10 12 1190 http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/2c6874b314ce1c02f454d588c0feff62.pdf 5e46ac46768096987ebd3e76d13fc254 PDF Text Text IN BRIEF citing plans for construction of two trans-Andean gas Armando Antonio Ptrez, two members of AN IS. The Perez pipelines importing natural gas from Argentina. and the brothers appealed to the Supreme Coun of justice. but to no planned construction of new gas· fired powerplants. The US. avail; the coun ruled to have them expelled from the com· based Natuml Resources Defense Council rettntly conclud· munity. ed a Study demonStrating that improvement of energy deliv· Presently. a warrant is out for the arreSt of Don Adrian cry SyStems m Chile would make Ralco unnecessary. Esquino. president ANIS. on the grounds that he has Stolen The lnternauonal Commission on J..arge Dams is an Org;t· land and murdered. On May 3. an explosion tore through the nization of engineers from 79 countries which promotes con· house of the Esquino family. but caused only structural dam· struction of dams throughout the world. Founded in 1928. age. Faced with this situation. Esqulno is urging human it is headquartered in Paris, France. rights organizations to pressure the Salvadoran state to protect the rights of Indigenous communities under fire. Information from: lntemarfonal Rivus Networl1 (IRN), 1817 Berllelcy Wily. Bcrlwley, Califomia 94703 USA; Tel: (+510) 818· Colombia: Another Zenu Leader Killed 1155: Fax: (+510) 8'18-1008; email: im@igc.al'(.O~ Lummi Indian Nation, 2616 Kwlna Road, Bellingham, \\whington 98226. USA: efore the very eyes of Indigenous and national authoriTel: (+360) 38'1·2288; Fax; (+360) 738-8863 ties, one by one the members of the San i\ndrts de Sotavento Resguardo (Indian reserve). are being killed. At 1:30pm on Sunday, August 18. on the site known as El Salvador: Deputies Threaten Indigenous La Arena (Olrdoba State), two armed men on a black motor· Organization, Target Community bike assassinated the Indigenous leader of the town council he deputies Renato Ptrez. Adolfo Varela. and acU\151 m and mayoral ex-candidate of the town of San Andrts. Albeno the rightiSI ARENA political pany jorge Rufz are present· Cheito Malo Alean. ly attempttng to evict the Indigenous residents of the J..as The Zenu leader was 38 years old. mamed. and had two Hojas county of the San Antonio del Monte Sonsonate juris· children. By profession, he was a civil engineer. lie was the diction. Ptrez. Varela, and Rufz accuse the leaders of the brother of Htctor Malo Vergara. Cacique (chicO of the San National Sah'3domn Indigenous Organization (ANIS) of Andrts de Sotavento Resguardo. who was assassinated on being land thieves and murderers. March 26, 1994, along with three other Indigenous persons. Through the Ministry of Agriculture and Ranching. the This year 12 Zenu leaders have been killed. plaintiffs presented their accusations against the members of The Zenu of the San Andrts de Sotavento protested the AN IS before the tribunals of Sonsonate. They arc accused of lack of any meeting \vith representatives of the state in search violating the agricultuml norms of the country. At this point of solutions to this crisis of civil order. Their attempts have 10 members of AN IS were summoned to appear before the so far yielded nothing. Sonsonate courts to present their testimony regarding this The Cacique Rosenburg Clemente confirmed that the situation. according to the president of AN IS, Fermin Garcia Indigenous people are scared because they don' know who woll be next or when. Guardado. Several lndogcnous nations inhabit J..as Hojas count)'. He added that the massacres ha,·e contmued unabated. mcludmg Nahuats, l.A:nkas. and Mayas. This regoon was aoded by the indifference of the authonues. This comes after acquored by ANIS on 1978 as a safe region in whoch to work those same authorities had promised on a recent meeting in with the communities. They organized cooperatl\'es and are Manillo to establish a vigilante SyStem and to assure peace working communally. In this same spot. 74 Indigenous peo· and autonomy in the Resguardo. pie were massacred in 1983 by the $ah'3doran army. It The International Brotherhood of Human Rights has proremains today a s.1cred place for them and they ask that it be posed the creation of a human rights commission in the area. respected . The Church in turn has suggested that a Reconciliation Since january a number of violent actions have been Commission be set up in conjunction with international directed at the Indigenous people of the region. such as on observers. Nothing has come of any of this. however. january 27 when unknown masked individuals entered the The Cacique requested that impunity be stopped and that community at midnight and nred bullets on the house of the the results or the inveStigations or the murders under way be spiritual leader and Indigenous leaders connected to ANI$. made public. At the same time they threatened to repeat the bloodshed of He also denounced the fact that there arc heavily armed I 983. At that time Amnesty International had led a camp.1ign mercenaries in the majority of the ranches existing in the of informing human rights organizations to pressure the region of the San Andrts de Sotavento Resguardo in Olrdoba Salvadoran Slate to inforcc jUStice. and Sucre. On the 12 of March, the national police ransacked the office of ANIS and detained Rafael Anuro Ptrez and lnformatwn from El Tiempo, Bogot4 B T Vol. 10No. 2 5 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Colombia: Another Zenu Leader Killed Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Colombia: Another Zenu Leader Killed Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 5 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note This article details the ever growing issue of indigenous leaders being assassinated. Attachment Title Colombia_in_brief.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Colombia Indigenous Leader http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/502c3dd3e60a270f238058cbacf10838.pdf 7df127902fa004d8088d5391b079952d PDF Text Text S E L F DETERM I NATION & TER RITORY A~t~~w~ Alberto A BILINGUAL INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION IN ECUADOR A long·standing objective of Indigenous organizations is to rcju\'tnatc and preserve local culture. Fonunately, there is an increasing mo\'emem towards bilingual imercuhural education which aims to promote and develop Indigenous Ian· guages and cultures and make them part of the national culture in their respective coumrics. Born of this movement arc a number of dfons in Ecuador attempting to del'clop the country$ Indigenous education through new pedagogical techniques suit· able to the l3 Indigenous peoples. This project has a considerable histOry developing outside of any official protocol . bm it has recently gained official s.:uus as the Jmcrcuhural Bilingual Education Initiative. cl Proyecto de Educaci6n Intercultural Bilingue (EIB). In the fifties, the SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics) and the Andean Mission developed projects involving Indigenous education . However. the 30 principal objective or these i>rojects was to proselytize the Indians. By lhe 19605, under the direction of Mr. Leonidas Proano, bilingual education was by Ecuadors Public addressed Educational Radio Program which had audiences imo the Sierra. In the sevemies the Shuar System of Radio Education (SERBISH) was implemented in other Indigenous schools in the Bolivar. Cotopa.,.i and Na1>0 provinces. The exl)eriences gleaned from these predr<:essors made way for the creation of a fonnal Indigenous educational pro· gram. The huercuhural Bilingual Education Initiative, was established in 1986 with the signing of a contr'3Cl between GTZ of Germany and the Ecuadorian Government. They elaborat· cd a tentative curriculum, didactic mate· rials in Quichua for primary schools, and designed programs providing training and support to rural organizations for the purpose or educational and cultural promotion. The following is an interview we con· ducted with the director or the National office of Bilingual Intercultural Education. (Oirccdon National de educa· cion 11ucrcuhurnl Bilingue·DINEIB), Alberto Andrnngo. Mr. Andrnngo is a Quichtc1 and has had considerable experience ''-'Orking in the Oeld of education. He also ..vas the vicc·prtsidcm of what is now the National Federation of Indigenous and Black Workers o f Ect"'dor (FENOCIN). In what year was the OINEIB created ? \ Vh y was it necessary to create the OINEIB? \Vhat a re some other confed· er.u ions and orga_ izations that partie· n ipatc in and contriburc to the politica l activities and adminis tration o f lite OINEIB? f-low is the OlNEIB Slruc· turcd ? The OINEIB was created in November of 1988, but local. regional, provincial and national Indigenous organizations had been demanding its fonnation for years. In 1988, CONAIE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador) played a very imponam role by launching a proposal for the education or Indigenous peoples. It was a propos.1l gcner.ucd by Indigenous and non· Indigenous professors and educational specialists blll was strictly tied to plans made for the enhancement or the Indigenous nations in Ecuador. An agn::e· ment was made between the Minister of Ct>lturc and Education and CONAIE to ilnplcmcm the OINEIB according to local dire<:th·es concerning bilingual intercul· tural education. Long before DINEIB, organizations, principally the FENOCIN and also the ECUARUNARI (affiliated with the CONAl E), had continuously Struggled to A'(y.fa Yala News �S E L F DETERMINATION & TERR ITO RY make the government recognize the Two of the tnOSI significant goals of Bilingual Jmercultuml Education move. the Indigenous m ove ment have been ment (EIB). For example. l remember to encourage muhicuhura1isnl and between 1981 and 1982. prior to the participatory d emocracy. In what existence o£ the CONAIE and the sense is the OINEIB a realization o f OINEIB. there was an massive national these goals? march calling for the recog· " ... WE HAVE TO The OINEIB is a state instilu· nition o£ 1he El6 by 1he government of jaime Roldos tion. but we are also an insti· DEVELOP OUR Aguilera. At this time. there tution of the Indigenous com· was a conStam demand for munities of Ecuador. For this IDENTITY, PRErecognhion from every orgareason. the DINEIB is subject nization. This also helped to SERVE OUR LAN - to the comrol, support and precipitate the creation or 1he GUAGE IN ORDER the direction given by the national orftce. Local and TO BETIER CON- Indigenous nations. As a for· regional ex1>eriences were mal state institution we are FRONT OTHER administratively. financially compiled and used to create an all-encompassing propos· and technically decemralizcd. CULTURES" al presented to and recogTherefore, we are dependent nized by the government. By on the directives generated by the time Rodrigo Borja 1ook office 1hc all of the individuals working within the national Bilingual lntercuhuml Education DINEIB. The OINEIB is a conglomerate program was institutionalized in of individuals, Indigenous for the most part but also non-Indigenous, 1hat partie· Ecuador. ipate on be hal£ or all the national organi- conuibutc tO the operations or their bilingual education program. by organizing a budget. infrastructure. teaching tllaterials and any other fonn or support ncccss.1ry to the realization o£ 1he El6. Once the DINE18 was formed, the rest of the Indigenous and Campesino organizations, like the FEINE (Federation o£ Evangelical Indians). FENOC (Federation o£ Campcsinos). FENACLE (Federation o£ Free Campesinos) and FEI (Federation of Ecuadorian Indians), came to panicip3te: at first they were suspi· cious but eventually they evolved suffi· ciem trust w panicipate within all levels o£ the EIB. I believe the EIB has actually facilitated a dialogue among our national organizations; a dialogue that concerns not only crucial issues put £onh by the EIB. bm also other issues conceming thtse organizations. The organizations 1 mentioned have supported this process. some with considerable fortitude and dedication and others with somewhat ltss. But by all means these six major participants have significamly contributed to the developmem o£ the EIB. l believe another accomplishment of 1he DINEIB is institutional decentrali%3tion. We have attained a degree of autonomy that enable,s us to advance obje<:tives o£ 1he EIB. This decentralization also allows us to select our own candidates for administrative positions. The only remaining power of the cemral goven\mem is to give legitimate title to the candidate elected by Indigenous organiza· tions. Othcnvise, the electoral process occurs in the selection of provincial directors. They are elected by local organizations following a public debate. This election system is unique. distinct from the tradition or appointments dictated by the minisny and government which are <:ommonplace i1\ other state ii\Stitutions. zations previously mentioned. In this way DINEIB recognizes the objectives or each or these diverse organizations. As for the conununitics. is th ere a way in which families or local groups a re able to participate in II\C Bilingual Intercultural Education system? There arc local Educational Advisory Councils (CEC) that have been established in some provinces and some communities. Through these community councils, locaiJ>eoples are able to participate directly in the bilingual imercuhural education effons~ The local Educational Advisory Councils are comprised of delegates from parent's commit· tees and community organizations. stu· dent and teacher representatives, and delegates from other local instilutions. So. these boards are local and panici· patory by nature. They are obliged to Vol. 11 No. 1 \Vhat would you say are some of the successes of the DINEIB and some of its failures or shortcomings? One success or the program is that we have managed to bring together six major organizations in a convers..u ion concem· ing bilingual and intercultural education and have also generated a dialogue dealing with other imponam issue-s of the lndigenous·campesino movement in Ecuador. Previously, although these groups were ideologicall)• on the same pmh , they sparred often in the political arena. Wnh the EIB as a foundation, the-se groups are united ...while. of course. they continue to respect one another's diverse experiences and objectives. As to our educational model, we have been able to develop our own prototype without the intervention of the central government dictating this or that model. \Vc are creating materials for each of lite 31 �S E L f & DETERMINATION lnd1genous ruuons. and art able to dab· orate our own budget for tht Hems that W( ffqUII't \ Vh:u has been the atthudc toward the OINEJB o f dirrcrcnt administrn· tions over the years? Ba"'C they volun· tarily supported the OIN EIB or have they 1ricd to undermine rhc initiatives of Oiling u:ll lntcrcuhural Education? We hnvc clucOy had financial prob· lcms. The govcrnmcm does not allocate sufficient lunds to sustaul Bilingual edu· cauon. In the last year the go\'cmmcnt d1d not gl\'e us a smglc ccm to invest in Awo uon·the lack ol • "'lhngn<SS to suppon lnd1g<nous <duauon on the pan of the government 01 course Ecuador doesn\ have 3n cnonnous budget, but ne,·cn.htl<ss. the,.. ought to bt enough funds ava1lablt: so that we maght work somewhat normally dc\'clopmg the EIB. \Vh:u types o f l'rojccts :u c proposed for chc schools? \V'ith the EIB we do not want to work solely wuh clnldrcn and young people. \Ve also w;mt to CSt3blish development proJects.. . oonsidcnng the povcnr of our lnd1genous people. we need to right a.g.amst th1.s extreme povcny... to prepare mdwrduals for work, armmg them with the tools nee<5S.1r)' to bt producU\'C, so they nuy btnerit tht1r bmrhcs. thear commumues and the enure $OCtet)~ f>.) . S.ON& ~<u>ow So<or• 2. (),ocl; 8. }. 