22 12 1190 http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/5dbe040c340b0cd3b68f7ee37642a51c.pdf 60ce7da168052ff0367f24fdc0e30402 PDF Text Text JOURNAL , OF THE SOUTH AND MESO AMERICAN INDIAN RIGHT-5 EENTER (SAIIC) PRICE $4.00 , Indigenous ~ultures Continue to Vanish from the Americas Linking Indian Peoples of the Americas �Aby·a Yala N ews E<tltors: SAne Soard o( Director's journal Coordination & layout: Gir.es COf'l'\brisson CoNTENTs Copy EditOtS: SAIIC Staff SAIIC Staff Oi1 'CCtOf": Amalia Dixon Administrative Coofdinator-: David Rothschtld journal Coordinator: G~les Combrisson Radio Program Coon:!inator: Laura Soriano Mol'ales SAIIC Interns Ge..ard Schuhing Jennifer MorleY Eric 8er)!man In Brief ................................ .3-5 Fan-ah Vacca Confronting Cultural Extindion Carolina and Andrea Balazs SAIIC Board of Directors Peru: Disease Threats to the Urarina .............6 Wara Alder<te (Cakhaqui -~tina) Alejandro Amaru Argumedo (Q<i&h'!'·PC<V) N1 ~veo _(I"'!~·A!:&Mttna) lo Wichi: Fighting for Survival in Argentina . . . . . . . .. 10 Mariana Ojvquin .( ichua-Ecuador} Guillermo. Qctgado Quechua·BoiNia) Carlos Maibc:th (M1 skito-Nkaragua) Gina Pacaldo (San Carlos ~che-Chicana) Repatriation of Cultural Artifacts ....... . . . . . . .. 13 Laura Soriano Morates (M ixteca·Z~te<:a-Mexko) Ma.n::os Yoc (Maya·'Kaqc.hJ kei·Guatemala) Not Dead Yet: The lncan Mummy Controversy . . .. 14 Self Determination and Territory Interview with Luis Macas . . .. . . . . .. .. . .. . . . .. 18 Conversation with Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez .......22 Gold M in ers Invade Yanomami . , ........... . ..25 Bolivia: Marchers Take to La Paz . .. . .. . ........27 Decree 1775 Update: Eight Territories Revised ....28 Venezuela: Indigenous Request Support . .. . .....29 Environment Hidrovia: Rio Paraguay Declaration Human Rights Colombia: Mobilization to End Violence . .. . . . . ..31 Subscriptions: Yala News (ISSN 1071-)182) is published quarin Eng!i'Sh and Spanish. It is available for an an~"MJal 25 ~1"$()('131 membetShip. US$1 S low-income subscripti<:>o. US$2S fo.- lndigenouslsocial justi<:e non-profits. US$40 institutions. For Canada and Mexico add US$5. fOf' an other intematiooal membef'Shi~ add US$10.Your dot\ations he!p us scod the journal free in Spanish to Indigenous organizatiorts in Ule Soutt'\, W e ' '•'ekon"le subn'Vssions of articles. letters. photographs and relevant infotmation. lettCfS and articles may be ed'Md for length. If )<XI ~ access to a computer. ~ S<tld )'>Ur article on paper and oo an Maccompabble ) I12 inch disk. Send all con-espondetl<:e to: SAIIC P.O. Box 28703 Oakland, CA 94604, USA Phone:'IS I 0) 834-•263 Fax: (S'I OL834-4264 e-mail: saiic@igc.apc.org We would like to thank the following individuals and or:ganizations for their generous assistance to Abya Yala News: Bil'r R Trice )r. jennifer Morley. Stefano Varese. Glenn S\~ Bob SitJe<. Christy Andrews. Gia N, Gran~ Renate Voertle<: Fr<derique Apffcl Marglin. M<llie SamJel Lynd<ll V. ProtL Christie Andrews. Pol)'ilnna Nordstrand. $peciallhanks to Vod<ie Ward and judith Stronach. Organizations: Survival International. lnstituto SociOambicntal. CONI . Ame<;nd;a (Spain). CEDIS C Bolivia). DoCip (Switzerland). Grupo Karumant.l USA). Rainforest Action Networic (USA).TIP! (Spain). undaoon poe lo$ Puelllos lndigenas ($pain). Agenc.a EFE (Spain). ~ Publications: NAORP (UC Davis. USA). P""""'ia Lit..-.ria (BoiNia\. Revista Ojarasca (Mexico). NAClA (USA). Hoy (L.a I>..). Advertisements ................... ......34 Acknowledgements . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..... .. .35 Thanks to the following foundations for their generous support: John 0 . and Catherine T. MacArthur Four\dation. General Service Foundation. Public Welfare Foundation.j udith Stronach Fund of the Van~ard Pubfic Fovndaoon. Fou~tion Cor Deep EcolOgy. Funding Exchange. • A9y.l Yala is the KuM v.<OrQ for which indu<fes an of the Ameri<as. Contin-ent o( life lndexed:AJten\ative Press lndc.x. Ethnic News Watch. SAIIC is lo cated at 1714 Franklin Street, Jrd Floor, Oakland. CA, 94612. Pleaso send all cor· respondence to the P.O. Box address above. �IN BRIEF n this issue. we focus on the distressing concept of cultural extinction. Five hundred years after Columbus. entire Indigenous cultures are still slowly smoldering out, like neglected fires. The arrival of novel diseases, the usurpation of Indigenous territories. and the appropriation of Indigenous peoples' ancient artifacts are leading to the disappearance of distinct peoples, their languages. their unique ways of Ufe. In an auempt 10 deal with the ongoing extinction of culture in the Americas. we approach the topic from three distinct angles: the physical. environmental. and spiritual. Our piece on the Urarina in Peru shows us how the biological contamination of the Americas is an ongoing process that continues 10 ""pe out entire peoples to this day. We then feature an article on the Wicbr people, whose large population belies the en,oronmental crisis that threatens to wipe them out. Finally, we discuss the issue of the theft of a peoples spiritual heritage as a means of "preserving· them forever behind a display case. I Along ""'h our focus on extinClion. more optimistic articles follow on the recent political and cuhural accomplishments of Indigenous peoples in Latin America. Jo a conversation with Mayan novelist Gaspar Pedro GonzAles. we discover how a Mayan ani.st persevered through Guatemala$ years of violence 10 publish his works, and inspire others 10 do the same. We also discuss ex-CONAIE president Luis Macas' recent election 10 the National Congress in Ecuador. and the implications not only for the future of this nation-Slate but for the lndigenous movement. We show how Indigenous peoples are actively participating in na<ion-sta<e politics. whereas until 1992. with few exceptions. we remained expectant of public life, essentially without a voice. Today the focus has shifted instead to the need 10 redefine tlte nature of lite nation-state as Indigenous peoples participate in it. Indigenous peoples have become actors in the construction of new democracies. and the re-writing of outdated constitutions. As forceful as Indigenous peoples' struggle is, undemocratic practices persist. As a follow-up 10 the situation in Brazil, we feature an anicle on the fallout from the passage of Decree 1775. as well as a piece on the Y anomami showing how they have yet to free themselves of the death and violence of colonization. We move on 10 Colombia, where an intensifying conflict fueled by the greed of narco-traf(\ckers and the corrupti0/1 of government officials has placed Indigenous peoples in an impossible squeeze. with tragic consequences as indicated by the recent rash of murders of Indigenous leaders. On the positive side again, SAIIC and several Indigenous confederations o[ Latin America have gained world recognition as our voices are invited to places where decisions that affect Indigenous peoples are made. Facing economic globalization and the increasingly aggressive extraction of Indigenous peoples' resources. Indigenous nmions are coming together and working to secure their rights in numerous occasions. For example, SAIIC, together with other entities. is involved in orga· nizing the Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biodiversity in Buenos Aires in November 1996. In this way. we ha"e encountered an imernational audience of concerned citizens that. affected similarly by globalization and neolibcralism. conscious!> continue lO follow the issues and to panicipate with us. • Ultimately. this issue and every issue of Abya Yala News seeks 10 fos<er a world community that is beuer educated and that cominues 10 listen 10 and respect the Indigenous voice. In this regard. we take the opportunity, in the section usually kept for SAIIC News, to acknowledge those who have supponed our endeavours in outstanding ways in the past and present. SAIIC 6oard of Directors Vol. 10No. 2 3 �H BRIEF Ecuador: Occidental Signs Unconscionable and Fraudulent Agreements in the Amazon S-based transnational OCCIDENTAL is currently negoti· aring with Indigenous communities in Ecuadorian Amazonia, offering linle more than twentieth century trinkets--<:hainsaws, medicine chests, and rain-coats-in exchange for undefined access to Indigenous territOry for "petroleum activities.• OCCIDENTAL is one of the worlds largest oil companies, currently operating in over eleven different countries outside the US, and extracting over 200,000 barrels of crude per day. Indigenous communities have been pressured ro sign completely inadequate agreements, in the presence of the military- agreements which oblige the communities to allow the companies to carry our undefined petroleum exploration and extraction activities for undefined periods of time. Occidental has used various fonns of coercion 10 secure agreements \vith the leaders of the Indigenous communities. Leaders of the Secoya report that prior to negotiations, the legal representative of Occidental threatened to bring the military to the community. Occidental's legal representative also told Secoya communi!)' leaders that "they did not want to see anyone else at the discussions.• Such statements amount to coercion and directly violate the Secoya people's right tO independent consultation. In one instance, Occidental brought a draft agreement to the negotiations and was very reluctant to include any of the proposals made b)• the community. In the end, only a vague reference to the possibility of temporary employment was included . In previous discussions, Occidental had wid the community that the company onl)• ' vamed pem1ission to do seismic testing. However, the agreement signed permits Occidental to carry our any form of "petroleum activity." A Secoya leader later realized that the granting of pem1ission for "petroleum activities" was a mistake, and asked Occidental to change the agreement. Occidental also reportedly told Secoya leaders that the company could not pay in advance because they didn\ have the money. To explain this situation, the company used the analogy that "a farmer cannot pay the rent for the land until he's harvested allrhe com.• The company also told the Secoya leaders that if they did not gram permission, the Ecuadorian government could expropriate the land and the community could lose its territory. Occidental operates in an area of over 200,000 hectares called Block 15. This block includes a pan of the Limoncocha Biological Reserve, a protected area, and pan of the Secoya, Siona, and Quichua Indigenous territory. Occidental signed an agreement with the Ecuadorian government that grams the company extraction rights for 20 years. Using Occidentals own estimates of the existing reserves, the entire production of Block 15 will supply the equivalent of US oil consumption for just 12.7 days. U lnfomwlion from: Carlos Sergio Flguein:do Tawz 4 Write lerrers 10 rhe direaors of oecidenral corporation denouncing rhe immoral and illegal way in which rhey are carryi11g out negolialiOIIS. demand char rhey suspend negoriarions and condua all future negoriations erhiwlly <md legally: Ray R. Irani, Preside111 and Chief Execurive Officer, Occiderual Petroleum, 10889 Wilshi~ Boulevard, Los Angtles, CA, 9002'1-'1201; Masrorm Cum1ingham, Occidenral Explorarion and Produaion Co.. A>< Amazonas 3837 y Corea, Casilla 17 -15-0095-C, Quito, Ecuador Chile: South and North American Indigenous Peoples to Protest Chilean Dam Project A n historic meeting of Indigenous peoples from North and South America has been scheduled to coincide with the annual meeting of the worlds largest association of dam construction and hydroelectric technology companies. At issue is the planned construction by ENDESA, Chiles largest private company, of Ralco Dam, the second in a series of six dams planned for the Biobfo River, ancestral Andean homeland of the Pehuenche Indians The Indigenous delegation will begin its activities in Chile on October 9 in Santiago, culminating in a demonstration at the annual meeting of the International Consortium on Large Dams (!COLD) in Santiago on October 16. Despite the fact that 100 Pehuenche Indian families, Chile's most traditional Indigenous group would have their villages flooded by the project, no relocation plan was included in ENDESAS em~ronmental impact statement, which was submiued in April to Chilean environmental authorities. The Pehuenche say they are determined to exercise their rights guaranteed under Chilean law ro remain on their ancestral lands, and have called for support from North American Indigenous people, many of whom have personall)• experienced the impacts of large dams. Nine native peoples from the Nonh will be making the trip to meet the Pehuenche, and ro participate in political discussions, spiritual ceremonies. and public demonstrations. The delegation includes prominent leaders from diverse Indigenous communities and nationally-based Native American organizations. Ralco would be a 155 meter-high dam with a 3,400 hectare reservoir. The dam would generate 570 Mega,vatts of electricity at a cost of $500 million . The dam would also Oood over 70 km of the river valley, inundating the richly diverse forest and its \vildlife, and leaving downstream portions of the river dry for months at a rime, devastating fish stocks. The first dam on the Biobfo, called Pangue, was constructed after the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank assured investors that it would be the only dam built on the river. In response 10 a complaint by the Pehuenche and Chilean environmentalists, the World Bank has now initiated a formal inquiry into irregularities in the Pangue loan. Environmemal groups and Chilean Energy Commi.ssion officials have questioned the need for construction of Ralco, Abya Yala News �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 Andrts 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 with 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 $ah'3doran army. It The International Brotherhood of Human Rights has proremains today a s.1cred place for them and they ask that it be posed the creation of a human rights commission in the area. respected . The Church in turn has suggested that a Reconciliation Since january a number of violent actions have been Commission be set up in conjunction with international directed at the Indigenous people of the region. such as on observers. Nothing has come of any of this. however. january 27 when unknown masked individuals entered the The Cacique requested that impunity be stopped and that community at midnight and nred bullets on the house of the the results of the inveStigations of the murders under way be spiritual leader and Indigenous leaders connected to ANI$. 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 State 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 �C 0 N F R 0 N T_:_.!:.....:~_.::'-"'-"- T U R A L :..._: I N G C U L-' E X T I N C T I ., N' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0'---" New and Old Disease Threats in the Peruvian Amazon: The Case of the Urarina by Ritchie Witzig An estimated 90% of Indigenous people in the Americas died after exposure to novel infectious diseases brought by Europeans- and over half the Indigenous groups once present in the Americas have become extinct. Biological extinction mandates cultural extinction, although in the modem era cultural loss may preclude physical extinction. Isolated Amazonian peoples that have managed to keep their culture and language intact remain at risk of biological and cultural extinction. The Urarina of the Peruvian Amazon are one group still struggling with increasing threats to their physical survival as a people. he Umrina have lived in the Chambim and Urituyacu river basins for at least half a millennium. The word "Umrina" is thought to be derived from the Quechua root words of "people" and "below"-meaning the "people from below." The)' call themselves "KacM," meaning "the people." The Umrina have remained relatively isolated due to the remoteness of their settlements and by choice. The blackwater river basins where the)' live are supplied by a giant T Rircltie IVitzig is an irifeuious diseases physician currently direc1ing medical projects in 1he Amazon and Andean regions of Peru. 6 aguajal. or swamp, providing insulation from an)• incursions from the nonh, east. and west. The Umrina are ecologically flexible, able 10 live both on the low-nutritional blackwater rivers or in the rainforest. They have resisted missionary influ. ence and cultuml integmtion (from colonists). All these factOrs may be the reason the Umrina speak a unique language, and have survived as a distinct people. However, in the present their traditional territory has been invaded, and they have yet to affiliate with any Indigenous rights group. Not surprisingly, the Peruvian government has not officially registered their lands. Incursions of "foreigners" (non-Urarinas) intO Urarina traditional lands are currently from river Abya Y News ala �CONFRONTING traders. loggers. colonistS. oil explorntion teams. and recently. "drug· voyeur· tounsts. All of these groups ha'-e brought s•gn•fic:~nt dlS<asc pressure on the Uranna that threatens thear way of life and Sul'\ival. Rl\'er trnders. loggers. and colomStS commg from lqunos to explon tht Ur.mn• and thear land for natural resources are known to ha"e transport· ed two measles ep1dem1cs m the late 1980s and 1991. They certamly brought the cholera ep1dem1c of September 1991 and October 1993 upri"er from tqu1tos. as well as dengue r.-·er and different strams of g;~Strom­ testinal and respiratory d1seases to which the Urarina have had no preVIous immunological exposure. The traders and colonists also bnng m poor nutri· tiona! quality foods such as nee and sugar that arc altering the d1ct in some Urarina villages. The Urarina tr:Jditionol diet is high in protein which prc"ents malnutrition. even under the stress of several infections. Once their diet includes more refined foods. malnutri· tion and consequently disease morbid I· ty (the rate of Incidence of a dl.seasc) and mortality will prob.1bly increase. The oil explorntion and dnlling teams are from Petroperu facihtles bordering Urnrina territory. but their personnel arc imported from \"Orious areas in Peru. An oil pipehne crosses under the Chambira nver JUSI before the con· Ouence of the Tignllo. on llS way from Trompeteros on the Comentes to S:lramuro on tht Marallon. The p1pehne then courses across the Andes to the Pacific. The northern secuon of th1s pipehne crosses Uranna l•nd JUSI nonh of the agua)<JI (swamp) suppl)•ng the water for thear nvers Petroperu has planned a huge Chambu-a 011 drlihng project tn the centtr of Uranna land as soon as they rece1ve stanup moneys The cultural. b1olog>eal. and ccol<>g~cal effectS on the Uranna '"II hkely be devastating. 01l dnlhng teams are renowned ror lransponang new stmms of malaria and sexually tr:msnuned diS· eases mto temtoncs they explon. The Urarina do not marry outside thear Vol. 10No. 2 CULTURAL EXTINCTION group and se><-ually transmitted diseases are not yet a problem among them. New StrainS or malart.1, however. are CUrrtnt· ly dcc1matmg the Urarina peopi<S. In the past twoyears.twoAmeric:~ns ha"e amnged "Jungle ecolog)• tours· that mclude a two week trip up the ., Amazon and Marafton ri\'trs, and recently the lower Chamb1ra nver. Dunng the nver tour. a ·shaman· from tquuos manufactures the sacred hallu· c1nogtn1C ayahuasca (Banistcriop<is caapt) for the tounStS to dnnk and ·expenence the JUngle hke the nati,-es." Fmally. they amve m Uranna villages to "look at the lnd1ans" and take pictures. Right after a tour mthe spring of 1995. most or the children m one ,;llage which had been "isned c:~me down with a res1mmory ailment requiring antibi· l 1 Petropcu operations on the Maral'lon. otics to recO\•cr. This infection was most likely SUI>phed by these "drug-voyeur" tourists rrom overseas. The Urarina are alanned at this invasion. especially as they know the tour operators are armed with weapons and Hike drugs, effectively mocking the Urarina religious ceremonies. The affected ,;llages organized to write n compktint lO the P eruvian Ministries of the Interior and Tourism in lqunos. and the rlmerican Embassy in L1ma. demandmg that the indi\iduals respons1ble be barred from their lands. In August 1992. a medical sun-ey was IOHlally conducted in Urarina territory As the Urarina had pre\'iously ne\'er seen a ph)'Stcian, 1t took eight days before a four-year-old girl was brought forward 1n critic:~l condition suffenng from malaria. amotbic dysen· tery. and three types of wonn mfect1ons. After she recovered. commumty mem· bers were Interested 1n complementing thear 0\\11 soph1st1cated tthnobotanical med1c1nes to ple\·ent morbidity and monoht}' from n.-v d1seases. These maJ. ad1es mduded mostly recently introduced d1seases. such as the deadly cholera and ma.lana. Uranna communi· tits suffered gra"ely from the introduction of cholera into the Chambira river system m September 1991 (cholera \\'35 remtroduced into South Americ:~ in january 1991). Some communities ... they arrive in Urarina villages to "look at the Indians" and take pictures. Right after a tour in the spring of 1995, most of the children in one village which had been visited came down with a respiratory ailment requiring antibiotics to recover. 7 �CONFRONTING CULTURA L Children are especially at risk of diseases like malaria. reported population losses of up to 20%, an incredibly high population mortality rate even rrom this well· known disease that can k ill in less than 12 hours. A second epidemic of cholera in the Chambira with significantly less mortality followed in October 1993 after village health workers had been trained to treat cholera. Urarina communities also suffer from endemic vi\'W: malaria. which still produces significant mol'bidity and contributes to mortality especially among children, pregnant women , and the elderly. Other important illnesses documented in Urarina cotnmunities in the initial 1992 survey were helminth infections. dysentery (amoebic and bacillary). and viral and bacterial respiratory infections. After the initial medical survey was performed, the Urarina communities elected 3 \ollage health workers (VHWs) who were then trained to diagnose and treat the most common medical illnesses. The VHW communities were provided medical supplies for their village as well as any surrounding Urarina comrnunity in need. VH\oVs and the Urarina people are encouraged to con· tinue using and developing their own medical system for r nany ailments 8 EXTINCTION which it can ameliorate. further medical surveys from August to October 1993, February to April 1994, January to April 1995, and October to December 1995 revealed progressive disease threats. furt hered training of the VHWs. and replenished medical supplies. When the second wave of cholera came up the Chambira, the VHWs were ready to give oral rehydration solutions and tetracycline to the sick. Only one fata l case was reported from the VHW villages after that outbreak. The most recent disease th reat to the Urarina has been the deadly Plasmodium falcipan~m malaria strain. Previously confined to small areas of Peru. in the last 5 years this strain has spread across most of northeastern Peru. It first appeared in the Urituyacu river system 2 years ago, and spread into the Chambira river from the TigriHo river in 1995. The Urarina region has been the most affected. The malaria research lab in lquitos has identified a staggering 79% of all P. falciparum cases in July. August. a nd September 1995 to have originated rrom the r nain river systems in which the Urarina live (Chambira, Urituyacu. and Corricmes). However. these figures still underestimate the severity of the new malarial suain on the Urarina. since most of their cases ar c never reported . A further p roblem is that the new strain has grade II (two) drug resista nce. While colonists on the lower Chambira and Tigrillo rivers are seeking the most effective drug treatrnent at medical posts on the Marat'\on and Amazon rivers, it is unavailable to the Urarina because of logistical and financial reasons. To illustrate the seriousness of the epidemic, the Urarina village of Tagual had 6 people (5 children and one pregn ant woman) out of 80 die or the new strain the week before the last medical survey and supply trip arrived. All other Urarina communities experienced monalit)' rrom the new strain, ahhough at a lower rnte. What is to become of the Urarina? The most negative spin on the future must be confronted as a potential reali· ty. If the past is any measure regarding Indigenous peoples in Peru. the government will attempt to assimilate them into Peruvian society. Young Urarina men, for example, will be drafted to do their mandatory military service for • fatherland" Peru. Colonists will continue invading Urarina territory. Petropem will drill in the Chambira oil field. Ecological destruction a nd introduced diseases will gradually decimate them. Urarina mao dying of cholera, treated fOt the d isease just in time. Many people do not survive this treatable illness. for the optimistic spin, the Urarina could remain where they are, in their own territory and self·sufficient. Since Peru is a signatory of the International Labor Organization Convention 169 which effectively advocates for the defense of Indigenous cultures, it could legally recognize their territory. This would lead to their self-detem>ination. and the control of their own destiny. Thankfully. a few optimistic signs have emerged for the Urarina. First, Peruvian anthropologists have succeed· ed in petitioning the Peruvian Department of Agriculture o n their Abya Yala News �CONFRONTING behalf to conduct a population survey, the first step necessary for land titling. The survey is being conducted by the Peruvian NGO CEDIA (Centro Para el Desarrollo del lndlgena Amaz6nico). The s11rvcy started in November 1995. with expected completion in late 1996 or early 1997. However. this is only a start. With the odds stacked against them, the Urarina will likely ne<!d political support from outside Peru or they will join the long line of extinct cultures and peoples left behind by the ongoing colonization of this continent. 1' CULTURAL EXT I NCTION Map showing Urarina territcxy in the blackwater systems of the Chambira and Urituyacu. The rivers drain from a swamp to the north, helping to isolate the Ucarina. Thanks to Rafad M<za, !..dis Ri\•era Chdi'<Z, )ost Morosco. jotge Quintana Zurita. Luis Icomcna, and Massitl Astendos Linares for their comribulions ro Urarina stlf-dtttnnfnation and d1e Urarir~a medical project To call am:ntion to and protctl d1t Urarina~ territorial iruc:grity: \\~tt the Pr'tZ.itlent of Penl, Alberto Fujimori, urging him to secur~ the Urarina and other Indigenous peoples' tenitorial right.s and to stop destruaive~ h1vasive tourism into Indigenous peoples communities. Send your letters to Ministerio de la Presidencia, -1297 Paseo de Ia Reptlbliea, Uma 1, Peru. To proUGl Indigenous peoples from importtd diseases: If you ar< working with isolated Indigenous p<oples (muhropologiSIS, I!Uman righ!s workers. ttc.), pitas< co>ifinn that bo<h you and your local guides ha,• all rile ncU$$ar)' \'QCt cinations and prophylactic medications. A.ny pttSCn panicipating in rlfe project who is curn:ntly ill should tftlter b< left lxltind, or the project should lx delayed until that pefS()n has r<eovcn:d. 8AAZil If you a•• engaging in <<Olowism, please do ·cxoric'" tou~ pmmising to mttt isolat<d p<oples. There is no advantage for them to meet you. Tlu: tour operators arc in businas to makt money. Tour operators lla\'t no incentive to P'~'·tnt disc(lS( or impto\'t hetdth among thes< peoples. Pitas< inform local Indigenous organizations or 01hcr adequate cnririts of tour operacol'S operating u.ndcr such co11ditions. 1101 enroll in Vol. 10 No.2 i i ·Map Areas oil operation contracts and areas d irectly operated by Petroleos del Peru: Block 8 falls directly on top of the Urarina's territcxy. 9 �CO N FRONTING CULTURAL EXTINCT I ON "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 riverS surface. Plunging the net over the fish and swinging downward. the catch is enveloped in the trap. Swirtly and with minimal impact on the aquat- S ic environment, a natural resource takeover or their land by outsiders. What was once a renile grassland dotted with bushes and trees has become a dry. sandy desert, and with the shimmering chest-high grasses have gone many or the animals the Wichi used to hunt. Today, although numerically the Wichi are not in danger or disappearing. 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 1he deepening nizing and trying desperately to secure crisis raced by the \Vichi people: For 90 their land. The occupation or the Wichi pcO· years. they have end\1red the gradual 10 pie's land aucsts 10 an Argentinian ver- sion or "ManireSl Destiny," the guiding ideology behind the colonization or the North American \Vest Since the arrival or europeans, but particularly since the tum or the century, the Wichi have surfered continuous harassment. inter~ spersed with serious bouts or violence in which large numbers of 1ndigenous people were killed. Along with disease, the well-armed scnlcrs introduced herds or caule, which dC\>aStated the rragilc arid landscape. Today, the Wichi are Still rairl)' 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 SC\'en villages will share the usc of the overlapping areas. Each community usually consists of one or more dans. People belong to their mothers' clans: in matrilocal Wich! society. men move to their wife's village upon marrying. The Wich! people live in an intimate relationship with their surroundings. Their small houses of mud. branches and leafy boughs are well adapted to the scorching temperatures that reach so• 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: sutrvation because their traditional sources of food are disappearing. In the winter they depend on fish from the Pilcomayo river and in the summer on vegetables grown in their gardens on what liule land they have left. All too often, the sculers' cattle trample the gardens. undaunted by the Wichrs fences of thorn bushes. The \vild fruits and berries they used to gather and the animals they used to hunt are gone. Now. even 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, beans and pumpkins grown in their gardens. which they encircle \\fith U state government of Salta province C in the shade in summer. During the thorny branches 10 try to prevent the seulers' caule from invading. They hunt 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 sculers as having legal rights to the land. and proposed to give each sculer. as well as each of the 30 Wichl commu- nities in the area. title to a small parcel of land. By this time, the sculers 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 or 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 and Chulup! peoples. 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 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 emoronment 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. h is a --- - phenomenon which it estimates tnay threaten the livelihood of one billion people worldwide, including the Wich!. In November 1995. a coalition of donors, governmems. NGOs and grass- roots 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_l -= X_T I_N C T I _O ~--------------------------~~~ F~R O ~~~N G C ~ E~ ~ ~~~ ~N 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 dependent on the rivers targeted by Hidrovfa, which includes the Wichl, the environmental 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 that is completely against the interests of the Indians and, if approved, would deprive them or huge tracts of their territory. 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 free-market system. the Argentinian government undertook a regional development plan linking Paraguay with nonhwestern Argentina and. ulti~ 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 Wichl, a bridge is currently being buill 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 Wichi territory to link this town with Tartagal. The massive Paraguay·Param1 Hidrovfa industrial waterway project is also pan of that plan. The project is headed by the five governments of the La Plata basin. It would require widening and deepening the channels of the Paraguay and Paran<1 rivers, Somh 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 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 provide irrefutable evidence of their inti· mate knowledge of the land. On August 7, 199 1, 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 through which they could be represented in meetings with government offi· cials. They called it Thaka Honat (Our Land). Now. every village sends repre· scnuuives to its meetings. 1l Despite the existence of the Decree, the \Vid1t ha\'t still nor rectived title 10 rlleir Continued on page 31 Abya Yala News �-------------'-~ 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 (;ultural 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 Ollt 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. It is important, however, to rec~ ognizc that these views are not neces· Er'ic Bergman is an intent al SAIIC and resemdtes arlitles for Abya Yala News. Vol. 10No. 2 traffic, often in the form of outright 13 �CONFRONTING CULTUR A L 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. T his is especially tme of cultures with an oral rather than written tradition. Museums and cultural scientists must strive to maintain the vigor of the cul- ture that created the objects they seek to study. All too frequently archeologists and anthropologists consider the dead to EXTINCTION 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 10 their proper destin)' after death. These efforts are disturbed by archeologists, grave robbers, sciemists and other collectors 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 little 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 expe· dillon. 