the places where Indigenous peoples are. we are reclaiming our true splrttuaUty. SAIIC: Some last message for the peoples of North America? VG: Truly. a call to solidarity. to the unity of Indigenous peoples within the diverSity of cultures that we have. so that In the lmmediate future we have a unified voiCe. a monolithic voice. and that we can be heard by the governments In the International arena. I understand that now we have to make an effort to Ond ourselves and that. setting aside any resentment. any lndMdual Interest. we search for a consensual Interest. we seek a way sought by all the Indigenous tnltlatives. Only In that way will we be able to obtain In an organlzed manner the rights whiCh we proclaim. Abya Yala News �AMAZON Amazon Indigenous Coordinating Body Elects New Officers The Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Peoples" Organl?.atlons of the Amazon Basin (COICA) held Its annual meeting 1n November. 1992 In Manaus. and elected Valeno Grefa ofCONFENIAEin Ecuador as Its new General Coordinator. The delegates also approved a new. more hor!.zontal structure. abollshtng the posltlonofPresldent. !nits place. they created a Board of DireCtors to preside over the General ASsembly. a Coordinating Committee compriSed of the leaders of each of the nine national afllllates or their delegates. and an Executive Committee compriSed of four thematic coordinators. Antonio JacanamJjoy (ONlC. Colombia) w1ll be the coordinator for Territorial Defense. Jose Luis GonzAles (CONlVE. Venezuela) w1ll be the coordinator for Environment and Natural Resources. Evartsto Nugkuag (AIDESEP. Peru) w1ll be the coordinator for Economy and Development. Orlando Melguetro da SUva (COIAB. Brazil) w1ll be the coordinator for Human. Political and Social Rights. COICA also expanded Its membership to Include the national Amazonian federations from Venezuela (CONlVE). Surinam (OIS). Guyana (OIG). and French Guyana (FOAG). COlAB was selected the representative from Brazil. COICA"s headquarters w111 move from Lima to QuJto. A working meeting between COICA"s Coordinators and U.S. environmental and h uman r1ghts organiZations w1ll be held In Washington DC on May 11-12. COICA has also moved Its offices from uma. Peru to Quito. Ecuador and can be now contacted at: Colle Alemonio No. 832 y Av. Mariano de Jesus Casillo Postal 17·21·7531 Quito, Ecuador Telephone and Fox: 553·297 Vol7 Num 1 & 2 Si6 Kaxinawd and Paulo Cipass~ Xauante from Brazil visit New York Amazon Initiative: A working conference to protect Indigenous rights The Amazon lnltlattve conferencew111 be held on May 11 and 12. 19931n washington. DCwtth the purpose offormtng a permanent coalltion of NGOs wtth Interests In the Ama7..on Basin. The conference w1ll brtng together northern NGOs and Indigenous representatives from the Amazon to develop concrete strategies for protecting the rtghts of Indigenous peoples and safeguarding their environment. The conference w1ll also focus on the logiStics of creattng a permanent coalition based In Washington. DC. Co-<:oerdinators and participants In· elude: Cultural Survival. Environmental Defense Fund. Friends of the Earth. Global Exchange. OxfamAmertca. Rainforest Action Network. Rainforest Foundation International. Sierra Club. SAIIC. World Resources Institute and World Wlldllfe Fund. For more Information contact SAn C. 15 �ECUADOR President of CONFENAIE Speaks to Maxus Shareholders OnAprll27. AngelZWnarenda (Shuar}. President q[ the Cc<)federatton q[ Ind(genous Nationalities of the E<:uadortan Amazon (CONFENIAE} addressed the annual shareholders' meeting q[ Maxus Energy Corp. tn Amartllo. Texns. HI$ speech was part of a protest againSt Maxus' Block 16 oa JXQ}ect. orga.ntzed by &tnforest AciiDn Networlc and theCampanaAmazon/aporta VIda. aooaluton q[EcuadorlanenwonmentalandhwnanrtJhl$ groups. Maxus Is buadtng a road tniD the Hw;wranl.lndian Reserve and YasunlNatfOrlal Pwktoextractheavyaudeoa. Thefollcwtngls an excerpt.from hi$ stalement. Greeungs to the press and the American pubUc.I represent Six lndlgenous peoples of the Ecuadorian Amw.on - the Shuar. Aohuar. QuJchua. HuaoranJ. Cofan and SlonaSecoya nations- conslsUng of300.000 lndlan people. organiZed as CONFENIAE. whiCh tn turn Is part of the Confederation of Indlg· enous Nationalltles of Ecuador. CONAJE. With thispoUtJcalforce. we have come to tell the on comparues. lumber companJes. agrtbustness companles. and mintng companies of the U.S. that their actMUes tn our terrttoryrepresent a massacre. Th.lsmisuseof technology threatens the Ufe of more than 300.000 Incllgenous people, as well as farmers and city dwellers of the Arn.a7.on region. These companles are responsible for the destructJon of the wUdUfe in our territory. the destruction of our sacred sites. lakes and rtvers. our fish and game. and the water and air. vital elements for all living things. CONFENIAE h as presented a negotiation plan to the Ecuadorian gove.r nment. Petroecuador and Maxus. and CONAJE h as made repeated efforts to negotiate, but all thiS has b een rejected. The Indigenous people of the Ecuadortan amru>.on are not saying "No" to oUextractlon. but rather are seeking an alternative. Th.ls ahernatJve Is not d.llllcult to understand nor to apply with current technology. But, Maxus IS blind to thiS rea!Jty. Maxus cleverly gave money to government oJilc1als. and ISolated the Huaorants from CONFENIAE and CONAIE. For the second tlme Maxus signed a document that has no legal value; It trtcked a few natve HuaoranJ representatives by offering them things whtch mean n othing to Maxus and convinCed them to sign the agreement. Now MaxusiS moving forward with Its destructlon. Maxus Is responsible forspUUng 15 tons of toxic chemicals tnto the nputlnl River this month. for spUUng crude oU along the road. for pressurtng the Cofan people in Dureno to leave their vtllage to work transporting road construction materials, for the tndl.sc:rlmlnate felling oftrees. for the tncreaslng dlslntegratJon of the HuaoranJ people and for the proUferation ol contagious diseases. such as cholera, dengue. yellow fever and parasites. I have come to say. 'Enough of this running over of our people, enough of this genocide'. We demand U1at the representatives ofMaxus dlscuss wllh CONFENIAE and CONAJE the proposals that we have already presented. Ifthey do not. we will do everythtng that remainS possible to defend our exiStence. WedemandamoratorlumtooUdevelopment and road construction in HuaoranJ terrttory untU a complete investigation oftheir environmental and human rtghts tmpact can be completed. An environmental management plan must be presented which meets the requirements of the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon. Only in this way can oU actMty continue! 16 Abya Yala News �BOLIVIA The Indian March Continues More than 200 representatives and magistrates of the Islboro-Secure National Indian Park Territory OlPNIS) met In their Second Speclal Session In the town of San Bernardo. They resolved to march onTrinidad to demand compllance with Supreme Decree 22610 and to assert the rights ofthe Mojenos. Chlmanes and Yuracares who Uve In that regton. The Bollvlan government ISSued Supreme Decree 22610 folloWing the hlstorlc march "For Territory and DJgnlty" In 1990. but Its provisions have not been Implemented or enforced. In a communique, the Indians of the TIPNIS asserted that thls time. "despite the good Intentions of some members of the government, we have encountered many problemslncludlngopposltionfromseveralgroups and lndlvlduals who do not wiSh to grant us the same rights enjoyed by every other BolivIan citizen. Thts behavior Indicates that there are people who continue to think Uke the Spaniards of 500 years ago.· The representatives assert that Article 2 of Supreme Decree 22610 expands the area of TIPNIS to the lslboro and Secu.r e rivers. InCorporating the communities situated on the banks of the rivers and forming a buffer zone. On October 19. 1992.TIPNIS brought a case before the prefect of the Ben! regarding a wealthy land owner. Sergto Zelada. who was attempting to deny the rights of the community of Lorna Alta. located on the right bank of the Islboro River within TIPNIS. On October 27 the legal counselor of the prefecture of the Ben! viSited Lorna Alta and decided that there was no Infraction. The Prefect then denied the TIPNIS claim. The Indian representatives who attended the second special session In San Bernardo resolved to reject the opinion of the public attorney and the prefectural resolution. because the title that Mr. Zelada has In hiS possession belongs to another person and was obtained after Supreme Decree 22610. The delegates denounced these antiIndian acts and bureaucratic dectslons. They stated that In thts democratic day and age. there are bad Bollv!ans In government who neither execute nor respect the laws which the government Itself has made. For these reasons. the authorities of TIPNIS marched to Trlnldad to demand a public hearing to force the execution of the decree.lfthts IS not done, the delegateswill be obllged to Oght until their territorial rights are respected. Source: AquL Bolwfa Moseten Indians Compete with Loggers for Land Title Approximately stx years ago. the Moseten Indians of Santa Ana de Huachi, Ben! Provence. began proceedIngs to obtain the deeds to the lands that they have Uved on for generations. With the support of the Lay Movement for Latin America (MlAL). they succeeded In attaining 8,000 hectares of land. But the land that was granted turned out to be 111-sulted for hunting. Oshlng. and agriculture, the mainstays of the Mosetenes. In addition, the lands have already been exploited by coloniZers. who have cut down the most Important and valuable trees. In November 1992. the community decided to ask the Minister of Campeslnos. Agriculture, and Fishing. the Indigenous Institute ofBoUvla (liB). and the government for land In the Muchane plains as compensation. An 1880 document gtves the Mosetenes sole ownership of the territory. which IS four hours away from Santa Ana. The Vol7 Hu m 1 & 2 director of the DB assures the community that their demand will be considered, but there are other people Interested In the land. Juan Torres, National Deputy and former member of the Conscience of the Country (CONDEPA. a ncopopulist organization) claims to have deeds to the terntory. According to the Mosetenes he has been extracting resources from the land. A company named San Loretl7.o also Intends to take advantage of the lumber resources. Timber exploitation ts Intense In that region of La Paz. According to a report by the Coordinator of Solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples. approximately 60 trucks. each with Ove logs. leaves the forest along one road each day. ThiS meansthatatleast 108.000treesarecutannually. Much of the wood goes to waste because It IS cut poorly. 17 �BRAZIL Stopping The Clearing Of nmberFrom Indigenous Lands For more i nforma· tion contact: Rainforest Action Network 450 Sonsorne St. Suite 700 Son Francisco, CA 94111 , USA Rainforest Foundation 270 Lafayette St. Suite 1205 New York NY 10012, USA. For decades. Joggers have invaded Indigenous lands in Bra?.U with Impunity, creating violent confrontations with lndtan people. and devastating the environment. Now. a BrazOJanjudge has ordered a halt to timber extraction from Jndtan lands in the eastern Amazon state of Pan1. According to estimates. between 1985 and 1990. over 640.000 cubic meters ofvalu· able mahogany were extracted from Indian lands in Pan1, which required the construe· tlon of over 3000 km of Illegal logging roads. To halt the logging. a suit was illed by the Nucleus for Indigenous Rlghts. based in Brasilia. The deciSion, on January 15, 1993 by Federal Judge Selene Marta de Almeida. calls for an tmmedlate closing of the logging roads and removal ofaU equipment and work· ers from the Indigenous reserves of Arawete. Apyterewa, and Tl'lnchetra Bacaj~ . n also · requireS the Bra?.illan government to set up permanent checkpoints to ensure that the loggers do not reenter the 7..0ne. One recent conflJct b etween Joggers and an Indian community resulted in the shooting deathofDomtngos Paullno. a GaVI<'io Pukobye who had tried to stop a truckcany· ing an Illegal shipment of wood from passing through hts people's land in Maranho. The woodhadbeencutfromthenearbyGuajajara reserve. where Indians had agreed to sell timber for very low prices. Most of thiS wood IS used to produce charcoal. which fuels the pig Iron processing plants which are Part of the Greater CarajM mtneral zone. Sources: Rainforest Action NeiWQrk and Rainforest Fowulation Violence Against Indian Peoples in Brazil in 1992 These are the 1992 results of an annual survey carried out by the lndlan!st Mls· slonary Council (CIMO of violence agatnst Indian peoples in BrazU. lnmostcategorteslndlanssufferedas much or more aggression as in previous years. In the case of the murders none of the aggressors was puniShed. CIMI notes: "DISeases have been kill· ingmoreindlansinBrazUthananyothertype of aggression. It seems that they are the subtlest and most disguised way to exterml· nate Indians.· 18 Murders 24 Victims of attempts on the lives 20 Deoth threats 21 Illegal detentions 5 Victims of physico! aggression 10 Rapes 7 Suicides 24 Deaths due to molaria 87 Deaths due to meosles 64 Deaths due to Cholera 14 Deoths in cor accidents 6 Areos invaded by woodcutters 37 Invasions by miners 16 Abya Yala News �BRAZIL Constitutional Revision Threatens Indigenous Rights Orlando Melguelro da SUva Bare. General Coordinator of the Council ofArticulation of Indlgenous Peoples and OrganiZations of Brazil. offers these obseiVations on how Indlgenou s rlgllts may be challenged under the 1993 Constitutional revision 1n Brazil: "Brazil 1s prepal1ng to revise Its constitution. Within this, questions affecting Indian people are Involved. principally when one speaks of mtneral wealth and natural resources found 1n Indian areas. All this 1s being looked at with btg eyes by large economic groups, which worries us. 'The new Indian statute will consider the proposals presented by IndJgenous people 1n Braslla at the end of Aprll of this year. Among the questions we are considering are the demarcation and self- demarcation ofour land, and the exploitation of mtneral and hydroelectric resources. "llle military1s pressing conseiVatlve leglslators. and even some on the left. so that they favor the revision of already demarcated Indian lands. ThiS despite the fact that demarcating lands 1n the border regions 1s no risk to national security. and not even the Indianswant to construct Independent states. On the contraxy. Indigenous peoples also obey the constitution, and above all we want the Brazilian government to obey the constitution. -we are looking for alternatives among them. to form a stronger alllance between Inc1Jgenousorganl7-ations themselves, with popular movements. and with the legislators who are for the Indigenous cau se. We look to merge our forces so that IndJgenous proposals be considered. and so that the rlgllts which were guaranteed In the 1988 constitution not be overturned." Source: Iriforme Jurdtoo - Address: ComlSsaoPr6Indlo de saoPaulo. RuaM!nlStro Godoy 1484, Salas 56 e 57, CEP 05015 Perdlzes, Sdo Paulo SP, BrazU. Suicides Increase Among Guarani Kaiova An alarmtng rate ofsuicides has been registered among the Guarant-KaJova of BrazU's Mato Grosso do Sui, caused by deSpair at their estrangement from traditional lands and way of life. According to the Indlgenlst MISsionary Council (CIMI) and the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI). 20 Guaranl-Katova hanged themselves 1n 1992. br!nglng the sulcldestoaseven-yeartotaloflOO. Ofthe20 Vol7 Num 1 & 2 who died last year. 12 were under 20 years of age (See CIMI statiStics page 18). With most of their traditional territories stlll not demarcated, and their lands Invaded by ranchers. the Guarani are forced to seek work on sugarcane plantations and at alcohol plants. There. they are pald very little. and are not accorded benefits proscribed for workers under law. Source: lndigenist MissiorwyCouncil (CIMI) Contact CIMl for more info rmation: 505 - Edificio Venancio Ill, Sola 3 09/1 4 , C.P~ 0 367 9 CEP 7 0.084-9 70 Brasilia, O.F. Br a z il 19 �ARGENTINA Pachamama Day and the Kolla People of Argentina Cultural Center •1st of August'' In 1991 the Catholic Church Invaded this cosmic spiritual center by pladng a Christian cross next to the apacheta 20 The Cultural Center"1stofAugust"wasbom on August 1. 1988 tn the city ofLa Qutaca. provtnceofJujuy. Argentina to honor the Pachamama (Mother Earth), who IS celebrated every year tn August. The Pachamama constitutes the back bone of the spiritual and material life of the KoDa people of AigentJna. The group IS made up of people from different branches of life: teachers. housekeepers. students. prtests. athletes and housewives. Most of the members are from rural areas. They share a common and global destiny and VISion: to contribute to the vitalization and fulllllment of the Kolla people and of Indtan people tngeneral and to the humaniZe the hostlle and mechanJzlng system of life which surrounds us. The germtnatJng and multlply!ng Impulse of the Center IS represented tn one central objective: "Attatn the htstortcal restoration of the Andean people. restructure. revalue. vtta!Jze and project our way of life. which contatns essentlal and sufficlentlyvalld gulde-ltnes to proVIde new alternatives for thiS permanently decadent society.