4. Quod-... 9. Tsxha O>Un 10 II. q,... s. our proJtClS. or to tram our profC'$SOrs and admmlSir:uors nor d1d we receive a smgle C('nt for tcachmg matenals for our variOUS lnd1gcnous communmes. Nor have they sup1>hcd us wllh the necessary tools or technology. Thts ts n con.s~<lernb l y serious problem for us. \\'e hn,•e been able to make a little pro&r<ss with the flnanc1al suppon of the GTZ o£ Gcnnany. but by no mea.ns does th1s suffice Is this lack o r S\1pport a rcs·ult or a shortage or rt":SOurccs '\\'ithin the go,·· t mmcnt or their unwillingness to help! T ERRITORY ~... "'*"-"' We would hke to strengthen our development prOJI!ClS for agricuhure. ammal husbandry. mechanks. C311J0ntry ttnd craft production. Some groups have begun to work on realizing these projects but they are limIted by a shortage of financial support. We need lunds for baste 1n:ucrials. tools. etc. the~r ch1ldrcn ltam QU1chua \Ve connn· ue to thmk that the whntlmtstazo. \Vcstcm world IS better and that our own lnd1g<OOUS SO<I<l)' 15 wonhless We have been mcukattd wuh thl$ atutudc pn:>hlbnmg the use of the lndtgenous lan· guages by ~hspamc professors Our own youth have bced thb when they htwe attended college and hJtve been prohibited from speak1ng lhetr nauve tongue. \Vc have expencnccd and endured the Spanish invaston that tncd to crush our cultures. We ha\'e suffered through colomalism that has tned to make us £eel ashamed of ourselves. Some r~umhcs contmuc to behcvc that our culture and trad1uons are Mthout "alue Loco.l and reg~onal orgamzauons n~-td to nuSt ptOpleS COr\SClcnccs, con,'ln« thtm othcrv.'lSt. that our cui· ture 1S cmmtntly wonh)' and we ha,·e to de"clop our tdcnuty, prescr"e our lan· guage m order to btttcr confront Other cultures Th1s way we wtll be well pre· pared for an)' snuauon T hen, it is still ncecss:,ry to combat colonialism? Cenninly. il is crucial that we erase this mcntnht)~ Vlc have 10 confront the lack of sell-esteem. We must foster self· wonh and coumcr lht low stlr.esteem which stall prrslStS m some of our com· lf::wc )'OU proposed that non·lndigcnous people learn mumuts an Indigenous language? IntroduCtiOn tO thas mtcrvacw was 13.k<n lrom a paper wnntn bv !>.1m1 Pll<o (Qu~<:hua) of the DINEIB '!I Indeed. m our U\SUtutes or b1hngu•l <duco.uon the,.. .,.. non·lndtgtnous children. students. professionals who would hkt to ltam an lnd•genous bng\aagc In Quno we are set· ung up n languJgc trammg program for the ch1ldrcn ol DINEIB employees. the children of d•rectors or nnuona1 organiza· tions :md :myone else who would like to learn. 'J!/c will bcgm the program with Quichua, then S1>amsh. and then English. Alkrto AMrrmgo. tloo "''""of rht Notionol ollie• of Malti<vhurol l i/ingONJI Uucotioo (OINE/1/;, o Q .. ui<b from (c..JO<. lA/1( lrltn~ t.Mrt AMolino who 60> lived ond worhd in ltvoHr inttrYitwed A!Hrto Androngo in 011ito for Abya Yo/a N HI h tvmntly 1Y11. wwking •• biJ Jissortot~• on tho po/ili<l ol tbt lndigtttO(If movtmMI In (cu~OI. las t year I had the OJ>J>Ortunily to visit a bilingual school in Lhc pro,--incc of hnbaburn. \Vc spoke with a teacher. who told us shc was worried that some parents did not wa nt their ch_l· i drcn to Jearn Quiehua in schooL \Vhat is being done 10 deal " 'hh 1his prob- lemr I b<h<'·e Ill$ mo,.. the absence of voli· 32 Some pa,..nts an: opposed to ha'"ng A~YalaNews � 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. 11, no. 1 (Spring 1998) 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 An Interview With Alberto Andrango Bilingual Intercultural Education in Ecuador 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 1998 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title An Interview With Alberto Andrango Bilingual Intercultural Education in Ecuador Item Type Journal Article Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 30-32 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring 1998 Language English Abstract Note There is an increasing movement towards bilingual intercultural education to help develop and preserve Indigenous language and culture. There have been many movements and organizations created to ensure this goal is reached, and much success and failure along the way. Attachment Title An_Interview_With_Alberto_Andrango_Bilingual_Intercultural_Educator_In_Ecuador.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Bilingual Culture Language http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/42566495409f64efcde9c435aa417866.pdf 75f86207dfffced55bc91ecbba0e97e2 PDF Text Text UNI, CIMI AND OTHERS SIGN AGREEMENT TO COOPERATE (Brazil) July 21-24, the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro held an Indigenous assembly in Silo Gabriel da Cachoeira, in Amazonas, Brazil. Ten indigenous organizations of the Rio Negro participated in the assembly, as well as Manoel Moura, director of Coordinating Group of Indigenous People of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), and Ailton Krenak, of the national office of the Union of Indigenous Nations (UNI}. The local and national indigenous leaders at the meeting signed a letter of agreement, with significant implications for the future of the indigenous movement in Brazil. A translation of the document follows. • • •• •• 1. Considering that this meeting of indigenous organizations of the Rio Negro, called by FOIRNthe Federation of Indigenous~~tionsof the Rio Negro - has broad participation of local leaders, throughout the directorates of the associa- tions; 2. Considering the presence of representatives of the directorate of COIAB (Coordinatil1g Group oflndigenous People of the Brazilian Amazon); 3. Considering the presence of representatives of the National Coordination of UNI (Union of Indigenous Nations), and the themes and proposals discussed at this meeting; • • We resolve: a) to sign this protoeol defining an agenda for work on three levels of organization; b) to prepare a common agenda to formulate a program for structuring the local, regional and national indigenous movement; c) to declare together a public conunitment, with all of the legally constituted indigenous organizations, associations, councils, etc., to define the form and date to convene the voting members of each organization for the definition of the model of national organization that we want, and its structu.r e and mandate; the indigenous struggle of the positive result of the meeting and the urgent necessity of having a civil orgarrizatiOn; e) to communicate with the groups that support the indigenous struggle, in order that they cease the dissidence that hinders the indigenous movement when they undertake parallel programs of a paternalistic, academic nature; f) that the indigenous organizations and support groups are responsible for national mobilization so that the Congress does not alter indigenous rights assured by the Constitution; being in agreement, all the indigenous organizations represented sign this protoeol. (signed by 34 indigenous leaders, representing the organizations listed below) UNI - Union of Indigenous Notions (Notional) COlAS - Coordinating Group of the Indigenous Organizations of Amazonia FOIRN - Federation of the Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro ACIRI - Association of the Indigenous Communities of the Rio leona ACITRUT - Association of the Indigenous Communities of • Tarawa, Rios Voupes and Tiquie UNIDI - Union of Indigenous Nations • • of the louorete District UCIDI - Union of the Indigenous Communilies of the louorete District UNIRT - Union of Indigenous Notions of the Rio Tiquie ACIBRN - Association of the Indigenous Communities of the Lower Rio Negro AINBAL - Boloio Indigenous Auociotion ACIRNE- Association of the Indigenous Communities of the Rio Negro AMITRUT -Association of Indigenous Women of Torouoco, Rios Voupes and Tiquie ARCINE - Rural Association of Indigenous Communities of the Rio Negro In agreement with item d), the support groups listed below sign: CEDI - Ecumenical Center lor Documentation and Information NDI - Nucleus of Indigenous Rights CIMI - Indigenous Missionary Council d) to inform all our grassroots supporters through the channels of communication of the groups that support Vol 6 Nos 1&2 23 � 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. 6, nos. 1&amp;2 (spring/summer 1991) 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 UNI, CIMI, and Others Sign Agreement to Cooperate Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1991 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title UNI, CIMI, and Others Sign Agreement to Cooperate Item Type Journal Article Volume 6 Issue 1,2 Pages 23 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1991 Language English Abstract Note Indigenous organizations agree to work together for a common goal. Attachment Title abyayala_v06n01_02_p023.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Brazil CIMI UNI http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/ccf107e5fa793d6a8cb2ab42e0bec9c0.pdf ac8d5662e6a1040d2808b01001d7db76 PDF Text Text CONFRONTING CULTURAL EXTINCTION "We call the colonists ahatai which is like our words for 'spirit of the dead'(ahat) and for 'the devii'(Ahataj). When they first arrived (in 1902-3) their foods were unfamiliar to us. Our grandparents were afra1d of the flour the ahatai gave them, thinking it might be poisonous. So they left it boiling on the fire, afraid that they would die if they ate it. Then one old woman said to her children, 'I am old and haven't long to live, so I'll try it. If I die from it, you'll know not to eat it.' And so we learnt to eat ahatai foods. " tanding waist-deep in the muddy water, holding nets strung between two poles, the Wichi fl.sherman detects the fish by noting movements in the river's surface. Plunging the net over the fish and swinging downward. the catch is enveloped in the trap. Swiftly and with minimal impact on the aquat- S ic environment, a natural resource ~:~keover of their land by outsiders. What was once a fenile grassland dot· ted with bushes and trees has become a dry. sandy desert, and with the shimmering chest-high grasses have gone many of the animals the Wichi used to hunt. Today, although numerically the Wichi are not in danger of disappear· ing. their traditional way of lire is van· ishing as the outside world slowly clos- yields a nutritious meal. The fisherman$ es in. In response, the Wichi are orgaserenily. however, belies the deepening nizing and trying desperately to secure crisis faced by the \Vichi people: For 90 their land. The occupation of the Wichi pcO· years. the)' have endt.red the gradual 10 pie's land aucsts to an Argentinian version of "ManifeSt Destiny: the guiding ideology behind the colonization or the North American \Vest Since the arrival of europeans, but particularly since the tum of the century, the Wichi have suf. fered continuous harassment. inter~ spersed with serious bouts of violence in which large numbers of 1ndigenous people were killed. Along with disease, the well-armed scnlcrs introduced herds of caule, which de'"'Stated the fragile arid landscape. Today, the Wichi are still fair!)' Abya Yala News �CONFRONTING numerous. Estimates range from 20.000 to 50.000 Wich! living in south· eastern Bolivia and northern Argentina. in a semi·arid region known as the Chaco. Wich! villages ha,·e their own territory, but often six or se"en villages will share the use of the overlapping areas. Each community usually consists of one or more dans. People belong to their mothers' clans: in matrilocal Wich! CULTURAL Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to single out efforts to combat desertification as a top priority. For the \:Vichf, desenification trans· lates into starvation: starvation because their traditional sources of food are disappearing. ln the winter they depend on fish from the Pilcomayo river and in the summer on vegetables grown in relationship with their surroundings. their gardens on what little land they have left. All too often, the settlers' cattle trample the gardens. undaunted by the Wichrs fences of thorn bushes. The \vild fruits and berries they used to Their small houses of mud. branches and leafy boughs are well adapted to the gather and the animals they used to hunt are gone. Now. even the scorching temperatures that reach 50° C in the shade in sum1ner. During the dry wimer momhs they depend on fish Pilcomayo river is threatened by the Hidrovfa development project (see below). from the Pilcom3yo River. In the wet summers. they cultivate corn , water· melons, bear"s and pumpkins grown in their gardens. which they encircle \\fith U state government of Salta province society. men move to their wife's village upon marrying. The Wich! people live in an intimate thorny branches to try to prevent the settlers' cattle from invading. They hum deer, amtadillo, peccary and iguana, and search for wild honey throughout the year. Members of some of the neigh· boring peoples-the lyojwaja, Nivaklt, Qomlec and Tapy'y-often live amongst the \· ichf, sometimes marrying into V nderlying all these problems is the EXTINCTION In 1987. the provincial government passed a new law that recognized the se11lers as having legal rights to the land. and proposed to give each se11ler. as well as each of the 30 Wichf communities in the area. title tO a small parcel of land. By this time, the se11lers had established themselves on the most fertile areas of land, and the Wich! knew that such an action would split up the region into hundreds of pieces, jeopardizing their access to much of the land. This would not onl)• be intolerable but was also illegal under international and Argentinian law. In 1991 the Indians. working with Survival International. an NGO based in England. prepared a land claim repon that demonstrated that at least 162,000 acres spread over the two State Plots traditionally belonged to them. L1ter that year, the provincial Governor signed a decree (No. 2609/91) recog- and its continuing refusal to grant the nizing that the area was indeed \Vichf title to their territory. In the area Indigenous land, and pledging to recognize this in law. The succeeding Salta under dispute. known as State Plots 55 and 14, which comprise about 138,000 and I 86.000 acres, respectively, live about 5,000 Wichf. along with a few small communities of Chorote, Toba government failed to take any decisive action, and allowed the situation to deteriorate dramatically. Shortly before leaving office at the end of last year, the and Chulup! peoples. same government presented a draft their society. W known periods of hunger. never hile the Wich! have always has life been as hard as it is today. with most of the animals gone, and their emoronmem drastically desenified-a s.'ndy desert where a grassland ecosys- tem once thrived. According to UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme), 'desertification' is not the spread of deserts but the creation of desert-like conditions in the dry lands, which make up 35 per cent of the Earth's land surface. It is a -- - phenomenon which it estimates may threaten the livelihood of one billion people worldwide. including the Wichl. In November 1995. a coalition of donors, governments. NGOs and grassroots groups met in a two-day confer- ence convened by the UN International Vol. 10 No. 2 Wichl fisherman on the Pilcomayo rivet. 