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 Nations. In addition, the US legislation is not applicable nor respected outside US borders. Should an lndigenous nation wish to repatriate items removed from their 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 main· tain 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 CU L TURA L effon and can eliminate the need for legal baulcs. The legitimacy and coordination of the repa~riation effon arc also innuemial. Any documentation or testimony that can assist in proving the claimams position will be very helpful. Also the pany making a claim for any items should consider what measures will be taken 10 insure the pr01ection of the items once regained: no one is like· ly 10 pan ""'h rare ani facts if they suspect that they will be sold, stolen. or mishandled in any way. Many resources exist to aid Indigenous peoples' repatriation cam- paigns. Non-governmental organiza- EXTINCTION lions. charitable groups. Jlnd other Indigenous cmities may be sy1npathetic to repatriation efforts. These groups may provide contacts. publicity, coun· cil, or other forms of assistance. Some communities have been successfully pursuing repatriation for many ye.."\rs and have developed mechanisms with· in their political system 10 respond to concerns in"olving culturally sensitive materials. journalists may be able to provide publicity and help bring public opinion behind the repatriation efforts. Some governments (most notably the United States) and the United Nations 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 20. 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 13. 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 101 -60Hsee section 104 Hopefully during all the Jesting. prodding. studying STAT.3051 Cl . 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 �CON 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 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 harmony and protect the Zuni communil)< 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 to assemble infonna- tion 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 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· requires museums and other institu- first objects were removed to the nine nations, international customs tions receiving federal funding to supply inventories of their items and return the items upon the request of a tribal authority. Thirty-four states have passed additional laws to fill gaps in the NAGPRA legislation. Although NAGPRA only applies to federally funded institutions within the United States, it has set a precedent Smithsonian in 1897. In April of !978. Zuni leaders began repatriation effons by meeting for the first time with repre- and legal bodies, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the International Council of 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 to be legitimately acquired and tO 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 to the restitution of cultural , intellectual, religious and spi ritual property taken al items"[ 11 70 (a)(b)) . NAGPRA also with many museum authorities on an 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 T~allrtas (head trophies) from the Smithsonian Institute to the Shuar peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Austrian president, Thoma! Klestil, returned the mantle of Montezuma to Mexico. The beautiful mantle of feathers and gold had been out of Mexico for over 400 years. wlthom their free and informed consent or in violation of their laws, tradi- The Return of the Ahoyu:do tions 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 report lacks any real legal power. it helps to lend legitimacy to individual An early and important repatriation effon in North America was the struggle of the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico to return the sacred Ahayu:da figures to 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 claims. 16 The return of the figures to their shrines is necessary to restore harmony and protect the Zuni community. sematives 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 campaign was intense, but in the end they prevailed. Their success is due mainly to dedication and cooperation. The muse- ums were not, at that time. required by law to cooperate with the Zuni requests, nor did the Zuni representatives seck a legal confrontation. Instead, the Zuni approached the matter 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 Ahayu: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 cultural 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 are 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 Bubba 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 ancestorSspirits wishing to return home. "When a sacred gannent is taken from the community, a Coromei\o believes that the spirits of the ances1ors have been kidnaped," explains Susan Lobo, one of the advocates of the Coroma repatriation efforts. The Boli,;an embassy and two representatives rrom 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 aniracts 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 e1hnic an markeL 't' Thanhs to the followblg individuals who volunteered their' time <md expertise to the n:s«>rch of <his ar·ride: Lynde! V. Prou, UNESCO ()'aris); Marie Samuet Yachay \Vasi, Inc.; Pollya.rma Nordsmmd, American Indian Ritual Objul Repatriation Found<llion. References Feest. Christian F. 1995 "REPATRIA· TION": A European View on the Question of Restitution of Native 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. Repalriating 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. Current 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. 2 1 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 �5 E l F 0 E T E R M I N A T I 0 N A N D T E _.,'-.!' l ..c._,"'--'R-''--- - - - - - - - - - - - - R Rc..!.. T O " Y PachakutikNuevo Pais: --. ' .- Breaking New Ground in Ecuadorean Politics In an historic moment, Luis Macas, former president of CONAl£ (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador) ran as a candidate to the National Congress in Ecuador's last presidential elections and won a seat as National Deputy on the Pachakutik-Nuevo Pais (New Country) ticket. This was the first time in recent Ecuadorian history that an Indigenous leader sought election to a national office. In this interview, we talk with Luis Macas about CONAl£ and the future of the Indigenous movement in Ecuador. f~~wMt. Luis Macas lufs Macas during a recent visit to SAIIC. In general, could you cvalua1e 1he For us, this is a move forward. Now, election process from the poi•u of view of the Indigenous w'inncrs-not just the significance of the number of votes, but also of this election and of the participation of Indigenous can· Indigenous peoples are not alone. but united with workers, Afro- Ecuadorians, women. youth, professionals, teachers, human rights work- Our fundamental objective was to consolidate a social base in o ur country. We wanted to consolidate a strategic base of Ecuadorian peoples for the near and long range future. You have to ers, and the grassroots Christian comnwnity. That is to say. all the inhabi· tams of our country who anxiously remember we had an absolute disad· or the Indigenous movement it is an extremely valuable experience. \Ve have experi· cnccd triumph and gains in want change, transfomuuion. and bet· lions of dollars in their campaigns: the Social Christian Pany, the Roldosista Ecuadorian Party, the Popular movement, achieving the unity of Democracy party, the Conservative many forms. Firs1, the increased coverage of the Indigenous Ecuadorian peoples. is really a tri- Party. and the party led by Mr. Noboa. umph . For us. it means an historic movement's struggle, the extension of step. It signifies having initiated a dif· the Indigenous movement's political realm to other social sectors. and the formation of the Movimiento Unidad· fere:nt process in the country. and one that is unique in Latin America . I would say this time we believe we have All have invested money. and what they want is to get back. with interest. their investments in the political campaigns. Plurinacional Pachakutic-Nuevo Pafs. gained a lot. dida1cs? F 18 ter days for our nation and people. The fact we will forge this great vantage facing political panies of the right, parties that have invested mil- However, they are not the only ones who personaH)' make investments but also other businessmen. I would say Abya Y News ala �SELF DETERMIHATIOH this is how corruption in electoral cam- meaning between a traditional cam- paigns begins. Once they are in power, the debts accumulated b)' the electoral machine have 10 be paid 10 the businessmen. In this last election, it was an incredible machine, as never before in the history of Ecuador. paign and the traditional fonn in which the political parties have driven their electoral campaigns. First, we focused AHD TERR I TORY on contenl. It was obvious to rely on Ecuadorian people a government program. Everyone has to submit 10 what they think. There is no consultation about the needs of the people, the community. So thats another difference. the candidates at a local, provincial and Theirs is an individual effort, the work national level. \Ve favored a govern* ment program. \Ve didn't wam to imi* cerning time, but the Indigenous c.~n­ didates quickly achieved a national presence with people in positions at a local, provincial. and national level. In tate the traditional political ways: the cheap offers 10 the Ecuadorian people of an aristocracy that scorns the people. Another difference is in electoral spending. They have spent millions of dollars in this electOral process. In my in an attempt to convince them and opinion they raised an offensive cam- two months and two weeks, we saw the political clientelism, and nothing more. This clientclism is \¥e were also at a disadvantage con- election of approximately seventy authorities at a national level. For us, this is a triumph. I auract their votes. the discourse of paign what everyone is accustomed to. don 't want to say we are in second or third place. We believe we are the first political force at a national level. Ours is a political force that lsn·t necessarily sponsored by any political party. Civil society expressed its political will with decision. I would say that in this game the lndigenous movement has played an important role. Before the convoking of the Indigenous movement, all the social forces, all the popular forces or our coumry decided 10 organize a national minga (communal work) to build something different, something that hasn·t been seen in the history or our patria. What were some of the differences between the campaigning style o f the Pachakutik movement and that of the traditio nal political parties? How did you implement the campaign? There is a radical difference in Vol. 10No. 2 The difference is our proposals don't originate from the presidential candidate, nor from the candidates for deputies. Our proposals come from the people. We have been working on them for years. They are a collective effort, a collective force. They are the against the Ecuadorian peoples-an aggressive campaign. They have appeared on television and on the radio puuing out a series of lies 10 our peoples. They use these publicity spots to appear together with a poor woman or with a poor child. With these images they try to make an impression on the people. Also, the other urban sectors that see them are definitely affected. It may not reach the majority of the people, but it reaches a wide social sector "We didn't want to imitate the traditional political ways: the cheap offers to the Ecuadorian people in an attempt to convince them and attract their votes, the discourse of political clientelism, and nothing more." result of uprisings, struggles, and the marches of our peoples. This then transforms itself into a political propos- al , into a government program. This isn't how Mr. Nebot proceeded. who only presented his political proposal, or Mr. Rodrigo Paz. What they do is sit down at a desk with their two specialists. write whatever, and show the of the country. If we had 10 describe our country right now. we would say that there it is absolutely covered in paint. The walls, trees, rocks, and paths are covered with posters. Everything is covered. We can observe the differences in the campaign proceedings. There are posters everywhere. Where did this 19 �S E L F DETERMINATION A N D TERRITORY paign to every last corner of our country- from the last communit)r in the Amazon region, to the last plateau in the sierra region, to the last beaches in the coastal region. This has been our way o f running a campaign. \ Ve have had to walk. We have been accompanied by these people. We anended meetings in plaz.1s. many of which were designed by the people. Because ther asked . we had to walk to such places. \\1e had w auend serninars in such places. Everything was done in a collective and coordinated way. in common agreement , in a great minga. These are the differences we were able to establish. What does your new poSlltOn in Ecuadorian national politics imply for the project of establis hing a plur'i-national s tate in Ecuador? ls it compatible? Or, if it isn't, what is the principle objective of CON AI E now? I believe that parallel to the beginning of this process, to the great calling o f the In digenous movement in Ecuador, there has been a great answer from the Ecuadorian peoples. But what was the proposal? \Vhat was th e con- tent of this political process that called ian peoples? It is preto the Ecuado1 cisely this proposal. one of the con- ence. A very wealthy campaign facing a These expenses> There, I would say, is campaign of programs that visits the where the corruption of the politics of communhies. How have we instituted our count ry is initiated. The aristocrats our candidacy> We have gone to the money come from, we ask ourselves? o f national politics have an under- communities. We have gone to the standing of political work. What. for neighborhoods. We have gone to the families. We have gone to the coopera- me, personally is a sacred act, for them it is a civic act, transformed into one of buying and selling, of business. Because, neither at a provincial nor at a national level can you explain the political staying power of these men. I would be ashamed. For example, Nebot is a candidate for the second time. This is his second electoral cam- paign. For Abdala Bucaram. this is his third time. Even though the Ecuadorian people don't want them, nevertheless. these men keep appearing in our politics. There we established another differ- 20 tives. That is, we have gone to the peo- ple. We have gone to our peoples. to the Indigenous communities. V/e have • gone with a message. wilh a proposal. Our campaign has been absolutely dif- struction of a modem state and a state that responds to the needs of all Ecuadorians. We have said that in Ecuador the legislation provides for-i n theory at least- individual rights, rights of the citizens, rights of the family, but it doesn't consider collective rights, the rights of Indigenous peoples. We are going to insist that it is time. in the stage our country is living through in latin America, for a change, a qualita- ferenL \ Vith this government program, tive transfonnation in the way we conceive th e state and the nation, to put what we have done is hold workshops. seminars, assemblies. Thankfully, the ourselves at the height of the advances humanity has achieved in these recent Indigenous movement has a n ational structure, as do the workers and some campesino organizations that are part Unidadof the M ovimiento Piurinacionai- Pachakutik . T hese struc· tures have helped us to bring the cam- times. T he construction of a plurinational state responds to this-to raise. to digni- f)' the rights of Indigenous peoples. However, we are not only talking about benefits for Indigenous peoples. We Abya Y News ala �SELf wam to stan to revise the trndmonal, archaic legoslauon. We think ours is a Constitution that doesn\ respond to this ero. this information age. It absolutely does not respond. It benefits only a few groups in power in our country. In this, we have a great backing. h os because of this that we arc now a grt:ll pohtical force in our coun· try. Secause there never was one before. all the Ecuadonan peoples have assomolated themselves to this proposal. Before. no polotical pany was capable of doing It, nor did they ever intend to change our country. Therefore. things only changed liule by little. We are going to continue fighting in the Nauonal Congress with or without sup.pon. Obvoously, we are going to look for the neccss:>ry suppon in different sectors and progressive politiCal mo,·emcnts. We will buold a polhocal fooce on the parliament so that the interests of the people, and those of the Indigenous peoples. can be defended. \Vhnc would you say to someone who Ignores the potential benefits of the CONAIE proposals and the general project o f the Pacha.k utik? How would you lnvite other sectors to unite: w'ith P:tcha_ utik? k Our proposal is a national one. although u has not been finished and presented to the others. What we want Is a nauonal debate. Everyone should particip:ltc in this. First, in our countr)'• we think the changes should be global and structural. The changes can't apply to only a minimal sector or society. one \vith economic or political power. \Ve want all Ecuadorian people to assess actl\'ely panocipatmg in the neohberal model. Thos pohcy is agamst the Ecuadorian people. What we want IS to g1\'C d1gmty to politics in our countr)'· We thonk the structure and traditional ways of doing politics in our country should be changed. This representative democrncy has to trnnsform itself Into a participatory democracy. Could there possibly be equality without participatiOn in Congress? No. Haven't Vol. 10 No. 2 DETERMINA T ION lndogtnous peoples hostoncally betn o solated from Congress? I definitely believe that of we don' begin to understand ourselves. in the framework of mutual respect. if we don't begin to be conscious of each sector and it's particularities. our country is finished. We believe It is necessary and imponant that everyone have the opponunhy to panlcopate on the benefits tht: state can gt,·e them. Here. we are obviously speakmg not only of bettenng the lives in the lndoos and the campesinos. but also of all Ecuador's citizens. On the other hand. we arc called to AND TERRITORY political institutions of the s tate: deputies, advisers. mayors. etc. How do you think this will change Lhe future of the Indigenous movement? I think this question is very important. The Indigenous movement is going through a crucial stage, precisely because or our great :tehieveme.nts. First. 1 would say there are people we have struggled Mth: regional organizations. grassroots organtzattons. provincial organi%.3\IOns. communities. And, at least for me. this makes me think the Indigenous movement in Ecuador in gencrnl and CONAIE will undergo a great development. "I will continue working on the proposals that come from organizations and not just those from myself and from the National Congress. Proposals from underneath, from the communities, will be delivered to the National Congress. Only like this can we speak from a parliamentary level, instead of an individual one." a great chore. We have to search for an ideological focus point. I beheve the fundamental issue all Ecuadorians have spoken to us about IS odemny Thos is another of the cnses wt hvt \vith. Although in recem years we ha,·c seen an appropriate response to thos problem. there still isn't the recognotion of human values in ourselves. We nrc not going to be able to change politically :md economically because we arc living in a global crisis. Thos crisis is the absence of self-recognition. the absence of the recognouon of the human values in one's self. as well as the \'3lues of the collecuve group. Therdore. we are also mO\'lng towards thts odea. What the lndogenous movement proposed years ago 1sn't an empty discourse. We believe the resources ror the development of our people are in ourselves. There are various elected Indigenous people who 'vill occupy places In the Second. our fundamental objective wasn't only tO win positions in these last elections at a local. provincial, and national level. Our fundamental objec11\'C was searchmg ror :1 way to consol· idate our organazatrons. Here l belie,·e we have taken an 1mponant step. This will serve to strengthen the organizalions in their respective levels. We think that if there Is a collective decision our peoples will respond to the correct needs. At least, I personally think I shouldn' seule down and I won't. For example. I will continue working on the proposals that come from orgamuuons and n01 just those from myself and from the N3lional Congress. Proposals from underneath, from the communities. \viii be delivered to the National Congress. Only like this can we speak from a parliamentary level. instead of an individual one. This is what we propose. Because of this. I think it os a dofficult challenge. but we ha,·e to take it on. 't 21 �S E LF D E T ER M IN A TI O N A ND T E R R I T O RY In Our Own Words Ac~~~~w~ Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez is the author of A Mayan Life (La otra cara), first published in 1992. It is considered the first novel by a Mayan author. A Mayan Life traces the rich life of Lwin, a Q'anjob'al Maya, whose eyes reveal to the reader the bitter realities of Mayan existence in contemporary Guatemala. Gaspar Pedro Gonzales was born in 1945 in San Pedro Soloma, and attended the University of Mariano Galvez, majoring in Educational Planning. He is a member of the Academy of Mayan Languages of Guatemala. He has written on Mayan languages, Mayan literature, and educational policy in Guatemala. In continuation, we present excerpts from two separate interviews. The majority of the material comes from an interview conducted on May 5, 1995, by Bob Sitler, from the Department of Foreign Languages at Stetson Univer.sity, Florida. The other was conducted by SAIIC on July 5, 7996 any people, when they read my novel. take it to be autobi· ographical. In some ways, there are indeed parts of Ill)' own life that relate closely to this '' ble, that is immaterial. They also S3)' that all those who are born on this day hold these qualities. This is like the horoscopes of Western culmrc. you sec. I lived a good portion of my infant life in the community. So most of what 1 write is real, not imaginary. l lived it. work. For example, the initial seuing. I had the novel son of simmering in head for several years. I was always that initial education that I absorbed in the heart of the home. l was born in 1945 in San Pedro Soloma, in the department of In)' Huehuetenango. I was born on a very moving forward because, first, I had no idea how to go about publishing my special day when the Ma)"'n people hold a ritual celebrating the first ripening fruits of the Earth. That day is called Ox Tz'ikin in the Mayan calendar. and signifies "Three Birds... The expert priests who study this say that this ..tz'ikin" is in other contex ts the spiril. c reativity, initiative. all that is inlangi- 22 aching to write. I would jot down notes, and then I carne up against a period of stagn:uion, in which I wasn't work. Second. there was a stage in the political life of Guatemala at which no writer. let alone a Mayan , had the certainty of living freely and s.~fely. Yes. It was J978 when there was an attempt to publish it. But someone told me, ·w hy don't we wait a little.' The national political conflicts had begun. When the tide of violence hit in the 1980s, anyone with paper or pen in his house was risking his life. So I took the drafts and stuffed them into a cardboard box. and saved them from the 80s, for the 90s. The 90s brought the movement of cultural revival and the fost-approaching commemoration of the 500 years of Columbus. It then seemed to me to be an opportune time to publish this thing. In the end I reached my goal. It was a struggle for someone with few resources, with liule influence in society. to achieve publishing. I think it was a ke)' experience that strengthened my spirit of resistance in the sense that I never threw ir\ the towel. This is so important. I reach out to my fellow Attya Yala News �[ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __,~ L _!F_D E T E R M I N A T I 0 S E~ Mayan friends and I tell you that )'OU have to persevere. If you accept defeat, you'll never reach your objective. When 1 had to turn all this into Spanish. I took refuge in poetry, and lyrical and rhetorical speech in C..'\Stilian. For that reason, as 1was writing the novel. sometimes I would get a little ahead of myself in Spanish so as not to lose emergent ideas. There are ne,·enheless ways to say these things through the MayM parallelism that exists in our oral literature. There are literary resources in Maya such as repe- tition. There are literary figures that I had to study to adapt these ideas to Maya. llS a bit ironic because poetic speeches are uncommon in Q'anjob• at The culture offers us another type of rhetoric. known by the elders, who in turn use it for ceremonies and special occasions. . "I thought the novel in Maya, and when the time came to bridge everything, I had to work it out theo· retically and avoid being too materialistic in Spanish. For example, concepts as love. God, and metaphysical manifestations are difficult to write with Mayan words. In our culture these experiences are felt . In the Mayan languages, these things are refereed to through material experience. 'love,' for example, has no translation in Q'anjob'al. lt"s not that these experiences don't exist. They are lived. They are not for analyzing or conceptualizing critically. No. they are lived situations. When I wrote the pan of the novel where Lwin and Malfn fall in love. I realized what love signified for a more complex, perhaps more sophisticated society. But for Mayas it"s feeling, experimenting. and living. \\1ords are not spoken. One lives, dances. is lured to a spiritual realm internally to the sounds of the marimbas. That night when they dance for the first time, they don"t say a word . There are no discourses. no sweet words. Voi.10 No. 2 " Writings abound on Mayans by non-Mayans. But a novel of this nature. written in the Mayan language. is, to the extent of my knowledge, the first. There is a novel. for example, juan Ptre:;:jolore, that presumably deals with the Tzotzil Maya, written by Ricardo Pozas, a Ladino author. There's El desrino del Indio, by Oliver L1 Farge. a novel on the Maya in Chiapas and Guatemala. Miguel Angel Asturias obtained the Nobel Prize in literature in 1967 precisely due to his writings on the Maya. N A H D TERR I TORY He is respected as one of the forei11.0St Latin American authors. But our worlds are so completely different. The day more Mayan authors emerge. we will expand our different interpretations of Asturias. He is a m:m of the literary medium whose raw material is the Maya. much like contemporary painters. sculptors, and other Ladino aniSts. Though. his identification with the Mayan people is a whole different story Asturias" thesis is a scientific endeavor where Asturias the artist and Asturias the impassioned novelist are not present. If you get a ch.1nee to read this thesis. you won) see his later opinions on the Maya. In this work. he comes ofT as full of stereotypes and prejudices. as when he says that Mayas are indolent, filthy... He sees the plight of the "Indian" as the perfect opponunity to better himself. but in no way does he '"'lue that humatl being. When Miguel Angel Asturias tra,·els to Europe, especially France, he begins to mature and learns to appreciate the Mayan civilization when faced with his hosts. His '"sion of the Maya is that of a Ladino. There is a certain tendency to engage in 'positivism,' to portray the Maya as stoic, battle-hardened. This in turn serves to construct a nationalist identity based on certain values. Y have, for ou example, the case of Tecum Un•~n (the leader of a Mayan rebellion]. The military adopts this Mayan symbol, shrouds it in myth, and shines it back on the Ma)'ll to entice them into the military. He becomes a warrior that defends the nation. But, whose muion is it? lt is a nation of the few. of Ladinos and for their benefit, not of the Mayan people. More concretely. I think that in Asturias' Men of Com (Hombres dt Mar:;:), this phenomenon occurs. He seeks to depict our society abroad, a society he recreates based on personal criteria, and he puts on display for the world after applying some literary cosmetics. But the Maya fail to appreciate it because it is like a bad ponrait. In A Mayan Ufe. I try to diston these stereotypes, and present the Maya with their values, their anguish, their view or the world, and of mankind in that pan of the world. 23 �S E L f DETERMINAT I ON A N 0 TERR I TORY barded Ill " scncs or cultural im'3Sions. Progressl\·tl)• people arc less and less , responswc to m.1n1festations of spirituality. The medta tS • key factor in theSe invasions. The mojority of Mayan houses have a radto. That rodio says nothing about the Maya. It plays no Mayan music, not' do we hear Mayan lan- " A pan from the necessity for anisuc and estheuc expression. lA Mayan U/el Is m a cenain sense a staunch cnuque or the social conditions and, J :>.1rttcularly. an attempt to make the Q'anjob'al culmre known. A Mayan Life falls into the genre or testimonial novel because it is a testimo ny to the exploit:'ltion :md marginalization then is rampant ilCI'OSS Mayan society. I think that thanks to a Mayan presence In different circles. in different stages or national life. it is becoming accepted that the Maran people speak. that they express thetr thoughts. and th.1t the bws be more closely heeded. In A Mayan ufc. there IS no invention. nor IS On)1hmg that we describe surreal. We are stmply transferring a son or radtography or a society that is li,ing. that IS dynonuC, that iS aware of a book published by a Mayan. Many nonMayan friends have congratulated me ror the work. h has been an interna- tional success. I think that it is beginning 10 be seen as a key part or the culture or this diverse society. or course there are sectors or the populouon that still spurn this voice. There are sectors that oppose the strengthemng of the Ma)>an languages, or that Moran tdcnuty be reinforced. They want to standardaze the coumry. or "lodmtze" n, much as in past periods. ~la)':ln soctety today is being born24 guages. On the S.1me side or the coin, the present religions, the religious sects, have divided the Mayan people. One village is fmctured into 4 or 5 churches. Social cohes1on 15 wantmg. Society is diSJOined. Each factton tries tO pull the other to tts stde. We arc becoming complacent because our collccuve identity has d\\ondled. Nevertheless. I percewe that there exists a fovorable emoronment to publish. for example. the results or scientific investigations in Guatemala. or the works or people who write novels o r poetry. You can't conceal the truth indefinitely. Eventually these things must be tOld, and the political atmos· pherc must give in, and begin to develop a conscience or these things. Still. It remains the reality that Ma>• authors ha,·e great difficulty in •n publishmg thctr work, because the economtc factor tS so cructal. I know people who ha,·t wnucn documents or lit· erature, and there they are locked up in a box because they don't ha,·e the resources to pubhsh n. << T he reality is that education poli· cics, or simply. education. is constructed on philosophical bases. If in a n a tio nr~l education plan, the policies are not well defined, ot· even the philosophies, it Is hard to imagine what the goals or an education system are. This IS the tOpiC or another work or mine. In Mayan LAnguages and Educarion (LAs ldtornas mayas y la educact6n ts£olar) . I try to present some ideas as an educ:monal planner. to suggest mcchamsms. pohctes. and educational phtlosophtcs for this country with multthngunl. mulucultural. and multtethmc charactensttcs. I also proposed to wnte what turned out to be my other book. llecouse. the first step in the construclion or ll:ltiona1hy is precisely th'! or education. But if we fail tO construct our education from and within a culture, we nrc pi'Obably distorting, or we're dcstroymg the idcmity or an entire portion or the population which in thts case is primartly Indigenous and-in thts country-above all Maya. Various mswutcs m 1hc mterior of the count!)' ore usmg A Mayan Life in courses hke luerature or anthropol<>g): On the same token we are stri,ing to coordmatc w1th educallon authori- ties. to present to them these sugges· tions to tmphcate them in curricula-because we have known first hand the effects or an education based on dcstntclion. Chi waltoq skawllal he k'ul aycx he masanil yul hin q':'lnej. yin mas.c\n k'ulai jctoq ko mas.,nil. ("From here I greet you all in my language. may peace reign in the hearts or all.") " To obram atopy of A Ma)'an Ltfe. •vrire ro: Yax Tt' Prcss, 3520 Coolhe~ghrs Dri•·e. Rancho Palos Vcrdrs. CA 90275·6231; Td/Fax 010) 377-8763 Abya Yala News �S E L f DETERMINA T ION A N 0 TERRITORY Gold Miners Invade Yanomami Area, Again ince the government suspended its surveillance operation of the Yanomami area on March, 1996, thousands of gold prospectors have re-invaded the Yanomami area in Northern Brazil. Since then there has been no attempt by FUNAI (National Indian Foundation). the police, or the armed forces to stop the gold miners from invading the demarcated Yanomami area. Davl Kopenawa Yanomami, the Yanomami representative leader. writes: S :De-~t'l; o!S .il~ q;...~o • .o~~ •"• C:4 r o' a-~ . el<: Jt~olo •.nlO.. , c.o.r t'<~o. ,.,...