· The friends of the Center have commonfearsandconcemsabout problems whiCh not only threaten the Kolla people b ut all the tnhabltants of the earth: pollution. hunger, dtscrlmtnatlon, extinction of Nations. alienation. arms buUd-ups. etc. TheCenter actsasarecuperatlonand transformation agent. It works to permanently rediScover and share essentlal aspects of Identity tn terms of rellglon, social organization. literature. agrtcultural practices, food production and preservation methods, etc. The Center also works to promote enVIronmental attitudes and to offer alternative ways for soclety to solve multiple problems. ThiS commitment ts dlrected toward educating and raising consciences about our rlght to Improve our quality of life. To these ends the Cultural Center "1st of August• organizes camping trtps. bicycle races and foot races with the motto "Youth. Let's Know our Land". Young people from both rural and urban areas participate. Theycover200mUesat altitudes of 10,000 to 13,000 feet tn order to get to know the country-side and to gtve the credit due to the human. cultural and natural landscape. The participants and the communities they VISit learn from each other wtth the purpose of renewing their faJth and hope of revttallz1ng the KoDa culture. To these same ends. every year tn the month of August the Cultural Center, together with neighbors and friends. celebrate the rellglous homage to the Pachamama at the apacheto. (alter to the Pachamama) of the community. The Center supports and promotes cultural actlvttles such as music. theater and poetry. gtvtng prtortty to those which repreAbya Yala News �ARGENTINA International Congress on Indigenous Languages The Instituto Qheshwa •Jujuymanta• !AigenUna) IS organiZing the V International AcademlcCongressonlndlgenousLanguages to take place tnJujuy·Argent!na tn Septemberofl993. The Institute works to make lndlg· enous people aware of the value of their languages. Durtng the last years the Insti· tute has devoted Itself to promoting Indigenous languages such as QhiShwa (or Quechua) and Aymara, which are widely used tn the Andean region ofSouth America, and Guarani of the Gran Chaco of South America. The puiJ)ose of thiS effort IS to organiZe native peoples and make them aware of their cultural roots and of how Important It IS that their languages survtve. So far there have been four congresses organiZed by In· dlgenous groups which have documented the wide use of Indigenous languages. Pachamama Day conlinued sent recovery or creations within the framework of Indian American Identity. The Center gtves presentations to schools at dl.fferent levels tn order to provide traditional role-models, and expose the students to diverse experiences. They produce educatiOnal radio programs and also participate tnprograms to Improve methods ofsheep farming tn order to Improve the economic situation for Puna famtlles. Vol 7 Num 1 & 2 The last congress took place In Cochabamba (BoIMa), with the assistance of the Un!versldad Mayor de San Slm6n. and locallndfg· enous organiZations. Rene Satnz vega, the President of the N Congress (October 1992), reportedthefollowtng concluSions. The congress requested: 1. That the governments of Colombia. Ecuador. Peru. BoiMa. Argentina and Chile work on In· forming about and teaching Indigenous languages In their countries: 2. That educational agencies and mtn· lstrlessupportlndlgenousorganJzationsworklng on revaloriZation of their own Indigenous languages: 3. That Latin American governments formally teach Indigenous languages at schools and universities. 4. That Latin American governments recogniZe demands and territorial rights of Indigenous peoples. The N Congress worked under SIX commiSSions: Writing. Grammar and Struc· ture, Culture, History. Education and Law. Instltuo Qheshwa ·Jujuymanta• IS open to your Input. contributions, and assiS· tance. If you ore inter· ested in attending the V Congress in O<tober please contact: lnstituto Qheshwo • Jujuymonto• Alvear 966, Local 6 C6digo Postal 4600 Son Salvador de J~tjuy, Argentino 21 �CHILE Hoisting the Mapuche Flag TheMapuche Coordinating Body of Argentina Tom Kine Nguetuam (£o Be One Again) rasing the Mapuche National Flag in the cityofNuequin. 1'/oeflag was created last year during the historical reunion of the Mapuche Nation from the Argentine and Chilean sides ofthe lxmkr. Mapuches Convicted for Occupying Land "Their efforts to establish a separate Mapuche nation, including their own flag, is an act that is in direct contradiction to Chilean national unity." -Enrique Krauss, Chilean Minister of the Interior 22 TheChlleangovemment has convicted one hundred and forty-four Mapuche people for the "illegal usurpation of land" and sentenced them to pay a fine equal to about one year's wages. The alleged ursurpation ofland took place In June 1991 when the Mapuche organiZation Aukln Wallmapu Ngullam (Councll of All Land) began to occupy landS In an attempt to "exerclse our nghts as Mapuches to thts land which Is In the hands of private companies and the State of Chlle." As a result of these actions the Interior Minister Enrique Krauss and the regional Governor Fernando Chuecas detained hundreds of Mapuche people and filed charges against them. ThegovemmentofficlalsclaJmed that the "Assoclatlon was Involved In the illegal take-over of the land." Krauss Insisted that "the Counsel of All Land's actions do not Ot Into the legal framework ofChllean society. Moreover. their efforts to establish a separate Mapuche nation. Including their own Oag.ts an act that Is In direct contradiction to Chllean national unl(y." The Counsel of All Land responded to the accusations on January 25, 1993 and made the following statement through their lawyer: 'The Mapuche people have a distinCt htstorlcal background In terms of social, poUtlcal, and religious structure that dJII'ers from the rest of Chllean soele(y. Not only has Chlle refused to recogn17-e these unique attributes of our culture but has systematically tried to destroy us." On March 10. 1993. the Attorney Generallnfonned the one hundred and forty four accused Mapuches that they are each required to pay 11 months ofthetrwages. the equivalent of $60 a month , for their illegal occupation of the land. The other detainees were convicted of "illegal activities and alllances" and condemned to eighteen months of pollee surveillance and are not allowed to organi7-e pollttcally. Those accused of illegal land acquisition are appealing their sentences clatmlng that they have not committed any crtme. They are currently trying to educate the publlc about the Injustices Imposed upon them by thegovemment.lnMaytheAppellate Court of Temuco will decide whether uphold or overtum the convictions. Abya Yala News �CHILE URGENT ACTION: CHILEAN GOVERNMENT MUST OVERTURN THE CONVICTIONS We at SAIIC are organizing a campaign to put pressure on the Chilean government. Please write letters to the offldals listed below demanding and end to the persecution of the Mapuche people. Patricia Aylwin Axacar Presidente de Ia Republica de Chile Palacio de La Maneda Santiago, Chile Fax: (56) (2} 697 3262 Fernando Chuecas lntendente de Temuco Manuel Bulnes 590 p. 2 Temuco, Chile Fax: (56} (45} 21 30 64 Please oend copies of your letter• to SAIIC and: Aukin Wallmapu Ngulam Caoilla 448 Temuco, Chile Fax : (56) (45} 21 30 64 Enrique Krauss Miniotro de Interior Caoa de lo Moneclo Santiago, Chile Fox: (56) (2} 696 87 40 Second Tribunal of the Mapuche Nation Aukln Wallmapu Ngulam CThe Council of All Land) has announced that the Second Tribunal of the Mapuche Nation will b e held from March 29 to APrtl 1, 1993 In Temuco. Mapuch eTerrltory. "In the context of Ideological decolonJzation, we call for th.IS Second Tribunal In order to ldenUfyvtolations againSt our hiStorical rights to land and human dignity." The tribunal will analy'.te dlfl'erent cases of violations committed agatnst the Mapuche nation such as the Invasion of territories, ecological destruction and denial of Mapuche religion, and will end wtth a traditional NguUlatum ceremony. Vol 7 Num 1 & 2 T~ Mapuches are demall(}jng tluu t~ir culture be recognized and respected. . 'We lnvltetradltionallcadersandcommunJtles of the Mapuch e Nation. Indigenous peoples of the Americas and those Involved In national and International political m ovements to join us." For m ore Information contact Au kin Wallmapu Ngulam. ' 23 �B OLIVIA Indians Seek representation • Peasant 1n Confederation Interview with Genaro Oliver, CSUTCB The following is an trttervtew with Genaro Oliver. an active member qf the Con· federatton of Compestrto UniOns of Bo!!v!a (CSUTCB). We spok e w ith him trt Genoa. Italy trt A ugust 1992. at the Soconas/lncomlndlos meeting ofEuropean organiZaltons trt solldar· ily wllh the Indian NatiOns of the Amerioon ConttrtenL We offer Mr. Oliver's perspective as a new current wlthtrt the CSUTCB. His matrt tenant Is that the Campesino Con federatiOn must consider the reality qfe thniC identtty. SAIIC: Who do you represent Genaro Oliver? "The name 'Confederation of·Campeslno Unions' shows the lack of genuine representation of the Indigenous peo ple of Bolivia" 24 Genaro Ollver: I am a member of the Confederation of Campes!no UnJons of Bo· Uvta (CSlJI'CB). The CSlJI'CB IS organ.lzlng the First Meeting of Natlonalltles In October 1992. This First Meeting seeks to bring together alll.ndlgenous Peoples of Bo!Ma. and Us main objectiveIs to regain the participation of the IndJgenous Peoples that have not been taken Into account by the Campeslno Confed· eratlon. Thename"ConfederatlonofCampeslno Untons · s hows the lack of genuine representation of the lndJgenous people of Bo!Ma. The name Indicates that the organiZation represents "untons·. and unions were tmported from Europe. The term "campeslno" (peas· ant) Is antmposed nameasweU.In the "lndJgenous Peoples Meeting" we would like to reestabllsh our ancient ways of organiZing ourselves. SAIIC: What Is the Labor Confederation of Bollv!a's (COB) position? GO: The COB Is rethlnk!ng some Is· sues. IftheCampeslno Confederation tries to reestabllsh contactwtth Its lndJgenousbase. theCOBwlllalsohavetoaddressthetssueof representation. At the moment It only represents waged workers but not lndJgenous Peoples. SAIIC: Do you belleve that out of the meeting a larger entity wlll artse. maybe an entity that wlll be larger than the cu rrent COB or even the CSlJI'CB? GO: This Is what we are thinking. The lndJgenous people are a majortty. There aremoreofusthantherearewagedworkers. and waged workers are not the only people to be represented. We think there wlll be Interesting discussions wtth other workers' organiZations. SAIIC: What Is your oplnton about women's participation In the lndJgenous Peoples' Meeting? GO: This Is a topic that wlll have to be discussed by women. There Is a large women 's organJ? .atlon which Is a part of the Campeslno Confederation. But as Is the casewtth Indigenous people. the Campes!no Confederatlondoesnot adequatelydealwtth the problems ofwomen . Their partiCipation as women and as Indian women In thelndJgenous Peoples' Meeting wlll be extremely tmportant. Abya Yala News �BOLIVIA Aymaras Replace Peasant Union with Traditional Ayllu Federation IntheruralconununltyofSanAndres de Machaca, ln the Ingavt Province of the Department of La Paz. traditional forms of SOCial and politiCal organiZation have prevalled over the nation-state proposals to assimilate Indigenous cultures. FollOWing the reconunendatlonsofthe October 1992 National Congress of the Confederation of Campeslno Unions of Bollvta, csurcs. areglonalcongressgatheredonAprU 10-11. 1993,ln the proVince ofingavt. Four hundred and fifty Indigenous campes!no delegates, angry at established political parties of the left and the rlght who had manipulated their leaders In the past centwy. unanlmouslyvoted to dissolve theformercampes!no union and replace It with a Federation of Ayllus and Indigenous Nations. GtMro Oliver continued SAIJC: Would you like to add anything to thls InterView? GO: lwouldllketolet people know that thls kind of direct InterView with a true representative of an Indigenous community allows others to learn about what 1s really happening In thoseconununltles. 'n"avellngln Europe. we have found that lnvtted political representatives are often people diSengaged from the Indigenous Peoples. Many no longer live nor know what 1s happening In the communities themselves. Vol 7 Hum 1 & 2 Paulino Guarachi. executive secretary of the CSUTCB . and Florenclo Mendoza of theTupaqKatariFederatlon attended the congress but only as guests.Thelndfgenous The province oflngavi is rei!ISfoting its 1ndigenous campeslnos of San autlwritit s Andres de Machaca discussed how traditional Aransaya and Ur!nsaya sections of the conununlty have reinstltutedaconununalreglmewheremallku and momata'qua. thelndlgenousauthoritles. follow the ancient dictates of thelr ancestors. Political power has also been restored to the elders of the conununlty. The native authorities believe that the Anuqara. UWlk'u. and sallka, corrupt local politicians of the past. had betrayed the community by selllng the political positions of the traditional authorities to national political parties. 'The result was the transformation of thelndlgenousconununlty!ntoanurbandomlnatedappendlxofthe nation-state. which has only sporadiCally answered the needs of the community Itself." Conununlty representatives at the congress agreed to end all alllll.ation with political parties, speak and Write AymaraSpanlsh and respect cultural traditions. Source: Aqul La Paz, Bol!vta 25 �BOLIVIA Curacas and Jilakatas Recover their Authority 'Women from differenl regions will be mee1ing and working together to solve ow common problems.. Indigenous Women Organizing National Encounter For more informa· lion pleose contact: Coordinodora de Mujeres lndigenas de Bolivia Casillo 23 15 La Paz, Bolivia Tel: (592)(2) 36 99 63 Fax: (592)(2) 39 13 65 26 TheFirstNatlonaiEncounteroOndlgenous women of Bolivia w1ll be held from J une21-23. 19931nthehiStorlcaiTiwanaku. ThiS en counter IS the culmination of two years ofgrass roots community organlzlng by Bolivian women. The encounter IS being organlzed by the Coordinating Commtsslon of lndlgenous Women of Bolivia whiCh IS made up of the following organl7.atlons: Centro de Dtscusl6n Ideol6gica de Ia Muj er Aymara (CDIMA), Organl7 -aci6n de Mujeres Aymaras del KoUasuyu (OMAKl. Coordlnadora de Muj eres Indigenas del Benl (CMIB). Federacl6n Nactonal Campeslna Bartollna Slsa (FNMCBS). MujeresPastorasdelaAsoclacl6n de Crtadores de Camellda and Asoclacl6n Nactonal de Mujeres Radlallstas (ANRCINB). The Coordinating CommiSSion of Indlgenous women ofBollv!a IS a member of the CoordinatlngCommtsslonofWomenofSouth and Meso America and of CONIC. More than 600 delegates are expected to partlclpate. Two representatives from SAIIC w1ll be attending the encounter as observers. 'The strength ofthts encounter IS that women from different regions w1ll be meeting and working together to solve our common problems." said Alicia Canavlrt(Aymara).President of the Coordinating Commission of lndlgenous Women of Bolivia. Financial support IS needed. On December 7. 1992. the first AssemblyoOndlgenousAuthorltlesoftheSouthern Altiplano was held to define the function of Indlgenous communal author!Ues. ThiS assembly, organb:ed by the RegJonaiFederatlonofSouthernAltlplanoFarmers (FRUTCAS). took place In Tomave. In the Potosi region of Bolivia. The attendees emphasl?.ed the necessity for Curacas (prtmary traditional leaders) and Jllalcatas (those In secondary positions) to regain the authority they had years ago. "With the traditional leaders In place we did n ot have as many problems. But since the government Imposed political authorities (Corregidores) and agents In charge of the Cantons. problems multiplied. resulting In confllctamongbrothers.