11 �C O N~ ~~N T I ~~~ U l T U R A ~--~ X_T I~ ~~_O N --------------------------~~~ F~R O ~~~N G C l E~ ~ N_C T I ~~ be channeled. straightened, and dredged, with tributaries of the river blocked off and rock outcroppings in the channel detonated. The Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, figures among the 93 sites needing dredging. For the Indigenous peoples depen· dent on the rivers targeted by Hidrovfa, which includes the Wichl, the environ· mental impacts could be devastating. worsening their already precarious li\r. ing conditions. (See article page 30) n 1990, Wichf chose course of They contacted Survival I action . therequesting the ahelp of two International, Wicht men enjoy roasted fish on a honey collecting trip. land bill to the provincial parliament thm is completely against the interests of the Indians and, if approved, would dcpri\'e them of huge traCtS of their ter· free-market system. the Argentinian government undertook a regional development plan linking Paraguay ritory. mately, Chile with Brazil and the Pacific with the Atlantic. This 'dcveloptnem' process means that Indigenous peoples will be gradually pushed out. and that the connicts over land will intensify. Without the slightest consultation of the Wichf, a bridge is currently being built across the Pilcomayo River (which forms the border between Argentina and Paraguay) beside an Indian village called Nop'ok ·wet (La Paz). The \Vichl were told that their village is scheduled to be replaced by a frontier town. ln. addition, the government plans to construct a major highway that would cut through Wichl territory to link this town ' vith Tartagal. As a result of the general disintegration of the environment. the non· Indian criollos arc also becoming poorer. But in a desperate attempt to salvage a living. they are increasingly preventing the Indians from using the few remaining fertile areas. Men are barred from hunting (sometimes at gunpoint), women gathering wild fruits are threatened, and in some cases the Indians have even been denied access to muchneeded water holes. The criollos' cattle, no longer having grass to feed on. invade the Indians' vegetable gardens. often destroying a whole crop overnight. "They threaten us s.1ying. 'Indian, don't come around here. I own this land and 1 don't like Indians on it. If you want to hunt here, you must ask for my permission - or I'll kill you.' ...They don't own those resources. The things that we Wichf live on do not belong to anyone. They belong to God; a Wichf man was quoted saying in a 1994 report by Survival International. nder pressure to integrate its econ- U 12 omy into the emerging Mercosur with nonhwestern Argentina and. ulti~ The massive Paraguay·Param1 Hidrovfa industrial waterway project is anthropologists they trusted. They reasoned that the government might revoke the law if it could be shown that the whole area was Wichlland, and had been so for hundreds of years. They wanted the government to recognize their land rights and remove the settlers. They decided to carry out a census of all the Wichi in the region: to make a map of every village; to record an oral histo· ry of life on their lands before and after colonization; and most importantly, to compile one large map or the entire region. sho,ving all the places used and named by the Wichl. This would pro- vide irrefutable evidence of their inti· mate knowledge of the land. O n August 7, 1991, the report and map were formally presented to the provincial governor. Later that year. only hours before he left office, he signed a decree recognizing the Wichls ownership of the land. and confirming that they should be awarded a single. communal title to the entire area. As a result of the project the Wichf decided to form an organization also part of that plan. The project is headed by the five governments of the La Plata basin. It would require widen· ing and deepening the channels of the through which they could be represent· cials. They called it Thaka Honat (Our Land). Now. every village sends repre· Paraguay and Paran<\ rivers, Somh scn.uuives to its meetings. cd in meetings with government offi· 1l America~ second largest water system, to allow ocean-going ships access to the port of Oiceres. Brazil, 2,100 miles upstream from the ri,·er's mouth . Under the plan being studied, the rivers would Despite the existence of the Decree, the \Vid1t ha\'t still nor rectived title 10 rlleir Continued on page 31 Abya Yala News �ENVIRONMENT and integrity of ecosystems must be recuperated, especially in degraded needs of local populations and not external interests. Respecting this crite· areas of critical importance for the ria, all initiative must have as its origin structural restoration of hydrological and finality the needs and interests of systems. Proposed actions such as per- local communities. Even so. ils implemanent dredging and the conStruction mentation must adapt ilself to natural of dams for water regulation or for sed- conditions, avoiding negative social iment retention do not constitute solu- and environmental impacts. The govtions, but rather threats. They do I\Ot ernmental project for the Paraguaylook at the true causes of problems of Paron~ industrial waterway does not sedimentation of river beds and deteri- respond to either of these criteria. This oration of hydrological systems, but project, designed behind the back of rather the maintenance or the predatO· populations of the region, will not ry system which only seeks economic bring any benefits nor solutions for the benefits for large corporations, while needs of the peoples of the Basin, but financial and environmental costs are rather will increase even more their paid by populations and by nature. problems. generating greater impacts The infrastructure to be implanted and increasing social and environmenin the region must be in function of the tal costs, ""'ny of them irreversible. The existing resources destined for mega-projects promoted by, interllational financial institutions and entities of cooperation must be re-directed toward the tn•e needs of local populations, moving away from their current orientation to promote unsustainable projects which only benefit those small groups in whose hands ~wer and resources are concentrated. '1t From dtt curves of the Paragt,ay River. july 27, 1996 For more information: Glenn Swithes, Dircccor of the lAtin America Progmm at Ihe International Rivers Neiwoth, 1847 IJtrheley IVa)j B<rkeley, CA, 94703; Tel: 510/848·1 155; Fax: 5J0/8i8-J008 us Argentineans, they don't respect us. They cd to p<acefully takeover tl~t lands arcnmd don't recogni<e this latJd as ours. They play the bridge on lite 25 of August. \Ve will occu· land. Jn 1994, d~ey made their first trip Old- around, saying '"\Vait jusr a liule bit more... py the laml uruil the: g<wernmeru of Salta side their land to spcah at the United Bur whllt we walt, they ntO\'t ahead with give,.'$ a concrer.: n.ospon.se in regards to our Narions about dttir plight. In conrimradon. their projws: They seule Oltr latJd, lay down requests. This is an act of hop<. wt ttptoduet the latest attempt by the \Vicl1l their roads, d1eir lxlrb·wi~ ftnccs, aml dteir to secure rheir territory. towns. And rtOw thc:y a~ lmilding a bridge in IVe ash that you collaborate, by sending peo· La Paz and they that we have to paGh up and plt who belit\'t in our cause to accompany us For the Titling of Our Land: T<•keover of the gil't them space. and assure: that there be no acts of violence lnttnlational Bridge Over the Pilcomayo against our families. River (l.a Pav \V are 1101 animals n.mning loose. \Ve are e not dogs to be driven away at the whims of E\·trl aftet d1e taheo"e'; you can support our Many years have passed sinGe we requested their owner. \Ve are the flowers of the Earth, cause by sending leuers to: the go\'trnmtnt of Salta province, Argentirta, platJted by God Himself 10 and duive in to officially gmnt ItS title to the land that we these lands. Sr. Gobemador de Ia Provincia de Salta, D.& ha\·e always irdtabited. \Ve have stru ltlltrs. juan Carlos Pomero, Casa de Gobietno, Meetir1gs take place. new laws and decrees \Ve have asked the autJ1oritles to suurc: the Gra.n urg 4400, Salta, Argentina are passed, ar1d yet more topographic stud. titles 10 thestlatJdS befort: undertaking these ies... \Ve are nqw irt the fourth administra· large projeCts in rht places when: we live. Sr. Prcsideme de Ia RepUbliGa Argentina, Dr. tion. Yet they ha"e not rtSl){)ndcd to our These are fiscal lands and the Ia"~ therefore Carlos S. Mencm, Casa Rosada, Capital demands. Years pass and our lands become recognize our right of OW>ltrslt!p. Amlds1 all Federal, Argentina; Fax: 54 J 343 2249 or impoverislted, btt"m'se the people 'vho have this tall: of Mercosur. we see a more secure 54 1331 7976 come from the outside to occupy dtem Know future simply in the ownersltip of out land. not how to manage them. Years pass and we Asociaci6n de Comunidades Aborlge,les btcome poorer. Faced with no response and the upcoming Lahlta Honhat, San luis, Sta. Victoria Este, inauguration of the bridge, dtt 35 communi· Rh·adavla B. Norte, CP i58J, Pcia. Salta, Even thougl1 we lzm•e official papers making ties belonging to our QSSO(iation ha\'t decid· A~entina Continued from page 1!2 li•·• Voi.10No. 2 31 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Whichi: Fighting for Survival in Argentina Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Whichi: Fighting for Survival in Argentina Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 10-12, 31 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note The Wichi people of Argentina are under constant threat of land takeover, thus instituting cultural upheaval. This article depicts the organizing of the Wichi, in their attempt to secure their land and culture. Attachment Title Wichi.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Argentina Cultural Extinction Wichi http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/99435649324af3e5b2e7dff9ada49a9d.pdf 90d2dfba11ba826e7e26db6ed39336fb PDF Text Text Brazilian Army Recruits Yanomami Indians Several Yanouwni Indians are "serving" in the Brazilian Army at the Maturaca poet. located in the Slate of Amazonas. The one-year enlistment oi the Yanomami is part oi a strategy by the Brazilian Armed ~ to "integrate" indigenous populations into the "national community." The military rommandf!IS' Sbategy is based on the idees oi •national sovereignty" and "national security.• They rear that Indian groupe will form their own nation inside the Brazilian territory. ln July, Roraima governor and former brigadier general Ottomar de Souza Pinto, rompared the Yanomami situation to the Kurds in inlq. The relationship between the Yanomami and the military in the Maturaca region is similar to that oi the Yanomami and the gold-miners. The anny wants to Increase its presence in Maturaca. That is why soldiers are building an UJegal road between the city oi Sio Gabriel da Cachoeira and the post in Maturaca. Five Jcilometers oi the road have already beEn completed. The road is UJegal because it cui$ through the Pico da Neblina National Park and the military has not even presented an Bnvironmental Impact Report to the government environmental nkuna Massacre Update (Brazil) March 28th marked three years since the Tlkuna massacre, when 14 Tikuna men, women and children were shot to death at the command of logger, Oscar Castello Branco, near the city of Benjamin Constant in the state of Amazonas, in the Brazilian Amazon. This was the most serious documented massacre of Brazilian Indians in the last twenty years. The 15.000 Tlkuna on the upper SolimOes River form the largest Indian nationality in Brazil. In recent years, they have suffered increasing incursions by loggers, commercial fisheries, and local elites on their lands. At the same time, their organizing in defense of their traditional lands has grown stronger. Since 1988, legal investigation of the crime has slowly proceeded in Benjamin Constant. At the end of last year, the judge responsible for the case indicted aU of the accused, who are now to stand trial before a local jury, chosen from the residents of the city. The general opinion in the city, however, leads us to believe that this will not be an impartial bia1 Most of the local people have shown support for the logger, who is well-known in the region. In general, there is hostility towards the Indians and their presence in the area. Consequently, the Tikuna and their support organizations are requesting that the judge and the pubtic prosecutor ask the Tribunal of Justice of the state of Amazonas for a change of venue. It is hoped that the trial will be held in the state capital of Manaus. The local judge and prosecutor- the only authorities who can legally make the request- are reluctant to do so. If this situation continues, the likely • outcome is impunity for the defendants, who would be tried in Bcn~1min Constant. and very tikely, be absolved. We request that concerned individuals and organizations send letters or telegrams to the authorities noted below, requesting that the Tribunal reexamine the Tlkuna massacre case, keeping in mind the hostile atti.tudes towards Indian people in the city of Benjamin Constant and th.1t a change of venue be granted. Please send these letters to: Exmo. Sr. Dr. luis Henrique Braz Juiz de Direito do Comorco de Benjamin Constont F orum de Benjamin Constont, 69630 Benjamin Constont, AM, BRAZIL Exmo. Sr. Dr. Sergio Medeiros Promotoo de Justico do Comorco de Benjamin Constont Forum de Benjamin Constant, 69630 Benjamin Constant, AM, BAAZIL agency. Exmo. Sr. Dr. Gaspar Cotundo de Sousa Desemborgador Presidente do Tribunal de Justico do Amozonas Ruo 10 de julho, no. 833 Centro, 69007 Monaus, AM, BRAZIL Send copies ol onconespondence to: mbassy Ambassador Morcilio Marques Moreiro, Brazilian E 3006 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA Fox: 202-745-2728 SAIIC Newsletter � 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. 6, nos. 1&amp;2 (spring/summer 1991) 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 Brazilian Army Recruits Yanomami Indians Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1991 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Brazilian Army Recruits Yanomami Indians Item Type Journal Article Volume 6 Issue 1,2 Pages 22 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1991 Language English Attachment Title abyayala_v06n01_02_p022.pdf abyayala_v06n01_02_p022.pdf abyayala_v06n01_02_p022.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] [No URL] [No URL] http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/53553da7dc1da9f77d52bd71046f4b3f.pdf 2e9c9d9c9c30aa503204664821401a49 PDF Text Text H uM ... N The Nightma re and Hope for Tomorrow ·Acual is the symbol of a "·ar of txtermina· t1on. tht true government rt)ponsc to the JUSl demands of the lndtgcnous p<opl-. of Mcxt<o. But A(ualls al.io the symbol of the Slruggle of'"" tfforu thor of rhe government "hieh seeM to mol:c 1mpunU)' and fory,tifulntsS rnumph. and rhar of cinl S«i<1)\ \<ht<h dtmar.ds !rut JUSilC< and rtfusc.; ro fory,tt rht worsr cnmt of tht IGSl 30 year$. And rhe sr~lt for mtmory and justice is the $l'14~1e for o JUSl pta<c... -Commtmlq11t from rht Qand<Sline Rt\'Oiutlonary lndiJ:cnou.s Commitrtt- Ccnual Command of rllc Zot>arista Army of NCttional Ubct·atfon, ]antwry 12, 1998 hesc words from a recent ZapatiSl3 l"OnununiCIU~ succmc-tly sum up the snu:ulon tn Ch1:\pas smce the Oeccmb<r 22. 