-... .J,~...,.. ·we Yanomami ur~d a message to you. \Ve are very worried that our Yanomami area is being again h1vadcd by gold mineN. TJ1is is why we Yanomami arc informing that the gold mi"trs <H't in the ri\'t.:r Cauimani and the high Cacirimani. They an: also around Xiteia, Homoxi. Papili, 011d for the moment there are: 35 illegal tunways in the Yanomami area. The number ofgold miners has ani,,ed at 3000 in Brazil and 4000 in Venezuela. The invasion of the gold miners has set off a dramatic rise in malaria cases, and resulted in the deaths of at least three Indians, shot with guns supplied by gold miners. "'\Vc Yanomami want help from you to publicize the inva· sion of gold miners. \Ve ask that tliis dcmouncemeru arrive to the \'arious countries of Europe and the Urlited Statts so that they know what is happening in the Yanomami area. \Vt ask that d1e organizations of those countries SUfJport us and S<nd leuers <o <he Pre.sidell! of Brazil asking rhar he free <he funds for the op<m<ion of removing rhe gold miners so this situation eruls. • The invasion of the gold miners has set orr a dramatic rise in malaria cases, and resulted in the deaths of at least three Indians, shot with guns supplied by gold miners. In April alone 12 Y anomami died from malaria and pneumo- ( nia. Tuberculosis and venereal diseases are also increasing Letter sent by David Kopenawa in 1tle hopes of stopins 1tle latest invasion of Yanomami land. . s Voi.10No. 2 throughout the Yanomami area. The gold miners are also supplying guns and ammunition to the Yanomami in exchange for food or sexual relations with Yanomami women. The presence of guns has heightened the level or 25 �SELF DETERMINA TION \OOience among 1he Yanomam1. lradmg 10 numerous dea1hs and lnJUnes. One Yanomami leader lostlhe use of an ann after bemg sho1. In early May lhree Yanomami were sh01 de.1d during !riba! conflicls. There are reports thm gold minct·s arc encouraging ~ribal conflicts. FUNAI officials fear lhat al any moment Venezuela will also expel several1hous.1nd more Brazilian gold nuners who crossed 1he border as the resuh of earher eviclions from 1he Yanomam1 area. FUNAI also said 1ha1 planes have been seen flying over lhe l':lrima, Cmrimani, Parafuri, Paapi. Xtdea. and other rivers in the area. The mmcrs :md AND T E RRITORY !heir machinery ha•·e been seen workmg in 1he Ca1nrn.1n1 Paaptu Ara<aca. Curimala, and Mapula rivers. The Yanom::um reserve was officially dcmarca1ed by 1hc Brazilian government in 1992 :t(tcr international protests over the mass invasion of up to 40,000 gold miners at 1hc end of 1he 1980's. nr.een pcrccm of the Yanomami populallon died as a resuh. Besides 1he 1crnble efTec1 on the Yanomami people, 1he presence of 1he gold prospee1ors also causes huge cmironrnemal damage. contaminating rivers and destroying riverbanks and fores1. We urge you to appeal to President Fernando Henrique Cardoso to free the funds needed (approximately US $6 million) to restart the miner removal operation. Sample letter: Presidente Fernando HenMque Cardoso. Palacio do Planalto. 70 159-970. Brasilia OF Brazil; Fax: 06 1-2267566 Dear President Cardoso. The survival of an ancient people. the Yanomami. is in your hands. The Yanomami are known throughout the wolid as one of the last large groups of Indigenous peoples who have been recently contacted. Now they are threatened by a new illegal invasion of gold miners and your inexplicable delay in authorizing the funds needed for their expulsion. an operation already jointly planned by different departments of your government in cooperation with the government of Venezuela. We would like to remind you that on 29/ 3/96 in London. Justice M inister Nelson Jobim promised the intemalional press and non-governmental organizations that this operation was imminent. Three months have passed and nothing has been done to stop the entry of new gold miners or remove those who are illegally inside the demarcated Yanomaml area. 26 The good resul1s oblained by 1hc ComtSSAO Pr6-Yanomami's (CCPY) heahh programme, will be complclcl)• undermined if 1he invasion is allowed to contmuc. for the Yanomami it is a mmtcr or life and dcalh. For 1he Brazilian government it would be a mauer or honoring 1hctr word. During his reccm VlStl 10 Europe Justice Minister Nelson Job•m promiSed 1ha1 1he federal pohce and 1hc armed forces would be used 10 expel 1hc gold prospec1ors. .., lrifonnarlon from CCPY (Comissllo Pro~mommni) Sec bdom We know from reports from the area itself that the consequences for the Yanomami are disastrous: there has been an increase of malaria and venereal diseases and cases of injuries and even deaths caused by fireanms supplied to the Indians by gold miners. Many rivers are being polluted and contaminated. A visit by members of the Human Rights Commission of the OAS to the Yanomami area in December. 1995, found that a binational operation to put an end to the chronic problem of invasions on both sides of the frontier by mostly Brazilian gold miners was needed. The intemational commulllly expects that you. Mr. President. will fulf\11 your commrtments and protect a people who are vulnerable. but have the same right to life as anyone else. Therefore we appeal to you to free the necessary funds for the operation to remove the gold miners who have illegally entered into the Yanomami reserve in Brazil immediately and introduce a system of penmanent vigilance to prevent them retuming. Yours sincerely. For more information contact: Claudia Andujar. Comissao Pro-Yanomami. Yanomami Campaign Coordinator. Rua Manoel Nobrega I 11 cj .32. 0400 1-900 Sao Paulo SP Brazil: phone (011> 5511 -289-1200: fax(011) 55 11 -284-6997: email: apccpybr@ax.ibase.org .br Al:::l(a Yala News �_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __;~~ S E l_cF DETERMINATION AND TERRITORY Indigenous Peoples and Peasants of Bolivia Press Government for Solutions ~ s the month of September brings the spirit of spring to the Andes, Indigenous organizations have again challenged the neoliberal government of President S~nchez de Lozada and Aymara vice-president 0\rdenas. The call to march to La Paz by Indigenous peoples follows governmental failure to implement previously signed decrees in favor of Indigenous peoples--a Slate version of the ancient dictum, "I obey but I do not comply." The government has obstructed the application or laws and delayed measures aimed at solving the problems over Indigenous territories. The main demand of the march is to enact at least nine Decrees signed by the Government after the massive Indigenous peoples' march of close to 1 million to La Paz in 1990, and to have ntral laborers integrated into the General Labor Law Indigenous leader Marcial Fabricano, representative of CIDOB (Confederation of Indigenous peoples of Bolivia) called for the march. He also organized the 1991 "March for Territory and Dignity." joining Mr. Fabricano in the organizing process are Roman Loayza, representative of the CSUTCB. the national peasant confederation and Modesto Condori. representing CSCB, an organization of landless peasants also known as "colonizers." It is the first time, Indigenous peoples, peasants, and landless rural workers have come together in a strong have created Indigenous territories for election of President Sanchez de Lozada the Siriono Indigenous peoples of the in July 1993. His administration has lsiboro National Park , Secure, Pillon, seen the return of old forms of rural Chiman, Tim, Araona, Moseten, labor enslavement and debt peonage in Chiman, Yuqi. Chiquitano, and cattle ranches and other estates in the \>/eenhayek (Mataco), all located in the Departments of Chuquisaca, Beni, eastern Amazon region. Their non- Santa Cntz, and Tarija (Chaco). There inforcement prompted the march, as have been no significant actions taken well as more ongoing problems no dif- by his administration to eliminate such ferent from similar areas other nation- illegal practices, although many states share in the Amazon basin. Indigenous nations, such as the Ranchers, lumber companies, miners, Guaran, have publici)• denounced it and landless peasants consider the within the last four years. Practically all Amazon ·an empty area." lawless. and the well-known Indigenous peoples ideal for "colonizing." Indigenous peo- such as the Yuqui, Moseten, ples have worked to defend their rights Chiquitano, Araona, Guaran, Chiman, coordinating themselves nationally and and Weenhayek. have persistently forging international alliances to endured physical abuse, enslavement, denounce this situation. Ranchers and forced prostitution, debt-peonage, and landowners in the area continue to ben- the theft or their wages and lands. efit from the conditions or lawlessness, Long marches are a recent strategy and are actively pressuring the govern- by rural inhabitants to press for their ment to declare these lands (and terri- human rights in Bolivia. This 1996 tories) "negotiable• at market prices. march differs from recent ones because, The march constitutes a strong rather than simply complain, it explains indictment against President Sanchez Indigenous peoples' overdue demands. de Lozada's administration regarding The Bohian case, amidst those of the the environment. biodiversity, and land other Amazonian countries, is another and territorial management. Recent sta- example where governmental measures tistics published in Bolivia by LIDEMA could stop the environmental collapse (Environmental Defense League). this area is currently undergoing. demonstrate that the rate of deforesta- Indigenous peoples in the area have a tion has increased to unprecedented long-term commitment to restore this levels, as well as the percentage of forest, but not when under heavy presnational territory adversely affected by sures from non-sustainable forms or soil erosion. President Sanchez de land management. Obviously, land Loz.ada, whose administration is tenure laws cannot be implemented coalition. Urban workers, who have plagued b)• inefficiency, has answered without the input or peasant and fared poorly because of neoliberal poli- by menacing the marchers to postpone Indigenous peoples' organizations. cies brought by governing parties MNR a debate over a law drafted by the Although the Sanchez de Lozada (Nationalist Revolutionary Movement) National Agrarian Reform Institute, administration ran and enacted a and MRTK (Revolutionary Movement INRA-Iikely due to strong pressures Popular Participation Law, little has Tupaq Katari), have lent their active sol- from ranchers and agroindustries advanced in tertns or participation, and idarity. whose interest he strongly supports. most decisions in ract continue to The Decrees in question, which Indigenous peoples conflicts in exclude Indigenous peoples' large repagreed to grant rights over land, should Boli\•ia have been widespread since the resentative confederations . .., A Vol.10 No.2 27 �S E l F ~'-"__,.__,_ --'0-.':.. T E R M I H A T I 0 0 E Decr~e H A H D TERRITORY 1775 Update: Jobim Calls for Revision of Demarcation of Eight Indigenous Territories f the 83 Indigenous territories contested as a result of the controversial Decree 1775. Brazil's Minister of justice, Nelson jobim has targeted 8 for alterations and possible reductions. The Indigenous areas slated 0 for alteration are: Kampa do Rio Envirn (Acre); Raposa/Serra do Sol, (Roraima): Sete Cerros, (Mato Grosso do Sui), Krikati (MaranhAo): Maxakali (Minas Gerais): Tapeba (Ceara); Apyterewa, and Bau (Para). There are now 90 days for FUNAl (the National Foundation for Indian Affairs) to study each of these individual ca5<'s and hand its recommendcuions to jobim who will n1ake the final decision. Decree 1775, wriuen by jobim, was signed into law by Brazilian PresidenL Fernando Henrique Cardoso on january 8. 1996. The Decree allows private interests and state and local governments to appeal the demarcation of those Indigenous reserves not alread)r demarcated. By the end of the April 8 contestation deadline, FUNAI had received over 500 appeals targeting 83 different Indian areas from miners. loggers, ranchers, and governrnent offi- cials. jobim will now have a chance to prove his good intentions when s.·\ying that Decree 1 775 was necessar)' to move on with the demarcation process. All but 8 terrilOries have officially gone through the contestation process and can continue with their demarcation. Indigenous peoples and their Brazilian and international allies want to see the immediate demarcation or all other Indigenous territories. The process is The Mano dance of the Bororo, who inhabit the heavily colonized southern portion of the state of Mato Grosso. In Brazil, there are about 150,000 Indigenous peoples forming 215 distinct nations and speaking about 170 languages. Most inhabit 526 Indigenous areas nationwide that corn· prise a total area of 190 million acres an area twicc the size of California. There is also evidence of 50 other Indigenous groups that are still uncontacted and living in the depths of the rainforest. Most of these Indigenous lands, about 188 million acres. are located in the Amazon region of Brazil in the states of Acre, J\lnapA, Amazonas, Para.. Mato Grosso, Maranhao, RondOnia. Roraima, and Tocamins. now constitutional and funds are being made available from the World Bank's Pilot Program for the Amazon. 28 Considering that Brazil contains about 65% of the Amazon Basin and that 188 million acres of it belong to Indigenous peoples. the demarcation of Indigenous 5<'Curing Indigenous rights, but also a territories is not onl)' impenuive ror very significant con5<'rvation strategy. However. 125 million acres of Indigenous lands still await final demarcation. ~ Please write ro Minisrer ofjustice as.hing him to P10nor Article 231 of 1he Brazilian Consriturion by orderi,1g tl1e immediate demarcation of all Indigenous territories and 10 guarantee rlwr the rights of Brazilian Indigenous J>eoples em~ ,.ewecrcd. 0,: Nelson jobim, Minislro da justicia, Esplanado dos Ministtrios, 81. T, Brasilia, DF - CEP: 70.061·900, Fax: (0115561) 221-2148; email: njobim@ax.apc.org Adapted from a text of Bcto 8o>gts of the ACliou Network For more infor· mation contact RAN. 450 Sansome St., Suire 710, San Francisco, CA 91111; Tel (115)398·1104; Fax: (415)398-2732. Rt~infore.st Abya Yala News �5 E L F DETERMINA T ION AND TERR I TORY Venezuela: Amazonian Indians Request Support V enezuela has passed legislation that threatens to undermine Indigenous peoples' control of their lands and destinies by dividing the state of Amazonas into elec1oral municipalities. Indigenous peoples claim this law is unconstitutional and are chal- 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 lndlgenas 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 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 Amazonas· without consulting with the ed into 'municipios,' each with elected coincides with their customary systems '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 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 lOwns about which the new 'municipios' are being created arc far However. the local Governmem Voi.10No. 2 Amazonas. Earlier this year, O RPtA 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 ease contesting the legality of the law, the local government has Adapted from a report 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 Amazo11as as a result of not conform to Indigenous ethnic the imposed tcnicorial division boundaries. Party politics has been introduced into the communities. New - Asking the Sup••me Court of justice to clientelistic relations have been estab- declare null attd ''oid the Ley de Division lished throughout the territory. Politico Territo1ial dtl Estado 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 la Corte ios' have begun a process of expropriat- Supn:ma de justlcia, Av. Baralt, Son jc>s< de ing untitled Indigenous lands for Avila, Ctmuas, Venctutla 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 contrary to established p rocedures, as too small to qualify. Dr. Alfredo Duchanne. Magisrrodo Ponerue, Coree Suprema de juslicia, Caracas, Venezuela Fax number for both: 00 58 2 563 8113 For further information: Forest Peoples Programme, 8 Chapel !Ww, O•adlington, OX7 3NA, England: Tel: 00 44 1608 676691 ; Fax: 0044 1608 6767'13; Email: wrm@gn.apc.org 29 �EN VIRONMENT Hidrovia: Declaration of the Rio Paraguay The following declaration states the conclusions of participants in the Floating Seminar of the Paraguay River, organized by Sobrevivencia - Friends of the Earth Paraguay and the Coalition Rios Vivos Paraguay-Parana-Plata, who in three boats descended the Paraguay River between 17-27 July, 1996 as part of a permanent dialogue with the populations of the La Plata Basin. Along the way. they travelled through sections of the river programmed for large-scale engineering works as part of the Paraguay-Parana Hidrovla industrial waterway. currently being planned by the governments of the region. Participants included citizens of the countries of the La Plata Basin, North America, and Europe. W e, Indigenous peoples of the Paraguay basm. u:.dnional communitres. scttnt&sts, env11onm<mal expcns. and ttol<>g!Sis from various countries, COrK.'Cmtd w1th the future of our rivers, have taken p;~n '" the Floating Seminar on the Pr.raguay River. and united in our message, propose strategies for the construction of su. tainable societies in the s region. We are the Eanh. the peoples, the plants. the animals. the waters. the sun's rays, the breath of the wmds. We wJnt to honor the Eanh 3S the pl:tee of allll\•mg beings. \Vc have come to ttsufy to the depredation we have witnessed along our entire descent of the Paraguay River. from Corumbj to Asunci6n. The model of occupation established in our region bears no relation to the needs of the peoples who live along the river bank, nor with the potenllal of il$ ecosystems. indigenous peoples h3\·e been txpelled from thetr terntones and dtpm·td of their sustamabk means of 'VlSdom. of happiness. and of hie. liuge barge convoys have replaced the anetstral means of transpon and navtg.1tion adapted to the natural conditions of the river: mining and mineral loading docks contaminate their surroundings: logs pile up in the lumber mills which consume the final remains of the lush anctent for<Sl$: enormous columns of 30 smoke and JShes darken the sky in midday announcang the Imminent end of prosperity on the eonh and the tel ipse of its ongmal cultures. Signs of the inevitable collapse or this hean of Amtrica in wh- rhythm pulses and breathes the security of life in the La Plata Basin. lations. espectally Indigenous peoples. JSSunng the sustainability, the equahty. and the respect for di\'trshy in our SOC'I· eties. Sustamable societies are based on the sell-determmation or local communities and original peoples in full "-"<rcise of their right to decide on the man- Facing this situation, and because agement and administration of the ecosystems which they are part of. paths which serve to improve the conAdministration or resources should we still have time, we wnnt to propose dition of life in the basin: paths which do no< destroy. but which restore the balance today threatened. The salvauon of the plantt and its peopks. present and future, demands the creation or a new c•v'lhzation based on an ethic which respects ils limits. di\'ersity. solidarity, equality. justice. and libeny. V..'c are alia unh In our diversily. \Vc be directed and controlled by local cornmuntttes throughout the: process. based upon cnteria or sustainabihty. defined by studtes which dettrmme their cart)'ng cap;~city. and the forms of processmg and commtrcialization. having as thetr basis self-sufficiency and inter-dependence. The diversity of habitats and cultures who live in them determine dif· assume the shared responsibility w fercm uses which in tum make inter· pro<ect a.nd to restore the Earth so that its natural resources m:.ty be used wise· ly, presel'\;ng ecologtcal balance and the social. economtc. and sptritual , ..J. change possible, and establish factors of inter-dependence which must be respected and made compatible. We constder that our region must be thought of as an integrated whole lor the destgn or pohCles lor management and temtonal use. The La Plata 8.1>in in ilS entirety must be the unit for all plans. projects. or activities. The restoration of ecosystems which have been damaged by the currem predatory development, is a need which can not be delayed. The balance ues which assure sUSt:unabJht)'· The txisting patterns of consumption. of producuon and dtstribution of resources. currently oratnted toward e>.:traction. concentrmion, and expro- priation, bring human societies and the ecosystems which sustain them to an inevitable disaster. All initiatives must therefore be urgently directed to meet the needs of local and tradtttonal popu- �ENVIRONMENT and integrity of ecosystems must be recuperated, especially in degraded areas of critical importance for the structural restoration of hydrological systems. Proposed actions such as permanent dredging and the conStruction of dams for water regulation or for sed- needs of local populations and not external interests. Respecting this crite· ria, all initiative must have as its origin and finality the needs and interests of local communities. Even so. ils implementation must adapt ilself to natural 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 Paran~ 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. interllationaJ financial institutions and entities of cooperation must be re-directed toward the tr\le needs of local pop\llations, 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, Director of the Latin America Progmm at Ihe International Rivers Neiwoth, 1847 IJtrheley IVa)j B<rkeley, CA, 94703; Tel: 510/848·1 155; Fax: 5J0/8i8-1008 us Argenlineilns, they don't respect us. They cd to p<acefully wkeover tl1< lands arcnmd don't recogni<e this latJd as ours. They play the bridge on the 25 of August. \Ve will occuland. ln 1994, dtey made tlttir first trip Old· around, saying '"\Vait jusr a liule bit more... py tile land umil the: go,·ernmeru of Sallo side their land to speak al the United Bur while we walt, d1ty mO\'t allead with give,.'$ o concrete n.-spon.se in regards to our Narions about dteir plight. In conthmation. 1heir projects: They seule Oltr latJd. lay down requests. This is a" ael of hop<. wt ttptoduet the latest actempt by the \Viclll their roads, d1eir lxlrb·wi~ ftnccs, aml dteir to secure rhtil' territory. towns. And rtOw thc:y a~ lmilding a bridge in IVe ash that you collaborate, by rending p<O· La Paz and they that we have to paGh up and ple who belie''' in out cause to accompany us For the Titling of Our Land: T<tkeover of the gil't them space. and assure: that there be no acts of violence Inrentational Bridge Over the Pilcomayo against our families. River (l.a Pav \Ve ate 1101 animals n.mning loose. \Ve ore not dogs to be driven oway at the whims of £\·trl afttl' dte lDhW'o't'; you can s~tpport our Many years have passed sinGe we requested their owner. \Ve ore the flowers of the Earth, cause by unding leuers to: the go\'trnmtnt of Salta province, Argentirta, platJted by God Himself 10 li••e and duive in to officially gmnt ~ts title to the land that we these la11<ls. Sr. Gobemador de la Provincia de Salta, D.& ha\·e always inl1abited. \Ve have StrU letters. juan Carlos Pomero, Casa de Gobierno, Meetir1gs take place. new laws and decrees \Ve have asked the autJ1orities to suurc: the Gran u~ 4400, Salla, Argentina ore passed, ar1d yet more topographic stud. tides 10 th<'S< latJdS before under'lahing thm ies... \Ve ore nqw irt the foutth administra· large projeCts in rht places when: we live. Sr. Prts-idc:me de Ia RepUbliGa Argentina. Dr. tion. Yet they ho,·e not rtSl){)ndcd ro out These are fiscal lands and the la"• therefore Carlos S. Mencm, Casa Rosada. Capital demands.. YeDrs pass and out lands become recognize our right of OW>ltrslt!p. Amidst all Federal, A~enlina; Fax: 54 1 343 2249 or impoverislted, btt"m'se the people 'vho have this toll: of Mercosur. we see a more secure 54 1331 7976 come from the outside to occupy d1em Know future simply in the ownersltip of out land. not how to monage them. Years pass ond we Asocioci6n de Comunidades AborlgtrltS btcome poorer. Foced with PIO response and the upcoming Lahl1a Honhat. San luis, Sta. Victoria Es1e, immgurmion of the bridge, dte 35 communi· Rh·adavia B. Nor'le, CP i581, Pcia. Salta, Even thougl1 we lzm•e official papers making ties belonging to our QSSO(iation ha\'t decfd· Apgenrina Continued from page 1!2 Voi. 10No. 2 31 �Hu M " " R I G--'H T S_ _ _ _ _ __ ' -'-''-:! Colombia: Indigenous Peoples Mobilize to End Violence, Land Invasions ' resonating protest by offices and demanded action in the face Indigenous peoples in of peasant invasions of their land and Colombia lasting thiny seven the vinual cess.,uon or land reform laws days ended last August 5, 1996 after lnhi:lted m 1991. negotiations with the go\'emment Since Apnl of this ytar, 10 )'1Clded offici:!! promises for human lnd1genous leaders from various lndi:ln nghts and greater control O\'er their nations have be<n assassinated, bringown temtones. Indigenous peoples and ing the total to 200 smce 1990. · Across their leaders from over 60 different the regions of C¢rdova, Antioquia. Indigenous nations agreed to lea,·e the Choc6, they are killing Indigenous peomain branch of the Colombian ple, for political, or e'·en territorial reaEpiscopal Conference in Bogot~ which sons." affirms Abadio Green, Kuna they had been occupying since july 5. Indian and president of ON IC 1996. Another group of Wayuu Indians (National Indigenous Organiuuion of had taken over the Office of Indigenous Colombia) in an interview with SAJJC. Affairs of the Interior Ministry on june "Indigenous peoples arc not willing to 24, 1996. let go of their land, so they r.ght and This latest round of nation-wide thats why they are killed." Indigenous mobilization in Colombia Duling 37 days of demands and was tO protest government inaction and extensive negotl:ltlons. the go\'emment ind1fferene< to 1he wavt of killings of of President Emesto Samper agreed to lnd1genous peoples on the pan of drug- the establiShment of • special human sponsored paramilitary mafiaS. They rights comml.S$10n, :tnd. two weeks also took O\'er vanous go,·emment later, to the formation of a permanent A ·mesa de concenacl6n," or a permanent council of major Indigenous representatives and members of the national government that could stop harmful development pfOJCCIS on lndig<nous lands. "'No works. anvesaments, envi· ronmenta1 he<nse, or de\·tlopment project can be executed wlthm lnd1gtnous lerritories without lhe consenl or Indigenous peoples." says Green, who actively negotiated the agrc<ment. If this measure Is Implemented, it 'viii effectively cunail the careless destruction of Indigenous territories in Colombia. Since the beginning of Colombias coca-growing and coca paste industry in the 1970s, wealthy dn1glords have come to comprise a new land-owning elite. with 12% of the best lond in thtir hands. Res1stmg thiS trend •~ th< peasant orgamzauons and guerrilla groups, in place smce th< 1950s. To get nd of wha1 u cons1ders "'commumsts; 1he Atr(a Yolo News �HuMA military has sided with the narco landowners and trained joint paramili· tary units. These have not only auacked guerrilla forces, but civilian organiza· tions and leaders as well, many of them Indigenous. The result has been a bloody struggle in the countryside that has displaced campesinos and Indigenous people-perhaps as many as 800,000-and killed thousands. Many campesinos have invaded long-since established Indigenous territories, known as resguardos. in search of land. Many others have simply swelled the slums surrounding Bogot~ and other major cities. There is another aspect 10 the violence against Indigenous leaders, how- N RIGHTS As pan of the demands in this latest round of protests, the spe· cial Human Rights Com m iss i on would be com· posed of the miniSier of the interior, of defense and justice, the presidential council for human rights, Indigenous sena· tors, and would be monitored by internationa l institutes includ· ing the ILO. The question of land. still the most poignant aspect of the Indigenous strug· gle. took the front stage during the protests. Aside from the pennanent council 10 regulate land concessions affecting Indigenous areas, Indigenous peoples sought to reactivate the provisions of the 1991 constitution, which declared Colombia a multi-ethnic nation and gramed them two seats in Congress. Legislation soon followed that gave them unprecedented judicial. political, and financial control over the resguaramassed an impressive arsenal, against dos, which are lands under old Spanish which there is no protection for colonial titles now officially recognized Indigenous leaders who have received by the state as Indigenous territories. death threats. "Y fight under these Since then, however, the resguardos ou ever. Since 1991. when a new constitu- tion gave the roughly 750,000 Indigenous peoples in Colombia broad political, judicial. and financial powers 10 control their territories (resguardos), many Indians have been elected 10 political posts at various levels, and this has not gone over well with the tradi· tiona! power structure. "Throughout Colombia." says Green, "we have achieved, politically speaking. a cenain equality- we can be mayors, deputies, councilmen. In many pans the Indians have had an importam political impact. The big politicians that have always controlled everything have idemified this as a threat. For this, 100, they are killing Indigenous people." With their wealth, the narco-spon· sored paramilitary groups have circumstances and when --- becomes have retained their old dimensions obvious that you're in danger, about all you can do is leave the region and go while their Indigenous population has increased. Few additional Indigenous territories have been officially titled. In addition, the process of saneamiento, or the purchase of land by the state from small landholders located within it somewhere else," explains Green. ONIC was the target of paramilitary violence in 1994 when gunmen killed four Zenu leaders, among them Porfirio Ayala, assistant secretary general of ONIC. The others were Hector Malo. who was running for the senate; Luis Arturo Lucas, a former ONIC representative; and Cesar Meza. Vol. 10 No. 2 calls for the creation of a National Commission or Territories. which would be responsible for researching Indigenous land tenure necessities and determining and administrating the required funds. II will be composed of various ministers and the Colombian land reform institute, INCORi\ . .., T11e Indigenous Regional Council of Couca (CRJQ , one of the oldest Indigenous organi· zations in Colombia as wt:H as Latin America, wilt bt sending se"eral Indigenous representatives to Europe and the US to mobilize the intemalional c:ommwlity and expose the plight of Indigenous p<oples in Colombia. They plan 10 participate in the National Conference of the Colombian Humm1 Righrs Networh In New York cily from October 25-27. Indigenous territories in order to remove them, has not been adequately carried out. To remedy this situation, one of the decrees signed by President Samper For more iriformarion, concac.t the Columbia Multimedia Project, P.O. Box 1091 CPO, New Yo•·h, New Yoli• 10116-109; Phone: (118) 369-4182; email: mm«>m!"@igc.apc.o.g 33 �A D V ER TIS EME I4 T S Cine Accion W..,.. si n .:rs (Quechua: House of Learning) Qosqo·NYC presents T Fourth Annual H IB I Dedicated to preserve and promote the Indigenous culture of the descendants of the INKAS Yachay Wasi, Inc. ·A not for profit organizalion 708 W. 192nd Sl # 68 New Yor1< NY 10040 ~ H .& IL IL IB N Tel: 212·567·6447 Member of the UN NGO Committee lor the G International Decade of the W orld's Indigenous Peoples IB • Victoria Theater and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts • San Francisco Semptembcr· 19-22, 1996 _ - UCThearter Ber·keley September 27-29, 1996 for mort: Information, caU C ine Ac.c16n at (415) SSJ-8140 • 1 I I I 1 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Come Meet and Interact with Rainforest Leaders at: South Anlerican Explorers ChJ, The be. t .ourcc of infonru1tion a.nd advice for travel in Latin America Membe,. =•we expert help in trip pl.nning, and diocounto on mope, guidcboob, and other ilemt. \Dioeo• nlo a.c ol.o ovoil.blo on lodging, o tourguidco, and longuoge school.. Clubhouocs located in Limo ond Quito. FOR A FREE CATALOG. contact "'.,, 126lncliao Cr'C't1t Ro.J.t~•• NY 14$50, USA T.t (607) 277-0ta& Pu: (607) 2Tl.0122 .._.J ...,lo..4• ...,lo."11 ltttpJ/-w...rtWXp~o..o,_ AMAZON WEEK VII September 21-28, 1996 New York City • Symposium - Sunday, September 22 and Monday, September 23 Sus-tainable Development Alternatives for the Amazon: A Meeting of Key Players (National Museum of the American Indian) • Amazon Expo - Tuesday, September 24 to Saturday, 28 . Art. photo and rainforest product exh•D•ts. Fllrnl'lldeo Showcase. CO-ROMs, Workshops, and Cultural Shows (Mezzanine of One World Trade Center) Volunteers Needed! !! 11w SAEC " • -·~· ~ftQ.alioa A mazon Week is an event organized by Amanaka'a Amazon Network For more information and to register call (212) 253·9502 34 Abya Yala News �-----~ C KNOWLEDGEMENTS A'-.:~ ANI< YO JOHN CADY DR. BEVERLY CHINAS D IONIS IO BARRAL ES ROMAN BA LA VICTOR PEREZ FERNANDEZ HENRY-P IE RR E MOURER SAIIC would like to thank the MARGARET LI VINGS TON following individuals and orgaROBERT ANDOLINA nizations for their invaluable JEAN CO LVIN contributions to the Indigenous JIM & LINDA BELOTE cause by supporting our work. KATY MORAN MELISSA WASTAS ECOOT CONNIE EL DRUP THE CENT RE FOR INTE-RNATIONAL ALTERNATIVES TOMACITA V IDA L PO-PE XOLOTL AGUILAR-BORREGO HUGH HAZ ELTON FELICIA OLDFAT HER SUSAN MAR FI ELD W .H . & CAROL FERRY ~ PETER COYOTE ~ JUDI T H ST RONACH ~ JEFF BRAUN 'tiJ MARIANNE HEG E MAN ~ ~ BILLY R. TR ICE MAYA MILLER ~ JENNIFER MOR LEY JEFF EREY BRONFMAN ERIC BERGMAN GERARD SCHULTI NG FARRAH VACCA ~ CAROLINA AND ANDREA BALAZS CSPON TEERS/1 ~ I& ~ IAL THANKS VICTORIA R. WARD Voi.10No. 2 35 �ITEMS AVAILABLE FROM SAIIC Indigenous Peoples and Biodiversity ''Indigenous Voices'' Radio Program SAIIC's latest educational handbook takes on the Indigenous perspective and zeros in on biodiversity. bioprospecting. intellectual property rights. the Human Genome Diversity Project. related international agreements. and Indigenous biodiversity management alternatives and what they mean for Indigenous peoples of Mexico. Central. and South America. Written by David Rothschild with interviews and contributions by Leonardo Vlteri of the lnstituto Amazanga. Eugenio Castillo of Pemasky. and Alejandro Argumedo of the Indigenous Peoples Biodiversity Network. Made possible by the Foundation for Deep Ecology. Contact SAIIC for distribu· tion information and copies. $8.00 + $3.00 shipping. SAIIC's latest taped radio program is now available. Focusing on topics related to biodiversity and Indigenous peoples. it serves as an informative base with which.Indigenous peoples can protect themselves against unwelcome bioprospecting and biopiracy. 