·theattendeesstated. The regional delegates noted that tradltlonaUytheindlgenousauthorltleshadmalntalned a harmonious relationship between nature and the local populations. They concerned themselves with such tssues as assurIng that evecyone within their jurtsdlctlon maintain orderly and dlgnlfl.ed life. However, In recent times the role of these leaders has been reduced to organlzlng community festivals and carnivals. The local attendees explained that traditional authorities diStinguiShed themselves In their own communities by their attire. CuracasandJllalcataswore a poncho, a Uuch'u (hat) and a ceremonlal cane. These leaders were the only ones who could dress In thiS manner, thuscommandlngrespect. Source: Aqu~ BoiMa Dec. 18, 1992 Abya Yala News �COLOMBIA Plan Pacifico Threatens to Untouched Rainforest Embera, Waunana and Awa Peoples Defend El Choco Along Colombia's Pacific coast Ues one of the most biologically diverse tropical rainforest regions left on Earth. Known as El Choco. th.IS verdant terratn has, untll recently. managed to escape thenefartousclaws of development with 83% of the forest stlll Intact. But now the Embera. Waunana and Awa peoples who have llved In harmony with the envtronment for mJllennta are facing a massive government development program for El Choco known as the Plan Pacifico. Mangrove forests Une the coast while tropical rainforests pervade inland. Above the treeline. the diStinct alpine shrub land known as the Paramo adds to the array of complex ecosystems. A massive river network connects the rainforests to the Pacific ocean. El Choco contains more inSect species and two and a half Ume more bird species than all of North America. One hectare contains more tree s pecies than the whole of the BritiSh Isles .. In the last ten years this haven of biodiversity and Ufe. has been "discovered·. El Choco IS now regarded by multinational corporations and governments as a •gold mine" for Its abundance of tropical hardwoods. potential for oU, gold. and other minerals, and hydroelectric dam potential. Plan Pacifico would Include a network of roads. hydroelectric facUlties, new ports and a land-bridge linkingPacific and Caribbean coastwith hopes of competing with the Panama Canal. A naval port has already been completed and h as mllitar!Zed the zone and diSplaced traditional llshing communltles In Malaga Bay. Approximately 110.000 Indigenous people Uve In El Choco from eleven different tribal groups. The dominant nations are the Embera. Waunana and Awa. They have been driven from their traditional lands and Uve In Vol7 Hum 1 & 2 ISolated groups throughout the reg.lon. As a result ofa long struggle, the lndJgenous people have won legal title to 64 ·resguardos· which cover approximately five percent of El Choco. In an attempt to salvage their "home· and wayofllfe the lndJgcnous people. through the Ebera-Wauana Regional OrganiZation (OREWA), have united on vartous occasions with Afro-Colombtans, who make up the majority 1n the reg.Ion. to block illegal activities such as logging by multinationals. In 1992 they successfully blockaded construe· tlon of the Pan American Highway and forced the government tonegouate with OREWAand pay for an OREWA designed environmental Impact assessment of the road. The Canadian International Devel· opment Agency (CIDA) which has assiSted people In the Choco reg.lon since 1975 has now withdrawn funding for the Cultural Survival Canada (CUSOl-OREWA partnership program. a vtable and successful series of projects that have significantly empowered the people In of the Choco. 27 �GUATEMALA Guatemalan Refugees Return On January 20. after more than ten years of suffertng In exile. h aving lost their land and their loved ones, 507 Guatemalan families returned to their natlve land from Mexico. AmJdst laughter and tears. 21.480 refugees. young and old, crossed the border1n 67 buses to start anew and recapture what was lost at the beglnnlng of the last decade. Afteranelgllt-hourtrlpfromComltrul, Chtapas. Mexico. the refugees arrived at Huehuetenangoat3p.m .. carrylngtheirmost precious belongings on their backs. They were recetved by governmental and non-governmental agenctes at a recepUon center prepared by the Spec1al Commlsslon on Refugee AffairS [CEAR). The toll of living In exile could be seen In the children, who are the same heJght as other Guatemalan children of the same age, but are much thinner. The refugees stayed In Huehuetenango untU Saturday, Jan. 23. and from there conUnued theirjourney toward the capital. In the capital, the ex-refugees staged a rally In the city's central park and then went 28 on to Coban In Alta Verapaz. They stayed for a few days 1n Coban before boarding covered trucks that took them to Poligono 14, the ctte In the Ixcan regJon designated for their resettlement. About 400 of them left Coban In the first caravan of trucks and, after travellng two days With an ovem.Jgllt stop In the town of Chlsec, theyarrtved lnCantabal,just a couple of hours away from Poligono 14. They stayed ovemightlnCantabaland. thefollowmgmornlng. the truckscarrted them to With In walking distance of their n ew home. Walklngthelastlegofthej ourney. the refugees carried. In addition to their children. cooking utensils and tools they would need to seed and prepare the new land for resettlement. For those who couldn't make the journey by truck, such as the til, the elderly, small children and pregnant women, the governments of France and England provided small planes to transport them. Thousands ofmostly Indigenous refu • gees fled In the early 1980s to escape the army's scorched earth tacUcs and massacres. Abya Yala News �GUATEMALA lxiiWoman Returns Home The Januruy 20th return was the first organiZed and negotiated by the Permanent CommiSSion (CCPP) which represents the refugees. The CCPP finally reached an agreement with the Guatemalan government on October 8. 1992 which determined the terms of the return. Including credits for the purchaseofland. exemptionfrommllltruyservlce for three years and the establlshment of a Vei1flcationCounctl. OnMarch29thePermanent CommiSSion ISsued an Operative Plan for five more returns between May and August of this year of a total of 1,619 famllles or 8 .147 tndMduals who wiJl go to the Ixcan. Varillas and Nent6n. The prtmary obstacle to the refugees· safe and dtgnlfied resettlement IS the htgh level of mllltanzation In the countryside. The army maintains bases In the resettlement areas and has carrted out several attacks against the neighboring Communities oCPopulations 1n ResiStance (CPR). The CPR are nomad communities In remote jungle areas who have chosen not to seek refuge In Mexico despite a decade of repression. The army considers the CPR to be supporters of the Guen111as and wants to prevent any contact between the CPR and the returnees. who It considers subversive. Since the first return, the army has destroyed CPR vtJJages and forced the communities across the border lnlo Mexico. The people are then prevented from returning by mines planted along the border. In general the army has been mining the whole regton to Inhibit free movement of the CPR and of the returnees. Source: Peace Brigades lnternllliono.l. Processo Jnterno.tionol. NoticiM de Guatetno.la, East Bay Sonctuary Coveno.nt Vol 7 Num 1 8c 2 We are coming from Mexico. We are from the Jxcan. from Salc6n. When I left the Ixcan there were some problems with the army. They burned my house. my whole house. my clothes. I was left naked. After much sacz1flce I now have a Uttle bit ofclothing. My husband died and I became a widow. My son stayed behind with the soldiers. After my husband died I was able with much sacz1flce to raise my youngest son. All my anJmals stayed behind. My house was burned. I CIY from such pain. I wiJl die of sorrow with such suffering. I am not content. I am Cl)'tng. But now there IS a uttle bit of hope. Things are a little better. I thank Mexico for giVIng us refuge. But now I am going back to my village. where my land Is, where I have my land. I amgolngbacktollvetnmyv!llage. with my people, afterUvtngtnthecampstnMexico. The Mexicans charged us rent. But nowiamgolngbacktomyland.lnGuatemala I have my land. my v!llage. my country. I am going to my country. We will all have to Oght to rebuUd ourv!llage. We have always had to flght and It wiJl be no different now. We left because we wanted to, and we are going back because we want to. the whole v!llage. the whole community. The people are golngbacknow because we didn't want to stay In Mexico. The whole communltytsgolngbecause we want to and we are organ.t7.ed. Right now my heart ts happy because I am returning to my v!llage. Source: PBJ "Right rx:;w my heart is happy because I am returning to my village" differenl now" 29 �GUATEMALA The Land is Our Life Statement by a Returnee My name 1S Pedro Coq Chen. I was In the Mayatecimcamp In the state ofCampeehe. I Uved there for nine years. Wellved In Chlapas near the Echeverria border for a year and a half before that. From there we went to Campeche In 1984. Now we are conung back from Campeehe. Wehopethatourretumgoesweu. We have dectded to get to know our land again, because the land 1S our Ufe, the llfe of all campeslnos. Acampeslno cannot live Without land . That 1S why we refugees and our leaders have been making plans since 1985 to return to p lots of land which we left behind. Now we want to go back there and get to know our country again. We separated ourselves from our country, but not because we wanted to. The government has said we went to Mexico because we are arrogant or beca use we do n ot want to work. ThiS 1S not true. We suffered . We suffered exploitation, VIolence. massac.r es. Those who were suffering left. We "The left to seek refuge. Many of those who could government has not leave dJed -men. women. chlldren and old said we went to people. They were far away In other departments such as Coban and Alta Verapaz. Mexico because People do not know what the army we are arrogant has been doing. ChUdren were murdered. We or because we suffered a lot. 1n Mexico we met up With brothers and siSters who had also suffered; do not want to who had been treated badly by the army. We work. This is had to leave to escape the massacres. 1n Mexico we rea117-ed that we are the not true. We same people even If we are from dJfferent suffered.n ethnic groups. I hope that which happened to 30 us does not happen again. For us It started In 1980. That 1S when we started leaVIng. Those who were able to leave are going backnow.WhenwccametoMex!cowebrought young chlldren. When I came I brought two chUdren. one girl and one boy. Now they are big. I hope It does not h appen to us again. We suffered a lot. There was much sorrow. Despite the fact that the government 1S alloWing us to return, I have very strong feelings. It 1S not our fault that we work 1n the country side. We live In the Reina area so they thought we were Involved In certain problems. certain organJ?.a.Uons. But we were working peacefu lly In our cooperaUves. I would go to the capital, Guatemala City. to settle accounts With the Colonel. the coordinator of INACOP (National Agricultural InStitute for CooperaUves). I would go see hJm once a month. But I always had dJIDculty to get back to my land. The problems began In 1981. 8y 1982 It had become very bad and we had to leave. The government pursued us night and day 1n thejungle. They pressured us a lot. They let us suffer hunger and fatigue. Those of us who were able to leave were only able to save our bodJes. Our boclles and our chlldren were the only things we saved. The belongings we had were lost. We lost them because we were no longer able to carrythemdayand nlght. Wesull'ereda loton the days when It rained. ThiS 1S what I experienced and there 1S nothing else I can say. Source: Peace Brigades International Abya Yala Hews �CENTRAL AMERICA Learn a Mayan Language in Guatemala lximche Language Center The IJdmche Language Center (CLO IS a p~ectofCojb'lyln Rlq'utn Catlnamlt. which tn Caqch!quel means "we walk with our people". We are an association of Maya CaqchJquel Indian professionals. workers. farmers and craftspeople who are taking up the chaDenge of conserving and promoting our culture and our Identity. We have created the language school as part of an Integrated program of sustain· able development. At CU. we offer proven language Instruction techniques. as well as the opportunity to share our Mayan splrttual traditions and our way of Uvtng. The school IS located In the town of Chtmaltenango. tnthecentral-westemreg!on oftheh!ghlands. UnUketheJargercttieswhere touriSts congregate. Chlmaltenango presents the opportunity to witness the true life of an Indian town. The program offers the student a cho!ceof!nstructlontntheSpantshlanguage. ortnoneoftwoMayanlanguages: Caqch!quel and Quiche. It features tndlv!dual. one-on· one classes with teachers who are carefully trained and dedicated to shartng the cultural values of our community. WhUe studying at CU. students are encouraged to stay with a Maya-CaqchJquel family to practice their language sldlls. A portion of the proceeds of the Linguistic Centerl.ldmche!sdedlcatedtothedevelopmentof an educational and cultural center for Caqch!quel Maya children. For more lnfonnatlon please contact: GrupoMaya Quj Semej Junan P.O. Box 40892 San Francisco, CA 94140 Tel: (415)824·2534 Centro Linguistico lximche 4a. Avenida 4·53 Zona 3 Chimoltenanga Guatemala Tel: (502) (9)39·2331 Kunas Protest Land Invasions OnApr!IIS. I993co1ow.ersdestroyed a house within Kuna territory which had just been constructed by members of the !bed! Kuna community tn collaboration with the Association of Kunas United for Nabguana. Thehouse.tntheKunadiStrtctofMadungandl (Alto Bayano). was to be used by Kuna vlllag· ers who were planning to begin work on demarcating thiS part of Kuna terrttory. Because the law whJch establishes the Kuna DIStrict ofMadungandliS languiSh· tng tn the National Assembly and the government clatms It does not have the money to demarcate the land, the community members decided to do the job themselves. There has been poachtng of endan· gered animals, tnd!scrtmtnate loggtng and the Vol 1 Num 1 & 2 pollution of the rtvers tn the Alto Bayano region. The Kunas feel that demarcation of the land IS the first step toward gatntng re· spect for the boundrtes of their terrttory. The followtng IS an excerpt from a statement made by the Association ofKunas United for Nabguana responding to the destruction of the house: 'We condemn thiS hostile act by the coloniZers who want to sabotage any actiVity whJch mJght brtngabout a real solution to the problems the Kuna people face tnAito Bayano due to Ulegal Invasions of our territories by people who care little about conserving na· ture and who are trytng to provoke our people so they can later accuse us of betng the tnsugators." For more informo· lion conloct: Asociaci6n Nabguana, Apdo. Postol 536, Panol1)6 1, Panam6 31 �GUATEMALA s URGENT ACTION Mayan Leaders Receive Death Threats Council of Mayan Organizations calls for a Halt to the Violence OnMAY7.1993SAIICrecelvedafax from the CouncU of Mayan Organf7-atlons (COM-C). a coalition of 13 Mayan organf7-a· Uons. regarding death threats sent to leaders oftheCooperact6nlndigenaparaeiDesarrollo Integral (COINDI) In SoloJA. SinCe AprU 28th 1993. many leaders have been the target of anonymous and unrelenting death threats. Among them VIctor Sal6, Carlo Zunatx and catmtum Ctcajan have been singled out and targeted. Their llves are under direct threat and quJckacuoniSneeded to abate the tmmecllate danger. COM-C and COINDI officials are appealing to the International community and human rtghts organtzatlons to take a stand against death threats and the cllmate of lnse· curtty that prevaUs In Guatemala. COM-CIS looking to bu!ld alltances to halt the violence, terror and the tdeologtcal polariZation that retgns througllout the counhy. COINDI officials are requesting that concerned CJttzens and human rtgllts activISts and organiZations make the followtng demands of the Guatemalan government: • thatrespectforbastchurnanrtgliiS. physical Integrity and Itfe be upheld. • that the Guatemalan government Investigate the origin of the threats against the members of COINDI and report the find. 32 tngs to the Guatemalan people. • that the Guatemalan government act to assure baste human rtgllts to all cttl· ?.ens by fighting against ur~ust tmpuntty and senseless violence. Please send letters to: lngeniero Jorge Serrano Elias President de Ia Republica Palacio Nacional Guatemala, Guatemala Telex: 305·5331 CAPRES GU Fax: (502) (2) 537472 or (502) (2) 519702 Phone: (502) (2) 21212 or (502) (2) 22266 Grol. Jose Garcia Samayoa Ministro de Defensa Palacio Nacional Guatemala, Guatemala Telex: 305·5361 COMGUA GU Fax: (502) (2) 5367 472 Phone: (502) (2) 21212, ext.743 Please send copies of letters to SAIIC and: COM-G 2a Colle 3·40 Zona 3 Chimaltenango, Guatemala C.A. Phone & Fax: (502) (9) 39·2709 Abya Yala News �MESO AMERICA 117 Year Old Nahuat Dies in El Salvador Anastacio Esquino, Center, surrounded by his family in a piciU!c taken last year. He died in April at age 117 in his home village of San Ram6n, Department of Son.sonau:. AnaslaCio Esquino was a Nahuat who survived lhe 1935 massacre in which lhe Salvadornn army killed 30,000 lndjans following a rebellion againstlhe large land owners. At 117 he was one of lhe oldest men in lhe world. His wife died in 1991 atlhe age ofl09. His son Adrjan Esquino, left foreground, is head of lhe National Indigenous Association of El Salvador (ANIS). Condolences and messages of solidarity can be sent to: AN IS Antigua Aduana Ferria 5·1 Sonsonate, El Salvador Second Encounter of Indigenous Press ThesecondEncounterofthelnterna- AlPIN IS thetl.rst continental attempt to present tJonal Committee of the Indigenous Press an accurate Image of Indigenous people and took place 1n Mexico City from Aprtl 25-27. to professionally report on Indigenous ISsues The purpose of the meeting was to continue from an Indigenous perspective. AlPIN IS now the process of decolon.lzatlon ofthe media and Inviting open participation of Indigenous to launch the First Continental OJDce of the people who have been practicing journalism Indigenous Press. In various media: radlo, video, newspaper. The International Committee IS made electronic man. up of the following publications: Nabguana. For further Information please conthe Kuna Un.ldos por Nabguana newsletter tact: (Panama);Abya YalaNews, theSAIICjoumal AlPIN (USA): Etnlas (Mexico): Communlcattons Calle Madero 67·611 Autoc/Uones (Canada). and as an observer Colonia Centra Mexico Unldad Indigena. the ONlC newspaper (CoMexico, OF 06000 Mexico lombia). The International Indian PressAgency Tel: 576-50-99 (AlPIN) also participated In the encounter. Fax: 761-85-73 Vol 7 Num 1 & 2 33 �MEXICO Mixtecs and Zapotecs Organizing in Oaxaca and California Interview with Arturo Pimentel: In September of I 992 Arturo Pimentel became General Ccordinator ofthe Btnattonal Mlxtec andZapotec Front. which IS based in California and Mexfro. This organization IS made up ofagriCultural workers ofMlxtec and Zapotec ortgin who work in the Untied States. The Front IS made up of the Civic and PopularMixtecCommittee. ComtM'Ilacolulense ofLos Angeles. the BenUo Jumez Civic AssodaUon. the Regional Organization of Oaxaca. YqJsachl El BqJo AssodaUon. Yajsachl El Alto AssodaUon. 