1997 n13SS.1Cre of 45 Tzotzal Indtans m the vdbge of Acteal. \Vhat 1s clear from tht)t few lmes. and r«cnt eVJden«. as tlut the rNSS3Cre at Acteal "-'35 not an asolated UlCtdcnt. nor was u tht product or Inter-community confltct 3S the Mcxtcan go\'tmment would hkc us to behevt It was a cartrul· ly planned act .xccut«l by the htred gunmen or loco I PRl bosses. and tn complicity wnh Statt and even redtral authonues. Df:spne all thetr rhttonc. the Mex1can government cannot htdc the truth that ActC31 was the outgrowth of a larger framework or VIOlence :tnd terror created by the more than 60.000 Mextcan troops m Chiapas. and by government sponsored p.ummluary groups who have acted wnh tmpumty for more th~n 3 years. The sole tnttntton of ahe Mexu:an go,•ern· ment~ comp.11g11 stnce 1994 has been to repress lnd1genous proples and their nghtS 3nd hopes for~ new Mex,co. T has the terror and ""ll!ary smmglehold Ot'l the communlllcs II\ Clu:lpas ceased. The Mexican go\'emmcm~ low•lntensny war that has already cr,umed the lwcs or more than 1500 people smcc 1994. continues. Thtny-thrte ZapauSta commumties M\'t born the brunt o! at I<>St 44 anntd and tll<g.d tncurs•ons by fed<ral troops Stncc Oc<:<mb<r 22nd In all o! these ClSCS, soldten. ransa<:ked homes lookmg for we>pons. tnt<rrog,n«l and t\"t.n tonurtd some n:stdtnts m thtu search lor the Zap.lnsla l<>dtrshtp and msurgen1s. On january 121h, Stal< Secunly pohcc opened fire on pro1es1ers in O<:osmgo. ktlhng a 25 year old Indigenous wom:m and wounding her baby. In addnion 1hrcc Z.tpanS<a sympathizers were found hung weeks truer. For all the government rhetonc rcgordin,g the effotts 10 bring the gulhy of t1c1eal 10 JUStice. one must ask why the federal annr ins1.sts upon terronzlng lnd1genous com· mumues under the pretext or lookulg ror weapons. when the pro-government p.lr.lmthtary groups •nd 1he MeX1C3n mtlitary rernam rrtt and art :.'lllowtd to conduet the bUSIOCSS of dtny lOW·InltOSH)' war as usual The answer lS clcar-wh1le the Me.A1c.tn go,·emment talks peace n makes war. h makes war becaust 1t can not and wt11 no1 implement the San Andrts AgreementS on lndtgenous R•ghts and Cuhure. These unfulfilled p<ace accords. stgned by both 1he ZapatiStas and the Fcdernl government in 1996, pose :\ tremendous thrc~t and contradiction to the Ctlrrcnt reality of power and economic glob.1hzation in Mexico under the PRI The unplementa· tion or the San Andres Agrtements, the product of the dtaloguc and consensus or repr<sentanves o! th< filly-siX dt!ftrenl lndtgenous nattOrb 111 Mcxtco and the ZapouSias. would gwe rhe more than 12 Despite the SlltnCt o£ m~tn.SU'eam mtlhon lndlg<nas tn MtXtCO th< nght to mtdta OU!Stdt of Mtx>OO, the blood o! the stl£..dettrmmauon and autonom>' 1t lndtgtnous has not Slopped flowmg. nor ''"'Ould rcp~m a histone :md unprttt· Vol. 11 No.1 R I GHTS dented step tO\varcls redeOmng the rela· tionship o£ the Mexican st:ltC tO lnd1an p<opl<s, and would gl\'t lndtan p<oples the right to implement their own ronns of sel!-govcrn>nce. Such ngh1s would in<,,tably l<ad to brooder p.lntctpauon o! Indians peoples m the pohctes trot o!f«:t then commumues The agrtcments would also gtve lndtan peoples the nght to control thetr londs and the resourc<s wtthin them, as wtll as tht nght to rttam and nunurt d'l-(tr dt\'trse cuhurts. htst().. nos and languages Fmally 11 would optn the door 10 broadn and more profound changes wnhm the nauon :lS n whole and allow lor the posslbtll!y or a new MeXICO, in pannerslup with the Indigenous and all Mexican p<oples. The San Andres Agrccmenas were designed to tmd the conunuecl oppression. m.arginaliz.a1ion and exploitauon o£ Indigenous peoples that colontz.auon brought to the Amcncas Vet tt as clc:ar that the Mcxtcan go"cmmcnt has 100 much 10 lose by 3Cknowl<dgmg the l<gHnnacy or the Zap.1nsw dcnunds !or a It!• o£ dignity tn Mtxlc:o-land, housmg. work. rood, cducatton, hcahh t:art, 3UIOnomy. democrncy. hb<ny. JUSitc< and peace first it would bt an admiSSIOn that neoliberal econom1c pohcu:s. cochfied m NAFTA, have not htlped the extreme lev.. cis or poveny and m•sery s~tf!cred by the majority in Mextco. Secondly. the Mexican govemment would jeopardtze its a.bility and access to str:ncgic u:nurnl resources within nch lndtgcnous lands, such as those In Cluapas for example, Chiapan otl accounts for 81 2% or Mexico~ crude expons. 68 6% of tts petroleum dt:n\':.tllVtS and 90.6~ or HS p<trochemtcals Chtapas also produces 55% of MeJ,,cos hydroelc<trletly and COntains 2()% o( ll.S biO-(h\'CT)Ity tn the Lacandon JUngle. Fnully, to Justly mt<t th< demands or th< lndtgcnous peoplos v.:ould not mean makmg mmor adjust• Conttnu< on pagt JS 27 �S A I I C C...tonucd from pagt 26 damc:nsaons amo enVIronmental tmpact assessment processes of research msulutts, mululatcral institutions, go,•ernmcms, etc. 6. Dc\'elop standards and guidelines for the protection. maintenance nnd developmen1 of mdigcnous knowledge. whtch a) faclluate the development o£ SUI gcncns S)'Stems of protecuon for lndagcnous knowledge accordang to mdagcnou.s customary laws. \'alues and world VIew b) reeognize the concept of the collecuve rights of lndtgenous Peoples and mcorporate this in all nauonal nnd mternational lcgislauon c) take into account :md incorporate cx1stmg Indigenous Peoples' politkal ond !ego! systems :md Indigenous Peoples' cuswmary usc or resources d) recogmzc tr.tdluonal agnculturol systems or lndagcnous People> e) mvolve Indigenous Peoples In th< dtvelopment of research gutdehn.s and standards 7 De,·elop standards and gutddmes for the prevention of biopiracy, the mon· 11onng of b•oprospecting and access 10 genetic resources: a) affec1 a momwrium on all bioprospecling and/or collecuon or biologtcal n13terial,s in the territoncs or lndtgcnous Peoples and protected Mtas and patenung based on these collecuons unul acceptable su1 ·generis S)'Stems arc cstabhshed b) affect a mor.uonum on th< rcg>5<enng of knowledge c) rcrogmze the nghts of lnd•genous Peoples' to acccS> and repatnote genetic matenals held tn all ex-suu collecuons. such as gene banks. herbanums and botamcal gardens. 8. Ensure the sharing of the benc01s derived from the use o f indigenous knowledge includes other rights. obhga· uons and responsibilities such as land nghts and the mamtenance or lndtgenous cultul't's co faethtate the transmtSS•on of knowltdgt. mOO\oauons. pracutt.s and values to future generations. 9 Ensure that rtlevant pi'0\'1SIOns or tmernauonal mechanisms and agrte· mcms of dtrcct relevance to the tmplc· mcmation or :tntcle Sj. and rehued al'tt· clcs. such "' 1he Trnde Related lnlellectual Propeny agreement of the World Trnde Organization. the European Union dtrecuve on the patenung of hfc forms. the Human Genome Otvtrsuy Vol. 11 No.1 ProJect. the Hu.man Genome Dechrnuon of the UNESCO. the FAO Comm1sston on PJam Genetic Resources and national and regional intellectual 1>ropeny ngh1s legislation under development, 1 ncorpo· rote the rights and concerns of lndtgenous Ptoples as cxpreS>ed u1 the ILO Convention 169, the Draft Dechrauon on the RightS of lndtg<nous Peopl.s. th< Kan Ocl Declarauon. th< Mawtua Dtt:larauon. the Santa Cnaz Declarauon, th< Len= Declar:tnon ond Plan of Amon, the Treaty for a Life Forms Patent Free Paciflc and prtV1ous Slate· mtntS of Indigenous forums COIWtned :U prev1ous CBD/COP and mterscss1onal meenngs. 10. Provide material "nd non·matcri· al suppon mechamsms and mcenuvcs to lndtgenous Peoples for cap.1<1ty butldtng m1ttaU\'CS towards· a) the de,'tlopmcnt of SUI genens S)"Sltms based on andagcnous customary la"'s for the prot«uon and promouon of lndtgcno~ knowledge. mno,•J.ttons and practtces b) m.s.tttuuonal strengthening and negonoung eapacny c) local!)• controlled pohcy. research and development strategies and acttvlllts for the maintenance and development of Indigenous knowledge 11 Require the rcvualtz.uton and numtcnance o£ Jnd1gcnous 13ngu.agts as pan or the implementation or antcle 8j and r<loted anicles and suppon the de,·elopmtnl of cdutall(mal S)'Stems b;osed on mdig<nous valuts and world \'ltW, mcludmg lhC CStabhshmtlll Of :m lndtgenous uni,•ersny. 12. Require that research and devel· opment activities in the reahn or lndtgcnous Peoples' knowledge. practtccs tmd mnovation systems arc gl\'en 1he s:tmc financial and pohcy support :as •for· nul scacnufte• research and development l(IIYltlts. 13. PrO\ide matenal and non·maltn· a.ltnctmh·es for mamtammg and enhanc· tng biodivcrsit)1, indu~mg l:md nghts and the recognition of acluc\'ements by lndtgcnous Peoples in protcctmg btO<h· ve rslt y. '!I C...tmutd from page 2i mentS and rdorrns 10 1he Mexican State. rather n would be admmmg that what. is needed is a rndtcJI tr.msfonnntion to the corrupt structures or J>OWCr in Mexico that have been dommatcd by the more than 70 y<•or old PRI dicLatorship. It would mean allowmg for not onl)f the Zapaustas. but all of Mcx1can ctv1l soct· ety to have the nght to trnnsfonn the government mto $0mcthmg that would go\'em by obeymg the needs and consensus of the MeX1<3n people, rath<r than conunue to be medtator or due global busmes.s mtcrtsts and an msa.ru· mem of repress1on Unfortunately Mextco acts with the reassurances or its tr..dc panncrs, the United States and Canada. The only 1hing standmg In the way o£ Mexico's unacceptable pol•cy towards Indigenous pcopl.s IS ciVll SO<tety both m Mexico and globally Cl\11 SO<ltty through both tts pohtical "111 and ~IOns an put an end to Lht> gtnoctdal war. The Indigenous people art clear that the solutiO!\ wall come from nowhere else. nor can they do It alone. "'Nenher peace nor JUstice w1ll come from the govern· mem. They wtll come from civil society. from its a muauves. from us mobiliza· tions. To her. to )'OU, we sptak toda):''tl er,.t;l fdoiJcri is o ..... olIN,...,. K ,0, ;ti;o. r.ds f:t t:lt K :1iol<l( - l o t o.-<q ialli.Oco. SO. «:tlifd t:lt Ulitlnilyol !osuxia ~ ~ riett t:lt c ...P,Jtl loll ol«..tfon ia Hisl«y o o :J - . ; , SociolorJ r<llticrJ ~ ...t htt tmis ootl:. [opclirJ"' I• Stpllcfllll l 1996, liN ""' Dlit4 10 jojw tb• Noctb AmtricOJ lodioo O.S.,.rioo to tho U Kofioo~ llitt4 W"t~ 610119,. tilt Otch Oodototiocl co tho t~hts of llldigtAOlll Pf<9(" io Gt,o,,., In O.Crmhu of t!nt ym, sit tror..<d lolo toolidoJ, ~ M cod pcod.cod • irko '""F''·\om•IKitfi<g 'lf''clin' tiN sittlclioa;, llio.,....li«, ....t~ag 11ili N IJ.II. (JysJd C •w • ""'t ""A..""' lf<Jri<J ooJioc:oi4t,. .... - A.. ...t eclifn ,_ pk or«JCJ INI..,,....;.. "9'<XXr /omcg 01 "' ~ llriAr:toitco Slrog;fos ol ~ ~ io IU.dc• """,_.,,,owen" 35 � 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. 11, no. 1 (Spring 1998) 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 Chiapas: Massacre in Acteal Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Echohawk Crystal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 1998 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Chiapas: Massacre in Acteal Item Type Journal Article Author Crystal Echohawk Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 27, 35 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring 1998 Language English Abstract Note The massacre of the Tzotzil Indians in Acteal was not an isolated incident. There have been multiple violent incursions since. The passage of the San Andres Agreements would give autonomy to more than 12 million Indiginas. Attachment Title Chiapas_Massacre_in_Acteal.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Acteal Autonomy http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/5e3d298dc18dc3d97bea91dc5e1a94c9.pdf 4fdba902e28b309ab938e4ba64e732cb PDF Text Text 5 E L F DETERMINATION AND TERR I TORY Venezuela: Amazonian Indians Request Support Indigenous peoples. Under the law, the new State of Amazonas has been divid- The Indians demand that instead their land rights be properly recognized and that subsequently consultations take place to devise an administrative regime that suits their cultures and ipalities. Indigenous peoples claim this ed inlo 'municipios: each with elected coincides with their customary systems law is unconstitutional and are chal- 'alcaldes' (mayors), and each in turn divided into a number of ·paroquias' of decision-making. The challenge to the 'Ley de with their respective elected heads. These areas and institutions do not correspond with traditional Indigenous political systems. Moreover. they over- Division Politid... .' is the second court V enezuela has passed legislation that threatens to undermine Indigenous peoples' control of their lands and destinies by dividing the state of Amazonas into electoral munic· lenging il in the courts. However, while the courts have delayed hearing the case, the local government has gone ahead with the dismemberment of the area. The Indigenous peoples are calling for international support to urge the courts to consider the case. The 19 Indigenous peoples of the Venezuelan Amazon are represented by ORPIA (Organizaci6n Regional de Pueblos lndrgenas de Amazonas). They have received the support of the Human Rights Office of the Catholic Church in Puerto Ayacucho. They have been demanding since February 1995 that the law creating the political divisions of the Amazon State in Venezuela be declared invalid by the Supreme Court. For eight months the Supreme Court of justice took no action over the case. It was only after concerted pressure from the Indians that the court finally declared in November 1995 that the case required an urgent hearing. Despite the initial sense of urgency, the court still has not declared its judg- mem. Until recently the Venezuelan Amazon was administered as a Federal Territory and run pushed through the 'ley de Division Politico-Territorial del Est ado Amazonas· without consulting with the lap with Indigenous territories for which titles have yet to be gained according to Venezuelan law. municipal use. Indigenous peoples have argued appointed from Caracas. More recently, as part of a nation-wide program of decentralization, the Territory has been declared a State and opened to local electoral politics. As a part of this process, steps have been undertaken to stitutional. pointing out that Article 77 of the constitution allows for exception- divide the State up into new adminis· the towns aboUl which the new 'municipios' are being created arc far However. the local Governmem Voi.10No. 2 Amazonas. Earlier this year, ORPlA successfully challenged the local Government~ attempts to build a road from the State capital Puerto Ayacucho south to San Fernando de Atabapo. .., Despite Indigenous objections and the filing of a case contesting the legality of the law, the local government has Adapted from a reporr by the IVor/<1 gone ahead with applying the new Rainforest Mo,·ement structure and forced through elections. Already the imposed system is causing Pleas.: send fa.