1 hour. Narrated by members of SAIIC's Board of Directors. <Available in Spanish only> $8.00 + $3.00 shipping. Daugh ers of Abya Yala Testimonies of Indian women organ,z,ng throughout the Continent. Statements from grassroots Indian women leaders from South and Meso America. Includes resolutions from Indigenous women's meetings. a directory of Indian women's organizations and key contacts. information on Indian women's projects. and poems by Indian women. Contains 128 pages with beautiful black and white photographs. Printed on recycled paper. $8 + $3.00 shipping. Amazonia: Voices of the Rainforest A resource and action guide with a comprehensive listing of international rainforest and Amazonian Indian organizations sponsored by SAIIC and the International Rivers Network. and published by Rainforest Action Network and Amazonia Film Project. 1990. Available in Spanish or English for $4.50 + $3.00 shipping. Vide : Co '""'~ ..b s Did Discove u , Native people's perspectives on the Columbus Quincentennial based on the footage of the 1990 Quito Conference. 24 minutes. A co-production of SAJIC. CONAIE. ONIC and Tuming Tide Productions. Available in Spanish or English. $1g_95 + $3.00 shipping. South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) P.O. Box 28703, Oakland, CA 94604 Non-profit Organization US Postage PAID Oakland, CA Permit No. 79 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 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 Vol 10, no 2 Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1996 Zotero Issue 2 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala Newsl Volume 10 Abstract Note Entire issue Pages 1-36 http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/d2ad7e39af486dd9c4604560dcfd2f8a.pdf f47ac8c344d22f775f49bbcaaf355cb9 PDF Text Text } Ot1'11NAL �SA I I C The South And Me·so Amtriu.n lnd i~n Rights Cente r Abya Yal a N ews CoNtENTS Editorial . ... . ... . ...... . ...... . .. .........3 In Brief . . ... . ... . .. . .. . ... .... . .. .. .. ... .4·5 Eco-Justice & Health I'OOLlhodb>fSAIIC )oomal ~,;on and EOt;nz )e<,;c;, F~ La,oot and Oel7< E<lg¥ A~sroo:s ~ en..< Pho:o b'f.A~-s'"""' SAIIC Staff Exect:tive Oir«:tOI": l,ou.ra Soriano Morales (Mi>d.t<:.VZ.apote<o~) R.\6c>joumol Cooo-dnll<>r.~ a SonanO ~ Program Coordon<ltor: l..l.... ··'~ SAIIC Interns Ni<k Luem.jes~ fos<S. Teishan L\v.tr. St~ Brown Gold, Greed &Genocide in the Americas .......... .6 Huichol Farm Workers and Pesticides .... . ...... . 10 Ghosts of the Cerro Colorado Mining Project ..... . 13 Parallel Conference on Mining and Community .... 15 Urarina Survival Update ... . .. . ... . .. . ...... . .. 17 Environmental Racism: the U.S Nuclear industry and Native Americans ...20 SAIIC Board of D l~ctors c ; , . - (Son CJrlo>Ap>cheo~) CJrlol M>l>elh (M...,o·N""'iU') - " " " " " " (Q<Ochua·E<uado<) M.vc<>< Yoc ("""·K>qchikd-Gwtcm.>l.l) ""'"" Dixon (M""'o·N""'iU') -M»Jv~(Que<hua·l>t.v) SAIIC Advisory Council R.uMo ~z (Moo.eco-Mbico) luis Macas (~·E<uador) At..OO L6pez (l(uN·P.namo) ~Ant~ (Lakota) ~e-.-e 8.vtz TII"SS Gonz.lJes (A)'I'NI'a. Eco.ldoor) Daughters of Abya Yala um. <Ou«""- Pt.;) - Vtctor Monttjo ()»:alte< t-'t.aya. CWtcmala) Interview with Dr. Leticia Viteri . . .. . ... . .. . . . . .. .22 Women and Mining Conference in 2000 . .. . ... . ..23 Juan.ta ~ff S1efano V.nse Po.;~ Wlo¥n Und«1>oggoge Environment Subscriptions: Bolivia: Indigenous fight for the forest ... . ... . .. .24 Recommendations from the Second International Forum on Biodiversity ... •. ...... .26 .Aby>Y"'-' N•ws (ISSN 1071 ·3182) • ~ ~e<!y in E"&'iih and ~tt is av~ for an ¥n.lilll.JS.S2S ~ ~· """IJ>$1S low·inc- ~ US$2S !of ~soc"' ;_ntice non-profits. \.JS$.40 for ~\:".ions. For Cln.xb .and Mtx>co ~ US$5. for all other' intetnatiooal n~t~•~ ships.. add l.JS.$10.Your Human Rights Chiapas: Massacre at Acteal .. . ... . ...... . .. . ..27 The Xavantes of the Serra do Roncador . . .. . . ....28 Self Determination and Territory Bilingual Intercultural Education in Ecuador· An interview with Alberto Andrango ...... . ... . .30 Interview with Margarita Calfio Montalva . .. . ... . .33 Announcements Upcoming Events Calendar . ... • ...... • . . .. . ...37 Book Reviews . . . . .... . ...... • .... . . • .... . .. .38 News from SAIIC .. . .. . .... . ....... . . ........39 *Abya Yala i s the Kuna word for Continent of Life which incl ud es all of the Americ as. Corre<tion: We ~e !or OU!" mistake 11"1 the lt'tlCie ~ NatiOnS at the l.kwttd ~ found on~ 32·35 11'1 theVOU'ne 1 0.1\.~ "i "Fat 1997" ~ ol.Abya;Ya~ Ne.vs.Wt'had SUle<l that •At this point. no I~ ~ton hu bttn we<~ n ob'.ari'lg wch a <~tht t'N· ~ w.th tile ECOSOC." Thttt ~ actuaty 1 NGO's recogril:ed br ECOSOC w th a <onsuhltr.oe 2 sUM. They .vto: 1. ~ Trtoa1y O:..nci (1977) 2.lhl! w~ ~on I~~ 3. World ~ As~tion 4. ~ ~ Con'~t fl-oe Cc»'llO of fOU" W.-.ds 6. ~ Cou«i oiSo<MAM<Ou 7.N, ....,.I C...... olln6'!"'¢U'YO<r.h & Tht 0.. <;tond Co<.<d (Quo~>«) 9.1r0.\n Uw P.esoun:t Center I O.In~t»>NN ()(z.wzatioo of~ ~es De.eJo;>~•oe••t II. ~tloONI ~ o( Setv.c:es for~ ¥'ld :sQn.d Pecsi~ 12. $ami Council. s. donOW'O """ US send the ,........ free in $p>nish tO ~ organizations n tht- South. Wev.dcorne~of~letten.photogr.aphs¥"d ~t acce$S '""".-.d..,.,..""" IMgth..,.., .... b<: edted !of to a c~ pkase send ;o.r Jnide on p.,lpel' ¥ld on .)n l"b(<otr~uibt.e 3 112 inch disk. Send ¥~correspondence to: SAIIC: P.O. Box 1870 3 Oakl~nd, CA 9<4604, USA Phone: (S I 0) 834·4263 Fu: (S I 0) 834·4264 e·ma.il: salic@lgc.apc.org W e would like to thank the following individuals and organiutioM for their generous assistance_or c_ ntrlbu· o dons to Abya Yala News: Pl"at<~PCh.ltt~. Patn<l3 DW·R.omo. Solood Salms-.....,..L_io Mcny L6p<L Qe,ys - Roc~. Wittig, ~ Ascencios. Ula leht.ntn. Letty Vaen. Robert ~Alb<>'to~Mgela M. P-MN-gant.\ C...~ Beto Borges. ~ F.,.,., Log«> HcMesscy. ly<Yid> Chama. Moloy. S.OOO SM. Heidi Ung«. S t - lln>M>. E<fl.v A,.,._ ~ Foss.Tei$Nn Umet.l\'i<:k luem.Vtetor Montejo. and all O th· eN v.fto iNde tM issue pos'Sil*. O rganiudons: CE.PROM N, t1<:Mmiento de 11 jv\"M1ud Kona. Pn:l,e<t ~A.rnalon ~ 1"'~va1ch t.,n., AmMQ, f\Mcleo dt o.;,\n ~ ~· ~ Action Ntotv,'Orf<. Mexico. Huicho&es y Plagvic~s. ~NEIS.Ewador. CONAIE (Ecu.>do<). Publications: No~iis A1ia&s. ln6gt'oous Ern.v~tal "'-"'""' News, H>gh«V"""'- Thanks to the following found~tions for thC!ir geMrous support: jotn 0. and ~ T. ~ F~.a·ld.n..on. Pub'oe. WelfJI'e f<>u>dat>On. Ju6lh Suonoch Fund of the v~ 1\b'c fOt.l'l<btion., The StJI\.,.aters fund o! the TIdes FCU'IdniOt\ ~th Gene.-•- SAJIC lbs of iswe from.,. AbyJ Y3b Nev4 \"M ~ I»S'Sib&e by ~ Indexed: M~- " " " Etl'tlic NeviS Wa~d\ Mo<Artlu Press h;Jex. SAIIC is located 3t 1714 Franklin StrC!et, l r-d Floor, Oakla.nd, CA, 94612. �E DITORIAL n this issue we cx:1mine the issue of Environmcmal justice as h relates to the health of Indigenous peot>lcs by looking :u the social impacts of multi-national development on lndagcnous land . Resource exploitation in the form of mining. o1 :1nd umber cxploiuuion, nuclear power plants, hydroelectric dams, toxic waste dumping and JXSUcldC use: not l only cause s.:rlous environmental damogc but also ncg.uively •mpo<:l the health of both Indigenous peoples and theor cultures. I Cases of cnvaronmental lnJUstice abound in L3un Amcnca. where the last frontier of natural resources remam buned m lndagcnous tcmtonts. ~hnmg. 011 and loggang compamc:;. mO\'C onto lnchgenous lands to explott our rcsourcts, dasrcgardmg hulth ~nd envuonrntntal regulat1ons. causmg polluuon and contamin;uing the land, an and water that r"(')Uits m grave consequences on the htallh lo our communHtCS Our natwt communilits across the Amcncas are paniCul~rly su.sccpubk to mdwuul development and explo1tat1on due on part to the bck of offic~al rtCOgllilion of <he bnds we occupy In an analysas or tht ~mioouseiTttts o£ gold mmmg on Jndtgc-nous rommunutes m the An)(ricas. wt 1ncludt an an•· de that unoo,·ers the health afTeets of the gold momng pro<ess on lnd•g<now peoples m <he western Umted States ond m Bmztl ~'e see how S1m1br the pattern o£ mineral exploJta\lon h.\b been m these two areas of the oontmtm nnd how dt.Sastrous ns resuhs. The hnk between environmental jusuce and health 1s dcuulcd m the antcle on the effects of pc:suCldcs on llutchol farm worket'$ m Non hem Mexico. The anicle on the Cerro Colomdo mine in Panama oUllincs the proposed contamination thttt would rcstah £rom rene,-.•ed mining in Ngobe-Buglt tern tory. V./e also include an article on environmenu'll rncasm in Native Nonh America which discussts the current threat or lOXiC dumping on Indigenous land. As almost every otl concession in the Amazon has been on lndtgtnous terntory, oil activities ha\'C resulted 111 chenu· al cont;umn~\lon or the ri"ers. dcrorestation, a dcchne an rood resources and medtcinal plants, cultural br<'akdown 111 the form or alcohohsm, vtolence. prostitution. rapt. foss or communal work practices a.nd new distaseS and allntssts rtsultlng £rom the explonauon 3nd mflux of £ortigners tnto our temtOry In 1ht: anicle on oil explottauon m Umnna temcory 1n Peru. V.'t' set how mcreased otl activiues ha\'C resulted tn dlStasc: tmport3uon and new Str.uns or faul dtstasts 3ffecung the Uranna In her mt<""w wnh SAIIC. Dr. l<ny Vucn doscusscs some of the effects of od cxplouauon on th< health of lndtgeOOll.> commumttts m Ecuador. As sho\\1'1 by the Parallel Conference on ~l.ning and the Communuy 1n Quuo and <he Women and M.n.ng Conference held on the Phohppmes, lnd1genous people arc networlong wnh each Other across 1he Amencas and across 1he globe to educate and Ofb.lm:e ourstl\'ts to confront the mas.sl\'e ronscqucn«s of large·scale mmmg afftcung our health and our tcmtones As the wtclely disparate examples or resoutee explouation dtscussed in thts tssue show, the effect or these nc1lvmes on the health nnd cuhurc o£ lndtgenous pc:oplcs cannot be dented. Nor can we ignore our deep spiritual connccuon 10 the tand. Throughout our convei'S3tions with the Native people who art £ncmg these crises on their lands. most notcwonhy riturtlly that they brought to the discussions or •hese ISS\ICS. The emphasis on the sacredness o£ the land, water wns the spa and nlr and their delennination not to allow their land or their children to be contaminated. \Vhtlc re.sour<:e exploitation compames are Still not held IK::COuntnble £or the damage they cause to our cuhures and nattonal go,·crnment.s £ail to enforce intemauonal laws and conventions designed to protect our rights. we contmue to Mruggle to ach1e\'e stl£-delenmnation. In this and every issue or Abya Vala Nev.'S. we are shanng news darectly £rom the lndtgtnOU$ COMMUOitleS lll the hopes o£ £ostenng a bcntr undcrstandtng o£ the issues r-acmg our pc:oples Vol. 11 No.1 3 �I B R I E F N Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast Update: Logging Stopped! T he 16th of February. Nicaragua's Environment and Natural Resources MilliSU)' \vithhcld pennits to SOLCARSA, the Korean lumber company, declaring their logging concession null a.nd void. Two years ago. the Violeta Chamorro govcrnmem granted a 153.000 acre concession to SOL0\ RSA. a subsidiary of the Korean transnational Kum Kyung (see Abya Yala News. Summer 1997, Vol. 10. No.3. Pg.34). The rainforest concession violated laws protecting the right of Indigenous communities of the Nonh Atlantic Atonomous Zone (RAAN) to comrol their natural resourcts. The recent declaration has come after the Nicaraguan Supreme Coun has ntled that the logging concession is unconstitutional for a second time. The Korean logging g1ant has already paid I million dollars in fines for violating logging regulations. for the Miskito and Sumo people, the eviction of SOLCARSA is the first step towards recognizing their constitutional riglu w title their lands. Annstrong Wiggins, a Miskito lawyer at the Indian Law Resource Ccncr said that '"this was an important battle, hard fought ... but to keep this from happening again, we have to press now for the demarcation or alllndigneous lands in Nicaragua." Information from : Resource Ctmcr of tht Americas and CloOOl REstXJ>IS<: globresponse@igc.apc.org United Nations Investigates Human Rights Abuses Against Indigenous Peoples in the United States I Febmary 1·4, Mr. Abdelfauah Amor, the UN Special Rapponeur of Religious Intolerance of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, met with traditional Oil'tch (Navajo) elders to inveStigate charges of human rights violations by the United States govcnlmcnt. A comingem of various nongovernment organizations, most of them faith based, were invited by the Dineh to participate in the evem. Mort than one hun· drcd people sat on the din noor or a hogan listenit'lg to testimonies about religious violations. This \vas the first time that the United States has ever been fonnally investigated by the UN for violatiOnS of the right tO freedom of religion. Abdelf~ttah Amor came in response to a fonnal complaint filed by the lntemational lndian Treaty Council (liTC) on behalf of the Sovereign Oinch Nation o£ Big Moumain, Arizona focus· ing on forced relocation and its impacts on religious freedom. The religious rights of the Oineh Nation are threatened by the British·owned Peabody Coal Company (PCC). the worlds largest privately-owned coal company, which operates the Bl~c k Mesa/Kayenta strip mine in the heart o£ Black Mes.1. Over 4,000 burial and sacred sites have been destroyed as a resuh or strip mining. There is no protection given to Di1~ch burial grounds and sacred sites. Members of the community are ba.rred access to certain sacred sites to pray. which interferes wilh their ability to practice their religion, which is land·bascd and site specific. 4 The Oineh community's long history of rcsi.stance reached a pivotal J>Oint in 1974, when the US Congress approved the Na~jo·Hopi Sc.nlcmem Act. The previous arrangement of dual ownership of the lands by the Dineh and the Hopi complicated the mining companies ability to seek land leases for coal exu-ac· tion. This new law, s·ponsored in part by the mining industry, resulted in the forced relocation of 12 ,000 traditional Oineh from their land. In 1996 the US governmem attempted ;mother Oineh·Hopi settlement act that offered land leases to a few f:unilies while authorizin..s the forcible relocation of those who did not qualify £or a lease pem1it. The Dineh are feeling the pressure to resettle to oper~ more land for mining. In addition lO being the primary source o£ destruction for traditional Dineh burial and sacred sites. the cool strip mine has created several environmental problems. The mine threatens the sole source or water for the communities in the region. The coal £rom the Black Me.sa mine is mixed with water and transported 273 miles through a slurry line to the Moja"e Generation Station in Laughlin, Nevada. To function properly. the slurry line must pump tlp to 1.4 billion gallons of water each year from the Oineh aquifer. 4 Jn his four-day visit, Mr. Amor heard from Indigenous nations in Arizona on other maaers as well, including: the University of Arizona$ pl:lcement of tc1escorx~s on top of Moum Graham. a !>lace sacred to the Apache people; uranium mining on the high plateaus o£ the Grand Canyon, which is sacred to the Havasupai and many other Indigenous peoples native to Arizona. Nevertheless., Mr. Amor refused to validate or refute any allegations until he had time to digest the documentmion and testimolly he had recei"ed from more than one hundred and £'irty people in his four da)' visit. Amor:S report from his U.S. visit will likely be heard by the U.N. Commission on l'ttmlan Rights in March 1999. It is possible the UN may release the repon to the public by the end of 1998. The aides to the stateS congressional delegation in Arizona said they had nC\'er heard of Amor nor had any idea why he had selected Arizona to ilwestigate the subject or religious intolerance. For more infonntllion please contact: •'-'farsha 1\lfoncstersky. C<>nsultam lO So\'treign Dir1eh Nation, Co-Chair. NCO Human Righls Caucus ac the UN Commission on Sustairl(lble lRvelopmeru (718) 349·1841 e·mail: sdllatioll@tartlllink.ntt Roraima, Brazil: Forest Fires Reach Yanomami Te rritory he raging fires sweeping the Amazon h~ve reached the Yanomarui's dense jungle territory. For the past two months. fires set by subsistence farmers to clear their land oraima state. The dev. · have ravaged the s..wa.nna highlands of R astating fires arc coupled with one or lhe worst droughts the region has e\'er raced . ThO\IS3.nds of Macuxi, Wapixana, Taurepangi. \Vai Wai, Pernon. Maiongong :md Patamona peo· T ----=- Yala News Abya - - �IN pies are also threatened as the drought has ruined their crops. The fires arc now eating their way into the jungle. which is usu· ally far too humid and wet w burn. According to meteorologists. El Nit\o may be affecting the bizarre weather. which has caused flooding in Brazil's south and drought in the Amazon region w the North. Romima has not seen rain for five momhs, and the winds push 1he flames quickly 1hrough 1he forest aided by 1he extremely low levels of the rivers and creeks, natural firebreaks. At this writing, the fires had already entered seven miles imo the Yano~mi's vast territory along the Brazii.Vcnezuela border. The ri\'ers in the area have dried up to such an extent that hcahh anomami villages affected by care providers arc unable to reach Y malaria. The fires come at a time when the garimpeiros. poor gold miners who swanned into Yanomami lands by the tens of thous..'\nds in the 1970s and 80s. have finally been remove by the government this jarmary. Yanomami leader Davi Kopcnawa Yanomami has appealed for help tO stop the fires from encroaching fun her into the jungle and destroying any villages. He expre-ssed concern that the f'ircs will open the way for gold miners and landless fanners who would nonnally be Slopped by the dense jurlglc. The Consclho lndigena de Roraima (CI R) has appealed 10 the international community for dis.'\Ster aid to help fight the severe conditions created by the fires and droughL As t>art of 0 their solidarily campaign. CIR is 1rying 1 drill wells, build water canals and provide food for the Indigenous peoples in Roraima, where the fires have alread)' consumed 25% of the stntc's forests. Pft<.lst <onwa CIR at: cir@trchnec.com.b,· Ecuador- Indigenous People Push for Ratification of ILO Convention 169 l in Ecuador. Indigenous people kicked off the month o£ Febmary with demonsmuions and marches tO pre-ssure the government to ratify the International labor Organization's Convcmion 169 that recognizes the rights of Indigenous and Tribal People. Their recent efforts include the massive march o£ more than 1,500 Indian thal arri\'ed in Quito on the 4th o£ Februal)~ On Feb. 5th interim President Fabi~n Alarc6n sent Congress his report. on the issues addressed in the conventiOil. Congress is now debating the ratification or the imemational accord. Since it was ratified by the International Labor Organization in Geneva in I 989. 1he dose 10 3.5 million Indigenous people in Ecuador have been fighting for its ratification. Indigenous leader Miguel Lluco, congressional representative of the Pachakutik Plurinalional Movement , has continued to mise the issue of ratification of the convention in Congrtss. Lluco says that there was ..an \mjustificd delay on the part of the executive branch" in handing over the convemion to Congress for ratification. For the II Indigenous nations in Ecuador, a country of ll million inhabitants, the ratification of the Convention is fun· Vol. 11 No.1 BRI E F damemal, and rtprcscms the first time that the rnulticuhuralism of 1hc na1ion has been legally recognized. To comply with the Convemion, the government must con· suit with the Indigenous communities before instituting any project that could affect the communities directly. The State is also obliged to establish the means through which the commu· nitics can panicipate freely in deci.sion·making with government authorities. In the ConStituent Assembly. which was seated in late December and is charged with rewriting the Ecuadoran ConStitution, members of the Pachakutik movement , center-left panies and former Pres idem Osvaldo Hunado (1981-84), head of 1he Peoples Democracy pany and s1>eaker of 1he assembly, have promised to defend the ILO convention. In its deb:ncs Oil pluriiHUionality. the assembly is considering the issues addressed in Convention 169 including: such tOt>ics as: juridical pluralit)', which would pennit Indigenous communities to have their own laws, legal codes and sanctions, and provide legal recognition of some decisions made under traditional juStice systems. although many asr>ccts of these decisions would be subordinate to Ecuadorian law: making the official govcmmem representative in a locality an elected post in Indigenous territO· ties, rather than a political appointee of the provincial governor; making Quichua a national language. on the same level as Spanish. while less·widely spoken Indigenous tor~gues would be recognized as official languages in the are.as where they arc spoken: allowing Indigenous communities to organize them· selves according to their own traditions. Even if Ecuador joins the eight other Latin American coun· tries that ha"e ratified Convention 169. signing this imerna· tiona! agreement is not a guaramee of compliance. Lluco cites the example o£ Mexico, who ratified the accord in 1990 but is now ptrsecuting the Indigenous communitie-s in Chiapas. Many Indigenous leaders think that it is neceSS<lry to incorporate the Convention into the national constitution. According to Lluco ~ Congressional recognition is rundamental, but it is only the first step ... The recent discussions in Congress surrounding the ILO Convcmion 169, have sp.1rkcd nationwide debates about mul· ticuhuralism and what it means to be a multi-ethnic state. ~our nonns are part o£ a survival system that has nothing to do with we-stern laws. That is why it is imperative for Indigenous com~ mu1 lities to be given the power to resolve their own internal conOicts. For this reason. it is indispensable that the constitu· tion include judicial plurality. Obvious!)' there is a need to create a law to hannonize general legislation with that of the Indigenous communities. where matters of justice arc also decided collectively and where the entire community panid· pates~ Lluco concluded . lnjom1ation from : Nolidas Aliadas, Pen~ 5 �. ~ .(• ·G · I~ Gre .,~ tfrle Ame~ica$ '· California to "' I . + by Pratap Chatterjee / , �_ _ _ _ _ _ ___,._, O'-· E <_ " J U S T I < E "The white warriors went across in their long dugouts. The Indicms said they would meet them in peace so wl1 the wl1ites llmded Ll•e en Indians went to welcome them ... Ge-Wi-Lil• said l1e threw u1J his hand ... but the wllite man fil·ed and slwt him in Ll1e arm ... (s)he sc1id wl1en Ll1ey gaLI1ered the de(l(l, they found all the little on es were l!illed by being stabbed anclmany of the women were also l!illecl by stabbing ... (t)l1is olcllacly also told about (how) the wl1ites hung a man on Emerson island ... and c• lw·ge fire built under (him). And another ... was tied 10 a tree and burnt 10 death" -William Benson. Porno hisrorian, ~~cowus massaCr'C$ m Cltt~r IAI<e. Califomia. M<1y 1850 "A group of logge rs mulminers near the town of Pontes e Lacerda ambushed cuul violently assaulted at least I 4 Kmitcmlhu lndiaus in L11e Sarare reserve. T l1e loggers subsequently looted Ll•e Indians village, clamaging a l1ealth post ancl sclwol and stealing money, tools ancl vehicles belongiug 10 the ludiaus. SujJporters of the Indians, wl10 have attempted 10 mobiliz e fecl eral officials to comply wi£11 court orders to remove the illegal loggers aud miuers from the reserve subsequently received dea£11 Llu·eats cmcl iutimid(l(iOII. The Katitaullm were also threatened withfurtl•er violence by the iuvaders. Medical reports state that I 4 Irulicms were wouuded, mauy by haviug been tied up aud beaten." - Enviro11me11Wl Defense Fund report from Maco Grosso, Brazil, November 1996 T housands of kilometers, ::md almOSt a century and a half. set>a· rate the two violent incidents against 1he Pomo peoples of California and the Nambikwara peoples of Mato Grosso. Brazil. Yet the rOOt cause for both incidents was exactly the same: stulers in search of gold. The Clear Lake incident was a direct outcome of the arrival of Charles Stone and Andrew Kelsey. two ranchers who arrived at the lake in 1847, whocapatred and bought hundreds of Pomo, forcing them to work as slaves. Kelsey forced Pomo men into the mountains as vinual slaves to help him look for gold. Evenmally two Porno cowboys, Shak and Xasis. took the law into their own hands and executed both seulers bringing the wroth of the United States ann)' upon them in the incidents described above. The Katitaulhu are one of 12 Nambikwara subgrout>s. whose lands were first invaded in the 1970s when the Vol. 11 No. 1 World 8.1nk-funded BR 364 road from Cuiaba in Mato Grosso to Porto Velho in Ror•donia wns opened by Brazil's military govcmmem. Decimated by epidemics and forcibly relocated to make way for the road. the Nambikwara died in great numbers making desperate pilgrimagts in an auempt to return to their traditional lands. Some 6.000 gold miners invaded the S.1rare reservation in the 1990s seriously polluting major watercourses in the area. disrupting local fishing and huruing. SJ>rcading malaria and viral diseases. The inciclem described above is just one of many attacks on the l\tambikwara in the last two decadts. Foundation of empire Gold has been the foundation of empires throughout hiStory and continues to be the roOl cause of many genocidal auacks against Indigenous people around the world. The Romans founded their empire on Spanish gold , the Spanish founded their empire on Inca gold, the 1849 Gold Rush was the basis of the foundation of the state of California and today the \\lorld B.'lnk makes a profit supporting gold mines. Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador. arrived in Cajamarca (now pan of Peru) 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 buy off the Spanish by offering them a room full of gold and two rooms full of silver. The Spanish accepted the offer but after they got the gold, they murdered Atahualpa and proceeded to raze the rest of the city to the grotmd. Toda)' the ransom room is the only surviving nwnumcm to the Inca presence butt he region is still being raped for gold: it is the site of Yanacocha. the biggest gold mil'le in l..'l.tin America, which is nm by Ncwmom of Colomdo and funded by the World 8.1nk. Almost 500 years after the Inca died defending their lands, the peo· 7 �ECO - JUST I CE pie of Cajamarca are dying because of 1he contamination of local waters, and their lands are s1ill being seized. Yet economiSts, historians and media alike continue to celebrate the metal. In 1994 World Bank economists la-;shed praise on Peru for becoming 1he fas1es1 growing ccon01ny in the world by invit· ing in the new gold mines. 1n 1998 historians and the media launched into a celebratory frenzy over the 150th anniversary of 1he founding of 1 Slale of California he af!er 1he famous 1849 Gold Rush. But for Indigenous communities the arri\'31 or gold miners has always meant dise-ase and death, whether il b<: among the Nomlaki peoples of nonh-westem Ca1ifomia in the 1850s or the Yanomarni of the A1 nazon in the 1990s as the two examples below demonstrate. Deadly diseases "'They (the Native Americans) had been hiding in the hills. There was no rain for three years and figh ting going on every day. No d over, no acorn, juniper berries or pepper grass. No!hing for 1hree years. Finally the Indians got smallpox and the Indian docwr couldn't cure them. Gonorrhea came among the Indians. They died by 1he 1housands.· - Andrew Freeman. Nomlaki hiStorian. recounting 1he story of his peoples in 1 1850s. he "The biggeSI problem for 1he Ya,,omarni now are the garimpeiro (goldminers} who are in our land. and the ill· nesses they bring with them. Among them some have illnesses like flu, tuber· culosis and venereal diseases. and contaminate my people. Now we are afraid 1 hey " ;II bring measles and also AIDS. this illness which is so dangerous that we do not wam it among us. But the worst illness for \IS is malari.'l. which comes in with the goldtn iners. The governmentS National Health Foundation say that 1300 Yanomami had got malaria up umil May this ytar." - suuemem by Davi Y anomami. August 1997. Some 60 percent of the estimated 150,000 native peoples of Calirornia were wiped out by famine and disease between 1he years of 1850 and 1870 while anolh· er 20 percem were killed by scnlers. The rate of destruction of the Brazilian 8 Yanomami is terrifyingly simil:u, today there arc an estimated 8,000 people left. a 60 percent drop from the estimated 20,000 who lived in 1he region jusl 20 years ago. Mercury Madness Armed militia and deadly diseases are not the only terror that stalked the Native peoples of California in 1he 1850s and the Indigenous communities of the Amazon in 1 1980s. Mercury, a highly he toxic metal. used for centuries by small· scale gold miners tOextract the tiny necks of shiny metal from the ore, has also taken a rnajor toll. Merc:ury can dissolve as much as 60 percem of gold ou1 of ore into a physical solution, known as an amalgam. This a1nalgam can be broken down quickly and easily by heating orr the mercury, similar to the 'vay salt can be: recovered from sea 'vater. This merc.:ury vapor gets trapped in aunos· pheric moiswre and precipitates down into local water sup· plies where it can t><>ison ftsh and ani· mals higher up il'l 1he food chain. The California Gold Rush of 1849. perhaps the most celebrmed in history, lefl a deadly legacy of :.tn estimated 7.600 tOI'lS or mer· cury in the lakes, rivers and sediments of the state while over one thousand tons of mercury arc curremly being dumped by small miners in the fragile rainforestS of the Amazon. just one gram of mercury poured into eiglny million li1 of waw would be ers cause for concern under United States federal h uman health sta ndards for drinking water and enough to contami· nate a small lake. Mercury is a persistent toxin which can destroy fel\lses, the human central nervous system. reproduc· tive organs and immune system. \ Veil over a century after the miners invaded California. decades after the mines were shut down, fishing is still pro· hibited in Clear Lake. California. because of the heavy mercury contamination of the lake. Environmental experts on the tribal reservations in north·wcstern California are realizing that they may have to seek help cleaning up the waste that contaminates the Trinity river. Meanwhile nobody knows the full extem of the problems in the Brazilian Amazon bm inilial studie--S have shown that the levels of mercury in Tapojos river Rsh in 1995 were 3.8 parts per tnillion (ppm). almOSt eigh1 times the t>ermined federal ma., imum of 0.5 ppm. in 1989, fish in the Madeira river tested as high as 2.7 ppm. Good news, bad news Fonunately. 1 ercury is no longer n used in California and the small·scale miners were recemly evicted from the (crn•i<ln•, Sho._ ftDdiliMol eld<l. ·r. dig IK1f1tt Ill• OOIIh 10 gel :c mal geld, IC pwj) out mar ""'" 10 !}el t• lbar geld, is • <rime, its ac ogainsl h<lfl>()(ify. .. • lim• Yanomami territory in january 1998 by the Brazilian :.trmy. There's more good news. the Macuxi people-s of Roraima. Brazil, blockaded roods in 1997 10 successfully dem.,nd 1he rcmovnl of gold miners from their territory. However, today the lands of Native peoples in Nonh America are the subject of a new invasion of gold miners and the Indigenous communities of Latin America are next on the liSt as described below. Abya Yala News �Eco-JuSTI CE Cyanide: the new terror In 1he 1960s, Newmom corporation of Colorndo te..1.me:d up with the United Suucs Bureau of ~·lines to perfecl a ttch· nique to cx<rnct 97 percent of gold from ore dug up in the dcscns of Ne"ada using a chemical called cyanide. These desen lands, the sacred and traditional lands of the \\'estern Shoshone, are now the source of half the gold in the United States today. Corporations around the world have followed suit. using this cyanide technol· ogy together with the powerful explosives and massive cartlHnovil~g equipment 1hat allows them to blast apan entire mountains, to take over the business of gold mining. A teaspoonful of two-1>crccm solu1ion of cyanide can kill a adult human. Cyanide blocks the absorption of oxygen by cells. causing the victim to effectively "suffocate." Adverse imJ>aCts of cyanide on fi.sh have been reported at le\'els of 0.01 ppm, concentrations as low as five 1>arts per billion have been found to inhibit fish reJ>roduction. while levels of 0.03 ppm arc kno"" to kill fish. Human beings can experience decreased respiratory and thyroid functions. ~rdiac pain, vomiting, headaches and central nervous system toxicity from oral exposure to low levels of cyanide. Shon tenn exposures to high levels of cyanide compounds can cause breathing problems. central nervous system toxicity and gastro·imestinal corrosion. This dtadly chemical is being used today il'l Nonh Amcri~ on the lands of peoples like the Porno in California, 1he \\'estern Shoshone in Nevada, the Sioux in South DakOla, the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre in Montana. Also under threat are the Quechan in Arizona. the PaiUle in Nevada, and the Colvillcs in Washington state whose lands are being targeted for new gold mines. Also poisoned by cyanide arc the pco· pies who live on the Essequibo ri"er in Guyana, where dead fish and hogs were reported in August 1995 after a waste '~ter dam at the Omai gold mine broke and spilt 3.2 billion liters of cyanidelaced waste into the river in what is believed to be the biggest such dis.:tster in history. Studies b)' the Pan American Health Organization have shown that all aquatic life in the four-kilometer-long creek that n.ms from the mine to the Essequibo was killed. Suspicious fish, caule and even human deaths have also been reponed among the people of Cajamarca, Peru, where Newmont is using cyanide to extract gold. ..