71acochauaya AsSOdaltoo. San Miguel Cuevas Oppressed Peoples. andOPAN. Arturo Pimentel represented the Civic and Popular Mlxtec Front of California at the Frrsl International Meeting on Migration and Human RlghiS that took place in Hueyapan. oaxaca in July 1992. "I think that we have to reject the rhetoric of Mexico's lndlgenlst J)ollcy which prescribes for us, In a paternalistic manner, everything that we as Indigenous peoples have to do.• 34 SAllC: Please tell us about the First International Meeting on Migration and HumanRlghts. AP: Themeetlngwasorgarw.ed by two malO orgarw.ations: the Civic and Popular Mlxtec Front. which IS part of the Binational Mlxtec and Zapotec Front and the Technological University of La Mlxteca. The objective was to appraise human rights and migration ISSues related to the Mtxtec people. SAllC: How was thiS meeting received by the participants? AP: There was a lot of Interest. There were Indlgenous orgarw.ations. academics. governmental organl2atlons and Indlgenous peoples. SAllC: What have been the results? AP: The Meeting estabUshed a communication system so that we would be considered part of a larger organl2ation which IS the Indigenous peoples of South and Meso America. Another result was to channel our Mlxtec andZapotecdemands: these demands have been deslgned to press the Mexican government to respond to our needs: drlnk1ng water. water for Irrigation. electricity, schools and roads. We also ask that the government respect our poUtical wtlJ, whiCh has been subject to official governmental interference. So. we agreed on a set of demands brought by the c:l.lfferent Zapotee and Mtxtec communities. But we also agreed to press for them, so that au these demands be met. We also agreed to organiZe an Inter-ethnic conference. Inviting all indigenous organl2ations of our Oaxaca State. SAllC: I understand that officials of the local government tried to take over this Zapotec/M!xtee meeting. Is thiS true? AP: Yes. Our Indlgenous organiZation and the UnlversJty's Chancellor. who answers to the Interests of the state. agreed on a poUcy ofnon-lntervention. Therewerenolnvttations madetoanypubUc official because we wanted a meeting free of state control. We wanted to have an Independent meeting. But without previous announcement. the governor of Oaxaca Mr. Eladlo Rarolrez LOpez showed up at the opening ceremony. This moment was Important for the official party. Oaxaca was about to elect poUtJcal authorities. We did not want our conference to be used poUtlcally. The poUtJcal sltuauon at the tJme made Eladlo's presence at the conference even less appropriate. The majority of the organl7.ations rejected the presence of the governor. There was an exchange of words with the Chancellor. but we Insisted on our autonomy. All organl2ations remained fum. rejecting manipulations. and we were able to defend our posltlon of autonomy. SAllC:Are other Indigenous organl2ations In Oaxaca . besides those representing ZapotecandMtxtecUvtnglnCaUfornla. thinkIng about autonomy? Abya Yala News �MEXICO "Traditionally historians thought that Zapotecand Mlxtecs could not get along. But here we are working . together." For more infonnation contact: The Binational Mixtec and Zapatec Front 104 Koshland Way Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA Tel: (408) 459·8827 AP: When we talk about autonomy were are talking about a movement that has to be bullt and that has to move beyond political parties or the control of state. Autonomy IS a fundamental ISSue. As an Indlgenous movement we have our own demands whJchariSefromourclrcumstancesand needs. I think that we have to reject the rhetoric of Mexico's IndlgenlSt policy which prescribes for us. In a patemallstic manner. everything that we as lndlgenous peoples have to do. We believe that autonomy should exist and that It must be respected bY the state. SAIJC: Your statement about autonomy IS clear. Do the grassroots understand thiS position. Do you think that Indlgenous communities are ready to work on autonomy? AP: Unfortunately there are different levels of understanding. The state's control has been so pervasive through programs such as COPIAMAR. PRONASOL, and even the Indfgen!St Institute. The government's polldes have made people so dependent and manipulated that there are sectors that are not clear about themselves. or about the ISSue of autonomy. However. there are other sectors ln Oaxaca - the Tr1que. Zapotec and Mtxtec o,;ganlzatlons - that are thlnklng about autonomy. There lS a clear viSion and we are movtng toward lt. We are trytng to define our viSion of autonomy. bu t also we are reacting to the state. So, we are ln that struggle. Autonomy wtJl also consider Ideological and polltical ISSues. We know that government progJams have addressed some needs. but those are patches. We need to address the ISSue from the base. We think that If we retrieve our own cultu ral roots and fight to retrieve our culture. thiS lS autonomy too. Vol7 Num 1 & 2 We want Mexico to recogn.tze our autonomy. but lt lS not only a polltlcal autonomy. It IS also a struggle that searches for political alternatives. such as promoting lndlgenouscultures. Autonomy wt1l not be total If It remains only polltlcal. Autonomy IS also recogn.ttion. real recognition. of our existence as Indigenous peoples. As you know Oaxaca has two main Indigenous peoples. There are also sixteen Indigenous languages and Ofty-stx dlalectlcs. '!Tadltionally hlstortans thought that Zapotec and Mtxtecs could not get along. But here we are working together. That IS Important. We can do lt. We have to continue buUdtng our strength. SAIIC: How are women participating ln the o,;garuzation? AP: Their participation IS Important. They have always beentmportant. We have to recogn.tze. as a movement, that changes have not been made. We still notice their oppression. We are conscious of the need to brealc away from past behaviors that dlscr!mlnated against women. Oppression and subordln.ation ISserious. We really have to work on thiS. They definltely participate. but not with the force that they should have ln the movement. SAIIC: Would you Uke to add something to thiS Interview? AP: I would Uke to can. not only the Indlgenous peoples ofOaxaca, but also others who are migrant workers In the U.S. I would Uke to propose to these Indigenous brothers and siSters the creation of a Ja,;ger entity, an Independent Indlgenous organization. Becausewe are Inconstant cornrnuntcatton with our own communities. we can be part of their solutions. not only ln a mater!al way but also politically and economically. ThiS lS a call to oiganl?.eand tocontlnueworklngthrough the Blnattonal Mtxtec and Zapotec Front. 35 �NEVADA United States Invasion of Shoshone Land "By taking away our livestock and our lands you are taking away our Jives." -Clifford Dann For more informo6on ond updates, please contact: Western Shoshone Defense Project General Delivery Crescent Valley, Nevada 89821 Tel: {702) 386·9834 Fax: (702) 386·9335 36 Forllvedays, November 19-24,1992. the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLMJ Invaded Western Shoshone territory In Ne· vada. stating Its Inten tion to round up ·unau• thortzed horses· found grazing on ·public lands". Two hundred and forty-six horses were rounded up. of which 40 were tended by Mary and Carrie Dann and 229 were wUd . On the first day of the round up Shoshone elder Cllfford Dann. father of the two sisters. was Injured while trying to block the confiscation of the horses. 1n desperation. he dowsed himself with gasoline declaring. "by taking away our livestock and our lands you are taking away our lives.- He was s ubse· quenUycharged with assault on federal officers. Through this action the BLM not only stole the h orses from land which belongs to the Western Shoshone. as recognl?.ed by the Treaty of Ruby Valley, but the government also VIolated Its own Federal WUd Horse and Burro Act which regulates removal of wUd horses. Durtng his trial. Cllfford's only wtt· ness was an expert In ethnological Jurisprudence who testlfled that existing law pre· cluded the U.S. Court's jurisdiction In West· em Shoshone territory. This was the defense strategy. because Cllfford preferred to be conVIcted rather than ·get off' on a technicality. On March 3. 1993 Cllfford Dann was conVIcted and Imprisoned. The Western Shoshone Defense Project Is organiZing a demonstration to coincide with Cllfford's sentencing hearing In Reno on May 17, 1993. Thecrttlcaljurlsdlctlonal Issues w111 serve as the basts for an appeal. Since 1773, theTreatyofRubyValley confirms the Shoshone Indians' "jurisdiction.· whUe arguably surrendering legal "title" to the land over which that Jurtsdlctlon still extsts. ln 1863 the Western Shoshone Nation signed a treaty of Peace and Friendship with the United States that granted rtghts of passage to U.S. ctt.lzens without giving up the land. Since Its ratlfleatlon In 1869, this docu · ment delineates the boundaries of Western Shoshone territory. However. the presiding judge In the Dann case has decided not to acknowledge that "title" and " Jurisdiction· are dliTerent legal concepts. Even though so far the U.S. govemmenthasfalled to produce any eVIdence of documents gtvtng the U.S. title to the land. The Jurtsdlctlonal and "title" IsSues are convoluted with a clatrn of U.S. purchase ofland from the Shoshone In 1872. This claim was made by a Bureau oflndlan AffairS (BIA) puppet ·representing the Interests" of the Shoshone and who also benefited financially from the agreement. Even If the Shoshone wanted to give up their land. the only date It could be said they gave up title to their land was In 1979, when the Indian Claims Com· misSion granted the award to the BIA hired attorney "representing" the Shoshone. Even according to this agreement. the Shoshone should be paid approximately $40 bUllon and n ot the $2 1 mUllon. the 1872 prtce ofthe land. which Is what the U.S. wants to pay. However. the land has not been sold and Is not now for sale. When the Shoshone found that they had been deceived. they refused to accept the money. Abya Yala News �HAWA I' I Natives Hawaiians Mark Centenary of US Takeover OnJanuaxy 17.199312.000NaUveHawauansandsupporters marched from the Aloha Tower to 'lolanl Palace In Honolulu to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the overthrow or Queen L!U'uokalanJ. It was the largest publlc polllleal demonstration seen on the ISlands 1n recent hiStory. and tt marks a quaUtaUve shift In the consciousness of the NaUve ISlanders. Queen uu·uokalanJ. the last queen of the Kanaka Maoll nauon. was overthrown by the United States Martnes onJanu~ 17. 1893. She had attempted to protect the sovereignty of Hawaii by changing the consUtuUon and cabinet. But that didn't sll well with a group of mosUy wealthyAmeriCan merchants and sugar planters who belonged to the Annexation Club. These haoles. or whites - men with names like CasUe. as In CasUe and Cooke. and Dole. as 1n Dole Pineapple -wanted to be part ofthe United States to avoid hJgh Import tartll's. So with the help of 162 u.s. Marines. the haoles overthrew the queen. tried her for treason and stripped her of her royal lands (see Queen's statement. bale thiS page). Queen's Protest I. Llll'uokalanl. Queen by the grace of Cod and under the constitution of the Hawallan kingdom. do hereby solemnly protest against any and all acts done against myself and the consUtuUonal government or the Hawaiian ktngdom by certain persons claJmlng to h ave established a ProviSional Government of and for thiS kingdom. That I yield to the superior force of the United States of America. whose MiniSter PlenJpoten ttary. HIS Excellency John L. Stevens. has caused UnJted States troops to be landed at Honolulu. and declared that he would support the said ProviSional government. Now. to avoid any colliSion of armed forces. and perhaps the lossofllfe. I do. under thts protest and Impelled by saJd forces. yield my authority untU such time as the Government of the UnJted States shall. upon the facts being presented to 11. undo the acuon of Its representative. and reinState me In the authority which I claim as the consUtutlonal sovereJgn ofthe Hawaiian Islands. Done at Honolulu thiS seventeenth day of January. 1893. Fonner U.S. President Grover Cleveland wrote In 1893. upon hearing ofHawarrs annexation to the UnJted States: "HawaJ'IIS ours. As !look back upon the Orst steps In thiS miSerable business and as 1contemplate the means used to complete the outrage. I am ashamed of the whole atraJ.r. • Natlve HawaiianS make up only about 20 percent of the populationoltheiSlandstoday. Thetrlandtscoveredwtthgo!Ccourses and sugar plantations. overrun by tourtsts and bombarded by the u.s. mll!taxy. Recently the movement for Hawaiian sovereignty has been growing and most naUve HawaiianS now support some kind of sovereJgnty. One organl?.aUon. the Pro-Hawaiian Sovereignty WorkFor more information contact: Ing Croup. IS putting the U.S. government on trtal. Pro-Howoiion Sovereignly Wotlcing Group They wrtte: "Our prtmary charge againSt the United States 3333 Ko'ohinani Drive, Honolulu, HI 96817 government IS us Illegal Invasion of our country In 1893. and the 1898 Phone: (808) 595-6691 Illegal annexation and conunued occupation and plunder of our Fax: (808) 595-Q303 homeland. These acts flowed from a long-standtng U.S. policy· Since 1789 - or exploiting the Kanaka Maoll nation and Its resources to serve Source: SF Weeldy. Third Force u.s. Interests." 37 Vol 7 Hum 1 & 2 �SAIIC ACTIVITIES A Word From SAnc•s Board, Staff and Volunteers BegtnnJng wWt thJs cssue. we are tnau· gura.ttng two new sectttms ofour newsletter. In thJs column. we would like to offer you news aboutSAHC. and someoftheman.y actiJJ/tfes In which our board members are engaged. SADC has been In exiStence now for ten years. The decade ends thls year. which the United Nations has declared the "Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples". Along with many other Indlgenous peoples. o.garuzations. and their allJes throughout the contl· nent. SADC's goal In 1992 was to ratse publlc awareness of what Colwnbus· "discovery" meant. and continues to mean. to the 45 mlliJon Indlgenous people throughout the continent. Yet our work has always had a longterm focus. as the struggle for Indigenous self-determinaUoniSongorng. In 1993. weare looking forward to the Second Continental Encounteroflndlgenous Nations and Organizations (see article page 8). as well as taking the Ume. after a decade of o.gantztng. to engage In a process of self-assessment. o.ganl7.atlonal development. and strategiC planrung In relation to the current situation of Indigenous people today. Changes are taking place lntemally as we look ahead toward the next ten years and· SAIIC's role In the work ahead . Isidro Garcia. Quechua from Ecuador and SADC's accountant. IS working closely with Kimberly Rosa. the new development coordlnator and Daniela Spiwak. the new office manager. to Improve our Internal structures In order to address the Increase In demand for lnforma- 38 tion and enlarged scope of our networking activities. Jim Freeman IS coordlnaung the production of the SADC newsletter. renamed Abya YaJaNewsasofthlsiSSuelnhonorofthe name given by the Kuna people of Panama to thls continent. And Rosa Alegria ts coordlnat• Ing SADC's growing volunteer base and ed.lt· Ing Notldas de Abya Yala. the Spanish version of Abya Yala News. The SADC Women's PrOject ts happy to announce the publlcatlon of Daughters of Abya Yala. thenewestSADCpubUcatlon. Any assiStance In marketing the book ts welcome. so Ifyou know of any bookstores In your area that may be Interested Incarrying lt. please let us (and them) know. SADC's board members continue to partiCipate 1n many events and activities of note. Xlhuanel Huerta has been working with the Publlc Media Center In order to develop a campaign for Increasing SADC's v!Sibillty. Wara Alderete and Gina Pacaldo wiU be attendlng the National Conference of Indigenous Women In Bollv!a. June 21-23. GuUiermo Delgado wiU be representIng SADC at the European Conference