<es or leuers: problems. New internal divisions have been created because the boundaries of · Expressing concern for the situation in the the new •municipios' and 'paroquias' do Venczutlarl State of Amazonas as a result of not conform to Indigenous ethnic the imposed tenicorial division boundaries. Party politics has been introduced imo the communities. New - Asking the Sup••me Courr of ]uslie< to clientelistic relations have been estab- declare null attd \'Oid the Ley de Division lished throughout the territory. Poli1ico Terri101ial dtl Es1ado Amazonas as Dominant communities and ethnic n:qu<St<d by the lndige110us peoples on 2 groups have strengthened their authori- Febn.ary 1995. ty over smaller and politically marginal ones. Most serious. the new 'municip- Ora. Cecilia Sosa, Presidenta de Ia Corte ios' have begun a process of expropriat- Supn:ma de justlcia, Av. Barall, Son jc>s< de ing untitled Indigenous lands for Avila, Ctmuas, Venezuela by Governors that the law dividing the State is uncon- trative units. case that ORPIA has filed contesting Government initiatives in the State of al administrative regimes in Indigenous areas to accommodate their cultural differences. They also note that the law is contmry to established procedures, as too small to qualify. Dr. Alfredo Duchanne. Magisrrodo Po11er11e, Corte Suprema de juslicia, Caracas, Venezuela Fax number for both: 00 58 2 563 8113 For further information: Forest Peoples Programme, 8 Chapel Row, O•adling1on, OX7 3NA, England: Tel: 00 44 1608 676691; Fax: 0044 1608 6767'13; Email: wrm@gn.apc.org 29 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Venezuela: Amazonian Indians Request Support Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Venezuela: Amazonian Indians Request Support Item Type Journal Article Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 29 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note The Amazonian Indians of Venezuela are slowly being threatened by legislation that wishes to take their land away, and divide them into municipalities. For many years, these people have urged the support of international agencies to help in their effort to maintain their land. Attachment Title Venezuela.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Amazonian Indians Venezuela http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/4f3883b4c8fcb038ff3f861f814074c4.pdf e5bacd3a1cf6f47130a0cfa4dd8c83d8 PDF Text Text • by Protop Chatterjee I �E<o-Jusri<E "Tl1e white warriors went across in their long dugouts. T he Indians said they would meet them in peace so wl1en the wl1ites landed Ll•e Indians went to welcome them ... Ge-W i-Li/1 said l1e Ll~rew up l1is hand ... but. the wl1ite man fi•·ed and shot him in d1e arm ... (s)he said when they gatl1ered d1e delld, they found all the lillie ones were killecl by being stabbed and many of the women were t~lso hilled by swbbing ... (l)l•is old lady also told c•boul (/lOw) the whites lnmg a mc111 on Emerson island ... and a lm·ge fire built under (/lim). And another ... was lied 10 a tree and burnt to death" -William lknson. Porno hisrotimt, rtcounrs m(ls.stl(rt;s. "' CleM l..ahe. Califor~~ia. May 18SC "A group of loggers cmcl miners near the town of Pontes e Lacerda ambushed and violently t1ssaulted at least 14 KaLiwulhu Indians in d•e SMare reserve. T he loggers subsec1uenLiy looted Ll•e Indians village, clmnllging a IJealth post and scl•ool ancl stealing money, Loots mul vehicles belonging 10 the lndit~ns. Supporters of d1e /ndillns, w/10 have a11empt ed 10 mobilize fed eral officials 10 comply wit/1 court orders to remove the illegal loggers and miners from tl1e reserve subsequently received delltll LhretiiS tmd inlimic/(l(iOn. The Katitau/1111 were also thre(l(enecl with f urrile!' violence by the invaders. Mediwl reports sLtlle that 14 lndicms were wounded, many by having been Lied up and bet~ten. " - T housands of kilometers. :lnd almoSt a ceotlU')' and a half, separate the two viol~m incidents againSJ the Pomo peoples of California and the Nambikwam peoples of Malo G=. Brozil. Yet the root cause for bo1h incidents 'vas exactly the s.~me: stu1ers in search of gold. The Clear lake incadcm was a direct ou1come of the arrival of Charles Stone and Andrew Kelsey. two nmchcrs who arrived at the l:lke i.n 1847. who captured and bought hundreds of Pomo. forcmg them to work as slaves. Kelsey forced Pomo men into the mountains as virtual slaves 10 help him look for gold. Evemuall)• two Pomo cowboys, Shak and Xasis, took the law into their own hands and cxe<:utcd both seulers bringing the wrath of the United States am'ly upon them in the incidents described above. The: Katitaulhu are one of l2 Nambikwara subgroups. '"'hose lands were first it'waded in the 1970s when the Vol. 11 NO.1 Envitonm~t~Wl Dfjcnsc Fund ,.tportfrom Mmo Grosso, Br~il. November 1996 World Bank-funded BR 364 rood from Cuiaba in Mo.to Grosso to Porto Vclho in Rondozlia wns opened by 8raa:iiS miht{\ry govcmmem. Decimated by epidcm:ics and forcibly relocated w make way for 1849 Cold Rush 'vas the basis of the foundation of the state of California and today the \\lorld Bank makes a prof'il sup~ paning gold mines. the road. the Nambikwarn died in great Pizarro, the Spanlsh conquistador. arri"td in Cajamarca (now pan of Pem) in 1532 to trick Atahualpa, the last Inca king. into an ambush that led to the collapse of his empire. One of the last acts of Atahualpa was an auempt to bu}' off che Spanish b)' offering them a room full of gold and two rooms full of Silver. The Spanish ace<:J>led the offer bu1 after they got 1he gold. they murdered Atohualp.' and proceeded to raze the rest or the c:ity to the ground. numbers making desperate pilgrimages in ;\11 auempl to return to their tmdition· a! lands. Some 6.000 gold miners invaded the Sarare reservation m the 1990s seriously polluting major watercourses m the ma, disrupting loco! fishing ond hunting. spreading malaria a1 viral dis· ld cases. The mcidem descnbed abo,·e is just one of many auacks on the Nambikwara in the last l wo decade-s. Foundation of empire Gold has been the foundation of emptres throughout hi5'01)' ~nd <:ontin· ues w be the root cause of many gen<><:i· dal auacks against Indigenous people around the world. The Romans founded their empire on Spanish gold, the Spanish founded their empire on Inca gold, the 1bda)' the ransom room is the only surviving monumcm to the Inca pr..:-sencc but the reg1on is Still being raped for gold: it is the Sltc ofYanacocha. the biggest gold mil'le in latin America, which is nm by NC\\IlllOill of Colorado and funded by the World Bank. Almost 500 )'Cars after 1hc Inca died defending their lands. 1he pco7 �Eco - J U S T I C E pie of Capmar<'a are dymg b<cause of 1he contamination of loc:al waters. and their l~nds are still being seized. Ycl cconomiS(S. historians and media Yanom:uru ls terrifyingl)' snnil~r. today there arc an estimated 8,000 people left. a 60 percent drop from the esumated 20,000 who lived in 1hc region just 20 years ago. alike continue to celebrntc the metal. In 1994 World Bank economists lavished pr.\ise on Peru for becoming 1he f~s1eS1 growing ccono1ny in the world by invll· ing in 1he new gold mines. In 1998 histo· rians and the media launched into 3 cc!ebr.uory frenzy over the J50th anniversary of thC' fo\.mding of the state of California after 1he famous 1849 Gold Rush. But for Indigenous communities the arrival of gold miners has always meant disease and death, whether it be among the Nomlaki peoples of nonh-westem CatironUn m the 1850s or the Yanomami of the A1nazon in the l990s as the two examples below demons! rate. Deadly diseases '"They (the Namrc Amencan.s} had been hiding in the hills. There was no min for Lhree years and fighting going on every day. No clover, no acorn, juniper ocrries or pepper gross. Nothmg for three years. Finally the Indians got smallpox and the Indian doc~orcouldn"!: cure them. Gonorrhea carne among the Indians. They died by the thousands.- - Andrew f-reeman, Nomlakl historian, recoummg 1he s1ory of his peoples in 1hc !$50s. -The biggest problem for 1he Yanomarni now are the garimpe1ro (gold~ miners) who are ifl our land. and the ill~ ne.sses they bring with them. Among them some have illnesses like U.tber· culosis and venere-al diseases. and coma· minate my people. Now we art afraid 1hey "ill bring measles and also AIDS. this illness \\thich is so dangerous that we do nol want it among us. But the worst illness for tlS is malaria, which comes in wilh the goldmlners. The governmentS National Health Foundation Sa)' th~.tt J300 Vanomami had got malaria up until ~·lay this ytnr: statement by Davi Yanomami. August 1997. nu. Some 60 percent of the esumatcd 150,000 l\3th·e peoples or Calirornia were wiped O\H by famine and disease between the years of l$50 and 1870 while anolh· cr 20 percem were killed br senlers. The ratt of destruction of the Brazilian 8 Mercury Madness Armed militia and deadly d1seases are not the only terror that stalked the Native. peoples of California m 1hc 1850s and the Indigenous communhles or the Amazon in 1he l980s. Mercury, a highly toxic metal. used for centttrirs by small· scale gold miners to extract the tiny necks of shiny metal from the ore, has also taken a rnajor toll. MCYC.\Iry c-an dJSSOivc as much as 60 percem of gold out of ore into a phys•cal soiUlion, known as an amalgam. This amalgam can oc broken down quick!)' and easily by hcaung ofT the mercury, similar to the ''JC\Y s.-tlt can be recovered from sea water. This mercury ~por gets trapped in aunos· pheric m.oisturt and precipitates down mto local water sup· plies where it can poison fiSh and ani· mats higher up i1\ 1he food chain. The California Gold Rush of 1849, perhaps the most celebrated in history. lef1 a deadly legacy or an estimated 7.600 tOns of mer· cury in the Jakes. rivers and sediments or the state while O\'er one thousand tons or mercury art currcn1ly ocing dumped by small miners in the fragile rainforests or lhe Amazon. just one gram o£ mercury poured into eiglny million !hers of water would b< cause for coneern under United States federal human health s1 andards for drinking water and enough to contaminate a smaH lake. Mercury is a persistent toxin wh1ch C\n destroy fcms.es, the huma1 ctntral r~ervous system. rcproduc· 1: tive organs and immune s~em. \:\,1 ell ovtr a century ahcr the miners invaded California, decades arter the mines were shut down, ftShing is still prcr hibiled i l''l Clear Lake. CaHronua, because or the heavy mercury contamination of the lake. Emironmental experts orl the tribal rescr,1mions in north·wcstern Cahfomm nrc realizing that lhC)' may have to seek help cleaning up the waste that contaminate. the Trinny river. s Meanwhile nobody knows 1he full extent or the problems in the Bmz11ian AmatO!\ bUL initial studies have shown that the levels of merc.:ury in Tapojos river Osh in 1995 were 3.8 pans per million (ppm), almOst eight Limes the permined federal ""''1mum of 0.5 ppm. in 1989. fish in the Madeira river tested as high as 2.7 ppm. Good news, bad news Fonunalcly. mercury is no longer used in eanromia and the small.scalc miners were recently evtcted from the (orlit c.m, S.'>oshoM ncdiliorld .W11. "/o ~ oodet tilt ot~~~b ID gtiiO rf>ol go/d. ID p!mp outlhal I>OIIt 10 !If/ ID tbcr gold, • • <time. its • ,,.,. cgoinstiJrJmoMr. .. • Yanomami tcrmory m january 1998 by the Bmzllian army. Theres more good news. the Macuxi peoples of Roraima, Brazil, blockaded roads in 1997 10 successfully demand 1he removal of gold miners rrom their lttrTitOI)'. However, today the l~nds of Nauve peoples in Nonh America are the sub;cct of a new invasion or gold miners and the Indigenous comnmnities of L1tin America arc next on the list as described below. Abya Yala News �_ Cyanide: the new t error Also poisoned by cyanide are the peoples who live on the ~quibo rh·er in In the 1960s~ Ncwmom corporation Guyana, where dead fish and hogs were of Colorado teamed up with the Unhed reponed in August 1995 after a waste Suucs Bureau of Mines to perfect a tech· water dam at the Omai gold mme broke nique to extract 97 percent or gold from and spilt 3.2 billion liters or <}'l\nidcore dug up in the dcstns of Nevada using laced waste into the river in what is a chemical called cyamde. These desen belie\'ed lObe the biggeSt such dis<tster in lands, the s.1crcd and traditional lands of history. Studie-s by the Pan Amencan the \Vestern Shoshone, are now the: Health OrgaoizaliOn have shown th:n ~11 source of half the gold in the United 3quatic life in the four·ki1omettr·long States today. creek that n.ms (rom the mine to the Esscquibo was killed. Suspicious fish. Corporations around the world have cattle and even human de-aths have also followed suit, using this cyanide tcchnol· been reported among the people of ogy together with the powerful explosives c.,_;amatca. Peru, where Newmom is and massive eartlHnovil~g equipment using cyanide to extract gold. that allows them to blast apan entire mountains, to take over the business of Meanwhile a number of other gold mining. Indigenous and traditional oomnmniue-s throughout L.1tin Americ;t nre being tar· A \Caspoonful of twO-J>et'Ccnt soluliOr'l gctcd for new gold mines like the Maroon of cyanide can kill a aduh human. community of Nieuw Koffiekamp in C)'anide blocks the absorption of OX)'gen Suriname where Golden Star of Colorado by cells. causing the ''ctim to effectively "suffocate." Adverse iml>acts of cyanide on fish have been reported at levels of 0.01 ppm, concentrations as low as five pans per billion have been found to irthibit fish reproduction, while levels of (also the JOint opemtors of the Omai gold mine in Guyana) have reponedly threat· ened and har3ssed community members by using live ammunition tO (righten thent aw:.l)' from areas in which the com· pany is e., ploring for gold. 0.03 ppm an: known to kill fish. Human beings can experience decreased respiratory and thyroid functiOI'tS, eitrdiac pa.in. vomiting. headaches and cemraJ nervous system toxicity rron'l oral exposure to low levels of cyanide. In Central America, the Panamanian Natural Resources Directorate reports that 70 percent or the :\pproximately 20.000 square ktlomcters of Panama deemed to have mining potential is on land claimed by Indigenous groups. The Shon tcnn exposures to high ltvels of government h3s already approved exten· cyan.ldt compounds can cause breathing sive copper a.nd gold mJning concessions problems. central nervous system toxicity within the Ng<)})e..8uglt and Kuna tcrrito· ries. and gastro-intestinal corrosion. __,,_0 0 E C J - U S T I C E h is high tome for people around !h< wodd to suppon these Struggles and demand an end to the stat\tS of gold as a barbaric c-ustom. As the leaders of the nrst peoples of the Amenca.s have ltSti* fied below, pure water. tmditiom\1 cultures and life arc more precious than all the gold dug up from under the ground. "\Ve have the right to put up oppOSi· lion because history has made us skepti- cal of certain white men. bcc:.use we have lOSt mitlions of human live.s, millions of hectares of land and millions of tons of gold, silver and copper with no comptn· sation,"- Atencio Lopez. Kuna, Panama. August 1996. ..\Vc want progress without destruc-uon. \Ve \\-"ant w study. to learn new ways of cultivating the land. living from its fi'Uits. We do not wa_ t to live without n trees, hunting, fish and dean water. 1f this happens misery will come to our people. I hope that yo\\ will help me in this fight" - Oavi Ko~>ena wa Yanomami, Bmzil, August 1997 "To dig under the earth to get to thot gold. to puntp out that W :.lter to get to that gold. is a crime. it's a crime againSt humanity, a crime againSt life, the very !i[e upon which all people depend, not only people but we have Other things out there-- we ha\'C the deer. we have the eagle. we ha\'e the rnbbils, we h<\\'C all life om there and the gold mining today is going to destroy that, it is destroying that. the life for the f1tturc generations is going to be gone'' - C..1rrie Dann, \Vtstcm Shoshone traditional elder, spring 1997.1) This dtadly chemical is being used today il'l No1 America on the lands of th peoples like the l'omo in California. the \\'estern Shoshone in Newtda, the Sioux in Sotnh Dakota, the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre in Montana. Also under threat art the Quccha1'l in 1\nzona. the Paiute in Nev;tda. and the Colvilles in Washington state whose lands are being targeted for new gold mines. Yet communmes are fightir'lg back :-tcross the A1nericas. The Assiniboine, the Colvilles. the Gros Ventre, the Sioux and the \Vestern Shoshone htwe gone to court to protest the gold mints while the peo· pies of l.otin America arc also putting up a spirited opposition, from road _blockades in Panama to complaints to imcma· tiona) bodies by the Surinamese Maroons. T outhor1's mining comPQigrttl let f1oje<t be Vndetgrovnd, o h11molf rights group bDud in Bttktky, Colilomio. His lattsl reporl, "Gold, G1tttl and GentKide: unmasking lhe Myth of tlrt '49el'$,"' is qrof~b/e (tQI'It Ptofo<l UnJtrgu>mJ lot USSS.OO. Project Unclcrgrowtd c:an be rictc:hed by phone ac •I 5JO 705 8970./ax m •I 510 705 8993,or e-mail at: projtct_und<rground@moles.org · or visit: hup:l!wwnwu:HtS.org. Vol. 11 No. 1 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. 