\Ve have the right to put up oppositiOI'\ because history has made us skeptical of certain white men. because we have lOSt millions of human lives. millions of hectares of land and millions of tons of gold, silver and copper with no compensation,"- Atencio Lopez, Kuna, Panama, August 1996. Meanwhile a number of other Indigenous and traditional communities throughout l.'ltin J\merica are being targeted for new gold mines like the Maroon communit)' of Nieuw Koffiekamp in Suriname where Golden Star of Colorado ~we want progress wi,hoUl destruc· tion. \Ve want to study, to learn new ways of cultivating the land. living from its fn.tits. We do not want to live without trees, hunting. fish and clean \V<lter. If this happens misery will come to our people. (also the joint operators of the Omai gold mine in Guyana) have reportedly threatened and harassed community members by using li\'C ammunition to frighten them away from areas in which the company is e., ploring for gold. I hope that you will help me in this fight ' - Oavi Kopenawa Yanomami. Brazil. August 1997 In Cemral America, the Panamanian Natural Resources Directorate reports that 70 percent of the approximmely 20.000 square kilometers of Panama deemed to have mining potential is on land claimed by Indigenous groups. The government has alre<tdy approved exten· sivc copper a.nd gold mining COI'\C('.SSions within the Ng<>be·Buglt and Kuna territO· ries. Yet communities are fighting back across the Americas. The Assiniboine, the Cohrilles. the Gros Vtntre, the Sioux and the \Vestern Shoshone ha\'e gone to coun to protest the gold mines while the peoples of Latin America arc also putting up a spirited opposition, from road .blockades in Panama to complaints to internas tional bodies by the Suriname- e Maroons. It is high time for pe:ople around 5he world to suppon these struggles and demand an end to the status of gold as a barbaric custom. As the leaders of the f'irst peoples of the Americas have testified below. pure water. traditional cultures and life arc more precious than all the gold dug up from under the ground. "To dig under the earth to get to that gold, to pump out that water to get to that gold. is a crime. itS a crime against humanity, a crime againSt life. the very life upon which all people depend, not only people but we have Other things out there- we have the deer. we have the eagle. we have the rabbils. we have all lire out there and the gold mining today is going 10 destroy that, it is destroying that. the life ror the future generations is going to be gone" - Carrie Dann, Westem Shoshone traditional elder, spring 1997.~ rhe outhot is mining compoigl'ttt lot Projtd Vndetgrovn~ o hvmoff tights gtoup bDstd ;n Bttkeley. Colifomio. His lot~ltt~tl, ..Gold, G and GentKide: 1eetl unmasking the Myth of the '49m, • is ovoilob/e ltom fr•iecl U ndergrwnd (., Ul$5.00. Projea Umlergrowtd am be nwched by phone ac +I 510 705 8970,fax ac +I 510 705 8993,or e-mail al: projtct_undcrground@moles.org or visit: hup:llwwuunolcs.otg. Vol. 11 No. 1 9 �Eco-JusTICE A Poisoned Culture: the case of the Indigenous Huichol Farm Workers + by Patricio Dioz-Rama and Samuel Salinas-Alvarez ' I, I Migrant workers and pestic.ides The ex-posure to ptSl1C1des 1S one of the greate.t nsks that lnd1genous migrant workers face. In Mexico. the tobacco companies with agrOJndustrial cultivation use enomtous quanti11CS of these danger· ous a.grochemJcal products without complytng wnh the International legal mmcuons des•gn«l to pro!ttt human hfe The ln<hgenous workers are espr· oally ,,lnerable to the prmtCIOUS effects of the p<Sttctdes for daverse reasons. among them the fact that they lack infor· m:mon regardmg the dangers of expo· sure. because the contractors do not provide them with safety equipmem, and because the conditions m wh1ch they bvc and work m tht agrotndusuial fields prevents them. for example. from bathmg and from washmg then clothes after scnous md1cat0rs or the snu.auon v.:hich magrant workers encoumtr In 1993 it was esumated that 1n t-ach planung season •pproximatel)" 170.000 Oeld workers "rriv~ in the valleys or Sm~loo. An average of 5.000 agricultural workers suffer from tOXIC poisoning 3$ a rtSUh or the handling of. or prolonged exposure to. pesticides that.,. used m culuv.uon or the 35.000 agnculturnl laborers that worked m the San Qumun Valley of BaJa Cahfomta m 1996. 70% were lndagenous Arude 20 of the ILO Convenuon 169 emphatically C:;\IIS (or signatory govcmments to do cvcryahmg possible to prevent workers rrom bcmg subject 10 contractual workmg conditions dangerous to thetr health, pamcularly ·as a COnstqutnce o£ their txposurt to pt.suCldts or 01her d:mgerous subs&3ncts-. btmg m contact wtth pesuades recently apph«l or wtth resadual pr;ucid<S. According to researchers, ahe ma..orit)' or 1he Indigenous 1mgmm workers who The cases of J>Ot>onang and death from pesticides count among the most 10 work 1n the agroindusuinl fields in north· ern t••lcxico are: Mixtc<:os. Tnqms, and Zapotecs from Oaxaca. Nahuas. MtJ<1CCOS and Tlaptnecos from Guerrero and Purh'cpeehn.s from M1choacan The dcmogrophlc data indicates a extremely serious siluauon. According to !!stela Guzm~n Ayala. women (34%) and children undtr 12 years of age (32%) constt· tute 66% of the Indigenous 13bor force m 1hc agncuhur:d regions Ill nonhem Mextco. Ruth Franco, a doetor sptttahz· mg an work-related health and the coordmator of the Program for Day IJtborers of the IMSS delegation tn Smalo•. esti· n•ates that 25% of the 200.000 workers in the Smaloo valleys dunng the 1995· 1996 season were children between the ages of 5 :md 14. or the chtldrcn from southern MeXICO. 63% arc hared by tntermedtan<S tn thttr plact of ongm •nd the rtSttn ahe state of S1naloa Fony four per· cent of th<SC child laborers are female and Ofty sax percent male. 55% of the child rann workers have been workmg in the fields for I to 5 years and 14% for over 5 years At the conclUS100 or the agncultural season, 12~ return wnh thcu ramdtt:S to their resp«u'~ States. 2~ rcmam Ill Stnaloa. and 9% conunue along the mtgrant worker route to other dt:Slma- uons The extent or the indiscrimimne use of pesticides has been frequently <xJ>OSed and denounced in the McXlcan press. It 1s estimated lh3t thousands or used cont~Uil· crs and tO>.."l.C res1dues that arc gencr.~~ted by tht annual use of upwards of 8 mtlhon tons of pestacadts are cnmmallr dtsposed Of 1n ad hoc trash bmS. channels, drams, mcmcr.uors, and recycled 10 store drmkmg water. The harmful effects of pcsti· cldes on human health and on the environment have been clearly docurnemed. �E co- J us T I CE Huichol es and pesticides and dc<enor.ues larmmg 1ha1 l)'])l<:llly occurs on htllsides. The l·luicholcs speak a language belonging to the uto-azttca lmguistic family 1ha1 also indudcs N~huad. Hopi, Shoshone, Comenchc and many 01her languages m a ''aSl rtglon that vatnds northw3rd to tht Unned Statts and southw'3rd into ctntral Mextco. Some SIUd•cs eStima<e that be1" een 15 and 20 thousand Huicholcs mhabn the mountams of the Sierra Madre Ocx:tdcnral with· m a territory that compnsts p.1ns or the Mexican states of Jahsco, Nayarit, DurJngo. and Zacatecas Year al1<r year. approx1ma«ly 40'l!. ol all Hutchole fam1hcs lt:a\>t the•r commu· mues m the dry season to find employmem. 1>00rly paid and dangerous. in 1he 10bacco fields of 1he NayaMI CO.'S!. The causes of this temporary mtgrnuon. stem from the socioecono1mc snuauon of the lnd•genous people and from 1he1r ritual <:~l<ndar. In tht ramy season. the Hutchole:s tra· dmona.ll)' cuJuvat«l a combmauon of corn , c:htle. btans. THE " VALUABLE AND APPRECIAT· ED" HUMAN MERCHANDISE INCLUDES PREGNANT WOMEN AND BABIES INCAPABLE OF squ•sh. and >rnar a n 1 h . Unfortunately, the Mc:<Jcan govern· mcnt promotes exauly 1he opposnc- monocultural planung-by dislnbuung hybrid seeds or com lhal re((\llfC the USC of pcs<icldes and aninci:tl fenilizers. replacmg 1he miXed seeds 1ha1 were 1rodniorully FROM PAIN , WHO used by Hu1choles HAVE RECENTLY and mher lndtgenous agncuhurol peoples. BEEN BORN TO Monoculture agriMALNOURISHED culture and other modem developMOTHERS CRYING, MUTE ments brt-ak down the lndtgcnous trJdiUons or COOptraUon 10 1hc communal ogncultur.tl work and mcrt:lSt'. at an alannmg mtc. the mcidtnct of malnULnuon and alcoholism. The m<roduction ol hcrb1t1des like P:lmquot and 2,4-D gmdunlly demoys communal farm practices. puts the health of culuvators and thetr ranuhes m danger. Vol.11 No.1 Wtth 11\C I'C:asingly rewer OJ>f>Orlunities to S\trvive In the mountams, the Hu•eholes feel forced to m•gra< In search e of work 10 1hc loOOCCO fidds 10 1hc CO:IStal pl:mtauons or Na)'lrlt The Hutc-holes also m1grate for cultural rt.a .. sons. Negnn claims that •they rehg•ous necessity to visn the ocean, an ancestral female figure assoctoued With (enilit)' and 1he eanh. Once <ht)' reoeh Ihc C<lQSI howtY<r, <h<>' find 1ha1 ,r ahey don' work m the tnb.1coo plantations, they cannot rctum home to the mount:uns."' Huicholes and <he 10<:11 landowners the Iauer t1cting as imcrmcdiarits be1wccn 1hc labor Ioree and <he ' b•g tobacco cap1tal - usually takes place m the plazas or the communlliCS, on the main h•ghwa)'s. or In the houses or lht empiO)'trs Somenmes 1he Hu1choles ask. hesnantl)', for some: ·varas"'· a «n~un t-..we the quamny of IOrtlllas a da)' per lam1ly or some muon of purified wtuer. Few workers are ·~~;~~::~. Fonhosc these J SUCC«d, It I) great t ccom- pli.shment. The I'<SI Will have 10 drink water from the 1rngauon ch.'\nnels derwing from 1hc San< lago River, one of ahe most cont.amm.ated in Mexico, or from 1he wells ol 1hc reg1on. whiCh are also contaminated m thnt , owing to the intensive use or pesticides m the zone. the dong<r· Tobacco has been grown m Na)·ant sana: long before 1he amval of 1hc Span1 sh, but h wns m 1he 1940> when 1he tabacco market look off as a resul1 ol 1he Second ll<idocl.rwetl:ftllld.IIW'-"Y...... OIIdftl>t ous agrochem•cals World War The pestiodo/cdiiU:hxcoltcm. tuxe leach«! Into the aqu•ltr. muntC lpaluy of Sol.nuago lxcumtla One ol 1he reasons 1 < Hu•choles m Nay:mt 1S the Mexican capnal o£ tabac· ha1 he co producuon. Every year,locall:mdown· contract to work in the cutung :m d ers meet in their town plazas to hire the stringing of tobacco, and n o1 in other Huicholc workers and subcontract them agricultural work, IS be~use these opera· as a cheap labor Ioree. Hu1ehole workers Lions arc done m the late afternoon or are appre<,;ated beca\15(_ 1hc1r work wnh mom1ng. when 1he temperature •s more the 10bocco ltoves (hongmg and agreeable comp.lr<d Wllh lhc heal or lht middl< or lhc da)' Dunng thc hangmg bundhng) IS practical!)' an art and bundhng or lhe ICI\ '<S one Sla)'S The Hu1chol~ make the JOUrne)' from under the shade ol 1he "branches: The the sierras tmder subhuman cond1t1ons, apparent advantage of workmg u\ the obocco fields h ungry . shade bc(:omes a health threat when the arriving n1 1he 1 ed thirsty and exhaus1 . The "valuable nnd Huicholts nrc cutting the moist lea\'es apprec1attd. human men::ha.nd1se and they become wet from head to toe mcludes pregnant women and b.1b1es MoiSt skm absorbs pesucides more e:lSlly 10Cip.lble of Cl')'lng. mUle from p.lll\, who The \ 'tr')' ntcoune m tobacco causes skm have re«nll)• been born to malnounshcd tmtauons and hwe:s. symptoms whiCh, m mothtrs or mothers wnh tubtrculosu the Umted Statts, ha\·c been idenuficd as Vulnerable elders and C\'tn 1he "Sirong· Green Tobacco S1ckness. men arm•e :u these centers an weak condition. The children. who ac< ively partiCll)nlt ln the cuuing of lite lca"e-s. are pattlculnrThe negotia.tions the ly suscep11ble 10 Ihe harmful tffeCIS of !he 11 �E co - J u s TI CE pesticides and the nicotine. 1t is consid· ered '"easy- ror them to work in the first phase of the cutting b«:ausc they can gather the lea"es at the base of the plams. As they work along t~e furrows, cuuing the leaves, their bodies are smeared with the sticky gum and resin that covers the tobacco. At the same time, they inhale :.\I'd absorb the residues of the toxic pes· tic-ides that have been applied to the plants. The families li"e and sleep in boxes. or under blankets or plastic. beneath the strings of tobacco leaves that are dryil'&· In their makeshift shelters. they try 10 protect thcJnsclves fron1 the inclemem sun during the day and from the wet cold Mexican government~ health and envi· ronmemal institutions have taken the necessary measures to protect the heahh or the workers that handle these toxic substances. The endemic malnutrition that the Huichole population suffers becomes more acute with the rise in aleo· holism, which increases during the work· ing season on the coast. This in tum ag,g:r.wates the toxicological problem. T h e H\licholes and Pesticides P-roject is undertaking a health st\ld)' between at night, exposing themselves in the process to the toxic substances that cover the leaves. There is no potable There is no doubt 1hat, with the massive use of pesticides in the agroindustrial fields. the large phannaceutic.a.l companies and tOb.'lcco grow· ers are violating rights to infom\ation and health and, in the process, are polluting land. rivers. aquifers. and flmally the ocean. whom the Huicholcs call "Our Mother of the Sea~ Haramarn. water, drainage, nor any latrines. Eve1\ the food is cooked beneath the hanging strings or tobacco. Occasionally the H\licholes usc the empty pesticide con· tainers to carry their drinking w~ter, with· out paying notice to the grave dangers that this represents. since the majority cannot read the instn.ICtions on the labels which rnay be written in English . Other times they bring these containers back home w the mountains as ..practical souvenirs... Pesticides arc poisons specifically designed to kill. They are wxins that con· taminate and degrade everything whh which they come into comact; there are no remedies or cures against them and, contrary to their manufacturers' claims, they are destroying the cycles of life and the ecosystem or the planet and itS inhabitants. Urgent need for an investigation Neither the national and transnation~ al companies thrtt numufacu.ue pesticides. nor the tobacco producers. nor the 12 migrant workers, in the Indigenous com· lllUI~ities or the Huichole sierra, as \ VCII as in the principle: municipalities or the tobacco zone in the coast of Nayarit. In these '""orkshops they showed, in both Huichola and Spanish, the video Huicho1es and Pesticides. which includes the te5'imonies of Indigenous and mesti· zo farm workers who have suffered from problems of pesticide poisoning. References: Statements by Diego Agt<ilar Acuna, leader of the National Uniotl of "'age Field \\1>rkers (CTM), El Uniw>td, November 9111, 1993. Per>Onal communicaricm of Ramifo Otifdl8tl oodel the oge o/12 c011Sril1118 32~ .r Arroyo Sepulnula, advisor ro me llldigttlotJ$ labor l«ct ill rfle c¢<1itural the Ncuioncd Progrmn of ttgjoos of N011h<m H•xiro. Agriadtural WOrhcrs with the S.mwry of Social Develo11mtnt. Magdalena Gomez. I"dlan Riglus. Ltcture prcscmcd at Indigenous and mestizo workers the 169th Convention of the lnturwtional designed in coordination with the Organi~ation of Wori•. INI. 1991. Pg.78. La Pesticide Education Center of San )ornada,]uly 22, 1996. Estela Gu~man Francisco. Otlifomia and includes col lab· Ayalcl, Heclith at worh: the case of the agri· oration from the Unhrersit)' o£ cultural workers. rt[JOrted in Lfljornada, Guadalajara and the Autonomous April 19th, l997.t>g.46. Excelsior, University of Nayarit The study began in Ftbnwry 17th, 1996. El Universal. July 28, 1995 and includes performing two blood 1996. juan Negrin. The Nuieh<>l Cnwtion of analyses to dctcnnine the levels of ery- the 1\'i>rld. Yarn Tablas by )<>st &nit<~ throcyte cholinesterase. The J >CStiddes Saneht~ and 1i<tuki1a Carrillo. E.B.Cra<ker inhibit the activity of this ncurolransmit- Art Gallery. Sacramcnco, CA. ~ ter. producing various effects on oneS health, including death. As or this writing 1'11t outh01s work with lht Huitho/e$ Ofi(J fHticidrs the study is at the stage or data analysis in Ptoitd in ll.e.rico City, MtxKo. For mote informotion1 collaboration with important Mexican p/tm conJCKI: Huitho/es y Plogui<idos, fmJ1i~ (osttlot , non-govcmmcma1 organizations dcdicat· ll1·9 11560M•xko, Mexko. f·m4il: 6i4H: moii.Mttmtl,cMt.mx ed to the epidemiological investigation. Between 1996 and 1997, the team working on the Huicholes and Pesticides project prod\ICed various informational workshops 01\ the human rights or Abya Yala News �Eco - Jus TI CE "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 (MEXICAN RESEARCHER) 12 largest copper dct>OSits in the world. M ore than twenty five years after the Ngobc-Bugl¢ (Guayml) people first raised their voices in protest over the imminent danger that the Cerro Color:ldo The various lndigenous communities surr0\11\ding the 75,000 hectares granted to Panacobrc would be directly affect- mining project presented to the regionS social, cultural and ed if the mining cxploitmion were cnvironmcmallife. the same ghost of gold and copper fever has openuions in the 1970s. communities were alarmed when the rcmmed to haunt the region. San Felix River. which originates at the base of the Cerro Colorado, brought thick mud down from the moumain com:uninming other rivers Ghosts of Cerro Colorado Mining Project continue to haunt the Ngobe-Bugle + by Anelio Merry L6pez \Vithout taking into account the Ng6be·Buglf!:S historic rights as original inhabitants of the regionS mountains, rivers and streams. the Panamanian government signed :l new contract in 1996 with the mining company Panacobre S.A. for the explo· mtion of Cerro Colorado. known to the NgObes as 'NgCtduo Tain'. This motmtain is considered by geologists to be one of the Vol. 10No. 3 10 begin. Outing mining and S lrcams. It is very probable that these waterways will be used to transport waste ar1d toxic substat\CCS from mining sites which wlll undoubtedly affect the health of the Indigenous communities as well as the great diversity of animals that usc the river daily. The concerns of the Ngobc-Bugl~. of the pcasam and social organizations, the church, human rights organizations and of the community in general. stem not only (rom pre\•iOUS eXJ)CrienCCS with mifl· ing at Cerro Colorado (which caused enom1ous environmental damage to the region ) but also from experiences with other similar projects. During the time when the San Felix River experienced contamination, negative environmental imJX'Cls were registered. including the appearance of dead fish. shrimp and other species :.\long the riverS shores. The river became so polluted that peOJ>Ie were forced to stop b;lthing in its waters. The transnational corporations together with the national govemmcm worked 10 promote the mining project under the guise of development and progress and to generate an air of confusion among the Ngobc-Buglt population. 13 �Eco- J usriCE After the San Felix River disaster an C\'aluation was con· ducted to assess the projects impact on the Ng6be-Buglt. The tests were only carried out for two months, an insufficiem peri· od of time w draw an)' meaningful conclusions. The mining project itself, however ,will t..'lke anywhere from 25 to 50 years. One of the largeSt impacts that renewed mining at Cerro Colorado ";11 have on the local Indigenous people is loss of vast uacts of land which would fun her Strain land rights issue hlthe region. Whh increased mining exploitation in the area. some Indigenous communities will undoubtedly be forced to rclocote. According to Panacobrc S.A.. those affected by relocation will receive "-j ust ~ reimbursements and will be allowed to rcmm to their lands once the operation is finished. It is cstimmcd that in the Cerro Colorado area there are 1,380 million metric tons of copper mixed with traces of molyb-denum, gold, silver, as well great quantities of sulfur found in pyrite. Annually, the mining project would extract 113 million metric wns of rock from Cerro Colorado out of an open air mine pit. The 26 million metric tOns of waste produced by this extraction and transponed in pipes toward the coast. does not include the waste produced during the pr()(essing of the miner· als. Rivers near the mine. like the Culbora and the Tabasan\ will most likely provide the great quantity of water required for the 1-arge·scale mining exploitation. These rivers may also be used to conSU'UCt a dam, as has been previously planned. The Ngob!e.Buglt pointed out in testimony that ~the con· struction or highways has created dangerous consequences. for example. the earth removed during the dry season due to the constnaction of the highway from H:uo Chami to Nancito was washed into the rivers and streams by THE RIVER the rains which prevented the local communities from crossing. Landslides BECAME SO caused by the mining exploitation are also a threat. POLLUTED The Panacobre mining corporation has announced that after completing hs prc.feas-ibility studies it has begun its WERE FORCED feasibility studies in order w determine the construction costs of mining inslal· TO STOP lations and hner Oj>erations. These studies include a social and environ· BATHING memal impact rcpon undertaken b)' two consuhOI)' firms. The first being a IN ITS Canadian firm. HaHam Knight Piesold WATERS. and the other a Panamanian company. Panamanian Ecological ConStlhants (Con.sulwres Panamcnos Ecologicos. S..A). The l'CJ:X>rl, now il'l its second phase, include-s the study of riverOows. the quality of water. the nom. vegetation, cultural characteristics of the areas' inhabitants and the fertility of the land. THAT PEOPLE processes. During this new mining procedure, the rock frag· ments will be sprayed with a water and sulfuric acid solution which will travel in a closed maze of tanks and tubes, then the mixture ..vm be passed on to a second tank where an organic solution will be added which separatescopJ>er. Finally. the mix· ture wlll be sem to a founh tank where it will receive electrical charges to dislodge the copper omo a metal slab. J\ccording to a communiqu~ from the Commission of Indigenous Affairs of the Legislati\'C Assembly of Panama, as well as many other communiquts demanding the suspension of the project, mining at Cerro Colorado '"represents a serious threat to the Ngoble-Buglt people from the physical. social. cui· tural and environmental standpoint!' In the past year. various- sccwrs have MINING AT organized to battle against mining projects which threaten human and environmental CERRO survival. particul•rly the health of Indigenous people. Some examples of local COLORADO organizing include: the Sameno From Against Mining (Freme S..1.nteno Contra Ia "REPRESENTS Mineria) which was created in the Province of Los S.ntos last May: the A SERIOUS National From Against Mining (Frentc Nacional de Lucha Contra Ia Mincria) was THREAT TO THE founded in june in the Province of Panama: the Indigenous and Peasant Front Against NGOBLE-BUGLE Mining of Alto Bayano (the Frcnte lndigcna PEOPLE FROM y Campcsino de Alto Bayano Contra Ia Minetia) was fonned last August in the Kuna community of lbcdi in Alto Bayano THE PHYSICAL, and the Province of Vcraguas Front J\gainst SOCIAL, Mining ( Pro"inda de Veraguas Frcmc Vernguense Comra Ia Mineria) was also CULTURAL AND founded last August. ENVIRONMining activity has always been and MENTAL continues to be a serious threat to the sur· vival of Indigenous peoples. Mineral STANDPOINT." exploitation inevilably disrupts the unique symbiotic rclation.ship which Indigenous people ha...c with the land . Despite advanced technologies and impact assessment evaluations. there is no guarantee that these projects will not affect the ecosystem, the environment or its people. Mining is continually promoted as an alternative devcl· opmem that will benefit the Indigenous people In the ::trea. when in reality the communities face relocation and displace· mem from their native land. and a host of illness which are an inevitable consequence of polluting mining activities. 1\ Tbe oulbor h o Kuno ;outnofisl who hO'S tonttibuletlto numerous periQtlica/s anti pvhli· cot~ns ontl hos to-ptodtxttl vori~s todio ptogtoms oboul KuJtO iswts. Ht olsD works with the Movimiento tit ID Jvrtntud Kvi'IQ (KuJtO Youth MovemenJ]. Panacobre will employ mining technologies known as ~ lix· iviacion en pilas'", "solvent cxtrnctionM and "'electro·depositionM which according to them are s.1.fe and environmentally sound 14 Abya Yala News �Eco - J u s TIC E be affwed by the C.1rajas Project. The pressures to "'develop.. resources could herald major consequences for these communities as well as the biodiversity of the region. · Chile: Urbano Alfaro, a diver from a sm.all fishi ng village in the region or Amofagasta, discussed the imJ>act of the Minerfa Esco1~did a Ltd, whose activities have led 10 comamination or the fish and shellfish they depend on for their living. The company boasts that it produces 80 thousand tons of COJ>per per year. using the mOSt advanced technology in the reject the neo-libernl model of the •free markel'. which serves the interests or a glob.1l minority whose objective is the indi.scriminate consumption of rCSO\IfCt.S and which is bringing the rnillions of people surplus 10 the system 10 the edge of extinction". states the declaration. The delegates also promised 10 carry out wide·ranging educational campaigrls on individual and collective rights. and w strengthen the coordination or the struggle :agains1 mining at the local. national and regional level. world. In his exposiuon. he added that the company fans tO explain that no other coumty was willing lO accept the plam due to the enonnous environmental con ~ sequences. The trcaunent of the ore involves discharging into the sea highly toxic chemicals, which among other problctns have raised the temperature or the waters and produced deformities. especially in prawns . The problem-S do not cirtumscribc themselves to the sea. The company transports these toxins right through the town in ordinary trucks which have had no modification. The vil~ lagers greatest rear is that in the event of a brake failure or crash, these chemicals 'viii escape. contaminating the air. soil and even causing an explosion. A_go"tin. at the ~'otld Bank Confer~nce the company's representative concentr.u· cd on the economic benefits, highlighting that the production of " La Escondida" al represents 6% of the 101 exported b)' the country. Furthennore, as there are plans for increasing production. Chile will become a world leader in the production of copper. Resolut ion : Towards the end of the conference the delegates prepared a state· ment which was read out to the press during a speech in the Congress Press Office. The doc::umcnt, known as the "DeclaraciOn de Quito". rejects "mining activity in latin America and the perni· dous role of the \Vor1d Bank in promot· ing a1't d financing mining in the region". Delegates asserted '"the right of Indigenous people and communities to continue their harmonious ways of life and decide their own destiny"'. Nor were delegates in agreement with the Bank$ macro-economic policy. "\ Ve 16 Their demands can be summarized as urging national governments to prioritize qua1ily of life. food. security and environmental prcsemtion above anything else., they requested that alternatives to mining should be sought and that all mining development money be channeled to other sectors of the economy managed by communities. World Bank Conferen ce: Delegates from L.'\tin American NGOs attending the \Vorld Bank Conference expressed their reservations about the event in a lette r addressed to the President of the Bank. which wa.s read out during their SJ>eeches in the final panel. A Strongly-worded leuer was used by the delegates to express their diS3gree~ rnent with the organizatiOI'l of the evcm and the conclusions reached during dis· cussions. Reading from a letter prepared by the group. Hector Huenas Gonzalez ( a. Kuna from Panama) communicated the group$ disappointment at the absence of a significant number of NGOs and community delegates. They felt the conferel'lCC had not been able to reach an understanding of the impact of mining at the local level. To be more precise, they Stated in the lcuer that om of the 40 delegates 10 the \\brld Bank Conference there was just one Indigenous person. and he wns from Canada and reflected in his speech experiences far removed from those of latin Americans. In addition. representative-s from Latin America had been unable to attend the workshop ~ Processes used during consultation" on the 7th of May due 10 the absence of a Si"nish-English transl.1tor. This unfonunate example of how liulc the organizers had thought about the needs of delegates from the region h:.1ppcned not just once. On two more occasions and due to the same problem, Spanish-speaking delegates were left without any option but to abandon the discussions. As a result. they expressed doubts about the value of the consuhation process instigated by the Bank, concluding that their panicipation was merely token. This is in marked contn'lst tO a promise or "meaningrur panic· ipation made by the Bank in a letter addressed to the Latin America Project, dated April 18th. ~ 11rt outhrN now works lot the latin Amuka M.injng !Mnitorillg Progromme (lJ.MMP/ 113 Higbland Rd., Bromley, Kenl, (ng~nd, BRI4AA. Tti:0/81·280107. E·moU: <glevys@zelclweb.demon.co.Uk> UPDATE: During the debate many farmetS and Indigenous people spoke about their wishes to •see· the real extent of environmental deterioration that open-pit mining has produced in Peru, by far one of the woot case presented during the conference. As a follow up to this request 7he Latin America Mining Monitoring Program (LAMMP) and Accion Ecologica are presently organizing an international exchange trip between farmers and Indigenous people from Ecuador and Peru. I! is the intention of the group to visit in Peru the communities of Cerro de Pasco, Oroya and the city of flo and to offer international wpport to these communities. Abya Yala News �_ _ _ _ _ _ __,:....:: O_- J U S T I C E E C~ _ T he Urarina, who call themselves "KachA· , meaning people,'" are a ~'lhe semi~nomadic Amazonian people who have inhabited the Chambira and UrilUyacu river basins north o£ the Maral)on river in Peru for at least 500 years. The Uraril\a al\d the Mayorunas (Matses) remain the largest umitle:d Amazonian Indigenous groups in Peru. However, the relati\'e: isolmion of the Urnrina has been imen1.1pted as their traditional territory has occn invodcd by colonists. loggers. river traders, and drug· Urarina Survival Update: Continued Resource Exportation and Disease Importation by Foreigners and Newly Initiated by Multinational Oil Companies + by Ritchie Witzig and Massie/ Ascencios voyeur tourists. All of these groups have brought significam disease pressure on Resource Exploitation Update the Urarina that threatens their 'vay of life and survival as documented in the article published in Abya Yala News Vol. 10. Nllmber 2 (Sllrnrner 1996). Vol. 10 No. 3 The most rcccm and grave threat to Urarina su ,.;val is disease importation caused by the three multinational oil companies who entered their territory in late january 1997 to build an oil d rilling site ror I>ctrolcum c;~traction. The Urarina people live in a Oood zone that is projected to have signifi~m oil rescn•es. Three multinational oil com· panics ocgan drilling from the Chambira oil field located at Santa Martha on the Chambira river. Santa Martha is an old Urarina corrummity located in the heart 17 �Eco-Jusr 1 ce of Urarina land that was temporarily vacated due to the semi-nomadic naturt of Urarina cuhure. The Chambira oil fields arc pan of Block 3 owned by Petroperu. the Peruvian national oil company, but the rights to drill directly on the Chambira river were transferred to Enterprise Oil Co., of Great Britain in 1996. The rights were sold because Petroperu did not have the capital to initiate drilling. Against the " "shes of the public, the Peruvian government now wants to privatize Petrope:ru. The s."le of the oil rights to Enterprise had the effect of privatizing the entire Chambim oil field withOUl privatizing Petroperu. Enterprise subcontracted Parker Oil Drilling Co. of Tuls.,, Oklahoma, and the Santa Fe Petroleum Co. of Lima. to drill the Sama Manha well. Constnlction of the oil field staned in January, 1997 and by May I. Enterprise/Parkert'S.,nta Fe had drilled a complete well but fonunately did not encounter enough oil to warrant funhcr exploration. The latest news is that the company has moved to lot 32. which is just nonhwest of their original site and is still deep in Urarina territory. to pursue further exploration in the next two years with a go\'emmcm contract. Spills Before Drills Even before ther struck oil, there were ecological disasters. On April 30, 1997, the steel bouom of a barge bringing up supply oil w 3S punctured by a huge capirona (Calycophyllum sp.) tree 10 kilometers from the oil well, causing oil contamination of the entire Chambira river downstream. The barge was then towed upstream, moored at Sama Manha, and surrounded by pylons tO control the oil leak (sec Figure 1). One Urarina cacique (leader) in the Hormiga river off the Chambira c01nplained that the fish entering his grounds had been contaminated from the oil, and were swimming imo the Hormiga looking for fresh water. Amazonian river dolphins (lnia geoffrensis) which were numerous in the Chambira river basin ha,•e since noticed to be scarce from the main Chambira. This is certainly only the firsl of many barge leaks as this accident occur·red when the river level was at Oood Stage in the rainy season . The Chambira is a nar· attempting 18 row river. at times only 30 meters wide. In the dry season when the river is 10 meters lower there arc certain to be more accidents of this type. There are no stud· ies ongoing by the government , any NGO. or the oil companies of this impending ecological deStruction. SIL and Missionary Control an Urarina individual under the control of the SlL and living in Nueva Esperanza. This Urarina man who signed the docu· mems is not a leader of the Urarina, and only represents himself. The total "com· pensation'" to the Urarina nation from this ·agteemtnt'" was a speedboat and monthl)' promises of gasoline given to the impostor "leader'". The total effect was to give an extra St>eedboat to SIL Unfortunately, it is difficult to undo a fr:.mdulent '"cont~ct'" as described above quickly. and it enables the oil companies to establish thetnselves while the legal defense of the Urarina is being organized. As they have done elsewhere in the \Vestern Amazon. the SIL have again proven 'vith the Urarina that Indigenous self·detenninmion is e.