on lndlan Questions. taking place In Norway July 14-17. He will be offering a workshop there on the networking actlv!ty oflndlgenous peoples of the American continent. He wiU subsequently be attendlng the U.N.'s WorkIng Group on Indlgenous Populations In Geneva. July 19-30. at whiCh meeung we hope the final Declaration of Principles and Rights of Indigenous Peoples wiU be approved (see article page 5). Abya Yala News �SAIIC ACTIVITIES Letters From Our Readers NUo Cayuqueo represented SAIIC at the meeting of the Continental Coordlnaung Commission tn Mexlco.tn preparation for the Second Continental Encounter. NUowas also present at the United Nations Development Project meeting tn New York on AprU 23rd. to dlscusstntellectual property nghts In relation to Indigenous peoples. NUo and Wara were both present at the Indigenous health Confer· ence In Canada (see article page 11). Carlos Malbeth IS working with NUo on the Spanish Janguageradlo program which SADC broadcasts through community radio stationstnSouth and MesoAmerica. LucUene ura Whitesell and her husband Ted have moved to WISCOnsin. where Ted wtll be teach· 1ngGeogra.phy at the University ofWISCOnstn. Good luck to both of them. Averyspeclalthankststnordertoone of our most tireless volunteers. BUJy R Trice. Jr.. who has been faithfully providing us with much·needed office assiStance on a regular basiS. J ust as many other people and non· proOt organll' A~tions. we are currently facing dllllcult economic circumstances. Whlle we are looking forward to the prospects forchange and Improvement tn the situation of lndlg· enous people world-wide. there IS much work that needs to be don e. (And all of our office s ta.fl' mentioned earlier only adds up to the equivalent of 3 paid fuli-Ume positions.) As always. any contributions of ume, expertise. materials. and/or money are gratefully ap· predated. as are yourfeedbaekand responses to our work. Vol 7 Hum 1 & 2 In future i55ues we would like to devote port of J!Us se<tion to printing some feedbock from you, our reoders. We are eopecially interested in any news of your own work on behalf of Indigenous peoples, ond if you have found the information here useful for that end. · We are also open to any ather feedbock or information you would like to send us, and look forward to printing as much of the material that we receive as possible. So, thanks again for your support, and looking forward to hearing from you! SAIIC's Statement of Purpose SAIIC's aim Is to pro mote peace, social justice and the full partlclpatlon of Indian people In decision making processes affecting their lives. To this end SAIIC p ursues the following goals: 0 To provide Information to the people In the u.s. and the tntemauonal conununl\y about the struggles of South and Meso Amertcan Indian people for self-determtnatlon. human rtghts. and protection of the envtronment. 0 To facllltate direct communJcaUon. cultural and spiritual exchange between NatNeAmertcan people of the contl· nent: 0 To facUitate access to tnternaUonal resources by providing Information and technical assiStance to South and Meso American Indian organJzaUons and communJUes: 0 To promote and develop the organization of Indian women at the local. national and tntemaUonalleveiS and to support thetr full parUcipaUon In deciSJon malcll'lg processes that a.fl'ecl their llires and the well-being of their chUdren: 0 To communiCate the Indigenous perspective to pollcy and funding InStitutions whose work a!Tects Indigenous people. 39 �A M AZON I A: VOICES FROM T HE RAIN FO REST A resource and action guide with a comprehensive listing o f international rainforest and Amazonian Indian organizations sponsored by SAIIC and the International Rivers Network, and published by Rainforest Action Network and Amazonia Film Project, 1990. Available in Spanish or English for $8.50 plus $1.75 Shipping. COLUM BUS: H IS EN TE RP RISE By Hans Koning, 1990. A beautifully written, and historically accurate portrayal of Columbu•' life and voyages. $8.95 + $1.75 shipping. VIDEO: COLUMBUS Dl DN'T DISCOVER US Native people's perspectives on the Columbus Quincentenniol based o n foota ge o f the 1990 Quito Conference. 24 minutes. A coproduction o f SAIIC, CONAIE, ONIC and Turn ing Tide Productions. Available in Spanish or English for $39.95 plus $1.75 shipping. RETHINKING COLUMBUS A special issue of Rethinking Schools o n teaching about the SOOth anniversary of Columbus's a rrival in America. $4.00 plus $1.00 shipping. SAIIC LOGO T · SHIRTS Three color T-shirt> with the SAIIC logo on the front and the logo o f the Condor and the Eagle from the Quito Conference o n the bock. $12 + $2 shipping, specify M, L, XL, XXL: White, Turquoise or Red. 1991 INTERNATIONAL DIRECT ORY A ND RESOURC E GUIDE An annotated directoryofover 600 international organizations w ho participated in 500 Years of Resistance projects. Includes declarations from Indigenous conferences and organizatio ns and information on curriculum resources, speakers bureaus, computer networks, oudio; visuol resources and print resources. $10 + · $1.75 shipping. DAUGHT ERS OF A BVAVALA Testimonies of Indian women organizing throughout the Continent. Statements from gross-roots Indian women leaders from South and Meso America. Includes resolutions from VIDEO: REBUILDING OUR COMMUNITIES Indigenous women's meetings, o Indigenous leaders from Central a nd So uth America discuss the 500 years campaign, which began as on Indian response to the Quincentenory celebrations a nd has developed as on ongoing dialogue among Indigenous activists. Produced by SAIIC. $19 +$1.75 shipping. information on lndionwomen's projects directory of Indian women's o rg a nizations and key co ntacts, and poems by Indian women. Fortyeight pages with beautiful block and white photographs. Printed on recycled paper. $8.00 + $1 .50 shipping. South and M eso American I ndian Inf ormation Center (SAIIC) P.0 . Box 28703, Oakland, CA 94604, USA Non-profit Orgonizo1ion US Postage PAID Ooklond, U Ptrmit No. 79 � 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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. 7, nos 1&2 Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter/Spring 1993 Zotero Abstract Note Entire Issue Issue 1&2 Language English Pages 1-40 Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 7 http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/0b0777668330cc03191a431f50c97d1d.pdf af111cba2abecbe16f84aa20ea9a29c0 PDF Text Text EDIT O RIAL The commemoration of the 500 years of European Invasion Is now behind us . The wide-sp read resistance to the officially planned events and the ·official" version of history was very successful, Increasing public awareness of the exlstence of the 45 million Indigenous people that llve on the continent of Abya Yala. But even more Importantly. native communlties. mobU17~ tiU'Oughout the continent. not only to demonstrate their presence. bu t also to make concrete proposals presenting alternative solutions to the problems faced bY Indigenous communities everywhere. Demarcation of Indigenous territories, Indigenous control over educational systems. sustainable economic developmen t, and the rtght to self-<letennlnaUon are all demands titat will not go away untU they are fulfllled. Indigenous communities are Increasingly taking their destlny In their own hands, beginning bydecolonJztng themselves on an tdoologtcalleveL The exploitative rtght-wlng parUes. patemausuc liberal parties. and dogmauc and manipulative sectors of the !ell wing- all artstng from a European17.ed, Western perspecUve - have sought to preve.n t the autonomous development of the Indigenous Movement tn South and Meso America. In spite of their diversionary tacucs and atte.m pts at control which conunue to this day. Indigenous oommunltles haveslrengthen&l themselvesbY alllnnlng their distinct Identity. and shaping their own pollUcal phllosophies which reflect their traditional spiritual and cultural. heritages. The search for unity amongst Indigenous peoples - a unity which respects our diversity- Is manifested In the many represenlatlveorganl2ations which have been created onregtooal.and national levels, organl2ations that seek to affirm our mutual so!Jdartty and sirengthen our common posltlOl)S. Many of us' snare the vision of a strong movement of Indigenous Unity on a Continental leveL The formation of the Continental Commission ~f\ndlgenous Nations and Organl2aUons (CONIC) can be an ·~ // / .. / ' ' tnslrurnent for developing and slrengtherung.-that unity. The' stcond Contirlental Encounter of Indigenous Nations and Organl7.ations. to be held In Mexico from the 8th to the 13th ofOctOQer. wUJ be a significant step towards this vision. It being 1993. It ts Important to examine the role of the·Uhtted Nations as It all'ects the Indigenous strugg)e. Many years ago. Indigenous delegates to the UNs Working Pro-!!p on Jndtgen~us l'llpulatlons p roposed that 1992 be declared the Year of Indigenous Peoples as a gesture of reparation for 500 years of colonization. Covernmental representatives at the UN refused. ~ / supporting Instead Spain's proposal to commemorate 1992 as the~ncounter ofTwo Worlds", whlle agreeing to declare 1993 as the Year of Indigenous Peoples. ';. , The Inauguration of the Year oflndlg~nous Peo~les took place on December 10. 1992 (see article page 4). It was the first time that Indigenous representatives were Invited to speak to the UN's Gel)eral Assembly. Indigenous delegations from all over the world made great efforts to travel to New York for th.l s event at their OWn expense. since no UN funds were provided for this purpose. After the UN officials and government representatives addressed the Cene?J Assembly In the morning. the meeting was to continue In the afiemoon with the speeches of the Indigenous ';'P~nta~es. { et when the Ceneral Assembly reoonvened. the Indigenous represen tatives wilnessed, with great surprise and.~dJsOlusloni'Oent, that almost all of the government representatives and many of the UN officials had left. Many took this as a bad augury for the "lntemauonal Year of Indigenous Peoples", as well as a sign of great disrespect. These tnausplclous begtnnlngs have yer to be overcome. FIVe months afier the tnaugurauon tn New York, the many promises of 'Working tn partnership" with Indigenous peoples have stW not been fulJlUed. For example, the Center for Human Rights In Geneva has announced that they have obtained several hundreds of thousands of dollars for Indigenous Peoples' Projects. but they have not yet consulted wilh any Indigenous organizations In order to decide what projects will be funded. Indigenous peoples have not been granted official partlclpa,Uo~ at t4e upeomtng World Con ference of Human Rights tn VIenna. The ILO's Convention 169 has not yet been ratified by the majority of the world's nation-states. WhUe the Oral\ Declaration of Principles and Rights of Indigenous Peoples may be approved afier 10 years of development (see page 5). It will then sun need to be approved by the Human Rights Commission and ratified by the many governments represented tn the UN before betng adopted bY the Ceneral Assembly. Whlle It Is certatnly both worthwhile and necessary to strugg)e for the establishment of these tntemaUonal accords and then to ensure that governments act In oompUance with them - It ts Important that this not replace the energy and attenuon that we need to gtve to slrengthentng our communities and organl2aUons. Our vision Is that, through organiZing for selfdetenntnatlon, buUdtng alllances with each other. and consolidating our Indigenous unity on a oontinentallevel. we can ensure the well-being of all Indigenous peoples and of our Mother Earth. SAIIC Board of Directors � 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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 Editorial 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 Winter/Spring 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Editorial Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1&2 Pages 3 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter/Spring 1993 Language English Abstract Note The SAIIC Board of Directors discusses the increasing level of mobility among indigenous communities and groups. Attachment Title Editorial.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] UN Year of Indigenous Peoples http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/5e8c9214902ff5f1efcfcd61231a8412.pdf 61dc4b37b5e00aa6a5a74c25483d6eba PDF Text Text Opening of the United Nations International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples On Docember 10. 1992 leaders and enous speakers scheduled for the afternoon delegates of IndJgenous communities from addressed a relatively empty assembly hall. around the world convened at the United Despite the absence of many U.N. officials. Nations headquarters In New York City for the meeting had hiStoric Importance. as It the official opening of the United Nations was the first tlme lndtgenous peoples were International Year of the world's IndJgenous auowed to address the U.N. Speakers representing 20 IndJgenous Peoples. Indigenous leaders held strategy nations caDed on world leaders to halt the meetings In New York two days prtor to the genocide of thelr peoples and the destruction Inaugural events to share critical problems of their lands. The speeches raiSed common and formulate a unified. pro-active platform concerns, Including Invasion and exploitato take to the U.N. (see doclaratlon. page 6) tion of IndJgenous lands; pollution of alr. The meetings were organl:!'.ed by the Conti- water and land: violation ofreUgious freedom nental Coordinating CommiSSion of IndJg- and human rtghts; prote<:tion of IndJgenous enous Nations and hosted by the Native cultures and languages; and IndJgenous selfdetermination of economic development. American Council of New York City. '"Themost sertous problems confrontDurtng the morning General Assembly Plenary Meeting on De<:ember 10. the lng Indigenous Peoples are the progressive President General as weD as representatives expropriation ofour lands and terrttortes, the of Member States made offictal U.N. doclara- Irrational exploitation ofsoil and subsoU, and tlons regarding the role ofthe United Nations the destruction and contamination ofecosysIn "promoting and prote<:tlng the human tems which maintain the equlllbrlum of llfe, • rights of IndJgenous peoples", and how the said Noell Pocaterra UUana, of the Wayuu nauonofVenezuela. Many of the otherindJga1m of the International Year IS to focus enous speakers also emphasized the relaattention on the special situations and needs of IndJgenous peoples. · tionship between ecological concerns and The Plenary meeting was then ad- Indigenous concerns. In the words of Davl journed. to be continued by statements of Yanomami. a representative oftheYanomaml IndJgenous speakers. Unfortunately. few people of the Amazon: Our word IS to protect nature, the members of the General Assembly returned Wind. the mountain. the forest, and the anito attend the continuation of the opening ceremonies, and the diverse Ust of Indlg- mals. This IS what we want to teach you. The 4 Abya Yala News �1993 YEAR OF INDIGEN OUS PEOPLES Indigenous delegates meet to formulate a unified plalformprior to United Nations ceremony. From left: Margarito Ruiz, Maya(Mexico); Marcial Arias. Kuna (Pa.nt1J711l); Domingo Raien, Mapuche (C/Uie), unidentified Mapuche (Chile) leaders in thench,lndustrtallzedworld think that they are the owners of the world. But the shabons (shamans) are the ones who have true Imowledge. They are the real first world. And If their !mowledge IS destroyed. then the white people too will die. It will be the end of the world. ThiS IS what we want to avoid. SAIIC attended thiS hiStoric event as a supporter of the Inherent right of lndlg- enous peoples to participate IndeciSion-makIng processes that alfect their lives. Yet the fact that thiS Slgnlllcant prescence of lndlgenouschlefs. political and splr1tualleaders at the United Nations received little local. national or International press coverage bears witness to the fact that once again, the lncllgenous peoples of the world were not treated with due respect. UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples lnJuly'of 1993, tile UN's Working Croup on Indigenous Populations IS expected to approve ~e final draft of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. which they have been working on for 10 years with the participation of Indigenous peoples from all over the world. The draft will then be submitted for approval to all of the member nations of the UN. Ifenough support IS buJit. the Declaration will then be adopted by the Ceilera! Assembly, and become an Important InStrument for protecting Indigenous rights. We encourage IndiVIduals and oxganlza.tlons to help buJid support for the Declaration. You can educate yourself and others about the Declaration, CirCulate Information aroong other~ce and social justice oxganJZatlons. and wrtte to members of Congress and to the President. Copies of the current draft of the Declaration can be ordered from SAI!'C for a small fee to cover copying, postage. and handling costs. To Ond out more background lnformatton, contact: Center for Human Rights, United No~ons R oom S-2914, New York, NY 10017, Tel. (212) 963·2283 Vol7 Num 1 & 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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 Opening of the United Nations International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples 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 Winter/Spring 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Opening of the United Nations International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1&2 Pages 4-5 Publication Title Abya Yala News: ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter/Spring 1993 Language English Abstract Note Delegates and leaders of indigenous communities met and discussed strategies at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The meeting took place on December 10, 1992 and officially opened the United Nations International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Attachment Title Opening_of_the_United_Nations_International_Year_of_the_World's_Indigenous_Peoples.