11, no. 1 (Spring 1998) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gold, Greed & Genocide in the Americas California to the Amazon Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Chatterjee Pratap Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 1998 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Gold, Greed & Genocide in the Americas California to the Amazon Item Type Journal Article Author Pratap Chatterjee Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 6-9 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring 1998 Language English Abstract Note Settlers in search of gold have caused two violent incidents against the Pomo peoples of California and the Nambikwara People of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Mercury, disease, and cyanide have all worked against the indigenous population, and in favor of the gold seeking settlers. Attachment Title Gold_Greed_&_Genocide_in_the_Americas_California_to_the_Amazon.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Katitaulhu mining Nambikwara Pomo Resources http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/0a6616598a165ace25b8b6461daeb98d.pdf 90d2dfba11ba826e7e26db6ed39336fb PDF Text Text Brazilian Army Recruits Yanomami Indians Several Yanouwni Indians are "serving" in the Brazilian Army at the Maturaca poet. located in the Slate of Amazonas. The one-year enlistment oi the Yanomami is part oi a strategy by the Brazilian Armed ~ to "integrate" indigenous populations into the "national community." The military rommandf!IS' Sbategy is based on the idees oi •national sovereignty" and "national security.• They rear that Indian groupe will form their own nation inside the Brazilian territory. ln July, Roraima governor and former brigadier general Ottomar de Souza Pinto, rompared the Yanomami situation to the Kurds in inlq. The relationship between the Yanomami and the military in the Maturaca region is similar to that oi the Yanomami and the gold-miners. The anny wants to Increase its presence in Maturaca. That is why soldiers are building an UJegal road between the city oi Sio Gabriel da Cachoeira and the post in Maturaca. Five Jcilometers oi the road have already beEn completed. The road is UJegal because it cui$ through the Pico da Neblina National Park and the military has not even presented an Bnvironmental Impact Report to the government environmental nkuna Massacre Update (Brazil) March 28th marked three years since the Tlkuna massacre, when 14 Tikuna men, women and children were shot to death at the command of logger, Oscar Castello Branco, near the city of Benjamin Constant in the state of Amazonas, in the Brazilian Amazon. This was the most serious documented massacre of Brazilian Indians in the last twenty years. The 15.000 Tlkuna on the upper SolimOes River form the largest Indian nationality in Brazil. In recent years, they have suffered increasing incursions by loggers, commercial fisheries, and local elites on their lands. At the same time, their organizing in defense of their traditional lands has grown stronger. Since 1988, legal investigation of the crime has slowly proceeded in Benjamin Constant. At the end of last year, the judge responsible for the case indicted aU of the accused, who are now to stand trial before a local jury, chosen from the residents of the city. The general opinion in the city, however, leads us to believe that this will not be an impartial bia1 Most of the local people have shown support for the logger, who is well-known in the region. In general, there is hostility towards the Indians and their presence in the area. Consequently, the Tikuna and their support organizations are requesting that the judge and the pubtic prosecutor ask the Tribunal of Justice of the state of Amazonas for a change of venue. It is hoped that the trial will be held in the state capital of Manaus. The local judge and prosecutor- the only authorities who can legally make the request- are reluctant to do so. If this situation continues, the likely • outcome is impunity for the defendants, who would be tried in Bcn~1min Constant. and very tikely, be absolved. We request that concerned individuals and organizations send letters or telegrams to the authorities noted below, requesting that the Tribunal reexamine the Tlkuna massacre case, keeping in mind the hostile atti.tudes towards Indian people in the city of Benjamin Constant and th.1t a change of venue be granted. Please send these letters to: Exmo. Sr. Dr. luis Henrique Braz Juiz de Direito do Comorco de Benjamin Constont F orum de Benjamin Constont, 69630 Benjamin Constont, AM, BRAZIL Exmo. Sr. Dr. Sergio Medeiros Promotoo de Justico do Comorco de Benjamin Constont Forum de Benjamin Constant, 69630 Benjamin Constant, AM, BAAZIL agency. Exmo. Sr. Dr. Gaspar Cotundo de Sousa Desemborgador Presidente do Tribunal de Justico do Amozonas Ruo 10 de julho, no. 833 Centro, 69007 Monaus, AM, BRAZIL Send copies ol onconespondence to: mbassy Ambassador Morcilio Marques Moreiro, Brazilian E 3006 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA Fox: 202-745-2728 SAIIC Newsletter � 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. 6, nos. 1&amp;2 (spring/summer 1991) 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 Tikuna Massacre Update Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1991 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Tikuna Massacre Update Item Type Journal Article Volume 6 Issue 1,2 Pages 22 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1991 Language English Abstract Note Finding justice for the Tikuna massacre proves to be difficult. Attachment Title abyayala_v06n01_02_p022.pdf abyayala_v06n01_02_p022.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] [No URL] Brazil Tikuna http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/38d5616f8ffb37922cbb6444a6fad084.pdf a836a70dadd09deb02b81a0619a72813 PDF Text Text -------------'-~ O_!: !...!~:....:; T I N G C_.::: N_F R O N:....,:_ C U L T U R A L E X T I N <T I 0 N y ( Reversing the Flow of Traffi.c in the Market of Cultural Property by Eric Bergman Indigenous nations today are struggling to preserve their cultural identity, not by placing it behind the glass of a museum, but by the active renewal of their collective and individual cultural traditional practices. The unique religious and secular items each culture creates are fundamental to its continuity. For centuries the Indigenous people of the Americas have suffered the steady loss of their cultural property. The international community is finally beginning to recognize the obvious right a community has to its own creations. The new awareness of this important link between people and cultural artifacts is resulting in the successful restitution of previously lost or stolen items. '' C onsidering that cultural property export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property, adopted by the whether for selfish purposes or out of constitutes one or United Narions Educational, Scientific ignorance, without consideration of the basic elements and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) of civilization and at its sixteenth session in Paris on the damage done to a living culture when it is stripped of the items of its national culture. and that its true v-alue November 14, 1970. This convention is the first major step taken by the heritage. international communit>' to address The Indigenous Perspectives can be appreciated only in relation to the fullest possible information regarding its origin. history. and traditional setting." So reads the preamble of the the centuries of plunder of cultural property of Indigenous peoples. Vast theft, continues today. Items are taken, To many people who trace their Convemion on the means of prohibit· quantities or anwork. religious arti· ing and preventing the illicit import. facts. and even funerary remains have roots to European cultures, the scien~ tific study or museum preservation of found their way into museums and cultural property is considered of great private collections worldwide. This value. h is important, however. to rec~ traffic, often in the form of outright ognizc that these views are not neces- Eric Bergman is an intent al SAIIC and resemdtes arlitles for Abya Yala News. Vol. 10No. 2 13 �C 0 H F R 0 H T I H G C U l T U R A l'--~E X T-!...!'-.:::...! I...,:::.....:.:.,._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ~~ ~~ 1 H C T_ : O N sarily shared b)• Indigenous peoples. Items of cultural or religious value created by Indigenous .peoples were not intended to be placed in museum collections. The removal of cultural materials to museum archives severs the living connection and contact a people has with its works and past. This is especially tme of cultures with an oral rather than written tradition. Museums and cultural scientists must strive to maintain the vigor of the cui· ture that created the objects they seek to study. All too frequently archeologists and anthropologists consider the dead to be objects of curiosity and study: "a storehouse of biological information" as anthropologist johan Reinhard says. referring to the frozen bod)' of an Inca girl that he exhumed in Peru (see accompanying story). For Indigenous peoples, however, the dead are not scientific objects. thC)' are their ancestors. perhaps even their family. AncestOrs were interred with careful attention to respect and ritual that will see them to their proper destin)' after death. These efforts are disturbed by archeologists, grave robbers, scientists and other col· lectors who continue to violate burial sites and the remains therein. Restitution and legal Recognit ion Standards for the protection of and respect for the cultural property of Indigenous peoples are greater today than ever before. Major museums and even some governments are cooperat· ing whh l ndigenous nations to volun· tarily repatriate obj ects to their cultures of origin. The United Nations and the United States are beginning to legally recognize the claims of Indigenous peoples to their cultural property. Unfortunately, individual governments and police forces are doing lillie if anything to cooperate with the Unhed Not Dead Yet: An lncan Mummy Find Rekindles the Fire Over Science and Ethics wo men enter an Inca ceremonial burial site. They spot some feathers: the headdress of a small statue. The men scramble down a ledge. There they find a carefully prepared grave. Taking out their axes they begin hacking awtrf. Soon they uncover the body of a young woman. A little more ax work and they completely exhume the body. One man stuffs it in a sack and the other removes the remaining funerary arti· facts. They depart into the darkening sky. Returning later with more accomplices. the two men scour the area for any remaining items. including two more corpses. Another sacred burial site has been picked clean and the bodies removed from their graves. The two men. American archeologist Johan Reinhard and his Peruvian partner Miguel Zarate. found the grave·site last September atop Nevado Ampato in the Andean Cordillera of modem·day Peru. The bodies were originally buried on top of the remote 20. 700·foot mountain as part of a religious ceremony and remained there. frozen. for an estimated 500 years until Reinhard and Zarate arrived. Since then. the body of the young Inca woman was brought to a laboratory at Catholic University in Arequipa. stuck into an ice box and stripped of her clothing including a beautiful wool Alpaca dress. Scientists then conducted a battery of tests. took body tissue and fluid for tests. and then shipped her off to Washington D.C. to be put on display as an item of curiosity at the offices of the National Geographic Society. National Geographis 's display of the Inca woman's body and the archeologists' treatment of the burial site in general has drawn international criticism. ..The dis- T 14 play of mummies or any human remains stands in con· tradiction to the ethics regarding the handling of the dead.· said Dr. Konrad Spindler. a prehistory specialist at the University of lnnsbruck and leader of the research team studying the 5300·year-old .. Iceman .. frozen corpse found in an Alpine glacier in Europe in I 99 I . Although Spindler was invited to join the research team studying the lncan woman . he eventual· ly left the project because of his displeasure over the treatment of the corpse. Yachay Wasi. a non·profit organization dedicated to sharing and supporting indigenous culture of Peru. is sponsoring a petition in protest of National Geographic's handling of the situa· tion. Indigenous people in the United States and Canada are joining Yachay Wasi in protest. Although circumstances surrounding the decision to bring the Inca body to Washington remain unclear. National Geographic has made an admirable effort to consult the Indigenous people who are descendants of the Tawatinsuyu. or lncan empire. According to National Geographic spokeswoman Barbara Moffet. the second team of archeologists sent to excavate the Ampato burial site first paid a visit to the nearby village of Cabanaconde. No formal agreement was obtained by National Geographic. but Moffet claims that the villagers. who are believed to be the most closely related descendants of the Inca. were not only consulted. but eight villagers also volunteered to take part in the expedition. National Geographic has also made small a donation of photos and money to the village for the establishment of a museum in Cabanaconde. When the body of the Inca woman was brought to the National Abya Y News ala �CONFRON TI NG CULT U RA L EXTINCTION Nations. In addition, the US legislation is not applicable nor respected outside US borders. effon and can eliminate the need for legal baulcs. The legitimacy and coordination of the repa~riation effon arc also lions. charitable groups. Jlnd other Should an lndigenous nation wish to repatriate items removed from their innuemial. Any documentation or testimony that can assist in proving the may provide contacts. publicity, coun- community, they race a difficult but increasingly possible task. First the seriousness and costs of the effon n1ust be considered. An}' individual or institution thai has gone through great expense and effort to acquire and maintain valuable cultural items will not be eager 10 give them up. Securing the goodwill and cooperation of the pany current!)