~actly the opposite of their mission. The Summer Institute of Linguistics (Sil or l LV· lnstitmo Linguist ito de Verano) used an impostor Urarina ~Je,adcr" to help the oil compar'lics create an appearance of legitimacy in their inva· sion of Urarina land. The Sll is an evan· gclical organization of atnateur and pro~ fe.ssional linguists who attempt to influ. ence the societies in 'vhich they work by transl:.uing the Bible into native ian· g.•ages. SIL has had .-- -,...- - - - - --.v;;:- - - - - ---,---, ~ a represemati\'C , (Ronald Manus) liv''"""' ~ ing intenniltently in the Urarina commlk 5 nity of Nueva ~ Esper:mza for the §: past 30 years. The ! Urarina have retained their cui~ i turc and spirituality ~ despite SILS anctnpt l! to influence them. As the outside agency with the longest domicilial experience in Urarina territory, the SIL has never tried to empower the Urarina in any way to protect their lands. Colb)• and g t Dennen's recent book about oil exploitation in the Amazon, ..Thy \Viii be Done· has documented that the histOry of the SIL has been to help divide Indigenous peoples L ......______s~t,;;~!li;!!!o_____:~.j,~_ _j and even help oil companies enter 1M tom.'"'"' rrid"P'rrid ptito6rotiM of oil righn in Indigenous areas. When the oil compa· Peru. m. lot~ ha>o""ntly been <iloogod. OJ nies needed to gain entrance into Urarina uplo<otiM is ax"ntly tnl:iig p/o<e oo lot 32 (formerly lot land, they received 1he nceessary help 8) ;, Urorina tttrfiGI'(. from the SIL. SIL helped arrange a paper deal that ·allowed" the oil companies acce:ss to S.1nta Martha that was signed by At::fta Yala News �E co - J u sT I CE Disease Importation Mtdrinarional oil txploration = Malaria, pertussis. and cm·ironmcntal contaminalion Oil drilling teams are renowned for transporting new su-aii\S of disease into territories they exploit. The oil explo· rmion and drilling teams are based in the field with support offices in lquitos and Lima, but their personnel are imponed from various areas in Peru. the United States, and Europe. The Sama Fe lquitos office use the small Nanay ri\'er port com· munity of S."lnta Ckua to lo.1d all their equipment onto barges for transtxm to the Chambim. Santa Clara is currently suffering the most intense and drug resistant P. falciparum epidemic of any area in Peru. as well as an outbreak of penussis (whooping cough). Pcnussis appeared last February in the Chambira. after drilling had started- it was almost cenainly brought by the oil teams. At least seven persons died from the two villages around ~nta Manha. The Umrina have not received the DTP vaccine which prOtects from penussis, and penussis can be among the most lethal diseases in children with multiple infections. Over sixty percent of the P. falcipannn strains in Santa Clara ncar to lquitos are resistant to chloroquine and pyrimcthamine/stllf~doxine. the two cheapest and most \.IS.Cd drugs against P. faldp.annn in Peru. The P. falciparum strains in the Chambira river still respond to pyrimethamine /sulfadoxinc, but sup· plies are small and infrequent. There is a Vol. 10 No.3 real danger that resistant P. falciparum strnins are being transt>Orted to \'CI'}' the Charnbira by the oil workers loading the suppl)' 1>.1rges in Santa Clara. The Peruvian government has no health post in the entire Chambim river basin. The nearest health post is In Maypuco. more thai\ I week by canoe from Urarina territory. Colonists on the lower Chambim have access to boats and motors which can shuttle sick persons to Maypuco and on tO lquitos. The Urarina or oil workers will take away any hope controlling the P. faldpanun cpidtqliC that is currcmly decimating the Urarina people. hnplimcmation or Convention 169. of which Peru is a signatory nation (199'1) would help to protect the cultural rights of the Urarina as well as legall)' title their land. Legal recognition of their territorial boundaries would lead to self determination for the Urarina giving them some recourse to protect their ,...,ay of life. '\!) have no transponation except canoes. As of May 1997. the Peruvian non· governmental organization CEDIA (Centro Para el Des.1rrollo del lndigena Amazonico) had counted over 3.200 Urarina in the Chambira basin alone (there are also Urarina in the Uritiyacu river and in ;\ffiuems of the Corrientes river). The final number wiH likely include over 4.000 individuals. a large number for a rcn'lotc Amazonian J>eople. Even though it has only juSt begun, the oil exploitation in Urarina territory has resulted in both serious hcahh impacts and environmental degradation. If it continues at this pace, the cultural, biological, and ecological effects of oil exploration on the Umrina w'ill likely be irreversible. The Urarina do not marry outside their group and sexually trans· 1niued diseases including AlDS arc not yet a problem in the communities. Cultural breakdown from exposure to oil workers may alter this trend. New drug resistant Strains of malaria brought in by R. Witzig ltos ptJiormed mtdical surveys, Jiseose lttot· mtnl, suppfftd mtdlcin~. end lraintJ UJorino village htafth warkm fYHWJ in bc!ir medirof and pvbfir htofth on strM sepatote flips Ia the (hombiJa basin silut /992, with a Iota/of 13 months in the lit/d. This ron· lintring ptojut w#lic.h the outbar for~ndtd ;s Ihe Amazonian lndigtn<Jvs Ptop{e\ Heahh Pro;.rt (AIPHPJ. The aul~r hos da<umtnled the epidtmics of m eosles, acute ttspiJotaty iU nesSfs, c~teto, and malaria offocl· ingthe UtatirNJ. His ptt-riCHJs trip ;, May, 1997, found ar10 of the Jhtet VHW~ deod hom malotio, ond wide· sprtad malaria in rht enlite (bombtro basin. This wos the firsllrip aflttlhs oil Jrilling storied, ond all of the Urarina communiti~ wtre lroumotized 6y Jbe incursion of htt!Y'( tquipmenl into lhtir rireJ. Tire ptttussis epi· demk if'l Jilt commMilies DrOQnd lbt ail driH silt wos ing docome.nttd. wM the oil worktJS/;ktly inltoductd. ch Sen n Uratino had ditd of ptJMsn in t~se riffcgts ol""' sinrt ftbruory 1997. avthot is th• only ptr· san (domtstic at fottign} to work with Ihe Urctino 10 Jocume.nl fffld Jrtol theit mtdico/ p1a6kms. Tht avlbots ore cumnlly iworking on m<~lor;a p1ojects i, lqvitos , ftJrJ, n.. 19 �E c o - J u S TI CE radioacti\'e waste dump in \Vard Valley in the Co1Hfomia Mojave descn, an area \vhich is S3Cred for five native peoples. the Fon Mojave, Chemehue,i . Quechan, Co<:op.1h and Colorndo River Indians. Environmental Racistll: The J US Nue ear lndusty An Nat, ve Americans An estimated 30.000 tans of nuclear waste are in temporary storage in the US.. either in underwater pools or in steel and concrete casks. at 109 nuclear reactors across the cotmtry. But these stores are almost run. Some plants may have to shut down within the ne>..1 few years unless more storage space is found. There is no centrnl facilit)' in the US for handling. processing, storing or disposing of nuclear waste. + by Ul/a Lehtinen ms AAf(Ll AIJO ~~ow M "rr.'o'Ot« '-'f.\1. \9.. >rs~ } ·~ t.w.1:C».;•m>fAL or decades. the United States has mined Native American lands for uranium and has tested nuclear weapons on them. Some 75 percem the countr)'~ uranium reserves lie u1~dcr native lands - lands once considered so F or worthless that the authorities did not mind designating them as reservations- while all nuclear testing within the United States has been carried out Ol'l native Lands. Children now play on radioactive waste from the mines simply ldt where it was piled up. Some of the wasac has been used to build houses or schools. In man)' areas. the death rate among children is higher than among the miners. In New Mexico. Arizona and South Dakota, radiation from uranium mining tailings has contaminated water resources. The Shoshone have fought for decades to end nuclear testing on their land in the Nevada desert which has exposed them to levels of radiation many times higher than that generated by the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the Second \\1 or!d War. Now the authorities want to dumt> nuclear 'vaste on native lands as welL Two proposc arc currently being moot· 'l.ls ed: a high·level radioactive dump on Yucca Mountain in the lands of the Shoshone in Nevada: and a low level 20 The nuclear industry is attemt>ting to force the nmional govemmem - specifi· cally the O<j>anment of Energy- to take responsibility for nuclear waste, but the depanmem maintains h does not have the capacity to do so. It is however. man· dated to "provide" a central underground storage site for the country's entire stock of high-level nuclear waste. The only can· didate it has come up with is Y\ICC'a Mountain. Millions of dollars have been spent studying the safety of burying nuclear waste at Yucca. the results of which are anything but promising. located in a vol· canic area and potemial earthquake zone, the proposed site is also near ground water. Even though the site has not been approved as an underground nuclear waste dump. funher studies have been co1mnissioned and its opening has been postponed until 2010 at lhe earliest, sev· era! proposals currently going through the US Senate and Congress aim to send radioactive waste to Yucx:a Mo\mtain from 1998 onwords. lf approved, this w:lSte would simply sit in the nuclear equivalent or a parking lot without adequate controls or equipment .. Beside the pennanem site of Yucca Moumain, the Department of Energy has also suggested 21 temporary dump sites in the US for high-level \Yll<le, 18 of which are on native lands. Large smns of money have been offered tO "persuade.. the various tribes to accept these propos· als; so far all bUltwo nations. the Goshute and the Paiute·Shoshone. have refused. In neither or these two cases did the Tribal Council put the decision to the Abya Yala News �Eco-JusrtcE tribe as a whole. Probably for good rea· son: previously the Goshute rejected a proposed toxic waste incinerator on their lands and decided lO the west and Phoenix and Tucson to the south. as well as providing water for agriculture and caule. Start a recycling business instead, while, in a surve>· or the Paiute-Shoshone, tribal members opposed the nuclear dump by 4 to I. The go\'ernmem and nuclear industry In Beatty, Nevadi.\. an ex'isting dump, similar in desig1'1 to the proposed \Vard Valley site and also in a desert, has started tO leak and contaminate ground water, e"en though h is only 20 years old. are also forging ahead with plans for the l ow~ level radioactive waste dump in Ward Valley in the California Mojave dcstn. Despite misleading tcnninology, low·levcl radioactive waste contains the same ingredients as high-level waste; the half-lire of some low level waste is tens of thousands of years. The waste would be placed in steel drums inside scaled plastic or stc.al containers and then buried in shallow, unlined trenches. The proposed dump is right above a major aquircr and about 30 Kilometers from the Colorado River which nows through the valley on ils way to Mexico. Scientists of the US Geological Survey warn that leaking radioactivity may end up in the river. Even the National Acadenly or Science's Board on Radioactive Managemem has recommended further safety studie-s. The river and its canals bring drinking water to over 20 million people in Los Angeles to Ward Valley is in the midSt of eight designated wilderness areas and is a protected area because il encompasses the few remaining habitats for the endan· gered desen tonoise. The valley is also s.1cred to five native peoples of the area. Their ancestors have walked there, their ancestors arc buried there and their spirits still roam there. It is their church and graveyard. The Mojave believe they are guardians of the land. caretakers of the water and neighbors or the desen ani· mals. If the Colorado River dies. the Mojave believe they \viii disappear as well. Together with the other native peo· pies of the area. the Mojave have orga· nized I>TOlestS and ceremonies in the area. They have set up a permanent camp on the proposed dump site where some of the elders stay. Corbin Harney, a Shoshone Elder and healer. said: -This nuclear po'Vcr is ahva)'S taken to nati"e Lands. First itS mined from there and now the nati\'C lands are turned into dump sites. They take our water, then the poison is hu,rting an living things there. I don't really appreciate what the government is doing. They know it is dangerous but Slill they move nuclear waste through roads w seas. \Ve the people should be out there at the front. ThatS why we have asked the nonIndian people to stop the government. Not only here bUl everywhere: in England. Puerto Rico, Russia-we should really unite! V..'e in Nevada have too much mining and chemicals that go to the water table ... ln my part of the cotmtry. we &'\w that nuclear radiation was making our lives shorter. I've seen children born without legs: l've seen cats bom with just too legs. I've seen a lot of hunl.'\ns die of diseases caused by radiation ... Everybody has been polluting hhis land) and every· body has to pitch in and make things better. If we continue to destroy things, than nobody will be able to survive at all. If we don\ start working together to cle-an up the i>lanet soon. there wo1l't be anyone left to clean up our messes wmorrow. V..'e have to unite to understand what nuclear energy does." ~ ... Vol. 11 No. 1 21 �D AUGH TERS OF A B YA YALA �DA U G H TE R S OF ABYA YA L A Bolivia, a mining country, hosting Women and Mining Conference in 2000 In January 1997, women from all over the world involved in mining met in Baguio City, Philippines for the First International Women and Mining Conference. Women, particularly Indigenous women, have long been unique· ly affected by and involved in the mining that goes on in their countries. With the expansion of large scale min· ing and its inevitable dependence on the global market, women have been faced with changes to the organization of their societies, their economic systems, their interpersonal relationships, their natural environments as well as the health of themselves and their children. Despite their hardships and sacrifices, Indigenous women have often been invisible in the mining world. In many countries local women's groups and community organizations formed to confront the reality of the effects of mining on their cultures and the environment and to come up vvith ways to reverse the negative effect that mining had on their lives at the individual. familial and community level. These organizations began to see more and more the need to interact vvith other like-minded organizations at a regional and international level. The NGO, Minewatch (England) was instrumental in forming an international network of women mine workers to coordinate vvith one another and share information. Minewatch, together with the Women Workers Program, organized and hosted the First International Women and Mining Conference in the Philippines, the first of its kind. Representing their organizations, unions and Indigenous communities, women from Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and North America shared their experiences of multinational mining and discussed ways to resist its threats to their lives and com· munities. The delegates developed strategies for collaborating and supporting each other. Respondin9 to the urgency of their needs, the delegates decided to organize reg<onal events after the Conference and to strengthen their existing networks. Plans are now under way for the Second International Women and Mining Conference to be hosted by CEPROMIN (Centro de Promocion Minera) in Bolivia in 2000. The organization hopes to bring 50 delegates representing all of the continents. The objectives of the Second International Conference are: to discover the shared and the particular situation and specific problems of the women in mining zones around the world, to facilitate the exchange of ipformation concerning the impact of fl)inlng:'and to denounce Human rights-violations, both territorial and culture. <IS well as the ecological disasters and health ramifications of mining activities. Other goals are to utilize the shared creativity of all those present to come Opwith tactics to improve the conditions of life in mining z'ones, and to establish links between organizations and bet)'lleen the countries to work on common issues and 10 negotiate before the pertinent organizations at the governmental and international levels. The themes of the Second International Conference On Women and Mining will be those issues of central concern to the women and their organizations. T~ese concern~relate to the changes at the global level in regard to mining exploitation,..-the infor111al and invisible work of women mineworkers (related to the global tendency to informalize and undeNalue the c0ntributions of women's work, follovving the model of domestic labor), the conditions of life, health and education, a'nd the effeczts of the expansion of mining into new areas and its real impact on the ecosystem and lhe culture). Bolivie, the si e of the upcoming conference, is a country vvith a long history of mining. Its inhabitants have seen first ~a~d lhe ext(aordioa<y impact of mining on the politics, environment and socio-economic dynamic of this country. The organizations <n Bolivia have fought for decades for their su<Vival, their rights and their dignity despite the massacres and militarization of their communities. CEPROMIN has extensive documentation of the severe health effects of mining on Indigenous women in Bolivia.Native women miners suffer respitory illnesses, skin diseases, muscular afflictions and die young from the compounded polluting effects of life in the mines. lnfomtalion from CEPROMIN, Mujeres y Minerla Hacia la Segunda CotiferenGia lnttrnacional For more information: CEPROMIN (<el) 00591-2 35 94 02 (/ax) 00591-2 37 39 83 (e-mail) cepromin@caoha.tnttlnttbo GOntaCf Vol. 11 No.1 23 �ENV I RONMEN .:._ _ __ T • • ous people r forest ng local communities, ps and non-governmental off against a major I n a bid to prote<t their livchhoods. the Indigenous communities of the PilOn Lajas lndigenotl.S Territory and Biosphere Reserve in Bolivia's northern Bcni department have united against one of the areaS biggest logging companies. The Chimane. Mosttcnc and Tacana peoples have joined forces with the Rurrenabaque municipal govcmmem and Veterinarians \Vithout Borders (VSF), a French NGO which oversees administration of Pi16n lajas. to ban the Berna logging company from the reserve. 24 A'<Yta Yala News �ENVIRONMENT ..\Ve want the :tuthoritie-s to throw out lov.red. The law gives Indigenous people 1hc logging companies. so 1hey leave 1he the exdusive right to tase foreSt resources lCrrilOl')' for good : on commur~al land in territory reserved said Bern~n SolO. for Indigenous groups. Protected art.as "THE SUCCESS cuhure secretary or indude more than 9.5 million hectares, OR FAILURE OF San luis Chico. while Indigenous areas amount to about Berna, however, has 1 million hectarts. In comrasl. more than THE PILON a legal concession 21 million hectares have been granted il'l issued by former foresiTy concessions (NA jul)' 18. 1996). LA)AS AREA, Presidcm Gonzalo DESIGNATED AS SAnchez de Loz..'lda ''The lumber companies and indepen· AN INDIGENOUS (1993·1997). and dent loggers are taking away tree-s that we TERRITORY AND ahhougluhc compa· have title to. withOUl giving anything i11 ny has not resumed return to the communities ... Soto said. logging in the area, Robinson and the BIOSPHERE 1he baule is far from Indigenous peo· RESERVE IN over. Berna$ logging pies of Pil6n L'ljas 1991 , DEPENDS comrac1 does no1 argue that local expire umil 2011. communi t ies ON WHETHER should a1 leas1 gel OR NOT THE "The success or fail· a pcrcemage of ure of 1he Pil6n L'ljas loggers' pronlS. LOGGING area, designated as The Indigenous INDUSTRY IS an Indigenous terri- communities have CONTROllED" tory and biosphere created a prece· resen1e in 1991. dem of resistance derxmds on whether and some head· or not the logging indusuy is controlled," way has been S..'l.id Daniel Robinson, national coordina- made in defendtor of VSF. Bolivia$ forest reserves are ing Pil6n lajas. In considered among the worldS richest, 1996. VSF sued with more than 2.500 specic.s of trees. 1he !lelia Visla and El Pino logging The coalition against Berna s.cty that companies for the company, along with hoards of inde· working without and pendem loggers. is steadily deforesting contracts, 1hc supposedly pro1ec1ed area. 'They are they were forced to suspend operations, tearing out various timber SJ>Ccics. 1nain· the first time such action had ever been ly mahogan)', and selling them for excel- 1aken. A 1hird company. Selva Negra, lef1 lent prices; Soto said. In addition, the area volumaril)~ ~vlosetene representative Macario Canare Bema. the largest comp..1ny remaining said. "For C\'ery mahogany trunk they take om, they cut down 70 in Pil6n L1jas, is proving hard more trees geuing to it."' 10 dislodge. Robinson said VSF "FOR EVERY lawyers have "extensive evi· logging also 1hrea1e1\S Ira· dence lha1 lhe oompanys log· MAHOGANY ditional hunting grounds on ging practices do not comply TRUNK THEY wilh 1he foremy law." For which Indigenous communi· ties depend for their livelihood. example, Bema has not begun '"The loggers hunt animals in TAKE OUT, THEY 1he reforeSialion program 1he jungle for food. and 1 he CUT DOWN 70 de1ailed in ilS original conlraCl. sound of their machines scares and its employees continue to many more away... Canare said. MORE TREES hum for food, ahhough Imming is prohibited. GETTING TO Bolivia$ forestry law, passed in 1996. allows 1he governwit is e"eryoneS fervent hope IT." ment to lease forests to private that Berna will be thrown out, companies in 40-year conces· but tht)' are very powerful sions, providing regulations governing here; Robinson said. The logging indussustainable forest management are fo). try is imponam to the local economy, and Vol. 11 No.1 many people want Bema to stay. Rumnabaque, a fromier seulement on the Scni River. thrives on lite exuac· lion of mahogany from Pil6n L'ljas. Mos1 of the town is built from second·rate mahog...tny. :tnd it is an open secret that 1he local "'wmill culS illegally harveSled wood into commercial planks. Despite its shortcomings, the new forestry law has staned to control the flow of wood fron't the area. By allowing people to make a living from logging. but regulating the indus· try through forest inventories and extraction plans. the area could have a more S\.lStainablc future. ..People have realized that by limit· ing their output they can s1ill make good mone>~ Since the vol· umc has dropped in R\lrrenabaque, the price of lumber has almoSl doubled." Robinson said. But these small advances are threatened by large·scale. unsus· tainablc operations like llemas in Pil6n Lajas. "If l&rnal isn't thrown out, then the whole lhing will fall 1hrough. 'If 1hc)'' rc lndeJ>endem loggers will not going to make the big guys leave the protected areas, then why should we lleavel?" Robinson said. "'Y· Despite the obstacles, the Indigenous communities in Pil6n l.aja arc detem'tined to protect the restrve. ..ItS our right to protect our territory," C.'\nare S..'\id. "lf we can't control it, and if this logging doesn't stop. we lose the fumre we are fighting for." ~ 25 �EN V IRONMENT Second International Indigenous Forum On Biodiversity and the Convention on · Biological Diversity Workshop THE CONVENU()N ON 81ot.OC.ICAL 0MRSITY IS niE FIRST IN'TERNAnONAU.Y IINOING AGREEMENT LOOSElY RE<)VIRING ll"S 165 MEM8.£R NATIONS TO SUSTAlNABlY USE THE \\'ORLOS 810lOGICAI. OMRSITY, THE AGREEMENT WAS OPE:NEO fOR SK.NATURE IN JUNE 1992 AT UIE EARtH SUMMrT IN RIO DE JANEIRO, AND HAO RECEIV£0 168 SIGNATURES 8Y JUNE 4 OF 1993- rom November 20a23, Indigenous pc:OJ>I<: (rom around the world met ru the Second International Forum on Blo<hvcrsny m Madr.d, Spain to prepar< a proposal for the Traditional Knowledge and 81olog1eal Dt"erslt)' of the Con\•cnuon on B•ologrcal Diversity (CBD) Workshop. wh1ch was hdd from Nov 24th to the 28th The Workshop f0<\15Cd on the 1mplcmentauon of Anicle 8). as pbnncd at the thud Conftr<nee of !'antes (COP) tn Buenos A1rcs. Argentina. 1he pn~:vtous year 1n NO\·embt-r 1996. F What follows IS the proposal drafted by the lnd1genous Forum on Biodiversity and submitted to the \Vorkshop on Trnditionol Knowledge and Biological Oavcrsuy. The results from the lntcmauon:d Indigenous rorum will be presented to the Founh Conference of Pantes in Urmislava, Slovakia, in May of 1998. Working document on the implementation of article 8j. and related articles PREAMBLE lndtg<nous Ptoplts comt from 1he land and ha"t b<tllgll'tn our lift 1hrough !ht land. \Vt clo n()l tdmt 10 rht land th<u we came from <b prOIN!rly, we rd<Ue ro the lcmd as ou,. Mofhcr. nwt Ott: lcmcl is our 1\lfother ccmnOl bt denied, just <IS it caml.()l be denied thm our htmum mother Is our rt!Clher. In this t·rspca we as Indlgct~ous Peoples ha,·c rcsportslbllUtcs to honor and nutrurc our Ear 1h to tnsutt rhcu shr can conrilwc to ght us lift. Ou• role and rtSpo11$ibllity is 10 prOI<CI '"" M01h<1 &trth from d<Suuaion and abusn·c creotn".tnt, )USl as we u·ocdd dtftnd our human mo1her. In ca'!)1ng out tht.S r«ponslbthty owr a period of dtousantb of )tars. h't lul\t btcomc a crnrral comporttnl of !ht l><odl\'ti'Sll)' of the Eanh. 26 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ELEMENTS FOR THE FORMULATION OF A WORK PROGRAM to ensure Indigenous Peoples' pa.rtidpa· tion h) incorporate the light to free •nd prior infonned consent mall mechanisms w ensure lndtgcnous Peoples' pan1cip.1· uon. 1 Ensure that the 1mplementauon of an1de Sj. and rcl:ucd an•cles. take into cons1dcrauon lht txt.sung Jnd1genous dtcbrauons •nd proposals. mcludmg the Draft Declarauon on the Rights of lnd1genous Peoples. the Kan Oea Dt<:brauon. the Mataatua Dt<:bration, the S.·mta Cruz Ofclar.mon. lhe Leucia Dt<:larnuon •nd Pl•n of Aeuon. the Treaty (or a L1£e Forms Patent Free Pac1flc, the Uk\I))SCI'\1 Kun\\ Yala Dedarauon. and previOUS SlalCtnCIUS or Indigenous Forums conl'encd ut J>revious CBD/COP and intcrscssional meetings. 2. Ensure Indigenous Peoples· full and mcanmgrul p:micipatlon in the implemcntatton or anlciC Sj. and related an•c:les: a) r'('(:Ogmu: lndagcnous Peoples as Pan•es to the Co1wenuon on 81ological 01\'ersny b) •dopt the rtcommendation of the Seeond lnttmauorul lnd1genous Forum to estabhsh an lnd1genous Peoples' Workmg Group c) m•·ol"e the lnd1g<nous Peoples' \\~mg Group in lht mttrprumon and amplcmentalion of anrcle 8J and rclalcd amcles. ancludmg the monnonng of the eomphance of the Pan.1es to the Convtnuon to the1r obliga~ uons under the Convenuon d) de"clop mechanisms to ensure Indigenous Peoples' p:micipation in decision making processes at the intcrnauonal level (UN, COP. IFF, etc.) e) develop mechanisms to ensure lndagc,~ous Peoples· participation m dccasion making processts at the nauonallcvcl. mc1udmg 1hc dc,·clopmem and 1mpltmentauon of lcg~sl.auon, envt· ronmental acuon plans and tmpaa stud· 1ts 0 de•·elop mechamsms to ensure the full pan~e1pauon of lnd1genous Peoples tn State P3n.ts• str.ucg.ra lO desagnatc and manage proc<ctcd areas g) 1ncorpor.ue the nglu to obj<ctton In all me<hamsms 3. Develop m<chan1sms to ensure the full and equal pantopauon of lnd1genous women 1n all processes rtl.ltrd to the 1mp!emencatron of the Com·cnuon. a.nd suppon the umquc rcsponstbthuu of Indigenous womrn 1n the canng of 1hetr tradmonal lands and temtones and the protect ton o( btodtverstty 4. De"tlop mech•n1sms •nd processes to ensure Indigenous Pcot>lcs· control over l:mds and territories to affect the protccuon a.nd enhancement of biodiversity: n) recognl:e the malienable a priori rights of Indigenous Peoplts b) recognize 1he. rcla.uonshtl> thm cxis1s between the lands and tcrrnoncs of lnd1genous Peoples and thttr knowledge. innovations and pmcuccs rclaung to b10· di\'ti"Sil)' c) de\'elop proeesses to rep.,uiate the lands and temtonrs of lndtgenous Peoples 5. lncorporntt 1nd1genous customary re.sourtt uses, nunagtmtnt and pracuces 1010 susa:amablc dcvelopmt'nt plans. poh· ctes and proccsstS at mtemauonal and national levels, recogmzmg transbound· ary issues lmJ>OrHIIl1 to htd1genous Peoples: a) encoumge muhihueml institu· lions, international ngcncics. research institutions a.nd non·govcrnmcnt organi· zations to Involve indigenous knowledge. innovations n.nd pmcllces rela.ted to the US( and m.anagemcm of resources in their plans and programs b) establtsh an mdtgt-nous global btoch"crsuy momtor· ing system based on e•rly wammg sys· tems usmg 1nd1genous knowledge Mth the backmg of satellite teehnology and geographic mform.auon S)"Sttms c) rtqum~ tht IJ\C'Of'POr.lUOn o( mdtgtnous perspeCIII'eS and soe1al and cultural Conllnutd on page 35 /W(a Yala News �HuM ... N The Nightmare and Hope for Tomorrow ·Acual is the symbol of a "·ar of txtermina· t1on, tht true government f()ponsc to the JUSl demands of the lnd1grnous p<opl-. of Mcxt<o. But A(ualls al.io the symbol of the Slruggle of '"o t/foru thor of rhe government "hieh seeM to mal:c 1mpunU)' and fory,tifulntsS rnumph. and rhar of cinl S«itty. \<hl<h dtmands lr«<JUSilC< and rtfusa ro fory,tt rht "'""' cnmt of tht laSl 30 year$. And rhe Slrusglt for mtmory and justice is the $tn4ggle for o JUSl pta<t... -Comm1mlq11t from rht QandtSiine Rt\'Oiutlonary Indigenous Commitrtt- Ccnual Command of rlle Zot>arista Army of NCIIional Ubci'Otlon, )amwry 12, 1998 hesc words from a recent Z.-tpatiSl3 l"OnunutliCIU~ succmc-tly sum up the snu:ulon tn Chtapas smce the Deccmb<r 22. 1997 n13SS.1Cre of 45 T Tzotzll Ind1ans m the vdbge of Acteal. \Vhat 1s clear from tht)t few lmes. and r«cnt eVJden«. as tlut the mass3Cre at Acteal "-'35 not an asolated UlCtdcnt. nor was u tht product or Inter-community confltct 3S the Mcxtcan go\'tmment would hke us to b<hr-·c It was a cart!ully planned act .xecuttd by the h1red gunmen or loco I PRl bosses. and 1n complicity wnh State and evtn £edtra1 authonues. Df:spne all thetr rhttonc. the Mex1can government cannot h1dc the truth that ActC31 was the outgrowth of a larger framework 0£ VIOlence :tnd terror created by the more than 60.000 Mextcan troops m Chiapas. and by government sponsored p.uannluary groups who have acted wnh tmpumty for more than 3 years. The has the terror and ""lltary stronglehold Ot'l the communlllcs II\ Clu:lpas ceased. The Mexican go\'enuncm~ low·mtensny war that has already cr,umed the lwcs or more than 1500 pwple smce 1994. continues. Thtny-thrtt ZapauSta commumties run·e born the brunt or at ltast 44 armed and 1ll<gal mcurs1ons by fedcral troops Since Oc<:cmbcr 22nd In all o! these ClSCS, sold1en. ranSO<:kcd homes looking for we>pons. 1nt<rrog.>ttd and t\-en tonurtd some rtStdents m thtu search lor the Zaponsta lc3dcrsh1p and msurgents. On january 12th, Stat< Secunty pohcc opened fir< on protesters in O<:osmgo. k1lhng a 25 y<ar old Indigenous wom:m and wounding her baby. In addnion three Zapansta sympathizers were found hung weeks l:uer. For all the government rhctonc regarding the effoJtS to bring the guilty of ilctealto JUStice. one must ask why the federal annr ins1.sts upon u:rronzlng lnd1genous com· mumues under the pretext or lookulg for weapons. when the pro-government p3r3mdnary groups and the MeX1<3n military rernam rrtt and art :.'III<M•td to conduet th< bustntSS of d1ny low-mt<OSH)' war as usual The answer lS clcar-wh1le the Me.A1c.tn go,·emment talks peace n makes war. h makes war because 1t can not and wt11 no1 implement the San 1\ndrts Agreements on lnd1genous R1ghts and Culture. Thcse unfulfilled p<ace aceords. s1gned by b01h the Zapatistas and the Federnl government in 1996, pose a tremendous threat and contradiction to the Ctlrrcnt reality or power and economic glob.1hzation in Mexico under the PRI The unplementa· sole mtenuon of ahe Mexu:an go,·em· tion or the San Andres Agrtements, the mcnt~ comp.11g11 smce 1994 has been to produCt of the dtaloguc and consensus or repress lnd1genous pwples and their represenunvcs o! th< fi!ty-stx d1ff<rtnt nglus 3nd hopts for~ new Mextco. lnd1genous nattOrb 1n Mcxtco and the Zapoustas. would gwt the more than 12 Oesp1tc the Silence o£ m:unsueam m1lhon lndlg<nas 1n MtXICO th< nght to mtdla OUtSide or Mt>-.co, the blood or the stlr..dtttrmmauon and autonom>' 1t lnd1genous has not stopped flowmg. nor '"'Ould rep~m a h1stonc :md unprttt· Vol. 11 No.1 R I GHTS dented step to,varcls redefining the rcta.. tionship o£ the Mexican St:ltC tO lndl:'lll p<opi<s, and would gwc lndmn p<oples the right to implement their own forms of sell-governance. Such nghts would in<,,tably l<ad to brooder pontc1patton o! Indians pwples m the pohc1cs that a!f«:t then commumucs The agrccments would also S''"e lnd1an pwples the nght to control thetr l•nds and the r<SOUrces wtthin them, as wtll as tht nght to rctam and nunurt d\ortr dt\'trse cuhurt:s. hlstC>nos and languages Fmally 11 would optn the door to broadcr and more profound changes wnhm the nauon :lS n whole and allow lor the possibility or. new MeXICO, in panncrslup with the Indigenous and all Mexican p<oples. The San Andres Agrccmerus were designed to tmd the conunued oppres.sion. m.arginaliz~uion and exploitatiOn or Indigenous peoples that colonaz.auon brought to the Amencas Vet 1l IS clc:ar that the Mextcan go"emmcnt has too much to lose by acknowledgmg the l<gHnnacy or the Zapousw denunds !or a r.r. o! dignity m Mextco-bnd. housmg. work. rood, educatton, health care, 3UtOnomy, democrncy, hbcny. JUSllc< and peace first it would bt an admiSSIOn that neoliberal econom1c pohcu:s. cochfied m NAFTA, have not helped the extreme levels or poverty and m1sery suffered by the majority in Mexaco. Secondly, the Mexican govemmcnt would jeopardtze its abilit)' and access to slr:negic ualurnl resources within m:h lnd1genous lands, such as those In Cluapas for exomplt, Chiapan 011 accounts for 81 2% or Mexico~ crude expotts, 68 6% of ItS petroleum den\'auves and 90.6~ of Hs p<trochemu:als Chtapas also produces 55% of M<J,,cos hydroelectriCity and contains 20% of u.s bK'Hil\'Ct')lly 1n the Lacandon JUngle. Fnully. to Justly me<t the demands or th< Indigenous peoplos v.:ould not mean makmg mmor adjust• Conllnu< on pagt 35 27 �RIGHTS F or centuries, pcrh:tps even mil~ for the body and sptnt. hons of years. the Xa'·antc pro- The unique Xa\'otnte 1denuty is marked by t~ hau·cutS that d&SunguiSh thtm from any othtr n:mon m the world. b)' th<tr nch and soph1>t1<Jlcd language. by the cUS<om of removmg cyel.l;hes and eyebrows. by t~ nchly eltbornte body patntings done for each ceremony. by the songs 1hat emerges from drc~uns. by the umque dances and g:tmcs th:n unites the people in strong. unified movements, capable of shakmg the ground of the forest. This is the people of Auwe Ulllabi. true pwple, Xavante pt"Oplc of the S.rra do Roncador. pi<. hkc ot~r lndt~nous pro- pic around the , ..