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] 1993 Year of Indigenous Peoples General Assembly Plenary meeting New York UN http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/6f9ee92277c1ab675eec12dbc46bbd55.pdf 2f26120267c30bb0a052bcb19ace6268 PDF Text Text 1993 YEAR OF INDIGENOUS P EOPLES Statement of Indigenous Nations, Peoples and Organizations ThiS statement was p repared and approved by representatives Q/ the Indigenous peoples Q/the world present at theplanning meetings held In New YOf'kjor two days prior 11> the UN's InauguratiOn Q{the Year of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples (See article page 4). Gucumatz. Condor. Father Sun. Eagle. Anahuac. Mother Earth INVOKING the spirits of our ancestors and acting tn our tradition of resiStance In the defense of Mother Earth. ASSERilNG our fundamental and htstortcal nghts. ASSERilNG au the mUllons of brothers and siSters who have sacrificed their Uves In defense of our mJllennlal culture: tn the name of the more than 300 mUllon IndlgenouspeoplewholnhablttheEarth, and the efforts over years of work by Indlgenous peoples and NGOs, we. the members of the Indigenous nations and organiZations, gathered In New York City, from the 8th to the lOth of Decem· ber 1992, Consider: I. That au Indigenous peoples have the rtghttoself-determ!natlonasexpounded In the prtnclples of the Universal DeclarationoftheRlghtsoflndlgenousPeoples. Accordingly, Indigenous peoples have the nght to determine aU matters relatIng to our polltlcal, economic. social, spiritual and cultural affairS. We call for the Immediate adoption of the above declaration. n . The struggle for our terrltor1al nghts lS common to aU Indigenous nations and peoples. and thiS rtght ls persistently denied by governments and dominant societies. ffi. Economic development practices ofNa· Uon States are destroying the natural resources which have been protected within Indigenous temtortes. As a con· sequence. the survival of au spectes lS threatened. 6 The Indigenous peoples' contribution to the SOCial. Intellectual and cultural dlverslly of the world. particularly to the ecology and harmony of Mother Earth must be valued and supported bYnatlonstatesandtntematlonalagen· cles. V. Thehumannghtsoflndlgenouspeoples to our culture. Identity, rellglons and languagesaretnallenable. Thesenghts continue to be sacrificed In the programs, pollcles and budgets of the nauon states and International agencles. VI. Whlle democracy IS heralded by doml· nant societies. what thiS means to Indigenous peopleslsrepresslon,genoclde. andm!serytnthe.Amertcasandtn the rest of the world. As an example, the process by whk:h the dialogue for peace ls taking place In Central and South Amerk:a. there IS no direct partlclpatlon by Indigenous organiZations and nations In spite of the fact that Indigenous peoples are directly affected bY the conditions of the wars. VII. Govemmentsconttnuetodesecrateand approprtaterellglousandsacredplaces and objects, deprMng Indigenous na· tlons around the world of their basic spiritual ways of llfe. THEREFORE: The International Year of the World'slndlgenousPeoples. 1993,must not be merely celebrations or paternal· lstlc declarations, but rather, the resolutlon of the above requires that the United Nations and Its member states take the foDowing actions: 1. RecognJ7.e Indigenous nghts to Indlg· enous terrltortes, InCluding the recovN. Abya Yala News �1993 YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Qucchua girl wearing a ceremol\ial condor mask and cape 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. ezy and demarcation of such territories. Recognize. honor, and document under International law all treaties. compacts. accords and other formal agreements concluded with lndlgenous peoples of the world. Additionally the Study on Indigenous Treaties delegated to the Human Rights Commission must be giVen prtortty attention by the United Nations and Its member s tates. Recognize and honor lndlgenous forms of government when such governments are practiced according to traditional laws and customs. Promote and strengthen Indlgenous InteUectual and cultural property rtghts under International law and principles. Additionally. the study on Intellectual andculturalpropertyrtg)1tsundertaken by the United Nations commission on Human Rights should be given top prtortty. Consult with lndlgenous organJzaUons and nations regarding the ratlficatlon of Covenant 169 ofthe International Labor OrganiZation. Provide legal assiStance and technical t:ralnlngto the Indlgenous organJzatlons and nations. Vol7 Hum 1 & 2 Promote and strengthen lndlgenous educaUon. culture. art. rel!glon. phllosophles. literature and sciences of Indlgenous nauons. 9. Return htstortc places and sacred sites and objects to the Indigenous nations to whom they belong. 10. Demonstrate sincere commitment to the new partnership with Indigenous peoples bymakingadequateflnanclalresources avaJlabletoimplementactfonspresented herein. Furthermore. make stgnillcant donations to the Voluntazy Fund so that future projects be realized. and assure that the Indigenous peoples have direct Input Into the management ofsald fund. 11. That the United Nations Secretazy Cen· eral and Its speciall7.ed agencies. commiSSions and programs to convene speclal consultations with Indigenous peoples of the world at the most local level practical. 12. That the Secretazy general of the United Nations tmmediately create a s peclflc lnc:Ugenous program to be admlntstered and executed with direct partfclpauon of lndlgenous organJzauons. Written In the City of New York. December 9. 1992. 7. ,,.~ ·'J.'i.il 7 � 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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 Statement of Indigenous Nations, Peoples and Organizations 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 Winter/Spring 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Statement of Indigenous Nations, Peoples and Organizations Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1&2 Pages 6-7 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter/Spring 1993 Language English Abstract Note The following article is a statement that was approved and prepared by representatives of the indigenous community at meetings two days prior to the United Nation's Inaugaration of the Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Attachment Title Statement of Indigenous Nations, Peoples and Organizations.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] 1993 Year of Indigenous Peoples New York statement UN http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/f711a60e048b699411fe0dbd80e35ba9.pdf e17557ecc381d9c19f9befa04e2e338b PDF Text Text 1993 YEAR O F INDIGENOUS PEOPLE S 'The: f~ orgMJ><l· tiOna malcc: up the o~commlttcefor the Contsn<nto!Enooun· t.e!': Coord tnat111g Body of Lndtgcnout Women of BohvtA Council of AU Lnnda. Chile Counc.IJ of Mnyn.n orgnnt:r.nuona or Ouatcmalt\ (COMO) Kunns Unftod for Nobguana. l'nnAmn Mc>dcnn Org.vll:dng Com.mLNton NaUonal ~tmtlon of lndig<nouo 1'\eopk of Ecuodor (CONAIEI SouthandM<oo Am<rlcDn IndiAn Second lndige and Organizations of lnfOr'm8UOn Center ISAIIC) TonnUerm. USA For lnfonnauon on the encoun· ter. please contact SAIIC or: Comisi6n Orgonizodoro M6xicono Apot1odo Poslol Num 28·145 Colonio Centro 06080 Mexico D.F. Tel: 52·5· 783·8002 Fax: 52·5· The fifth meeung of the Continental Commtsslon of Indigenous Nations (CONlC) took place from April 2-4. 1993. In the Ceremonlal Center Ixacacal Cuardta,ln Qultana Roo, MexiCO. The purpose of the m eeung was to conunue preparauons for the Second Continental Encounter, a follow-up to the First Conunenta!EncounteroflndlgenousNatlons and Ol:gan!ZaUons which took place In Quito, EcuadorJnJuly 1990.At theApr!lmeeung.ll was decided that the Second ConU:nental Encounter will take place from OctoberS -13 1993 In the Otoml- Nanhu Ceremonlal Center In the State of Mexico. The alms of the Second Conunental Encounter are: .. To promote Indian unity on a Conunental level. upon the basiS of our own splrltuallty. WISdom. tradiUonal orgaw.auon and poiiUcai philosophy: .. To create sYStems of communication and coordination on a continental level; .. To propose VIable alternatives and soluUons. based upon self-determination, whlchaddresstheiSSuesfacJ:ngourpeople. The maJn themes for the Second En· counter are: 1. Splrltuallty and Tradition 2. Self-determJnaUOn. LeglslaUon. and Indlg· enous Rights 3. l.a:nd Rights. Development, and the Envt· ronment 4. Women, Family. and Community 5. Education. Culture and Youth 6. Organl7.ation and Coordination An tntemaUonal orgnntztng committee with representatives from siX regions was fonned to plan the Encounter. More than 300 hundred delegates and guests are expected to partiCipate. ThepartlclpaUon ofs plrltual lead· ers. women. and young people IS strongly encouraged. Ctven the hiStortcal pattern or domloauon of the South by the governments ofthe North. 1t seems very lltung that thiS effort to create Conunentallndlgenous Unity IS being Initiated by the Indigenous people of South and Meso Amenca. Yet our unity will not be complete without U1e participation of our Indigenous brothers and siSters of the North. Any North Amencan lndlgenous communi· ties and organl7.aUons that would Uke to send a representative to thiS meeting. please contact SAIIC or: TONATIERRA P.O. &OX 24009 Phoenix, AZ 85074 (602) 254-5230 A detaUed outltne for the Encounter can be obtained from SAtiC. 208·3044 8 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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 Second Continental Encounter of Indigenous Nations and Organizations 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 Winter/Spring 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Second Continental Encounter of Indigenous Nations and Organizations Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1&2 Pages 8 Publication Title Abya Yala Newws ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter/Spring 1993 Language English Abstract Note The purpose of the fifth meeting of the Continental Commission of Indigenous Nations (CONIC) was to prepare a list of the group's aims for the Second Continental Encounter. Attachment Title Second Continental Encounter of Indigenous Nations and Organizations.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] 1993 Year of Indigenous Peoples CONIC Second Continental Encounter http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/5f5e5c38b390e557aaa8a4095c0cbf91.pdf 96c231454a73f76c3366ed177cc2c866 PDF Text Text 1993 YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Latin American Governments Establish Indigenous Peoples' Fund Inspired by an Initiative of the government of Bo!Ma. who met wtth other Latin Amertcan governments and With the government of Spain at the first lbero-Amertcan SummltlnGuadal~aza.MexlcolnJuly,l991. an Indlgenous Peoples' Fund has been established that expects to provide mliJJons of doUars to lndlgenous communities. The process of developing this fund has taken place <:!Ver the last two years. and has Involved representatives from governments of the region. extra-regional governments,Indlgenous peoples' organiZations (lnter-Amertcan Indian Instttute. the presidents of the World Councn of Indigenous Peoples, and COICA-the Coordinating Body oflndlgenous Peoples' OrganJ.zatlons of the Amazon Basin). non-governmental organJ.zatlons. and International agenctes. The decision-making structure of the Fund IS designed to ensure direct partictpatlon of Indlgenous peoples. On the General Assembly and the Board ofDirectors. regional governments. Indigenous peoples of each regional member state. and extra-regional governments WID all be equally represented. The four areas ofprtorttythe Fund WID constder are: 0 Resources for Sustainable Autonomous Development: Securing legal recognltionofland and terrttortes, promoting natural resource management. restoring degraded Vol 7 Hum 1 & 2 areas and ecosystems. and fostering sustainable productive actMtJes. 0 Indlgenous Peoples' Rights: Promoting and protecting the rtghts of lndlgenous people. reforming legiSlation and other regulatory codes. OTra.!nlng for Management and Participation: Strengthening representative orgaruzatlons. establlshlngco-operative mechaniSms for plannlng. consultation and action. 0 Identity and Culture: Protecting the cultural knowledge and technology of Indigenous peoples. promoting recognition of their Identity and awareness oflndlgenous contributions. AtaFundmeetingonAprtll3. 1993 In MexicO, an lntertm commlttee was formed to preside <:!Ver the development process. RodolfoStavenhagen, a weU-knownMexican anthropologiSt. was chosen as the lntertm president of the commlttee which. once the Fund IS formaUy estabUshed. WID serve as the Board of Directors. Not all Latin Amertcan governments have yet ratified thiS proposal. To aJd In thiS effort. please send your letters ofsupport for the Indlgenous Peoples' Fund to: Rodolfo Stovenhogen lnlerim Pre•ident, lndigenou• People'• Fund Stanford lno~tule for lnlemorionol Studie• Stanford, CA 94305 For more infonna· ~on pleo•e con· tact: Diego lturralde Ad-hoc Secretariat Ca•illa 6326 La Paz, Bolivia FAX: (5912)39-1o-89 Phone: (5912) 36-13-37 Environment Protection Division lnler·American Development Bonk Ann Deuryllere 1300 New York Avenue, N.W. Wo•hington, D.C. 2o5n FAX: (202) 623-1315 Pho~e: (202)623-1254 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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 Latin American Governments Establish Indigenous People's Fund 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 Winter/Spring 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Latin American Governments Establish Indigenous People's Fund Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1&2 Pages 9 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter/Spring 1993 Language English Abstract Note A collection of Latin American countries are in the process of trying to ratify a Indigenous Peoples' Fund. The decison-making structure of the Fund ensures direct participation on the part of Inigenous peoples. Attachment Title Latin American Governments Establish Indigenous Peoples' Fund.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] 1993 Year of Indigenous Peoples Bolivia Indigenous Peoples' Fund Latin American initiative http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/f9f5b820210e1dca86e7e2e2899bf9b9.pdf 36b9caa2be9ad85f5cf18bc8623a5ebf PDF Text Text 1993 YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Stealing Indigenous Genes Genome Project Places Indigenous Peoples at Risk A band of molecular anthropologiSts are planning to collect samples from the hair roots. cheeks and blood of 722 "endangered" Indigenous peoples scattered throughout the globe to tmmortallze their genetic make-up and possibly tum a profit. AdraftreportfromthesecondHuman Genome diversity Workshop held at Penn State University on October 29-31, 1992 refers to Indigenous people as "Isolates of Htstol1c Interest (!Hrs), because they represent groups that should be sampled before they disappear as Integral units so that their role In human htstory can be preserved.