• in possession of the ite1ns in question is crucial to any repatriation Indigenous entities may be sy1npathctic to repatriation efforts. These groups cil, or other forms of assistance. Some claimams position will be very helpful. communities have been successfully Also the par1y making a claim for any pursuing repatriation for many yea.rs items should consider what measures and have developed mechanisms withwill be taken 10 insure the pr01ection of in their political system 10 respond to the items once regained: no one is like- concerns in"olving culturally sensitive ly 10 pan with rare ani facts if they sus- materials. journalists may be able to pect that they will be sold, stolen. or provide publicity and help bring public mishandled in any way. opinion behind the repatriation efforts. Many resources exist to aid Some govemments (most notably the Indigenous peoples' repatriation cam- United States) and the United Nations paigns. Non-governmental organiza- may also be of assistance. Geographic headquarters for display. former residents the National Geographic Society is aware of NAGPRA of Cabanaconde now living in Washington D.C. were in and the spirit in which it was drafted and chose to attendance. There was no charge to see the Inca exhibit. ignore it by not only funding the second expedition. but Despite National Geographic's overtures to the liv- also bringing the frozen body to Washington D.C . to be ing descendants in Cabanaconde. this case has raised put on public display. The display of the Inca woman also violated the spircriticism of the ethics of archeology. Does the curiosity of scientists justify the disturbance of graves? On what it of the United Nations. The U.N. Commission on authority do universities or other institutions take pos- Human Rights drafted a resolution entitled The session of the human remains of another society? Protection of the Heritage of Indigenous People which Among many national societies. such as the United states that · under no circumstances should objects or States and Peru. and especially among academics. any other elements of an indigenous peoples· heritage such as Reinhard. there is a double standard for the be publicly displayed. except in a manner deemed treatment of the dead. The legal and moral codes nor- appropriate by the peoples concerned" <Article 23>. mally relating to the handling of human remains and " Human remains and associated funeral objects must graves are ignored for Indigenous people. Although we be returned to their descendants and territories in a culare aware of no formal protests raised by Indigenous turally appropriate manner. as determined by the indigepeoples in Peru. many Native Americans feel the dead nous peoples concerned " <Article 21>. and should not be disturbed. studied or displayed at all. · Researchers and scholarly institutions should ...obtain Native American groups in North America have been formal agreements with the traditional owners for the fighting for protection of their ancestral burial sites and shared custody. use and interpretation of their herreburial of remains held by archeologists. Walter Echo- itage· <Article 33>. Hawk. who was a lawyer for the Native American The Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Rights Fund when Congress was considering NAG· Peoples. pending approval by the U.N. General PRA. says "If you desecrate a white grave. you wind up Assembly. also specifies the protection of burial sites. sitting in prison. but desecrate an Indian grave and you <Articles 12 and t 3. see attached article> It should not get a Ph.D .... and a fat check from National Geographic require a United Nations declaration to instill basic conit seems. The Washington D.C. based non-profit orga- sideration for the spirituality of a people. whether they nization supplied a grant of $100.000. mainly to fund be the ancient Inca or living descendants. " With this the second expedition. discovery. the spirit of Mount Ampato is challenging sciHad Reinhard and Zarate done what they did in the entists" says Eliane Lacroix-Hopson of Yachay Wasi: United States they would likely have been indicted for that despite legal limitations ... all involved should know grave-robbing under the provisions of The Native they are morally responsible in front of the Creator. American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Indigenous Peoples and their friends.· <NAGPRA>. Public Law t Ot -60Hsee section I 04 Hopefully during all the lesling. prodding. studying STAT.305t C> Fortunately for the anthropologist NAG- and analysis the scientists may actually learn something . PRA only applies within U.S . borders. Nevertheless. from the Incas: that they show respect for the dead. Vol. 10 No. 2 15 �C O N F RONTING C UL TURAL The United Nations The United Nations is taking an increased interest in cultural heritage and in the prote<:li~n of Indigenous rights. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has taken up the issue of the protection and restitution of cuhur· al property. For this purpose UNESCO established the Intergovernmental Comminee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (henceforth, just the Committee) which currently num- EXTINCT I ON NAGPRA: US Takes legislative Action for Repatriation In November 1990 the US Congress enacted Public Law 101-601, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. also known as NAGPRA. This law provides a legal infrastructure to aid in the protection and restitution or funerary remains~ and associated items of cultural patrimony. NAGPRA outlaws the traffic in such items. mandating a ma."<imum of five years in prison and/or a nne for "Whoever knowingly sells. purchases, uses for profit. or transports for sale or bers twenty-two member states of profit, the human remains of a Native UNESCO. h will hold its nimh session in Paris from September I 6-19. The eighth session was auended by sixty- American.. or "Native American cultur· al items"[ll70 (a)(b)) . NAGPRA also requires museums and other institu- nine nations, international customs tions receiving federal funding to sup- and legal bodies, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the International Council of ply inventories of their items and return Museums. Several important ideas were laid down including the rights of a people to expect legal protection of cultural property and secure aid in its return. The International Council of Museums has voluntarily agreed not to admil items into museum collections that are not proven 10 be legitimately acquired and 10 inform authorities if approached with illicit material. So far the Commiuee has not discussed any cases concerning Indigenous peoples. The United Nations Economic and Social Council's Commission on Human Rights adopted a declaration at its eleventh session providing for the protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples including. "the right 10 the restitution of cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken wlthom their free and informed con- sent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs." (Article 12). More recently. in june of 1995 the Economic and Social Council drafted the report entitled Protection of the heritage of Indigenous people. Although the repon lacks any real legal power. it helps to lend legitimacy 10 individual claims. 16 the items upon the request of a tribal authority. Thirty-four states have passed additional laws 10 fill gaps in the NAGPRA legislation. Although NAGPRA only applies 10 federally funded institutions within the United States, it has set a precedent with many museum authorities on an Zuni believe that when Spanish and US agents stole the communally owned figures from their designated resting places, it caused the spiritual imbalance that the world is suffering in this century. The return of the figures lO their shrines is necessary to reswre harmon)' and protect the Zuni communi!)< Anthropologist T.J. Ferguson, a member of the Ahayu:da repatriation effort, warns... It is extremely important that both tribes and museums recognize that the amount of time and money required 10 assemble information and reach an agreement can be substamial. • This was the case for the Zuni people, for whom the saga of the Altayu:da lasted nearly a centur)< The first objects were removed to the Smithsonian in 1897. In April of !978. Zuni leaders began repatriation effons by meeting for the first time with repre- The return of the figures to their shrines is necessary to restore harmony and protect the Zuni community. international level. Museum institutions in the US have also repatriated items to Indigenous communities in South America outside NAGPRAS jurisdiction. One notable case was the return of several rza11rtas (head trophies) from the Smithsonian Institute 10 the Shuar peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Austrian president, Thoma! Klestil, returned the mantle of Montezuma 10 Mexico. The beautiful mantle of feathers and gold had been out of Mexico for over 400 years. The Return of the Ahoyu:do An early and important repatriation effort in North America was the struggle of the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico 10 return the sacred Ahayu:da figures 10 their traditional resting places in tribal shrines. Figures representing the t"1n war gods, Uyuycmi and Maia~cwi are placed in shrines to harness their potentially destructive powers. The sentatives from the Denver An Museum. By 1992 the Zuni secured the return of 69 Altayu:da from 37 different sources. representing all known US copies. Most of the effons of the Zuni to repatriate the Ahayu:da were accomplished without any legal backing from NAGPRA, which was not passed until November of 1990. The struggle of the Zuni to mount their repatriation cam- paign was intense, but in the end they prevailed. Their success is due mainly 10 dedication and cooperation. The museums were not, at that time. required by law 10 cooperate with the Zuni requests, nor did the Zuni representatives seck a legal confrontation. Instead, the Zuni approached the maller by presenting a solid case to museum officials and embarking on a series of friendly negotiations. Cooperation and respect kept the negotiations from becoming adversarial. Although the museums stood to Abya Yala News �CONFRONTING lose valuable portions of their collections. they respected the sincerity and legitimacy of the Zuni appeals. One of the concerns the Smithsonian raised before agreeing tO return cultural artifacts 'vas the security of the figures. The Zuni developed elaborate measures. including surveillance of the shrines. to protect the Ahayt.:da from repeated theft. "Indian tribes requesting repatriation of human remains and artifacts should be ready. as the Zunis were, to address questions from museums about the security of artifacts after repatriation: says Ferguson. Repatriation appeals can even begin a friendly cooperation between muse- ums and Indigenous peoples. The Zuni provided valuable information to the museums regarding the nature and significance of items in the museum col- leclion and the museum provided a secure record of cullllral artifacts and histOry that they shared with the Zuni Pueblo. Zuni artists and ceramics stu· dems benefited from studying pottery in the Smithsonian collection . Zuni reli- gious leaders also guided the museums' curators in appropriate handling procedures for those sacred objects that remain in museum collections. "'The power and continuity of Zuni culture and religion have been reinforced by the return of the Ahayu:da to their shrine on the Zuni Indian Reservation, and that is good: says curator of ethnology and Zuni anthropologist. Edmund Ladd. The Sacred Weavings of Coroma For the Aymara people of Coroma in the southern Altiplano of Bolivia. the sacred garments of Coroma are communal artifacts that illustrate genealogies and are believed to embody the souls of their ancestors. Some garmems art 400 to 500 years old. In early 1988, Professor John Murra, a well·known ethnohistorian rrom Cornell University. received a postcard announcing an ethnic an exhibition in San Francisco that reatured the sacred weavings of Coroma. Vol. 10 No.2 CULT U RAL He recognized the weavings as those that had been stolen or bought illegally rrom the Aymara community in the late 1970s and 80s. He contacted the Bolivian embassy and social scientist Cristina 6ubba Zamora who was inventOrying the Coroma weavings at the time through HISBOL (a Bolivian grassroots development organization). Concerned community elders emphasized the importance of the weavings and considered the discovery of the art dealer~ collection as a sign of their ancestorS spirits wishing to return home. "When a sacred gannent is taken from the community, a Coromei\o believes that the spirits of the ancestors have been kidnaped: explains Susan Lobo, one of the advocates of the Coroma repatriation efforts. The Boli,;an embassy and two reprt· sentatives from Coroma comactcd United States authorities and in February of 1988 US Customs officials confiscated about 1000 objects (mOstly weavings) from the dealer. Delegates from Coroma then went to California to identify the collection confiscated by US Customs. ..Our ancestors must be so sad and lone· ly: oommemed one of the delegates viewing the weavings Native Americans in the US and academics joined Cristina Bubba Zamora in rallying support for the people of Coroma. A San Francisco law finn also aided the ooalition. With the backing of the UNESCO convention. signed by both the US and Bolivia. the return of Conynine of the weavings was secured. 1n September 1992, Bolivian President Zamora received the weavings from the US government on behalf of the people ofCoroma. The extreme difficulty and expense in tracing, identifying and proving that the weavings were purchased illegally 'vas a major obstacle in this case. Many items could not be detennined to be illicitly obtained and had to be returned to the dealer. The return of the weavings attracted renewed interest and respect for the ancestral religion among many younger Corome1\os who had previously shown less interest it\ traditional culture. EXTINCT I ON The success of the Zuni and Aymara in recovering sacred artifacts from museums and unscrupulouS collectOrs is an important step in the prevention of the extinction of Indigenous peoples' living culture. Currently. the UN Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is slowly taking shape. Now is the time for Indigenous peoples' to par· ticipatc in this document and work on the issue of repatria<ion rights. Perhaps most importantly, everyone can help by being vigilant for the appearance of sacred items in the ethnic an markeL 't' Thanhs to the followblg individuals who volunteered their time <md expertise to the n:s«>rch of <his al'ricle: Lynde! V. Prou, UNESCO ()'aris); Marie Samuet Yachay \Vasi, Inc.; Pollyarma Nordscr-<md, American Indian Ritual Objul Repatriation Found<llion. References Feest. Christian F. 1995 "REPATRIA· TION": A European View on the Question of Restitution of Nalive American Artifacts. European Review of Native American Studies. 9:2 pp33·42 . F owler. Brenda. Sunday, June 16, 1996. Should Just Anyone Be Allowed to Stare? The New York Times. Lacroix-Hopson, Eliane. The Inca Challenge. Winter 1995196. Yachay Wasip 'Simin' (Vol.ll No.3) Lobo, Susan. Summer 1991. The Fabric of Life. Repatriating the Sacred Coroma Textiles. Cultural Survival. Vol. 15. Merrill, William L.; Ladd, Edmund J.; Ferguson, T.J. 1993. The Return of the Ahayu:da: Lessons for Repatriation from Zuni Pueblo and the Smithsonian Institute. Cuffent Anthropology Chicago v.34 no 5, pp.523-567. Metz, Holly. April 1993. Remains to be seen: Relic repatriation fuels Native American activists. Student Lawyer. Vol. 21 No.8. Moffet, Barbara. National Geographic. Public Affairs Spokeswoman. (Phone lnteNiew July 16, 1996). R einhard, Johan. June 1996. Peru's Ice Maidens. Nationcl Geographic. pp62-81. 