·orld, ha,·c b«n dcvd~ opmg n dtffertnt ·way of be1ng n'l the world, btulding their own umquc 1dcnt1· 1)', thc1r own unique culture. They M\'C learned from the stones. passed down b)' theu anctsaor from a tunt" 1mmemortal, how to thmk :\bout the world and how to reblt to t\'tl)1hmg 1h:.u tx•sc.s around them, ahvc and mySttnous They ha,·e learned to mo,·c between the coumrys1de and the dense forc$ts. learning abom C<'Ch mumal. each plant. each s.ar and constdl:ttion. each movement of the sk)', :md 1hc n"cr. m complete hannony and connccuon wuh C\'trything around them \'aSl Takmg from nature - and rttummg <>'<1)1hmg that t~)' nttd for SUI\Wal food. shdt<r, color and b<aut), medtcmc 28 The first encounter wuh 1he "'wara..."'U'"' - whnes- occurred 2 cemuncs ago. when 1her entered the centr.ll-castcm pan of Brazil in search or gold and precious stones. After a tentatl\'C c:orxtstence wuh the whites. th:lt ended 10 ambush and mass.-.c;rc of hundreds of Xavames. the Auwc J>eoplc decided to nvoid contact wuh the "'warazu· . Thcr retreated deep tnto the forests. seckmg out m thear tmdtuonaltcrritoncs plO\Ccs that had nOt yet For dose to two hundred years, they had h\•td 111 relata\'C peace. with a few confront:u•ons. but sull rna1ntaining, thc•r autonomy By the begmning of the 19-WS, new attacks from the mvadtrs, nO\\o' much more agg:rt:ssn:e and well org;~mzcd, brought warfare. death and suffenng tO the Au"'t Upubi_ The l'"t 50 years have been a penod or dnngcr, ducats and rear. But this hunt· ing !>COJ>Ie htwe teamed how to cope wilh 1he predators that have continued 10 invade the1r territories again a.nd agam. In lookmg ror ways tO tnamtain j)(3Ce, to p.'lclf)' the '"v.'Jraz:u... the:)• learned how to Crtatt: new ronns or COCXISltnte and SUr· vi val. The great chtcf Ahopo<n. lcad<r o( thlS Xowantc commumt)~ guaded hiS people through contact, b<hevmg that peace with the whiles would be the only way to ensure 1he SUI'VIVtll o£ the Auwc )>COplc. These warl'iors decided to control their terrnones with complete autonomy. decided to present thttnsclvcs to the ··wara.zu.. through the1 O\\n culture. r bttn mvaded A~YalaNews �H u MA N Cars. with their strange and continu- ous: tracks on the ground, are no longer a mystery to the Xavante people. The youth of the village leam to drive Toyotas. tntcks and tracwrs with ease. Technology such as video cameras, recorders, solar panels, radio transmiuers does not frighten them. They are confident in their capabilities. ancestml memory and sophisticated arlalytical reasoning. The village of Pimentel Barbosa. which was first contacted over 50 years ago. has been able to successfully maintained its traditions by resisting the emrance of tnissionaries. governmem agencies and interference from the outside world. With the strong leadership of the great chief Ahopoe. this village has created strategies to maintain a pe.aceful coexistence with the ··warazu .., They decided to choose a group of youth to leave the village to study and live ' vith the whites, to learn the language and C\LStoms. returning later. possessing this knowledge. to work inside the community and strengthen the traditions of the culture. 1n the 1980's, with the continuing disappearance of animals for hunting. the elders voiced their concerns about the f~1ture of the people and the traditions. With the hell> of the knowledge gained by the youth. who had been prepared in the '"world of the warazu,.. the Xavames created the jaburu Project, a research and management project set \II> to gu.1.mmee the continuance of hunting in the tcrritO· ry now enclosed by ranches. In the last 4 years, The Xavames, in partnership with the "N\tcleo de Cuhura lndlgena" (an Indigenous NCO). launched the first Indigenous music CD in Brazil - .. Etenhiritipc'\ - Traditional Songs of the Xavante." The record ' vas recorded in the village, with professional equipment. and the songs were registered in the name of the village, guaranteeing the payment directly to the authors. Several additional projects ca.me out of the Xavames first CD. One was a collaboration with the rock band Sepult\11'3 on their latest record ·Roots." A successful music video was also created 10 publicize the Etenhiritip<\ record, and was exhibit· ed at Indigenous film festivals in the United States. Mexico and Europe. Vol. 11 No. 1 Even \vith all these contacts from the exterior world, the young men continue to be traditionally prepared in HO (the singles house) for years. They maintain close contact with their godfathers and continue to learn the anceStral traditions. They arc taught in this way until the time when their ears arc pierced . marking the transition from a child to an adult, and their entrance into the life of a 'varrior. RIGHTS plams. memories. A human being alive. with a past and a future, this is the way or Auwe Uptabi. .. - In partnership with the NUcleo de Ct~lturallndlgena. the Xavante people arc organizing a big event for the middle of 1998. called "Xavante - SO Years of Contacl... This work has reunited various generations from the villages. the elders who participated in the contact with the During their apprenticeship. the ·warnzu· in 1946 and the yomh and chilyoung men follow the animal tracks in dren that ha,·e already mastered !westtheir h~mting games. They participate in ern} writing and drawing skills. Everyone the solidarity game . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . has bten working which requires ntn· with the ning with large palm recorders and video tree logs, and a1so in cameras and panicipating in the effort the secret initiation ceremonies where to register the histo· ry of this period for the real world ceases the present and for to exist. the future. M:lybe it is difficult for outsiders to This event will understand the bring together phocomplexities of the tographs of the inicontemporary tial contact between the Xavantes and Xavante culture. The clothes, the t-shirts the "\vara.zu.'" along and caps with w•ith original drawEnglish inscriptions ings. texts. and objects. A group of that no one reads or \,»iadl¥edw.S.iu~·•ulb;t. understands, the 25 warriors will give machines that FUNAJ (the Brazilian gov- singing and dancing perfonnances and ernment agency for Indigenous people) traditional rituals and ceremonies will be left when the)' tried to create an presented as well. Also on the agenda are Indigenous development project there... plans to make a documentary, a bilingual These things mean nothing when the book in X..wante!Ponuguese and a CD elders join together everyday. to greet the ROM . arrival and the departure of the sun. to exchange their impressions of the world The Xavame people of Pimentel on a daily basis, to discuss the path to the Barbosa live in an Indigenous reserve future. The ..warA... the advice from the called "Rio das Mortes," that shelters 3 adult males, is the strOJ'\gcst insdtution in other villages in the state of Mato Grosso, the village and is resJ>Onsible for giving in central-eastern Brazil. Six more direction and continuing the dail)' tradi- reserves of the Xavame people Slill exists. tions. approximately totaling 60 villages and ~ population of more than 4 thousands it is here that the elders discuss the Indians. " confrontation between the Xavante comTh~ authot tf'Oiks with N6deo Je (ullurallndlg~na in munity and the cuhur~ of "'progress. This connict can be seen at the "Rio das Soo Pcu/c, Bto<il. Mortes" (River of Dtath). a drainage channel from the neighboring ranches For more infonn<llion and the purchase of and a exportation corridor for Mercosul. postcards and CDS. ple(~se contacc Ntideo For the Xavante people, the river is the de Cultural Jndtgena, Rua Roquelt Pinto fountain of life. of stories and histories, 381 . Prcvi<Uncia - S. Paulo. Brasil. PltondFax: 5511-8131754, £-m<~il: and must remain full of fish. sheltering nci@ax.apc.org and feeding many animals. people. ft 29 �S E L F DETERM I NATION & TER RITORY A~t~~w4. Alberto A BILINGUAL INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION IN ECUADOR principal objective or these i>rojects was to proselytize the Indians. By the 19605, Indigenous organizations is under the direction of Mr. Leonidas Proano, bilingual education was by Ecuador> Public to rcju\'tnate and preserve addressed Educational Radio Program which had local culture. Fonunately, there is an audiences imo the Sierra. In the sevemies the Shuar System of Radio Education increasing mo\'emem towards bilingual (SERBISH) was implemented in other Indigenous schools in the Bolivar. imercuhural education which aims to Cotopa.,.i and Na1>0 provinces. The exl)eritnces gleaned from these promote and develop Indigenous Ian· predr<:essors made way for the creation of a fonnal Indigenous educational pro· guages and cultures and make them part gram. The huercuhural Bilingual Education Initiative, was established in of the national culture in their respective 1986 with the signing of a conunct between GTZ of Germany and the Ecuadorian Government. They elaborat· coumrics. cd a tentative curriculum, didactic mate· Born of this movement arc a number rials in Quichua for primary schools, and of effons in Ecuador attempting to del'cl- designed programs providing training op the country$ Indigenous education and support to rural organizations for the through new pedagogical techniques suit· purpose or educational and cultural proable to the l3 Indigenous peoples. This mOlion. project has a considerable histOry develThe following is an interview we con· oping outside of any official protocol , bm it has recently gained official s.ams as the dueled with the director of the National Jmcrcuhural Bilingual Education office of Bilingual Intercultural Initiative. cl Proyecto de Educaci6n Education. (Oirccdon National de educa· Intercultural Bilingue (EIB). cion 11uercuhural Bilingue·DINEIB), Alberto Andrnngo. Mr. Andrnngo is a In the fifties, the SIL (Summer Quichtc1 and has had considerable expeInstitute o£ Linguistics) and the Andean rience ''-'Orking in the field of education. Mission developed projects involving He also 'vas the vict·prtsidem of what is Indigenous education . However. the now the National Federation of A 30 long-standing objective of Indigenous and Black Workers o f Ect"'dor (FENOCIN). In what year was the OINEIS crealed ? \ Vh y was it necessary to create the OINEIB? \Vhat a re some other confcd· er.u ions a nd orga_ izations that partie· n ipatc in and contribute to the political aclivhies and adminis tration o f the OINEIB? f-low is the OlNEIB Slruc· tured ? The DINEIB 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 o£ Ecuador) played a very imponam role by launching a proposal for the education of Indigenous peoples. It was a propos.1l generated by Indigenous and non· Indigenous professors and educalional specialists bm was strictly tied to plans made for the enhancement of the Indigenous nations in Ecuador. An agn::c· ment was made between the Minisc.er of Ct>lturc and Education and CONAIE to ilnplcmcm the DINEIB according to local directh·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 Intercultural Education move. the Indigenous move ment have been ment (EIB). For example. l remember to encourage muhicuhura1isnl and between 1981 and 1982. prior to the participatory democracy. In what existence of the CONAIE and the sense is the OINEIB a realization of OINEIB. there was an massive national these goals? march calling for the recog· " ... WE HAVE TO The OINEIB is a state instilu· nition o£ the El6 by the 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 the GUAGE IN ORDER the direction given by the national o£ftce. 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 decentralized. CULTURES" ol presented to and recogTherefore, we are dependent nized by the government. By on the directives generated by the time Rodrigo Borja took o£ftce the 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 Ecuador. part but also non-Indigenous, 1hat partie· ipate on be hal£ or all the national organi- conuibutc to the operations of their bilingual education program. by organizing a budget. infrastntcture. teaching tllaterials and any other fonn of support neccss.1ry to the realization o£ the 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 lO 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 significantly contributed to the development o£ the EIB. l believe another accomplishment of the DINEIB is institutional decentrali%3tion. We have attained a degree of autonomy that enable,s us tO advance obje<:tives o£ the EIB. This decentralization also allows us to select our own candidates for administrative positions. The only remaining power of the central govemmem is to give legitimate title to the candidate elected by Indigenous organiza· tions. Otherwise, the electoral process occurs in the selection or provincial directors. They are elected by local organizations following a public debate. This election system is unique. distinct from the tradition of appointments dictated by the ministry and government which are commonplace il'l other state il'lStitutions. zations previously mentioned. In this way DINEIB recognizes the objectives or each or these diverse organizations. As for the conununities. is th ere a way in which families or local groups are able to participate in II\C Bilingual Intercultural Education system? There arc local EducatiOt'lal Advisory Councils (CEC) that have been established in some provinces and some communities. Through these community councils, locaiJ>eoples are able to J»rticipate directly in the bilingual intercultural education efforts~ 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 institutions. So. these boards arc local and panici· patory by nature. They ore 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 of 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 imponant issue-s or the lndigenous·campesino movement in Ecuador. Previously, although these groups were ideologicall)• on the same path, they sparred often in the political arena. Wnh the EIB as a foundation, these 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. \Ve are creating materials for each of the 31 �S E L f & D ETER M I NAT I ON T ERRITORY Indigenous nauons. and art able to t'f.ab.. uon·the lack of • "11hngn<SS tO suppon orate our own budget for tht Htms that we rtqmrt lnd•genous tducauon on the pan of the \Vh:u has been the atthudc toward the OINEJB o r dirrcrcnt administra· tions O\'Cr the years? Ba''C they volun· tarily supported the OIN EIB or have t hey 1ricd to undermine rhc initiatives or Oilingu:ll lntercuhural Education? We hnvc clucOy had financial prob· lcms. The govcrnmcm does not allocate sufficient funds tO sustaul Bilingual edu· cauon. In the last year the go\'cmmcnt d1d not gl\'c us a smglc ccm to invest in Awo government 01 course Ecuador docsn\ have 3n cnonnous budget, but ne,·cnhtl<ss. the,.. ought to bt enough funds ava1lablt: so that we m1ght work somewhat normally dc\'clopmg the EIB. \Vh:u types o f l'rojccts :uc proposed for chc schools? \Vith the l!IB we do not want 10 work solely wuh clnldrcn and young people. \Ve also w;mt to eStablish development proJects.. . considtnng the povcny of our lnd1genous people. we need to figh t a.gamst th1.s extreme poveny... to prepare mdwrduals for work, armmg them with the tools nee<5S.1r)' to bt producU\'C, so they nuy btnc£it thc1r bmrhcs. thear commumues and the cnurt $OCtet)~ f>.) . S.ON& ~<uaow 2. (),ocf; 8. }. 4. Quod-... 9. Tsxha O>Un So<or• We would hkc to strengthen our development pro.ttcts for agricuhure, ammal husbandry. mechanks. callJOntry tmd emit production. Some groups have begun to work on realizing these projects but they are limIted by a shortage or financial support. We need funds lor baste 1n:uerials. tools. etc. lf::we )'OU proposed that non·lndigcnous people learn an Indigenous language? II. s. ~... "'*"""' tO q,... our proJtClS. or to tr:.un our profC'$SOrs and admmlSirntors nor d1d we rteeivt: a smgle ctnt for u:achmg matenals for our variOUS lnd1gcnous communmes. Nor have they sup1>hed us wllh the necessary tools or technology. Th1s ts n con.s~<lemb l y serious problem for us. \\'e hn,•e been able to make a little prO&r<S< with the finanCial suppon of the GTZ o£ Gennany. but by no mea.ns does thiS suffice Is this lack o f S\1pport a rcs·ult o( a ShOrtage of rt':SOUfCCS '''ithin the go\·· cmmcnt or their unwillingness to help! Indeed. m our msututes of b1hngu•l educatiOn the,.. are non·lndtgtnous chdd,..n. students. professionals who would hkc to ltam an lnd•genous bng\aagc In Quno we are set· ung up n langu;_•gc trammg program for the ch1ldrcn of DINEIB employees. the children of d•rectors or 1lt'll1011a1 organiza· tions :md :myone else who would like to learn. 'Nc will bcgm the program with Quichua, then S1>amsh. and then English. the1r ch1ldrcn ltam QU1chua \\'c connn· ue to thmk that tht whntlmt.stazo. \Vcstcm world IS bctttr and that our own lnd1g<nous SOCICt)' 15 wonhlcss We have been mcukattd wuh thl$ auuudc pro. h1bumg the use of the lndtgenous lan· guagcs by ~IISpamc professors Our own youth have bced thb when they have attended college ~nd have been prohibited from speak1ng thetr nauve tongue. \Vc have expencnccd and endured the Spanish invaston that tncd to crush our cultures. We ha\'t suffered through colomalism that has tned to make us feel ashamed of ourselves. Some r~umhcs conunuc to bchcve that our culture and tradtuons are Mthout \'alue Loc.tl and reg~onal org.>mzauons nf'-td to nuSt ptOpleS COr\SClenccs, con,'ln« 1Mm othcrv.1St. that our cui· ture lS cmmtntly wonh)' and we ha,·c 10 de"clop our 1dcnuty, prescr"e our lan· guage m order to bttter confront Other cultures Th1s way we wtll lx well pre· pared for an)' snuauon T hen, il is Still r•cecss:,ry to combat colonialis m? Ccnainly. il is crucial that we erase this mcntaht)~ Vle have w confront the lack of sell-esteem. We must foster sell· wonh and coumcr the low stlf.esu~em which stall txrststs m some of our com· mumuts IntroduCtiOn tO thas mten"aCw '""aS 13.ken from • paper wnnen bv !>.1m1 Pll<o (Qu~<:hua) of the DINEIB '!I Alkrto AMrllflgO. tloo iilt<IO< ol tloo Noiionol ollict ol Malti<vhurol lifingONJI Uucotioo !DINE/I/ is o Quicb.. from (c..JO<. lAII( lrltr.l. t.Mrt AMolino who 6., fivtJ ond woth<l l• EtONJdor illlftv~.-.<1 Af!trto Androngo in 011ito for Abya Yo/a Ne'ti1. HI h tvmntly wwking •• hit Jissottot~• on tho po/ili<l ol tho lndigtnO(If movtmMI In (cu~OI. Last year I had the OJ>J>Ortunily to visit a bilingual school in the pro,--incc of hnbaburn. \Vc spoke with a teacher. who cold us s he was worried that some parents did not wa.nc their ch_l· i drcn to 1carn Quiehua in schooL \Vhat is being done 10 dtal ,,•hh 1his prob- lemr llxh<''C 11 15 mo,.. the absence of voli· 32 Some pa,..nts ""' opposed to ha"ng At:r(a Yala News �_ __, S E L F D ETE R M I N A TI ON & TERR I T O R Y Margarita Calfio M argarita works with the LIWEN U:nter for Mapuche Studies and Documentation and is a member or the Mapuche lnStiH.HiOr\S and Organizations of the IX Region Organizing Committee. She was also president of the Urbon Mapuehe Indigenous Youth and Student Union, and founder and boord member of the urban Mapuchc association. ~ Kinen Mapu.'" Margarita came to visit SAIIC in \Vc know that you work with Ihe Mapuche youth in Temuco. Chile. How are urban Mapuche youth keeping their idenc i1y? Actually. I was working with youths when l resided in Santiago. betwe.-:n '92 and '95. I worked with a youth organization called the Urban Mapuche Indigenous Youth and Student Union. One of my wishes now is to start a project with urban Mapuche youths in the city of Temuco. because revitalizing identity in these spaces is urgem. \ Ve know very well that citie-s are nOt the appropriate environment for the rtprodu<tio'' and socialization of lite cultural elements of an Indigenous People. These places. rather than facilitating the formation of a unique identity and positive self-image for the younger Indigenous generation. tend to degrade you as a human being and encourage negative and alienating values. mid-March to pllnicipate in a num~r of local events. She gave a presentation at SAIIC's "Recognizing and Honoring Contributions and Perspectives of Indigenous WomcnM event on March 13th. While visiting our office, Margarita spoke with SAIIC about her work with urbon Mapuche youth in Chile. Vol. 11 No.1 According to the 1992 population census, there are one million two hundred Mapuche people. Of this. over than four hundred thousand Mapuches live in Metropolitan regions. and only about 15% live in rural zones. The urban Mapuche population is mnde up of migrants from the n1ral communities and their children born and raised in the cities. They are youths with Mapuchc last names, but they are usual· I)• lacking cultural references that would enable them to connect with their Indigenous identity in a positive way. I p·ersonally li\'ed this reality and it was a slow, complex process. because when I began to reconnect with my Mapuche heritage, my parents were unhappy. They didn't understand or did· tl't wam to comprehend my need lO reconnect with my roots.. .lt was a difficult battle agninst the social currents.. and against your o'vn fe.ars... How much in nuencc has urban culture had on Indigenous youths ? The city influences you with values that alienate you from your identity as a Mat>uche. but when you resolve your own identity issues and begin to accept yourself and feel proud of your origins. it gets easier. There arc always people that will help you. especially the grandmoth· ers and grandfathers, \vho will hand you all their knowledge without questioning. A very relati\'e J>Oint is that when you assume your identit)', being urban, you have mastered the elements of the Other world , of the dominant society. This is really an advantage. because you posses the tools that you can utilize to benefit your people. This is what we are trying lO with many Mnpuche young people, make them conscious of our heritage, conscious or our need to become professionals. \ Vh at is "' Kinen Mapu'', the Urban Mapuche Association doing to S\1pport the Mapuchc youllt and to s u cngthen their culture? 33 R �S E L F DETERM I HATIOH This organization is new and has n01 yet completely defined its course of action. which is something that we have to do soon. I've been working'for some time with the ll\Vt;N Cemer for Mapuche Studies and Documentation. The objective of this institution is w generate knowledge from our own perspective al'td to d isseminate il to all sectors. especially the Mapuche. For example. we work on topics relating to the Mapuche people, to the situation of other Indigenous nations· in their own CO\nHries. and on the issue of Bilingual Intercultural Education. \Vha t is the differe nce between the programs for Mapuche children and those fo r 1hc youths? With the children you have to work in a p1ayftt1 comext, where you keep the youngster entertained while they're learning. and of course you must involve the famil)' in some way. This is difficult , because many times the parents don't agree that their child should learn about Mapuche culture because they view this as negative bUlthis is not their fault. \Vc don't know what negative experiences they have had that have made them opposed to it. \ Vorking with young people or adolescents is a liule more complex. They are going through a difficult stage. building their identit)~ They have marly fears. and to come to terms with being an Indigenous person in a racist country is not an easy thing. You have tO gain their confidence slowl): They must see that you as a woman car'l be a role tnodel. that being Ma1>uche is not bad or ugly, not m all. \Vc know th:tt you did some research on the oral histo ry of cite fa milies or urban Mapuche youths. \Vhal were the most impor1ant points 1hat ca me out o f this research? This study came about due to the interest that a group of us young Mapuche students had in retrieving our history, that history which was denied us ror our having been born in a differem context than our parents and grandpar· ems. It was :m arduous task. because fro m the bcgil'tning our families didn't 34 & TERRI T ORY understand our interest in understanding things of such liule relevance to them. The people in the countryside usually don\ value their legends. their family his· tOries. They doni comprehend the rich· ness of their own knowledge. V.le got them to change their anitude: they stancd to talk, to spill out a whole marvelous. unknown world for us. \ \.'c really teamed an enom1ous amoum. It was magical to listen to it all, and the most imponam thing is that we were able to get our relatives. om aunts and uncles. cOtlSins. etc .. invoked. \Ve'd like to as k why you, as a young Mapuche woman, arc involved in this type of work? l work with conviction, because I really feel that itS necessary to Slruggle for our rights as Mapuche people. The COnditions o£ poverty and O!>prcssion ir'l which we live today must change. Mapuchc children should grow u p in a healthy atmosphere, in peace and hannony with the environment. \Vhen I took consciousness of my identity, or my history. or my culture. it was really like a liberation. I strongly feel the need to supj>OM my people in every 'vay that I can. ItS a life choice. \Vhat would you like to sec in the future fo r Mapuchc youth? And what would you like to do to make it hap· pen? The future o£ the youth and children is a worry that we have as a people. In many communities. the young people must migrate to the urban centers to find any work they can. Their dreams of studying arc dashed at a very youn$ age and that's not fair. I'd like to do many things. but we need to design strategies at the community level. Individual initiatives should be within a larger context to make the desired impacts and changes. We're working for this. \ Ve know that you've been working on a p roject on Indigenous \Vo men and Gender in \ Vashingwn. DC. Could you te ll us what the focus of your research has been? In S<!ptember. 1997. I was selected by the JXvclopmcm Fund for Indigenous Peoples 10 develop a work apprentice-Ship in the Indigenous People-s· Union or the lntcramerican Development Bank. located in Washington. DC. I'm St>ecifically working on editing a re1>0n about the topic or gender relations in indigenous communities and development. It is a renective work, whose main objective is to understand Indigenous women's thoughts and perceptions aboUl develop· mem. Essentially, the idea is to propose certain strntegies that can be incorporated into the Bank's policies in relation to indigenous women. "!' Contino<ed from p<lgt 22 contribution to society, not only the Indigenous one of Ecuador. but in whichever place throughout the world. \ Vhat have been the challe nges that you have had to face as an Indigenous woman doctor? I don't like being labeled as an Indigenous woman doctor; well. I feel like any other womar\ or ar\y other culltlrt and nation. Btu in fact I've had w race cenain challenges. like knowing that the people of my community viewed me as the s.wior from the health problems affecting the community. The leaders of my t>rovincial community trusted so in my abilities. One demonstration of this was their inviting me to work in the SAMAY Project. Onanced by the European Unior'l. I'm talkir\g about a pro Hre project that would permit us, in a significant manner, to build our society, that would allow us to control our own destiny. Being a representative of the Confederation o£ the Indigenous Nationalities o£ Ecuador. CONAIE, is another challenge. 4 To respond positively to all these challenges. 1 always ll)' to le.arn more to better understand the culture of Globalization. to learn how to manuever myself \vithin the dynamics or the modern age, in distinct levels and spheres of humal'lttctions. For me, it is important to take imo account the advice and the points of view of the grtat Indigenous leaders. and or the great ideologies. both old and new. '11 Abya Yala News �S A I I C C...tonucd from pagt 26 damc:nsaons amo environmental tmpact assessment processes of research U\)1.1lute-s. mululatcral institutions, go,•ern- mcms, etc. 6. Dc\'clop standards and guidelines for the protection. maintenance nnd developmen1 of mdigcnous knowledge. whtch a) facllnate the development o£ SUI gcncns S)'Stems of protecuon for tndagcnous knowledge accordang to md1gcnou.s customary laws. \'alues and world Vltw b) reeognize the concept of the collccuve rights of lndtgenous Peoples and mcorporate this in all nauonal nnd mternational lcgislauon c) take into account :md incorporate cx1stmg ProJect. the Human G;,nome Dechrnuon of the UNESCO. the FAO CommiSSIOn on PJam Genetic Resources and n:uional and regional intellectual 1>ropeny nghts legislation under devclopmem. 1 ncorpo· rote the rights and concerns of lndtgenous Peoples as cxprcS>ed tn the ILO Convention 169, the Draft Decbrauon on the RightS of lndtgenous Peoples, the Kan Ocl Declarauon. the Mawtua Dtt:larauon. the Santa Cnaz Declaration, the i.cn= Declar:tnon ond Plan of Attton, the Treaty for a Life Forms Patent Free Paciflc and prtV1ous state· mcnts of Indigenous forums co1wtned :u prev1ous CBD/COP and mterscss1onal meenngs. Indigenous Peoples' politkal ond !ego! systems :md Indigenous Peoples' cuswmary usc or re-SOurces d) recogmzc tr.tdl- 10. Provide material "nd non·matcri· al support mechamsms and mcenuves to uonal agnculturol systems or lndagcnous lndtgenous Peoples for cap.1<1ty butldtng People> e) mvolve Indigenous Peoples 111 m1ttaU\'CS towards: a) the de\"tlopmcnt of the development of rcs<arch gutdehnes SUI genens syStems based on andtgenous customary la"'s for the prot«uon and and standards promouon of lndtgeno~ knowledge. 7 De,·elop standards and gutddmes mno,•J.uons and pracuces b) m.s.utuuonal for the prevention of biopiracy, the mon· strengthening and negonoung eapacny c) nonng of b•oprospecting and access to local!)• controlled pohcy. research and genetic resources: a) affec1 a momwrium development Strategies and :ICtiVIllt'S for on all bioprospecling and/or collecuon or the maintenance and development of biologtcal n13terial,s in the territoncs or Indigenous knowledge lndtgcnous Peoples and protected Mtas and patenung based on these coll<euons 11 Require the rcvltaltz.mon and unul acceptable su1 ·generis S)'Stems are numtenance of Jnd1gcnous l.lngu.ages as estabhshed b) affect a mor.uonum on the pan or the lmpltmentatton or 3rttclc 8j r<g15<cnng of knowledge c) re<ogni.U the and rtloted anides and suppon the nghts of lnd•genous Peoples' to acccS> de,·elopmcnt of edutatJ(mal S)'Stems and repatnote genetic matenals held tn all b.1S<d on mdigenous values and world ex-suu collecuons. such as gene banks. \'tew. mcludmg 1he estabhshmem of :m lnd1genous uni,•erstty. herbanums and botamcal gardens. 8. Ensure the sharing of the bencRts 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 knowltdge. 1000\oauons. pracu«S and values to future generations. 12. Require that research and devel· opment activities in the reahn of lndtgcnous Peoples' knowledge. practices ~md mnovation systems arc gl\'en 1he same financial and pohcy support :as •for· nul scicnufte:• research nnd development ac:uvmes. 13. PrO\ide matenal and non·l1\3ttn· 9 Ensurt that rtlevant pi'OvlSIOns or a.l1nctmh·es for mam1ammg nnd enlunc:· tmcrnauonal mechanisms and agrte· mcms of dtrcct relevance to the tmplc· mcm:uion or :tntcle Sj. and rchued :.tl'tt· clcs. such "' the Trnde Related Intellectual Propeny agreement of the World Trnde Organization. the European Union dtrecuve on the patenung of hfc forms. the Human Genome D•vtrsuy Vol. 11 No. 1 C...tmutd from page 2i mentS and rdorrns 10 1he Mexican State. rather n would be admmmg that what. is needed is a radtcal tr.msfonnntion to the corrupt structures or J>OWCr in Mexico that have been dornmatcd by the more than 70 year old PRI dictatorship. It would mean allowmg for not onl)f the Zapaustas. but all of ~h~x1can ctv1l soct· ety to have the nght to trnnsfonn the government mto somethmg 1hat would govern by obtytng the needs and ton· sensus of the MeA1<3n p<ople, rather than conunue to be me<hator of due global busmc-ss mtcresa and an mSlru· mem of repress1on Unfortunately Mex1co ac1s with the reassurances of its 1radc panncrs, the United States :md Canada. The only thing standmg In the way of Mexico's unacceptable poltcy towards Indigenous peoples IS CtYII SO<l<t) both 111 Mexico and globally CMI SO<l<ty through both tts pohtical '-'111 and ~sons can put an end to tht> genoctdal war. The Indigenous people are dtar that the solutiO!\ wall come rrom nowhere else. nor can they do It alone. "'Neuher peace nor JUstice \Vlll come from the govern· mem. They wtll come from civil society. from its a muauves. from us mobiliza· tions. To her. to )'OU, we speak toda):"'tl er,.r;~ fdoiJcri • • ..-.. o1"' ,...,. K ;ti;o. m r.ds f:t t:lt K :1iol<l( - l o t o.