· By recording gene codes the plan's partiCipants hope to find unique genes which can be used to cure diseases. which they wl1l patent and make millions. The plan ts being advanced by the Human Genome Diversity Project. an Informal consortium of universities In North Amertca and Europe backed by the u.s. National Institute of Health (NIH) as part of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO). HUGO ts the mult:Jnatlonal. multl-bJIIlon dollar lnltlative to map the human genetic structure. Part of the plants to leave a duplicate sample of the DNA of each Indigenous community with their national governments or regional inStitutions. Access to an IHrs complete genetic make-up makes It theoretically possible to devtse cheap and targeted biological weapons trained solely on that community. Human rtghts violations againSt Indigenous peoples, by their own governments and/ or other governments within their region, ts a major cause of their "physical exUnction·. Permaneotsamplesofhumangenetic material are invaluable to the Human Genome Project and to medical research. Under 10 U.S. law, any products or processes dertved from the unique collection wl1l be patentable. The commercial profit In Indigenous germplasm was brought home to pharmaceutical companies earlier thts year when th.l rty clti?.ens of Llmone, an ISolated ltaltan community. were dlsoovered to have a unique gene that codes againSt many forms ofcardlo· vascular disease. Swedish and Swiss phar· maceutical companies, as well as the Univers ity of Milan. have since swarmed over the townspeople, taking blood and other samples and applying for patents. If the gene can be turned Into a marketable drug the profits wl1l be tremendous. Will Indigenous peoples have a share In such profits? The members of the Human Genome Diversity Project estimate that an lnltlal five year sweep of relatively accessible populations wl1l cost between $23 million and $35 million and wl1l allow sampling from 10 ,000 to 15,000 human specimens. White blood cells from each person wl1l be "tmmortall?.ed" at the American Type Culture Collection 111 Rockv111e. Maryland. Human blood can only survive 48 hours outside ofstorage so samples collected wl1l have to be air-lifted Immediately. ·one person can bleed 50 people and get to the airport In one day," the report estimates. The Indigenous Peoples and Health Workshop held In Wlnnlpeg. Canada Aprtl 13·18, 1993, wh!ch wasorganl?.edbythe Pan American Health OrganiZation (see article page 11), passed a resolution crtticl?.Ing the Genome project. The resolution states: This Is yet another example of research being done on Indigenous people With· out their consent and Without all relevant Information being provided to them. The consequences of thts research have not been fully explored nationally, interAbya Yala News �1993 Y EAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Pan American Health O rganization Conference on Indigenous Health The fust conference ever sponsored by the Pan American Health Organl7.atlon that focused exclusively on Indigenous peoples health ISSues was held from April 13 - 18 In Villa Marta. Wlnnlpeg Canada. Forty Indigenous delegates from South, Meso and North America as well as Canadian government and non-governmental representatives attended the Indigenous Peoples & Health Workshop '93 "In hopes of launching a dialogue on the health status of Indigenous peoples.· Presentations. seminars and dlseusslons addressed the gravity ofthe health crtsts In Native communities. covertng topiCS rangIng from the dearth of health services and faclllt!esln Native communities. to the slgnlficant role of traditional Indigenous medicine. to the ominous Human Genome Development Project. Poverty, oppression and lack of self-determination were seen to be the prtGenome continued nationally. or In consultation with Indigenous people. Thts type of research wlll have a negative Impact on future health programs and projects In Indigenous communities. by un dermining Indigenous peoples' trust In the medical and health professions. Source: Rural Advancement Founcia· ttcn International For more infonna~on contact SAIIC or: Rural Advancement Founda~on lnterna~onal 71 Bonk Street, Suite 504 Ottawa, Ontario K1 P 5N2 Conado Tel: 613-567-6880 Fax: 613-567-6884 Vol7 Num 1 & 2 mary culprits of the alarming health situation confronting Indigenous peoples. In light of the crtsts. a recommendation to declare a state of emergency In s peclflc communities and populations was p ut forth. Systematic community participation In definIng and Implementing health poUcles was regarded as crucial for achieving positive results. The necessity of pursuing ongotng efforts to defend Indigenous lands. Improve nutrition and housing. prevent environmen tal pollution, and legalize Indigenous m edicine and practices was diScussed at length. As a result of thJs conference. a com mtssJon of Indigenous delegates. working In conjunction with PAHO to promote Indigenous health Issues on local. national and International levels ts being established. In addition. an Int ernational task force dedicated to ensurtng that Indigenous health tssues find a place on the agendas of any meetingS pertaining to Native peoplests planned . as well as an Information network to educate and update Native com- Deleg(JleS to the PAHO confertnce from left to right: Rosa munities on rel- Baldiz6n, Maya (Gu(Jlemola): Rosa .Garcfa. Purepecha evant ISSues and (Mbcico): Carmen Pereira. Mojeiia (Bolivia); Yoltvula n ew developments Nahuelcheo, Mapuche (Chile): and Gilberta 8(Jlz, Maya ' concerning health. (Guatemala) 11 � 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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 Stealing Indigenous Genes: Genome Project Places Indigenous Peoples at Risk 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 Winter/Spring 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Stealing Indigenous Genes: Genome Project Places Indigenous Peoples at Risk Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1&2 Pages 10-11 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter/Spring 1993 Language English Abstract Note The controversial topic of researching and "immortalizing" the genetic code of humans is discussed. The Indigenous Peoples and Health Workshop in Winnepeg, Canada criticized the Genome Project on grounds of exploiting Indigenous people. Attachment Title Stealing Indigenous Genes-Genome Project Places Indigenous Peoples at Risk.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Human Genome Diversity Project NIH Pan American Health Organization The Indigneous Peoples and Health Workshop Winnepeg Canada http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/60b9961f033bed8dd275bfbb1c191f90.pdf e932fef58402a2a03a27d26c7a206e8b PDF Text Text 1993 Y EAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Pan American Health O rganization Conference on Indigenous Health The fust conference ever sponsored by the Pan American Health Organl7.atlon that focused exclusively on Indigenous peoples health ISSues was held from April 13 - 18 In Villa Marta. Wlnnlpeg Canada. Forty Indigenous delegates from South, Meso and North America as well as Canadian government and non-governmental representatives attended the Indigenous Peoples & Health Workshop '93 "In hopes of launching a dialogue on the health status of Indigenous peoples.· Presentations. seminars and dlseusslons addressed the gravity ofthe health crtsts In Native communities. covertng topiCS rangIng from the dearth of health services and faclllt!esln Native communities. to the slgnlficant role of traditional Indigenous medicine. to the ominous Human Genome Development Project. Poverty, oppression and lack of self-determination were seen to be the prtGenome continued nationally. or In consultation with Indigenous people. Thts type of research wlll have a negative Impact on future health programs and projects In Indigenous communities. by un dermining Indigenous peoples' trust In the medical and health professions. Source: Rural Advancement Founcia· ttcn International For more infonna~on contact SAIIC or: Rural Advancement Founda~on lnterna~onal 71 Bonk Street, Suite 504 Ottawa, Ontario K1 P 5N2 Conado Tel: 613-567-6880 Fax: 613-567-6884 Vol7 Num 1 & 2 mary culprits of the alarming health situation confronting Indigenous peoples. In light of the crtsts. a recommendation to declare a state of emergency In s peclflc communities and populations was p ut forth. Systematic community participation In definIng and Implementing health poUcles was regarded as crucial for achieving positive results. The necessity of pursuing ongotng efforts to defend Indigenous lands. Improve nutrition and housing. prevent environmen tal pollution, and legalize Indigenous m edicine and practices was diScussed at length. As a result of thJs conference. a com mtssJon of Indigenous delegates. working In conjunction with PAHO to promote Indigenous health Issues on local. national and International levels ts being established. In addition. an Int ernational task force dedicated to ensurtng that Indigenous health tssues find a place on the agendas of any meetingS pertaining to Native peoplests planned . as well as an Information network to educate and update Native com- Deleg(JleS to the PAHO confertnce from left to right: Rosa munities on rel- Baldiz6n, Maya (Gu(Jlemola): Rosa .Garcfa. Purepecha evant ISSues and (Mbcico): Carmen Pereira. Mojeiia (Bolivia); Yoltvula n ew developments Nahuelcheo, Mapuche (Chile): and Gilberta 8(Jlz, Maya ' concerning health. (Guatemala) 11 � 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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 Pan American Health Organization Conference on Indigenous Health 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 Winter/Spring 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Pan American Health Organization Conference on Indigenous Health Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1&2 Pages 11 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter/Spring 1993 Language English Abstract Note The first Pan American Health Orgnaization Conference was held April 13-18, 1993, focusing on indigenous health issues. The meeting discussed a range of Indigenous health conserns ranging from the gravity of helath crisis in Native communities to the Human Genome Development Project. Attachment Title Pan American Health Organization Conference on Indigenous Health.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Human Genome Development Project Indigenous Health Pan American Health Organization Winnepeg Canada http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/7c6dfa65dd90341013fb8ccd90e9a67e.pdf f74fcc870bbd54ec91374cdf81b4b244 PDF Text Text Organizing to Save the Amazon An Interview with Valerio Grefa, new Coordinator of COICA Valerio Grefa was elected General Ccordlnalor Q[ the Coordlnattng Body Q[ Indigenous Peoples' OrganiZatiOns Q[theAma· zon Basin (COICA) in Manaus, BrazU. in November 1992. He is a member of the Qulchua nation, from the commWllly of San Pablo, Napo Province, Ecuador. 17le commu· nlty is part of FECUNAE, the Federation of NatiJJe CommunUies Q{the EcuadorlanAma· zon. which is part of CONFENlAE, the Con· federatfJ)nofindtgenousNatiDnsoftheEcua· dor!an Amazon. which in tum is aj]lltated wah COICA. In the Amazon basin there ate more than one and a half mill ton Iru:Ugenous inhabuants.jrom more than 400 natJDns. SAJIC: How long have you been active In the Indlgenous movement? VG: I have been acUve In the Indigenous movement since 1976. I am one ofthe first leaders that had the honor of estabUshtng the UnJon of NaUves of the Ecuador1an Amazon IUNAEI. SAIIC: What are the chief problems you had at that Ume In the Napo area? VG: The first problems were to end the slavery that the ertolloland owners maintained along the shore of the Napo River. especially between Coca and Nuevo Rocafuerte. They owned large haciendas. and made people work for meager wages. They used debts that were passed from generation to generation. which were unpayable debts. as an excuse to make the people work. The organiZation ended this abuse bythecrtolloland owners once and for all. The lands for the most part passed Into the communJty's hands. SAIIC: YourcommunJty. San Pedro. IS part of FECUNAE. Who does FECUNAE represent? VG: FECUNAE represents In particular the Quichua peoples of the lower Napo In Ecuador. There are 53 organiZations now that make up FECUNAE. 12 SAIIC: You have represented both FECUNAE and CONFENlAE? VG: Yes. twice I was president of FECUNAE, and then I was honored With representing CONFENIAE In 1989. 1990. and 199l.AndnowlamrcpresentingCOICA as General Coordinator. SAIIC: So you resigned from your position as president of CONFENIAE to as· sume the post In COICA VG: Yes. when I was elected Coordlnator of COlCA. I Immediately called a meetIng. - an amp1JJled assembly. as we call Itof CONFENIAE to formally resign the presidency. On the 17th of December this cer· emonytookplace, ln whlchAngeiSamarcnda became the new president of CONFENIAE. SAIIC: Who carrted out the meeting In BrazU? Which local organJ7Altlon hosted It? VG: The organiZer was COICA The host organiZationwas the Coordinating Body oflndlgenous OrganiZations ofthe BrazU!an Amazon(COIAB).COIABISanewmemberof COICA. SAIIC: And I understand that In this meeting of COICA there was Increased participation. What other countries participated. and what other lndlgenous organiZations? VG: In this case Venezuela. Guyana, Surtnam, and French Guyana became new members. So COICA now has nine members. SAIIC: Can you tell us what the structure of COJCA IS like. the governing board, the coordinating board, or the coordinators? VG: There have been two levels of organization In COICA since our last assembly. Ftrst there Is the coordinating councU, which IS made up of all the presidents ofthe member organiZations of COICA that IS. nine members now. Then on a more operaAbya Yala News �AMAZON Uve level we have establlshed the govemJng coordinating board. as we call It, whlch IS made up of five coordinators. InCluding four area coordinators and the General Coord!nator. SAHC: Whatcontactsdoyouhaveon a regional and International level. llke In Europe and the United States? VG: Well, COICA has put a lot of effort Into establlsh!ng International contacts. But It IS our objecUve to respond In a coordinated way to the proposals ofour base communities. That IS h ow It was possible to sign an environmental agreement between the NGOs of the north and COICA. In the same way It was possible to sign the cllmate agreement. as It's called. between European clUes and COICA. We began wtth seventeen clUes. and now there are more than 200 cttles. In the same way. there are other proposals In the World Bank. proposals In the United Nations, In the OrganiZation of AmertcanStates(OAS). and to organiZations thathavetodowlth thertghtsoflndlgenous peoples. We have as our work agenda the International Labor OrganiZation's (IW) Agreement 169. and we are In dialogue with governments to get them to pass thls agreement. We support It because It IS an International or legal tool that takes Indigenous demands Into account In a more concrete way. SAHC: What IS COICA's proposal to the environmental groups ofEurope and the United States? Is It only economic support or IS It something more profound? VG: We have establlshed as one of our basic objecUves that the Ama7..on basin be considered a uniVersal unit, a global unit. which calls on Its protagoniSts - the Indlgenous people - to ra1se our voice of attention. our voice of protest to the world, because the Ama7..on basin Is the last frontier Vol 7 Hum 1 & 2 oftropical forest and of biodiversity In which the basic rtghts of the first nations are Involved . That IS the basic objective. The second objecttve Is. proposing to International development organl7-ations development alternatives proposed by the Indigenous peoples. what we call a utonomous development. which permits the peoples' self-determination. Because we cannot ISOlate the development of the Indlgenous peoples from the preservation of nature and the environment. we seek sustaJnable development. a harmonic development between man and nature. SAHC: When do you plan to begin COICA's actual work? VG: Among the fundamental resolutions that were made In BrazU IS the approval of the statute. and In Its approval COICA's deflnlttve seat was establlshed In Quito. Ec· uador. So our llrst actiVIties correspond to that. to the transference of belongings that we have In Lima and to establlsh a perma· nent office In Quito. Our aspiration IS to establlsh a basic Infrastructure which w1ll allow us to work with satisfaction and attend to the demands of our Indlgcnous organiZations. SAHC: Inaddltton toCOICA's work In the Amazon. do you plan to make contact with other Indigenous peoples In the highlands. the p lains. and throughout the continent? 13 �AMAZON "I believe that we have to redaim the power of our Pacha Mama, the wisdom of our Pachacama, and all the spirituality of our earth, of our territory, of our power. Only when we respond to this material struggle spiritually, will we have a complete struggle.• Valerie Grefa continued "If we are protecting the Amazon basin, its floral life, It is obvious that we need to sign agreements with other forests that stlli exist on the planet.