17 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reversing the Flow of Traffic in the Market of Cultural Property Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eric Bergman Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Reversing the Flow of Traffic in the Market of Cultural Property Item Type Journal Article Author Eric Bergman Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 13-17 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1996 Language English Abstract Note Indigenous nations have been conquered and exploited, thus their cultural icons being dispersed to countries all over the world. This article details the efforts of indigenous nations and the United Nations to return these cultural items to their rightful place. Attachment Title Reversing_the_Flow_of_Traffic_in_the_Market_of_Cultural_Property.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Cultural Identity Cultural Property Indigenous Peoples UNESCO United Nations http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/7c76f8893e2aef54532ac21c596baec5.pdf df626b86fd28d17f99f1a65c45c9f3a8 PDF Text Text Eco-Jusr1cE "DURING THE LAST 500 YEARS, MINING HAS BEEN, MORE THAN ANY OtHER HUMAN ACTIVITY, THAT WHICH HAS TRANSFORMED THE ECOSYSTEM OF LATIN AMERICA" ·ELIZABETH DORE (MEXICANliESEARCHER) 12 largeSt copper deposits in the world. ore than tw<nt)' five years after tht Ngobc-611gl¢ (Gua)'mi) people forst r.llscd their voie<s in protest over the immJncnl danger that the Cerro Colorado mming project presented to the regionS social, cultural ~nd en,rlronmcmal life. 1he same ghost of gold and copper fevtr has rctumcd to haum the region. M The various lndigenous communities surro\tndil'lg the 75,000 hectares granted to Panacobrc would be directly affwcd 1f the O'linmg cxploiHuion were to begin. Outing mining opcmtiOI'l S In the 1970s, t-ommunities were alarmed when the $..'\n Felix River, which originates at the b~\St of the Cerro C.olor.1do, brought thick mud down from the mount.'\in com:nninating other rivers and Sttcam.s. Ghosts of Cerro Colorado Mining Project continue to haunt the Ngobe-Bugle + by Anelio Merry Lopez Without taking mto account the Ngobc·Buglfs htstoric tights as original inhabitants of the regionS mountains, rivers and streams. the Panaman.i£~n go\·emmenl signed a new contract in 1996 with the mining company Panacobre S.r\. for the explo· mtion of Cerro Colorado. known to the Ngobcs as 'NgMuo Taint. This mounta_ is considered br geologists to be one of the il'l Vol. 10 NO.3 ll i.s very probable thal these w:.uerways will bt used to u·-ansport waste <'nd toxic Stlbstancts from mining sites which will undoubted!)' affect the hcahh of the Indigenous cqmmunities as wtll as lhe great diversity or animals thal usc the river daily. The concerns of the Ngobc-Buglf, of the peasant and social orgamzations, the church, human rights orgtmiuuions and of the community in general, stem not only from prtvious CXj>ericnccs with min· ing at Cerro Colorado (which caused enonnous environmental damage to the region ) bm :"tlso from experiences with other similar projects. During the time when the S.1.n Felix River experienced contamination. negative envuonmemal impacts were registtred. including the appearance of dead fish. shrunp and other SJ>CCICS t\long the riverS shorts. The river b«amc so polluted that j:>e:OJ>le wtrc forced to stop bathing in its waters. The transnational corporations together \\~th the national government worked to promote the mining project under the guise of development and progress and to generate ~m air of confusion among the Ng6be·6\1glt popuhuiOI\. 13 �Eco - J u sr1cE After the San Felt'= River disaster an evaluation was con· ducted to 3SSC.<s the projects im1>act on the Ng6be-8uglt. The teSts were onlr carried out for two months. an insufficient period of time w draw any meaningful conclusions, The mining project itself. however ,will take an)'wherc from 25 to 50 yeats. One of the largeSt imJXtctS that renewed mining at Cerro Colorado will have on the local Indigenous people is loss or '""t tracts of land which would further strain land rights issue in the region. \:Vith increased mining exploitation in 1he area. some Indigenous communities will undoubtedly be rorccd to relocate. According to Panacobre S.A.• thOS¢ affected by relocation will receive · just" reimbursements and will be allowed to retum to their lands once the opcrntion 1s finished. proce.sses. During this new mining procedure, tht rock frag· mems will be sprayed with a water and sulfuric acid solution which will travel in a dosed maze of tanks ::u'ld tubes. then the )3SSed on to a second tank where an orga1 liC: m1xturt will be J solution will be adde<l which separates copper. Finally. the mixl\lrc will be sent to a founh tank where it will receive elccuical charges to dislodge the copper omo a metal slab. 1\ccording to a cornmuniqu~ from the CommissiOI'l of Indigenous Afloirs of the legislative AsSembly of PanRma, as \VCII as many other communiquts demanding the susp·ension or the proJect. mining :u Cerro Colorado · represents a serious threat to the NgOble·Buglt people from the physical. social. cultural and environmentttl standpoint." In the past rear. various sectors have M INING AT organized to b.:mle against mining projects which threaten human and environmental CERRO survival. particularly the health or Indigenous people. Some e><ampll'S of local COLORADO organizing include: the S..1meno From Against Minmg (Frcnte Santeno Comra 1a "REPRESENTS Mineria) which wfts created in the Province of Los Samos last May: 1he A SERIOUS National From Against Mining (Frcmc Rivers near the mine. like the Cuibora and the Tabasara will Nacional de Lud1.1 Contra Ia Mincria } was THREAT TO THE most likely provide the great quamily of water required for the founded in june in the Province of Pan.a.ma: l-arge-scale mining e.-..ploitation. These rivers rt4'\y also be used the Indigenous and Peas.mt Front Against NGOBLE-BUGLE to construct a dam. as has been previously planned. Mining of Alto ll.1)'ano (the Frente lndigena PEOPLE FROM y Campesino de Alto ~ayano Contra Ia The Ng6ble-Buglt pointed out in testimony that "the con· Mineria) was fonned last August in the THE PHYSICAL, struction of h1ghw3ys has created dangerous consequences. for Kun:\ communhy of llx-di in Alto Bayano exan>ple. the earth removed during the dry season due to the and the ProvUlce or Veraguns . ront Against F SOCIAL, constnlCtion or the highway from Hato Chami to Nanci~o was Mining ( Provincia de Vcraguas Frente \Yashed into the rivers and Sl.rcams by Veraguen.se Contra Ia Mincria} was also CULTURAL AND THE RIVER the rains which prevented the local founded last August. ENVIRONcommunill.ts from crossing. Landslidts Minfng activity has always been and BECAME SO caused by the mining exploitation are MENTAL also a threaL continues to be a serious threat to the sur· \'!Val or Indigenous peoples. Mineral POLLUTED STANDPOINT ." The Panacobre mining corporation has exploitation inevitably disrupts the unique THAT PEOPLE 3nnounce:d that aftct completing its S)'mbiotic relationship which Indigenous pre-fe:tsibilit)' studies it has begun its people have "ith the land. Despite odvaneed tcchnolog•es nnd WERE FORCED £C"asibility studies in order to detenninc impact assessment evaluations. there is no guarn.mee that these the construction costs of minmg instal· projects will not affect the ecosystem, the environment or ilS TO STOP lations and later operations. These people. ~fining is continually promoted as an alternative devel· studies include a social and environ~ opmcm that will btneRt the lndigenous people m the are3. BATHING mental impact rcpon undenaken b)' when in reality the communities face relocation and displace· two consuhory firms. The first being a mem from their native land. and a host or illness which are an IN ITS Canadian firm, Hallam Knight Piesold inevitable consequence or polluting mining activities. ..,. WATERS. and the other a Pamnnanl:m company. Panamanian Ecological ConS\IIt:mts (Consuhores Pana.mcnos £cologicos. S.A). The rc1>0n. now in Tht oulb/Jr is o Kuno ;ovmolisl who htn (OtJtfibuleJ lo numt-1~ per~dicals and pvbfJ. wM. its second phase, include-s the Study of rive:rOows, the quality or (Q~IU tJnd hM (O<ptodU<td vtuious todia ptogtams oboul KfllfQ is Ht ohc wotk$ with tht Mo<rimiento dt to Jvrtlltud Ku~M~ (Ku~M~ Youth Movtmtnl}, water, the flora, vegetation, cultuml characteristics of the areas' inhabitantS and lhe fenility of the land. ll is estimmcd that in the Cerro Colorado area there are 1,360 million metric tOns of copper mixed with traces of molyb-denum. gold, silver. as well great quamities of suUur found in pyrite. Annu-ally, tbe mining project would t xunct .113 million metric tons of rock from Cerro Colomdo out of an open air mine pit. The 26 million metric tons or w-aste produced by this extraction and tr.msponed in pipes toward tht coast, does not include the \Y:\Ste produced dtuing the processing of the minerals. Panacobre will employ mining technologies known as "lix· iviacion en pitas'". '"solvent exn<lction" and "'electro·deposltion" which :according to them arc sa.fe and en,Jironmcntally sound 14 A bya 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. 11, no. 1 (Spring 1998) 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 Ghosts of Cerro Colorado Mining Project Continue to Haunt the Ngobe-Bugle Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merry Lopez Anelio Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 1998 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Ghosts of Cerro Colorado Mining Project Continue to Haunt the Ngobe-Bugle Item Type Journal Article Author Anelio Merry Lopez Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 13-14 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring 1998 Language English Abstract Note The Panamanian government has signed a contract with a mining company which will lead to an exploitation off Cerro Colorado, significantly harming the large Indigenous population. Toxins from mining is likely to do much harm, and mining itself is a serious threat to the Noble-Bugle peoples way of life. Attachment Title Ghosts_of_Cerro_Colorado_Mining_Project_Continue_to_haunt_the_Ngobe-Bugle.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Cerro Colorado Exploitation mining Panama http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/8dbc1fcc612000a0e67f64653e3bd800.pdf 30938a135c2e406ada6f3588b27ab512 PDF Text Text obey them. Around Sururucus, there arc a lot of goldminers. The federal polke have not taken them out. They tried, but what they did was to get the nice gold-miners out, not the bad and mean ones. I am a Yanomami Indian who understands the non-Indian world. I keep asking President Collor to expel the gold miners from our territory. President Collor has been to Surururus, but. .. on ly to a military base... That is the only thing he saw. President Collor knows that the situation is not good. So I am asking o ther people to con tin ue pressuring the Brazilian government to help expel the goldminers. I spoke to the United Nations, which gave me an award. I told them that the prize did not help my people. So I am asking the UN to help the Yanomami people to pressure the Brazilian government to remove the goldminers from our area. Also, we want the Organization of American States. .. to help us as friends. I don't think it is just the Brazilian government. You should pressure every government in the world b«ause they arc all alike, and they should help us. .. Protect the Indians, protect the rivers, the mountai.n s, the forest. We need to survive. It is very important for them too. It is not only the Yanomami but also the non-Indians. We all depend on the land. So if they do not protect the land, all of humanity will die. To you whom I am sending this message, what I am asking is to do something to help the Brazilian Ind ians, and also all the Ind ians of the world, because the Indians want to live in peace. Not only the Indians who live in the forest but also the Indians who live in the dty and the nonIndians who arc living in the dty arc suffering because the government should pay attention to all of us and do something to help us. I am going to say something else... about the 19 islands of Yanomami land that former President Samey demarcated. We Yanomami Indians do not want to live in islands. We want to be safe. The gold miners arc going to enter our islands... We need a con tin uous area and a big area in order to be able to fiSh and hunt and live well. We want all of our land united. In regards to the government operation that is supposed to take out the gold miners... they have not taken out all of the gold miners. The operation has stopped because the government says that they do not have money... ! know the government authorities, the Brazilian au thorities, and I know the politicians and I know the way they work. My feeling is that they do not want to take the gold miners out... What they really want is to be here and exploit our resources. That is why they do not want to solve our problems. (Su Davi.p . 45) Vol6 Nos 1&2 Some Ground is Made in the Struggle for the Construction of a Yanomami Park President Collor finally obeyed the Brazilian court dedsion and revok ed former President Samcy's illegal dccrccs dividing Yanomami territory into 19 'islands' and create three illegal mining reserves. But optimism about a decisio n on a Yanomami Pari< soon diminished when Collor announecd he was setting up a group to study Yanomami boundaries. On April19, National Day of the Indian, he signed a decree calling for a proposal for the demarcation of the Yanomami territory to be presented to him wlthi.n six months. During Presid ent Collor's visit to the Un ited States in June, environmental and Indian support grou ps informed him that the evacuation of the gold-miners in the Yanomami area had been paralyzed and the gold-miners had again invaded an extensive part of the Yanomami territory. Upon returning to Brazil, Collor fired FUNAI prosldent Cantidio Guerrciro Guimaracs. Meanwhile, the government pla.n ned to begin on July 19, the third operation to expel the gold-miners from the Yanomami territory using a sum of $1.8 million. The government's plans for the gold-mi ncrs Is being questioned. It was reported that the intcnton is to incorporate several thousand expelled gold-miners i.n to agricultural projects. If the projects are set up near the Yanomami area, it is certain that they will re-invade the territory. Sydney Possuelo, the new prosidcnt of FUNAI published a resolution on July 22, 1991, calling for the demarcation of the Yanomami territory as a contiguous area of9,419,108 hectares, located in thcstatesof Roraima and Am.uonas. This was signed by President Collor. The government is estimating that it will cost $6 millio n to demarcate the territory. Last Minute News Ill On November 14, President Collar de Mello granted "pennanent rights" over 36,358 squa re miles to the Yanomamilll � 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. 6, nos. 1&amp;2 (spring/summer 1991) 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 Some Ground is Made in the Struggle for the Construction of Yanomami Park Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1991 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Some Ground is Made in the Struggle for the Construction of Yanomami Park Item Type Journal Article Volume 6 Issue 1,2 Pages 21 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1991 Language English Abstract Note Brazil attempts to create Yanomami National Park. Attachment Title abyayala_v06n01_02_p021.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] FUNAI Yanomami