• 14 VG: If we are protecting the Amazon basin. Its floral life. It IS obvious that we need to sign agreements with other forests that still exist on the planet. That IS the reason that In 1992 In the month of Februaty we held a world conference of the Indigenous and tribal peoples of tropical forests In Malaysia. The second meeting IS expected to take place In May. possibly In Peru. SAIIC: We also understand that on a continental level there IS coordination. a network among Indigenous peoples from all geographical areas. and there IS an otgantzation called CONIC. Do you have contact with these brothers and siSters? VG: Our Intention IS to coordinate all the actiOns that other groups. other Indigenous otgantzations are taking on a continental or world level. to demand the rights that belong to us. So the doors are open. we are very wi.lllng to coordinate and have solidarity with all those organiZations that are fighting In a sincere way for the rights of Indigenous peoples. We cannot remain ISolated. we cannot keep our diStance from the leaders of otgantzations that have slm.llar goals. SAIIC: The U.N. declared 1993 the Year of Indigenous Peoples. What do you think about that? VG: Actually, I have my doubts about thiS declaration. I th.lnk that maybe the United Nationswantstouse 1993tocoverupthe500 Years of genOCide. of barbartsm. since the amval of Columbus to America. Indigenous peoples have to unJte to ratse that voiCe of protest as soon as someone tries to make It a folkloric year. I understand that lf there are good Intentions on the United Nations· part. It should be a year of reflection. a year of decision-making. a year of recognition of the fundamental rights of Indigenous peoples. recognition of the otgantzatlons that are representative of the Indigenous peoples of America and the world. It should be a year of passing laws, International norms that benefit Indigenous peoples. Otherwise It will be a world maneuver to control. to separate us. lin not very optimiStic, but rather hopeful. SAIIC: Is there a movement among the Indigenous peoples In Ecuador to reclaim Indigenous sp!rttuallty? VG: I think that when we talk of splrttuallty.In an Indirect way we are talking of the phUosophy of the Indigenous peoples. I understand that we. theIndigenous peoples. must recover the splrtt- the splrtt that has led our peoples for millenniums. and which has been seiZed by the sp!rtts brought by Columbus. so many saints. so many VIrgins. that we are practically ldolatrlzlng 1n churches. monuments. and that In thiS way we have abandoned our own splrtts which have guided us - the splrtt of the lakes. the splrtt of the waterfalls. the splrtt of the mountains. the splrtt of the whole world viSion of the peoples. I believe that we have to reclaim the power ofourPacha Mama. the wisdom ofour Pachacama. and all the sp!rttuallty of our earth, of our territory. of our power. Only when we respond to thts material struggle splrttually will we have a complete struggle. I think that not only In Ecuador but also In Central America. In South America, In all of the places where Indigenous peoples are. we are reclaiming our true splrttuallty. SAIIC: Some last message for the peoples of Norlh America? VG: Truly. a call to solidarity. to the unity of Indigenous peoples within the diverSity of cultures that we have. so that In the lmmedlate future we have a unlfied voiCe. a monolithic voice. and that we can be heard by the governments In the International arena. I understand that now we have to make an effort to Ond ourselves and that. setting aside any resentment. any lndMdual Interest. we search for a consensual Interest. we seek a way sought by all the Indigenous Initiatives. Only In that way will we be able to obtain In an organlzed manner the rtghts whiCh we proclaim. 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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 Amazon Organizing to Save the Amazon: An Interview with Valerio Grefa, new Coordinator of COICA 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 Spring/Winter 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Amazon Organizing to Save the Amazon: An Interview with Valerio Grefa, new Coordinator of COICA Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1&2 Pages 12-14 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring/Winter 1993 Language English Abstract Note SAIIC interviews Valerio Grefa, who became the new Coordinator of the Coordinating Body of Indigenous Peoples' Organization of the Amazon Basin (COICA). Attachment Title Organizing to Save the Amazon-An Interview with Valerio Grefa, new Coordinator of COICA.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Amazon Brazil COICA Grefa Valerio saiic http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/1f31333cd8de2717b9f987716ad39d90.pdf e171b804b498ea4f64b6d4ab22408289 PDF Text Text AMAZON Amazon Indigenous Coordinating Body Elects New Officers The Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Peoples" Organl?.atlons of the Amazon Basin (COICA) held Its annual meeting 1n November. 1992 In Manaus. and elected Valei10 Grefa ofCONFENIAEtn Ecuador as Its new General Coordinator. The delegates also approved a new. more hor!.zontal structure. abollshtng the posltlonofPresldent.Inits place. they created a Board of DireCtors to preside over the General ASsembly. a Coordinating Committee compriSed of the leaders of each of the ntne national afllllates or their delegates. and an Executive Committee compriSed of four thematic coordinators. Antonio Jacanamljoy (ONlC. Colombia) w1ll be the coordinator for Territorial Defense. Jose Luis GonzAles (CONlVE. Venezuela) w1ll be the coordinator for Environment and Natural Resources. Evartsto Nugkuag (AIDESEP. Peru) w1ll be the coordinator for Economy and Development. Orlando Melguetro da SUva (COIAB. Brazil) w1ll be the coordinator for Human. Political and Social Rights. COICA also expanded Its membership to Include the national Amazonian federations from Venezuela (CONlVE). Surinam (O!S). Guyana (OIG). and French Guyana (FOAG). COlAB was selected the representative from Brazil. COICA"s headquarters w111 move from Lima to QuJto. A working meeting between COJCA"s Coordinators and U.S. environmental and h uman rights oxgaruzatlons w1ll be held tn Washington DC on May 11-12. COICA has also moved Its offices from uma. Peru to Quito. Ecuador and can be now contacted at: Colle Alemonio No. 832 y Av. Mariano de Jesus Casillo Postal 17-21-753 1 Quito, Ecuador Telephone and Fox: 553-297 Vol7 Num 1 & 2 Si6 Kaxinawd and Paulo Cipass~ Xauante from Brazil visit New York Amazon Initiative: A working conference to protect Indigenous rights The Amazon Initiative conferencew111 beheld on May 11 and 12. 1993tnWashlngton. DCwtth the purpose offormtng a permanent coalltlon of NGOs wtth Interests In the Ama7..on Basin. The conference w1ll brtng together northern NGOs and Indigenous representatives from the Amazon to develop concrete strategies for protecting the nghts of Indigenous peoples and safeguarding their environment. The conference w1ll also focus on the logtstlcs of creattng a permanent coalition based In Washington. DC. Co-<:oerdinators and participants Include: Cultural Survival. Environmental Defense Fund. Friends of the Earth. Global Exchange. OxfamAmertca. Rainforest Action Network. Rainforest Foundation International. Sierra Club . SAIIC. World Resources Institute and World Wildlife Fund. For more Information contact SAn C. 15 � 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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 Amazon: Amazon Indigenous Coordinating Body Elects New Officers 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 Spring/Winter 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Amazon: Amazon Indigenous Coordinating Body Elects New Officers Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1&2 Pages 15 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring/Winter 1993 Language English Abstract Note The Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Peoples' Organization of the Amazon Basin (COICA) held its annual meeting in Manuas in November, 1992. Delegates approved a new structuring to the organization that was more horizontal in nature. Attachment Title Amazon Indigenous Coordinating Body Elects New Officers.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Amazon COICA CONFENIAE http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/f23e668fe719cf3a9f2c7cff00afd0d9.pdf a0d6953facb1343098db30bdf312c600 PDF Text Text ECUADOR President of CONFENAIE Speaks to Maxus Shareholders On.Aprll27. AngelZWnarenda (Shull/'}, President q[ the Cc<)federatton qf Ind(genous Nationalities of the E<:uadortan Amazon (CONFENIAE} addressed the annual shareholders' meeting qf Maxus Energy Corp. tn Amartllo. Texns. HI$ speech was part of a protest againSt Maxus' 8loclc 16 oa prqJect. orga.ntzed by Rntnforest AcltDn Networlc and theCampanaAmazon/aporia VIda. aooalUion qf'Ecuadorlanenvb"orlmee1laand hwnanrtJhl$ groups. Maxus Is buadtng a road tniD the Huncranl.lndian Reserve and YaswllNatfOrlal Pwktoextractheavyaudeoll. Thefollcwtngls an excerpt.from hi$ stalement. Greeungs to the press and the American public. I represent Six lndlgenous peoples of the Ecuadorian Amw.on - the Shuar. Aohuar. QuJchua. HuaoranJ. Cofan and SlonaSecoya nations- conslsUng of300.000 lndlan people. organiZed as CONFENIAE, whiCh tn turn Is part of the Confederation of Indlg· enous Nationalltles of Ecuador. CONAIE. With thispoUUcalforce. we have come to tell the on companies. lumber companies. agribusineSS companies. and mtntng companies of the U.S. that their actMUes tn our terrttoryrepresent a massacre. Th.lsmisuseof technology threatens the Ufe of more than 300.000 Incllgenous people, as well as farmers and city dwellers of the Arn.a7.on region. These companies are responsible for the destructJon of the wlldllfe in OUT tern tory. the destruction of our sacred sites, lakes and rtvers. OUT fish and game. and the water and air. vital elements for all living things. CONFENIAE h as presented a negotiation plan to the Ecuadorian gove.r nment. Petroecuador and Maxus. and CONAIE has made repeated e!forts to negotiate, but all thiS has been rejected. The Indigenous people of the Ecuadorian arna?.on are not saytng "No" to oUextracUon, but rather are seeking an alternatiVe. Th.ls ahernatlve Is not d.llllcult to understand nor to apply with curren1 technology. But, Maxus IS blind to thiS rea!Jty. Maxus cleverly gave money to government oJilc1als. and ISolated the Hua.orants from CONFENIAE and CONAJE. For the second time Maxus signed a document that has no legal value; It tricked a few natve HuaoranJ representatives by ofl'erlng them things whtch mean nothing to Maxus and convinCed them to sign the agreement. Now MaxusiS moving forward with Its destruction. Maxus IS responsible forspUUng 15 tons of toxic chemicals tnto the nputlnl River this month, for spUUng crude oU along the road. for pressurtng the Cofan people in Dureno to leave their vtllage to work transporting road construction materials, for the tndl.sc:rtmlnate felling oftrees. for the tncreaslng dlstntegratlon of the Huaorant people and for the proUferaUon ol contagious diseases. such as cholera, dengue. yellow fever and parasites. I have come to say. 'Enough of this runntng over of our people, enough of this M4Xu.s r()(J(JMod in lluoorani ttrrilOty 16 genocide'. We demand U1at the representatives ofMaxus dlscuss wllh CONFENIAE and CONAIE the proposals that we have already presented. Ifthey do not. we will do everything that rematns possible to defend our exiStence. WedemandarnoratortumtooUdevelopment and road construction in HuaoranJ temtory untU a complete investigation oftheir envirOnmental and human nghts tmpact can be completed. An envirOnmental management plan must be presented which meets the requirements of the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon. Only tn this way can oU actMty continue! 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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: President of CONFENAIE Speaks to Maxus Shareholders 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 Spring/Winter 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Ecuador: President of CONFENAIE Speaks to Maxus Shareholders Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1,2 Pages 16 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring/Winter 1993 Language English Abstract Note Angel Zamarenda (Shuar), President of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENAIE), addressed the annual shareholders' meeting of Maxus Energy Corporation. Zamarenda denounces the activities of US corporations in indigenous lands. Attachment Title President of CONFENAIE Speaks to Maxus Shareholders.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] CONFENAIE Maxus Energy Corp Shuar http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/3b9a4e3583281f1e9b060f2d3444aea7.pdf 20b1814590bb29ccacb047c7c76b6acc PDF Text Text BOLIV IA The Indian March Continues More than 200 representatives and magistrates of the Islboro-Secure National Indian Park Territory l'IlPNIS) met In their Second Speclal Session In the town of San Bernardo. They resolved to march onTrinidad to demand compllance with Supreme Decree 22610 and to assert the rights ofthe Mojenos. Chlmanes and Yuracares who Uve In that regton. The Bollvlan government ISSued Supreme Decree 22610 folloWing the hlstorlc march "For Territory and DJgnlty" In 1990. but Its provisions have not been Implemented or enforced. In a communique, the Indians of the TIPNIS asserted that thls time. "despite the good Intentions of some members of the government, we have encountered many problemslncludlngopposltionfromseveralgroups and lndlvlduals who do not wiSh to grant us the same rights enjoyed by every other BolivIan citizen. Thts behavior Indicates that there are people who continue to think Uke the Spaniards of 500 years ago.· The representatives assert that Article 2 of Supreme Decree 22610 expands the area of TIPNIS to the lslboro and Secu.r e rivers. InCorporating the communities situated on the banks of the rivers and forming a buffer zone. On October 19. 1992.TIPNIS brought a case before the prefect of the Ben! regarding a wealthy land owner. Sergto Zelada. who was attempting to deny the rights of the community of Lorna Alta. located on the right bank of the Islboro River within TIPNIS. On October 27 the legal counselor of the prefecture of the Ben! viSited Lorna Alta and decided that there was no Infraction. The Prefect then denied the TIPNIS claim. The Indian representatives who attended the second special session In San Bernardo resolved to reject the opinion of the public attorney and the prefectural resolution. because the title that Mr. Zelada has In hiS possession belongs to another person and was obtained after Supreme Decree 22610. The delegates denounced these antiIndian acts and bureaucratic deciSions. They stated that In thiS democratic day and age. there are bad Bollv!ans In government who neither execute nor respect the laws which the government Itself has made. For these reasons. the authorities of TIPNIS marched to Trlnldad to demand a public hearing to force the execution of the decree. If thiS IS not done, the delegates will be obllged to Oght until their territorial rights are respected. Source: AquL Bolwfa Moseten Indians Compete with Loggers for Land Title Approximately stx years ago. the Moseten Indians of Santa Ana de Huachl. Ben! Provence. began proceedIngs to obtain the deeds to the lands that they have Uved on for generations. With the support of the Lay Movement for Latin America (MlAL). they succeeded 1n attaining 8,000 hectares of land. But the land that was granted turned out to be 111-sulted for hunting. Oshlng. and agriculture, the mainStays of the Mosetenes. In addition, the lands have already been exploited by coloniZers. who have cut down the most Important and valuable trees. In November 1992. the community decided to ask the Minister of Campeslnos. Agnculture, and Fishing. the Indigenous Institute ofBoUvta (liB). and the government for land In the Muchane plains as compensation. An 1880 document gtves the Mosetenes sole ownership of the territory. which IS four hours away from Santa Ana. The Vol7 Hum 1 & 2 director of the DB assures the community that their demand will be considered, but there are other people Interested In the land. Juan Torres, National Deputy and former member of the Consctence of the Country (CONDEPA. a ncopopulist organization) claimS to have deeds to the territory. According to the Mosetenes he has been extracting resources from the land. A company named San Loretl7.o also Intends to take advantage of the lumber resources. TlmberexploltaUon ts Intense 1n that region of La Paz. According to a report by the Coordinator of Solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples. approximately 60 trucks. each with Ove logs. leaves the forest along one road each day. ThiS meansthatatleast 108.000treesarecutannually. Much of the wood goes to waste because It IS cut poorly. 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. 7, nos. 1 &amp; 2, (Winter/Spring 1993) 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 Bolivia: The Indian March Continues 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 Spring/Winter 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Bolivia: The Indian March Continues Item Type Journal Article Volume 7 Issue 1,2 Pages 17 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring/Winter 1993 Language English Abstract Note Representatives of the Isibon-Secure National Indian Park Territory (TIPNIS) met in San Bernardo and resolved to march on Trinidad to demand compliance with Supreme Decree 22610. Attachment Title The Indian March Continues.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Chimanes Mojenos TIPNIS Trinidad Yuracares