-«r iaMi.Oc•. SO. .r:ta!fd t:lt U~int!itrol !osux ia ~ ~ riett sit loll ol«..tfon ia Hisl«y < o :J _ , io SociolorJ follticolllo~ ...t.,,,, hot ~/;<sis ootl:. [opclirJ"' l• Stptlf!lbt1 1996, U.. .., Dlit4 10 joN 1b• Nottb AmtricOJIIldioo O,.,.!ioo r. tho U Kofioo~ nitt4 wt~ 6"119,. t/11 Otoh OtdOiotioll oo tO. t~bJS of .. llldigtoolll P"91" io Gt,o,,., lit O.Crmhet of t!nt ytct, sit ''""~d t•l• ktolidoJ, ~ M ood prod.ctd o ixko IKitR.g , ,.., tiN sittlclioa;, Gir:;cs. li«• "" A.. ""' ....t~ag 11ili N DM. (JysJd A.. C ll<fli<J oclior:rilt,. ,.., uJ ecliln ,_ pk r:r«JCJ"' 1.....,....;.. n;«XXr lomcg .. «; ~ llriA=oirco W. c-&to Slrog;fos ol ~ s»<9ts io IUAic• ,,.Jtl '"""''\<""'' ''f''rlin' ,_r" tng biodiversit)1, indu~mg l:md nghts and the recognition of acluc\'emems by lnd1gcnous Peoples in protcctmg b1 0<h· ve rslt y. '!I 35 �SA I I C Urgent Action: Indigenous communties in Amazon resisting pressure to allow the patenting of their sacred plant Ayahuasca. SAMPLE LETTER: Mr. ~cmge Evans p,rlt'~ldent of ~h~ lnrcr·Amuican Foun<larion A ln~ton. V1rgmla USA Background: Fax: r03·8·H ·0973 In a recent lcucr addressed w the lnter-Amtrican Founda1ion. <·mail: como@itif.gqy Antonio jacanamijoy. the General Coordinator of the Coordinating Body for Dear ,'vir. Evans Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COlO\) refused to back ' down from a resolution proclaimed by COICA at their congress in Georgewwn. Guiana in May of 1996. The resolulion which was adopted . ~am writing to you to t.Xpress my concern abomthe through sovereign means by more than 80 delegates representing 400 ;ol~t~n ofthe religious traditions of the Amazonian J'(O· groups of indigenous people from nine Amazonian countries efffectively su~· ~ 0 noc S{!pport the tflorts of l.crcn Milltr in his rb:mncd the entrance and safe passage of the American researcher. Loren 1 t to .fXltcm <md cffutivtly gil'C himself <md~h mcmauonal Plant Medicine Ccrporation corurol of ~~ Miller. ~red Ayl~hu~a plant Iundcrnand that this platll is a Loren Miller commined a large offense against Indigenous people in a~J ~~td ob~cr ~<he Indigenous p<ople in the Amazon the pateming of a variety o£ the S."\Cred Ayahuasca plant that he claims tO th . • '.t \t at l cy have suffered a grave offcnu 10 have '"'discovered... Hts work with the international Plant Medicines Clr rtligtous btliefs and traditions. Corporation in the United States am their attempts to g.1.in a monopoly over the plant is a serious \'lOiauon of many Indigenous communities I ~~ a concerned individual in solidarity wlth the " <gtnous people of rhe Amaz"''· I do nor support the sacred beliefs. prt$Surc that the llltcr-Amcriam FoundaJion Ln . I d ''"' act As a resuh of COLOI:s deosion to ban loren !llhller from entering u~n COICA to mraa thdr resolutiOn umcernin Ptha rfwurc rdationship mth Loren M<lle• 0 1;,l.r g . r these communities again in a desrespectful manner, the lnter~American (. ~ J' '· ll .)WC VlSIIOTS Foundation has pur pressure on COICA and also on the Indigenous fed· annm .. IS•rspcaful to the traditions of the lndigtiiOttS - _, , . eration of amazonian peoples of Ecuador (CONFENIJ\E). They have commumttts and expect lwspitalitv anu CCOptrattOn m m Uk ·~ been ordered ro return funds for an education project suppor1ed by IAF of t~a~· wh~ha~IY cultud•~ <Jr •cligwus tradition, a ''iolaticm if they do not retract their support or COIOI:s decision to ban rhe . IS sacrt IS not a mauu to be taken li htl ctf«<!JflYt when .someone aucmplS to gain C<Jmrolrga~ entrance of Loren Miller. ;;;'~;;~ty ,ram tt. I hot)(~~~ you \\111 consider the offense . ,.. thtse communcmcs and rtconsidcr your dt:sirc R ecommended Action: fi01 t.hem to back Jqwn from thdr ''f:SQ{tdiOn. It is thar Please send leuers, faxes and email to the President of the lmer· right to demand re.spea for their religious traditiOn$. American Foundation it\ support of COIO\S decision not tO allow fur· Sinccrtly. ther violations of their sacred traditions by outsiders. For more informacion please conract The Coordinating Body for tht lndigneous People's Organizations of tht Amazon Basin) COICA ar coica@uio.samtc.nec The Nathe Monthly Reader A 50Mb1y,_.,.,pe< lor yotrog O<iJts 7{'J,{'Pci~<iJ<s you to "'6sai&for W'.Jr S<MO/; cw.r- 66r.:ry, orJomify. The Ntth·e Moothly Reader is pt~blished llvooghootlhesdlool><ar.(O<t. . ~by).am is cleoiitl<d (O< llle middl< ...S hill> sdlool81"1< loe\'tf, Tbis publ:btion is brWinJ the ~S· tanee to moli~nic: and cthnic-specifte cur· rioub in thudoc:alional system. Jqin us in M4'eflf6 mm<UfturdtmUrS14nJi"8for ~SJDUI~ .M rf.tjuturt. ~-US$ 1~o:~10 po< mo. $110.20 pe< ""' Sl iiC>OO po< mo. ·-~ ilodSu1 ilo:IMO P.O. 8ox 122 • Croston&. CO 81131 019) 256-4843 Phor>t>Jfax http://www.samexplo.org best source of information and advice for travel in South America. Membership services include expert trip planning, discounls on maps. guidebooks, angu<1ge schools, tours, plus e-mail, phone, fax. and storage in Lima and Quito. U.S.: 126 1ndian CreekRd. llhxa.NY 14850607-277-0488 txplorer@samcxplo.org JF~~~ =~·<1l>S<<<C.•Org. <C - =-· Abya Yala News �NEWS FROM SAIIC Upcoming Events April 14-16 May 4 • 15 AMEJlJNOIIW PEOPlES ASSOCIATION ANNVAl CONGRESS. Guyana Contact AmMndoon ~ 1\ooootoon at S92-27027S April 22 • 23 WORI<SHOP ON BIODMRS!TY ANO IMPACT ASSESSMENT. Oonst""-<d<. New Zealand. Coordna:ed by lt.JCN. to be hdd at the 18th ......, WA ~ong. (Cootaet ~ lt.JCN.The \\brid Ccnsetva:>on Vnoon. Ec"""""' Senoc:es l.ln."t. Rue Mo~Mmey28.Cird 1196~ t'S~o~ift•nd'b' •ucn http/loucnoo t'll~· 'otlloc"""""')• rg: Prin<ip~ FOVRTH MEE11NC OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PAATIES TO THE C80: COP-'4. e.-.w.va. (Coot><t C80 SecretN1at \\brid Trade Center. 393 St jacques Street Suite 300. Montreal. Quebec, Cana<la HlY IN9;Tel: +1-$14-288-2220, Fox: +1-$11·288· May4- 15 1'/TERNATlONAl EXH181TIO'I ON 81(). LOGICAL DIVERSITY To be held n eotlun<· """ """ COP-'4 to the ceo .. (Cont>ct: "1. S<elon l'<u-c. NCHE· II-" 7. ss2 Sl ~ -Tel: +4217·802-liOIOSt:Fox: +4217· 847·9WS81·165.Teltx 092-255) e.-.wav.. c..., May I - 3 Cl08Al e;()()MRSITY F0R1JM. Bt>t&r.~. SlcMI.a. (Cont>ct: C.vclonc M.ltUie!. lt.JCN. The \\brid v-. 28 Rue CH-1196 Gird. SwrtzMand; tel: +11.2l999.0001:1ax: •11.22.999.002$: e·ma>t ccmtlhq.iuen.Cf1) Ma- eo.,..,.,,""" May 1-4 ca ~acy COYet June 17-20 ......_ .,.. they "" lot .. •nc~og<nous trMI h:wn North Arnero.lf )0.1 M"t Wltet• WCitNtl ....., n ·~ please contact Odx>toh H¥ry at r.l (702) 571.0248. F..: (702) S71-02S9. E<n>t ~- May 4 - 5 v-.QRl.D MlN•STERIAI. ROIJNOTA8l.E ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY. Ths onteract""' evtnt Wll also be ht~ .n conjl.nction ''lith COP-1 to the C80 "' Bratl!lavo. S1cm1<ia. (Contact: HE. Mr. Jozer Zloch> Hv-Oster of Etwii"'OMent. M~t~•stry of EnvirootniY'It Nimest•e L Stut• I, Bra•stava. 812 35. Slov•loa: Tel: t121·7·516-21SS/2460: Fax: +121-7-SI6-25S7 Of\ Zuzw eu-, Nat>ONI s..m.n.. lot the ~ on Boo1oga1 o....n.ty M-.ry ol E~ Sid. 811 01 8rrutM. SloMa: Tel +421-7-786·581/$68 E·m• 1: ~Wo«.Sk) Vol. 11 No.1 lhdigenous (l,II\Urt-s rn lrtcratul't; lndigeoous literatu~; Ant~ arwj sooe>1og>ca1 a.speas of lndog<nous 11<nwrc: Editon. pcblosher$. ilnd po.tJI ~ ~ .1l"dWts and wnt~ f-1.1ss medsa 1nd ln6genous t<nture: OfiNI " " ' -...... ......... " lndog<nous ~.... ~ ~"""">' o.rnnu m trends Once "~ w your--- No been~ """ you • coo•l•••••ct ~ ~J<Jiy 27......... ol-ts;J<Jiy 28- J'.'1AZON COAI.IIlON ANN\JAI. 1".££T. I~>.'C.c.rac..,.~PI<.,. ncMy""'-> Co.l<tion t you pl.ln to att<!ld at I5 II K St Suite 627. Was!>ongtOI\ DC lOOOS. Tel: 202· 637·9718.E-.,.tomazonc~.opc.org July 28-3 1 DIVERSE WOMEN FOI\ BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE. B<.W.V.. Slovaloa. 1M P<'"' ~• • be<1g OO'S"'led by Slwo. ....t other_,.,., """"on the boologi- song;-· Methodologoes and t«lwqve1 of wntong 6S88: · · -ctvr@boodov"'1) v- topics indudt: ln6genous iterot~m ol the 1\menas: Po<tty ilnd l)ric """'.,..,· shon stones and foctlorcThcat!< ilnd drarno: 0t-aJ tradit>OI\ mytl\ legend. t.stOI)< fable. comedy. cOIJ<\sol: Wondview and ffiST CONGRESS OF INDICENOVS UTER· ATVRE OF THE AMERICAS-CALL FOR PAPERS- The S'AbEYB'AbAI. c.Jt... 1\ooootoon CO<• .t n~-'<1- to 1>"1>0p.-.e ., the RRST CONCI\ESS OF r>.'DICENOUS UTERATVRE OF THE N'SJIIOS. wlloch wl be lldd )IJy 28-31. 1998 10 Cwtem.ll.t CJtf. tilly...,., ., ln6genouswnt......... .,..... ~­ " ther """' ~ (J>t<~) or other ~ ilnd .llso noo-lndog<nous __.., NYe oo lnclgetlous lrter.ture of the J\rnef'ias 111! II'N'Ited to ~tan abstract or theO' pap« no longer !hM 3 P>&t• by Ajlnl 30, 1998 to 8""' the Org""'ong Cc><rnmtte ~ to ..,.... thc>r l>"'bbP>~ ..,.t.,. -----~e-mal-..s. fax. telephone .,.. We ol the _.. 8erore the ....,. the _ . sllooAd be '"'" on -.,., or pnn:ed oo letter·= Pll'<" nl sllooAd tk no ~on&« th>n )I) """""" to rt.ad. The popen wl be p.blohed 01 a tote< elate. 30. the ~s otself. )IJy 3I, exCI.nOOn to pi<tvresq~~e pl>ces "' Cu.ltemal~ In the wo1 be an oppot\\My to pre- ...,;ng me.. ""'' lrt<!f>ly, theatric>!. donee. ,.,.;c or other perio<matl<es from Cu.ne....~ and the comlri<s of ong.n or the ~ W.te"""1\jo 23 611'erent etlric P4" each """' of. fernnt dothrng. l~nguage and lrft s~. lntom.tional port<opor>ts rrw """' to bnng t<giONI costume<. ~ WO<i;s. and san'jlles of ther ort to the cult.,.. nchntst of the Amenc.as. There G a nort1NI r.. oiQ.SOOO lot W . : " " " ' - nl US $20.00 lot . - from w..r cO<I':nes. -t ~ . . . . . to-"""""- lot.,....,_• ., ....... ,.....,..ol"""' For~ ..ror....-cont.ICI. ~­ ConlJle1. (~ Coordna:or). F"'- 232· 2n3. W.temA ..,.~ bc.ld<@&wtellet August 2-3 9TH ANNVAL PROTECTING MOTHER EARTH CONFERENCE. Theme: S.Cred Srtes Sponsoted by lndogel\0\ls E,.,,.,.,..,..l "-'e•vort. hosted by S....Oth Cenetatoon Fund. Modoc National fOt<St. nw AIIIAs. Cailotnoa. VSA For """" onror....toon conuct. lEN a: P.O 8ox 485, Semocfr, MMesota 56619 Tel: 21 8-75 1-4967, fox:l18·75 1.()$61 E-mot~ cwSMnth <l<ncntoon Fund .. (707) 825-7610 37 �B 0 o K RE V IEWS Recommended Publications & Events Indigenous Agriculture In The Mountains of Guerrero By: Matcos Marias Alonso. Indigenous Anchropologisc from Guerrero State, Mexico. p11bli$hed by: Plaza y Valdes, SA de C. V., Manu<! Maria Contreras No. 73, Colonia S<m Rafael, Mexico D. F. cp. 06'170. 1997. (249 pages+ API>endices) he author invites us to analyze the complex process or appropriation and integration in an Indigenous region: How and why are system.s of agricultural proI.;\ ACRICUI.TtfRA duction modiIN"OICt :N,\ t':. '; " fied? What conI.J\ :\t O~"'r~'\:A 0 £ sequences CU£R.R.E:RO resuh from the T transition from an isolated and rraditional agricultural society toward a modernized rural sodct)'? Is the '--------....J c o n t i n u a I decline of traditional agricultural systems irreversible? = In this book. Indigenous amhropologist Marcos Matias Alonso. provides an analysis or how the process of modern~ ization of Indigenous agricult\lrt is based on the incorporation and apt>lication or multiple technological inno,•ations (mechanization, use or improved seed varieties, application of agrochemicals, etc.) He also discusses how traditiOI\al styles of agricuhure arc fundamentally based on the use of the people's own resources (labor provided by the family, production for self~subsistence, use of local fertilizers. no investment of money. etc.) As his investigation dcep<ns. he comes to realize that Indigenous agricul· ture imegrates traditional and modern techniques in its own unique way. The results of his research data show the exis· tence and complimentary nature of tradi: tional techniques coupled with modern ones in Indigenous agricuhure. According to Matias Alonso. campesino subsiStence and survival relics precisely on the selective and compli~ 38 me1uary use of local and foreign resources. This adaptation does not imply loss of cuhural identity for the Indigenous communities of the moun· tains who employ this survival strategy. He Stresses tile importance or having an understanding of Indigenous languages in order to study and analyze agricultural S)'Stems. Evel)' concept has social signifi~ cance and carries with it implicit mean· ings that describe a process or an agricult\lrC phase. Indigenous languages consti· tute a key to understanding and describ~ ing Indigenous agriculture. Language makes us aware of the cosmology of a community. ·tt is like the entrance to comprehension of local cuhure... This book is available in Spanish only. Indigenous Communities and Education )oumal No.39·iO,)anllaty-)tme 1997,215 l'ages, Published by Ediciones Abya Ytda, A>< 12 de Ocwbrc 1430 y Wilson, Casilla 17-12-719, Q11l1o, Ecuador. ndigenous Communities and Education, is thematic journal pub· lished by Edicioncs Abya Yala which comes om three to fou r times a year. The journal comains nine · · ani· cles pertaining to education and Indigenous people in L.'ltin America. This is an informative collection of analytical essays for anyone interested in the complex issues of Indigenous education in Mexico, Central and South America. Some of the varied themes fea· tured in the 1997 issue number 39·40 include development strategies for multi· lingual educational programs in Mexico. Bolivia and Chile, arl analysis or various ways to create reading material in Indigenous languagc,s, and discussions about the merits of teaching in an Indigenous language. In their anicle on Indigenous I Education in Mesoamerica. authors Roberto Vasquez and Vilma Duque emphasize the need to modify 1raditional education programs. The Rigobeno Menchu Tum Foundation initiated a process to identify the needs and interests of Indigenous communities in the Mesoamerican region . The principal problem is the lack of focus on a cultural and ling\listic curriculum pertaining to Indigenous I>COplc. Xavier Albo presents a summary of his important work, "Muhi·lingual Bolivia" published by UNICEF in 1994. which includes a description and analysis of a series of respectful policies for the successful development of Indigenous education. In their ankle on bilingual imcrcul· tural education in Chile. Elis.1 L onc6n and Christian Maninez present their pro~ posal for educational refonn in the Mapuche region. This includes the implementation or an autonomous bilin· gual~imercultural education program suitable to the Indigenous people. Moreover they stress the need for an ade· quate lir\guistic policy to accompa''Y this project. 1\vailablc in Spanish only. For mo'l information concaa: Cdicioncs Abya Yala,tel: 593 (2) 562-633 or 506247./ax: 593 (2) 506-255. e-mail: abyayala@upsq.etlu.ec The Indigenous and Popular Struggle in Mexico Carmen Valadez. representative from the FZLN CZapat1sta National l1berat1on Fronl) and Melqui<ides Rosas Blanco. delegate from the Mazateco NatiOn and representative from the CHI (National lnd!f)neous Congress) will be speaking about the current situation of the lnd!f)neous commun1!1es attacked by the Mex+can government's policies. Tt;p ,.••,--.~: \', ;·; c\0 fec :~:'e ··p,-,::•"~"\ .':'IKx-. ,"<X ,fi( < crd ~~y_;.:;,' IJ11\ , /(/'~l ,';_v:;C.:.·r~ 1!0" : ( c:•1c,:n ,; !)c-;_._-~·.t . A .·. t> cr;d 1!,,:7'c.·; 1::-;h ~~ fKCfC!L/O~.<'">·;-<; (J< 1 April I~ at Horace Mann Scllool Auditorium Vale11ci>@ 23rd St. S.n francisco Carmen and Melqw.3des w1ll be VISiting the SAI!C office on their upcoming trip to lhe Bay Area. A~Yala News �SA I I C News from SAIIC 1998 HAS ALREADY BEEN vel)' productive and eventful for SAIIC. V..1e have co-sponsored numerous local events and r:tllics and jusl recemly coordinaled lhe \ 1isit of Margarita Calfio to the Say Area. from a leuer from Alexis Alvarado, Legal Program CoordinalOr a< The Dobbo Y ala Foundation in PanamA follow: "Dt<ir Compaiteros, Tltank you for sending us the .. Indigenous VQi~es"' Radio Program. MARGARITA CALFIO (MAPUCHE) E"e'yone in our organizarion has already worked as pan of the Professional Team listene<lto it and it seems to us this was a at LIWEN. 1he Cemer for Mapuche SlUdy lot oj wttrk for your orgam.Z<lliOn to put and 0()(;umentation. which gathers and together. We are organizing wvious worh· s disseminates information on the shot> and trai11ing sessions on Indigenous Mapuche community, ethnic and nation- Law and will bt wing your wpe in these \'trlthough our country al issues, and muhi-cuhural and bilingual programs. G education. \ Vhile she was here, sht; was interviewed by several radio programs including, Terra Verde at KPFA. Pacifica Radio, and Making Contact. and spoke av U.C Berkeley and before lhe Chilean embassy as pan of the .. International Day of Action Against Dams a,nd for Rivers. \Vater, and life... (l>mwnUI) lws nO< ratified tilt 11.0 Com·e~uion J69. Wt would also Wtt to Jmow ifyou could sencl us your book 'Proucth)g what~ Om'S~ Indigenous Peoplt and BiOtlh•ersid<ul, · it ·h·ould be very help j1d in cur work."' Founda<ion (New El Salvador Today). Glob.1l Exchange, and olher B Area ay non·profits. After teaching in San Francisco schools for lhe pas< few years. he is excited to be returning to interna· tion.al solidarity work and supJ>Oning the struggle.s of Indigenous people.s fo r selfdetermination. SAIIC WISHES TO THANK all of our members, donors, SJ>Onsors and volun· teers. We ~ou l d not continue with our illlJ>Ortant.,prOgrams without this finan· cia I support ana the dediCaliOn and COin· mitmem of 1 people who give their he litne 10 SAilC. For 1hosc of you who have helped out ln ou~ office or at our events or translated anicles. we w ant to thank you ! Also. Laura Soriano, our Execu1ive Director. and Marcos Yoc, Board Member, SA IIC CONGRATULATES lhe Abya rectmly relUrned from A TRIP TO NEW Yala Fund on their new office, and looks Margarita also Sp()kc at a re<cnt event YORK AND DC where lhey me~ wilh forward to c01;n inuing our sister organi· from the Ford zatlon relationship in the fulllre. While sponsored by SAIIC honoring lnd)genous representatives women. This event also reatured Foundation, Fund o£ the Four Oirecti91 'lS, SAIIC and lhe Abya Yala Fund bolh work ~! A R IA ELENA C U[.l.RUCHICHE the Gaea Foundation, the Rainforest on issues concerning the Indigenous peoAN D ADELINA NICHO COME>!: . Foundalion. and Share Our S1reng1h. In ples of Meso and Somh America • and two Mayan ".romen painters who dis- addition, they met with various whUc we both use the Kuna phrase ~Abya cussed their work, Gina Pacaldo, <\ cul- Indigenous righls and solidarily organi- Yala," or "€ontincnt o~ Ufc• · we are sep· tural tmist who perfonned dance and zat.ions and donors in both New Y and anuc organizations with different mis· ork lhea<er. and Beaniz Res1repo wilh Gmpo DC. lt was a very busy week for them sions and areas of expenisc: ~lnico de Colomb\a. who performed lr:l.· and ,],. lrip renewed SAIICs partnership ditional and impresslonist Colombian whh various otgc'lni2ations and individu· • SAIIC IS AN INFORMATION CEN· dance. This evem was very successful in -als. laura and Ma~os came back with TER promoling lhe rig~ts of Indigenous reaching out to the Bay Area community exciting ideas that will help strengthen peoples of L11in America lhrough our about Indigenous women. their corn ribu- our Organization. journal Abya Y ala New>! Nolieias de ttons and perspectives. ala, our radio program ~voces t\bya Y OUR JOURNAL COORDINATOR, jess lnd fgenas,~ and our Visitors Program. In addition. we recently finished OUR Falkenhage" ,.;II be leaving SAIIC iJ\ SAIIC is located " ' 1714 Fr:tnklin Sl.. 3rd LATEST ISSU E OF NOTICIAS DE ea rly April to travel to Kuna Y ala, Floor. Oakland . CA 94604. To comaCl ABYA YALA , 1he Spanish edilion of our Panam(\, je.ss will miss herworK on Abya SAIIC. please call (5 10)834-4263 journal. This issue covered Convention Yala News and being part of lhe 'SAIIC 169 in L1tin America. as well as currem family'. She is looking (oz:ward 10 lhls • THE ABYA YALA FUND is a projecl ne'vs from Columbia, Chile, Venezuela opportunity tO travel in Central an(} of the Tides Foundation, and promotes and Chiapas, Mexico. This Spanish issue South America and visit some of the com· Indigenous seJf. rcliance and communit)' was dist ributed to 625 Indigenous orga- munities that she has been working with development through grams. loans and niz.uions and communities throughout during her time at SAilC. SAIIC will miss lraining. The Abya Y Fund is localed ' ala l\.·lexico. Central . and South America. as her dedication and enthusiasm and at Higgins House-678 13lh S1., Suilt well as others in EurOJ)e and Nonh apprccia<c.s the hard work and deep love 100. Oakland, CA 94612 and may be America. h has also been hand-delivered she has contributed to Abya Yala eon<aCled Ol (510)763-6553. to some communities. including the News/Noticias de Abya Y and to the ala U'\ Va community in Colombia. work of SAilC. SAIIC welcomes lhe STAFF OF HIE NATIONAL RADIO PROJECT. who We have gouen a lol of posilive feedback Steve Rudnick wiU be taking over the now share office space with us. 'Vt.1c look from OUR LAST RADIO PROG RAM journal Coordinator position arter jess' forw· rd to working with them on media· a that was sent out in December. Excerpts departure. Steve has worked with NEST rela1ed issues. '!I Vol. 11 No. 1 39 �Daughters of Abya Yala ndlgMOUS Testimonies of Indian women orga· nizing throughout the Continent. Statements from grassroots Indigenous women leaders from South and Meso America. Includes r'esolutions from Indigenous women·s meeting. a directory of Indigenous women's organizations and key contacts. information on Indian women's projects. and poems by Indian women. Printed on recycled paper. Available from SAIIC for S7 .58 + $3 shipping. ofBuru rflies A Skirt Full of Butterflies IS·minute Video. Five Zapotec women from Southam Oaxaca. Mexico tell what it is like to live in a community where women manage the econmy: where women's wotk is just as valued as men's: where women and men work side by side in political resistance. A valuable tool for discus· sions of Indigenous women's issues. For every purchase. a second copy will be send to an Indigenous organization. $1 g .gs +$3.00 shipping.Available from SAIIC. t , lndigtnous ptOplt from lbt t-latt of Ow< Kui<o oft ~.n udnimy 1ptak our own a. b'f''l'' »d 11m • ,;gniliwt b'f''l' b>rriu with Sp>J>ilh ~~ >lont ~~ 0. 8iatiwl Owe» I ~IIOIIS A6aA« (ftOS.. frwtt llldtgtna Owq utiio Bi~cionll), a fiO.I.for-profit Ofganizatiol\ tc<ogoiltd tbt Aft(! ror irlltrprtltfS tor l_nd~tf!OU· Otu<an ~ptlk· tn ol tlittt<o Of Upot«o. To addms this nttod, fl08 u u ttd tllt Hui<:u ln(Jtfnou1 lntttpttter P rojt<t to uaiA a.cd coordi~tatt iftttn H ixtt<o W Upoct<o inwprtttn fOf SU!t·widt stf'lict. Tht prtstigiou1 Hc.tttttty lmtitvtt or language ~!ud"its pro-Mtd a wttk·long training to our inttrprtttn. W fiOS is liOW contacting mry rfltyant iMtiNiiM Uld orga..'liu6on to inrorm thtm of our inttrprtttr U:Mcts in tht tvtnt chat thfy cow into contact with O lllGUI lo5gtn.M peopk in llttd of an intttprtttt.W lodigtlll* ptOplt hlrt a right to aA itutrprtttr in oor ewm ~. t p3otfS. W\it Ft08 h1S ~ ttw first sttp, tbt wit is youn to i&:atity Owua lnQgfnotn pt09&t monolicpai ift 0111 bllgu~ts Of insuricitfltft bilinpal in ~ wflo "''ii~ bt-nt6t from 0111 mttrprtttr Stnicts. Vft also wotk wid! Guaw.Wlt lndigtnous inttrprtttn. Plt11ot ktl frtt 10 (OQU<C G aJpar ~«11 at 201 lt.t 4287 for furt1itr infol;natioo tboot ocr procn=~ or our a.1si:sunct in furn~ ln4itfnou1 inttrpmtn. '' '.opl" • nd ! Proteding What's Ours 8kH:IfwNJty, ... ,; Indig e nous Peole~and Biodiversi t y Draws a clear pic· ture for Indigenous and non lndigel'lOus alike of issues Sl.lf· rounding biodiversity and possible suategies for co,,serving natufal resources. It is an invaluable resource in the Indigenous struggle for control and consesvation of bio· diversity. knowledge. and genetic resources. Available in English and Spanish. 132 pp. $10.83 and shipping. Call for Papers Announcing a special issue of American Indian Culture and Research Journal: Environmental Caketaking on Indian Lands in the United S tates. We are soliciting contribut ions to a spe· cial issue that is dedicated to discovering the range of envi· r'Onmental and ecosystem management initiatives occuring on Indian Reservations in the US under Tribal or joint Tribal· other government action. The emphasis will be on efforts to reverse envimnmental degradation and pmtect Of festofe environmental quality or ecosystem integrity. The scope of activities covered will include: solid wastes management. air pollution control. water pollution control. watef management and water rights. cultural resource protection. and wild life and RsheMes management. ·Call for Abstracts· Authors are invited to submit abstracts for consideration by the guest editors. Authors whose abstracts are accepted will be asked to prepare full papers for publication. Abstracts should be on one page and may be up to 200 words in leng th and are due by Sept. 1. 1998. Questions fegafding the special issue and requiremnts for contributing. please contact the guest editors: Richard Harris. Dept. of Environmental Science. Policy. and M anagement. 164 Mulford Hall. Berkeley. CA 94720·3114. tel: (510) 642·2360. e·mail: nnanis@nature.berkeley.edu South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) P.O. Box 28703, Oakland, CA 94604 Non-profit Organizat ion us Postage PAID Oakland, CA Permit No. 79 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 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 Vol. 11, no 2 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 Zotero Issue 1 Language English Volume 11 Publication Title Abya Yala News Abstract Note Entire issue Pages 1-39 http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/6126c5b16e8f7e8bc1cb1c1ea22b40b4.pdf 90d83498c6055cbd4f62d0d28495c13d PDF Text Text VOLUME 8, NUMBER 3, fAU.1994 • • • • Uprising in Ecuador Convention on Biodiversity Update on Chiapas International Meeting of Indigenous Women ~~ LINKING INDIAN PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAs _ _ __,___ _ �c 0 T E T s Abya Yala News Editors: SAIIC 8o¥d of ()Wcctors Cooro:NtOt'$! Conswv.a Q.W'O. O.wid Ted:lin Oe,;go & L>yovt Alfonso )aramillo Enpsh Copy Editoc Cheryl Musch Intern: R.ebec<.l Kapur Editorial. ... . . . .. . . ... ... . . . ....... .. .. . . . .. .. 3 SAIIC Scaff In Br ie f . ... .. .. .. ........ .. . ............ .... . . 4 Perspectives on the Ele ctora l Process Director. N !lo Q:~ .,,.,;m Office Manager. Chc')i MU1dl ~~->:irOOit?osa Devclos>ment As>st.lnt Ro>a Al¢&fia Convnunic.ations Coon:ft\atOI": M.)rc S«lcet' Mexico: Indigenous Suffrage Under Protest .. .... .. .... 6 S AIIC Board of Directors Bolivia: Reconstruct ing the Ayllu .. ........ .. .. . • . . .. 9 W>n Alderete (Calchaqu;·Argetltina) Alejandro NnMu Argvmedo (Quechu.l·PC<V) N lo CaMU<O (~·Argetltina) Guatemala: Maya Political Crossroads .. .. ..... • , .. . . 1 0 G.Milemlo Dclg•do (Ouechu.l·SoM.) Colombia: Special Indian Districting . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . 14 a.1os M-th (M;,k;to.Nmgvo) CoN P<Kaldo (Son a.1os J\pW>c/CJ,;c..,.) Int e r natio nal _ , Hu<m (CIV<an;ooJa) M>reos Yoc ('W•·Qu;cf,./Guat<mab) Subscriptions: Declaration of Barbados Ill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Se lf-dete r m ination a nd Territory Second Indian Uprising in Ecuador . ..... .. . ..... ... . 19 Bilateral Agreements in Bolivia .... .. . . ... .. ...... .. 22 Organizing from Oaxaca to California . . .. .. . . .. . ... . 24 C.;iapas Updat e Six Proposals for a N ew Mexico .. .... ... .... •• . .. . 27 Environm e nt and Developm e nt Abya Yala NeviS (tSSN 1071·3182) is available for )n annual $ IS pc<'SONI ~. $2S for I~SOO.I justice non-pro!rts.. ~;o institutions. For Canada. and Me?oco add $5, for all other intetn:.~tion.lJ ~ps. add $10. We .......cl<omc sOOmissicns of artides.lett¢f"S. pho1ogt'i)Phs and telev¥1t VlfOlTT'I.ation. Leners and 31ticl¢s may be edited for -:« r""' """>«= length. 10 • '""""""~ """'-"'""" on paper ¥ld ¢n,v\~<OI'T'f)o'll:ible 3 tn. Wlch cJ:sk Send ;)I corSAIIC P.O. Box 28703 Oakland, C A 94604, USA Phone: (S 10) 834~42 6 1 Fu' ( S I 0) 834·4264 e-mail: sallc@igc.apc.org Biodiversity Convention .. .. . .... .. .. .. . .. ...... .. 30 W e would like t o thank the following individuaJs a nd organizations for their gt:nerous assistance to Abya Yala News W omen lleto llcwg«. Jo<ge Second Encounter of Indigenous Women .. ......... . . 34 Wayu Women Imperilled by Drug Trafficking ..... .. ... 35 Organiza tion and Commun ication .. .. . .. .. ..... 36 Calendar of Events ... . . . . .. ....... .. . ..... . .. 38 SAIIC N ew s .. . ........ • ..... .... . ... • . ..... . 39 On the Cover: R..esidtoc of San Crist~l de las Casu. Chiapas. cuti11g his vote f<>r the 199<4 Pres.idenliaJ elections In Mexk:o. Photo: Courtesy o! Global Exeh~ngo BriU>ol s...n.- (~ Anu). ~-'"""" ~ ~Gonzalez. M.lri>.-.. ~ ~ Mendo<.\ M.Wna Mo<>. V<tor Montcjo. Gullc>mo f'>do. o.n ~......._ KaO. T.,.,.._ l!ily R Trice~. Ste(ono v....,. and spe0>1 Wl'\k:s to Vd.y WMJ O rganlutlons: Amerincb ~). CEOCB ~). OoOp ($»~ Gu.lt_,. Ne..,. and In~ Mansi< M<descnte< <NM"'Y~ Q'-1)0 K>Nman:a (VSA~ U<nzo (P<N~ RliniOteS' Action Ne:twclfi(.(USA), THOA (Bo"Ma), TIPI {Noway·~). t..m G<onYold (NoN"Y). a...-..u. w"""' Publications: NAORP (VC OM USA), Prcsend.l!Aeraria (BoiM.l). !Wv.a OjuaSCol (Mt>;<o). Re.lsu u;,., (SoN&). Th:tnks to t he following founda t ions for t heir gene,... ous s upport: joM D. and Catherine T. Mac /vVP.Jfr Fovndation. ~a.l ~e Foundation. Pubfic Welfare F~. The Tides Found.ltion. f~tlOC'I for ~ Ecology. SA IIC Rprest:ntatives abroad: )\>oft ~ Lar.l·RECNSUEN (Nonv>y). Raf>d ~ (Gcnrony). A'<jand<o ~ & Susan O'Oonel (CWd.l~ �E D I TO R IAL he so-c.1lled "cold war" between Capitalism and Socialism has been redefined. Instead of a conflict between "East and West," it now appears as a problem of North versus South . Today, the military impositions and economic propos.1ls expressed in the concept of a "New World Order" do no more than fortify policies of oppression against Indigenous nations and territories. For the Indigenous peoples, the oppression that beg.1n with the western invas•on. and which has just completed its 502nd year, still continues as more threats loom over the honzon. International agreements such as the North American Fr« Trnde Agreement {NAFTA). General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organizauon {WTO) are nothing more than new legal instruments which serve to increase transnational companies' power to exploit natural and human resources without regard for Indigenous territories. It should not be forgotten that a large portion of these natural resources, such as biodiversit)'. petroleum. timber, minerals. etc. arc found within Indigenous territories. for their pan, the nation-states still largely refuse to recognize Indian territory and continue 10 dispose of it as they will. most recently, b)' ceding it to national and transnational companies within the new Neoliberal programs. Governments and parliaments continue to make decisions for the oppressed majorities. Constitutional changes. new Agrarian laws. privatizauon of b.1Sic sef\ices, etc. are legal•nstruments, created without consulung the Indigenous organ•zauons, in the name of "democracy." The Indigenous people demand participation in all dectsions directly affecting Indigenous nauons. territories, and cultural systems. and reject the assimilauonist policies of the nation-state. Without entering into an in-depth analysis of the concept of democracy imposed by the Western nation-state on the Indigenous nations "~th cosmic-spiritual-territorial bases. we have tried in this journal to present an {admittedly incomplete) picture or Indigenous participation in national elections. The diverse experiences illustrated here demonstrate that Indian organizations offer new possibilities to renovate the nation-state. The)' also reveal the need for autonomous political positions and the formation of coalitions under equal conditions. Of course. not all of the Indigenous experiences have been positive. However, many of lhese, both good and bad, provide lessons from which we can learn in order to reformulate our future stralegies. Indigenous participation in the nation-states' electoral processes is only one aspect of the differem strategies we need to pursue. Access to parliaments gives us more power to propose and pressure for the adoption and approriate implementation of progressive international agreements such as the International Labor Organization's Convention 169, which is currently only recognized by seven governments. Other international agreements such as the UN Declaration on the Principles and Rights of Indigenous peoples require further pressure from the Indigenous organizations to the U.N. bodies in order to obtain an international convention signed by the colonial governments, recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and not just a Declaration without implementing measures. We believe that u is Imperative for the Indigenous movement to work in coordinated fashion at the continental and world level to produce joint proposals for appropriately adopung and furthering the scope of these mternauonallegal instruments. ~ have to remember that, although the legal instruments are avilable. they need to be ratified by nauon-states, but also, in some c.1ses. those legal instruments need to be taken furhter, according to Indigenous organizations' understanding of such matters. Otherwise, these! instruments will remain In the hands of nation-states without Indigenous input. T SAIIC Board of Directors Vol. 8 No.3 3 �IN BR I EF Massive Coca-grower's March on La Paz, Bolivia Bolivian security forces unsuccessfully tried to turn away a protest march of severn! thousand camp.:;i110s headed for the capital city of La Paz in early September. Over fifty leaders were arrested. police confiscated baggage and even sandals in an attempt to pre,·ent campesinos from joining the march. The coca-growers were headed for La Paz to demand fair treatment for those who make their living growing coca. Coca leaf has long been important in the Andes because of its cultural and rnedicinal elemems. but in recent years it has acquired significance as a cash crop which is used in the production of cocaine. Protesters are demanding the demilitarization of the Chaparc region, protection of 1he coca·growing industry. com· pliance with agreements previously signed with the government, and the release of arrested activists. After three attacks by security forces. marchers chose to stay ofT the main roads to avoid funher confrontation. Campesinos have been subjected to increased arbitrat)' arrests and seizures, intimidation and harassment. sexual abuse or women. and tor· ture. Religious workers in the coca-growing Chapare region. say that the area has been completely militarized. and that the gov· emmem has also been cracking down on non·govemmental organizations who are supportive of the Indigenous camtJtsinos. The country's rn.ost powerful labor union. the 13olivian Workers Central (C06). held a 48-hour strike in La Paz on Sept. 15 and 16 to pressure the government on the cocagrowers' behalf. In response. President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada called a national dialogue to discuss the ..cocacocaine'" problem and to seek consensus solmions. The coca-growers emerged from this dialogue with a preliminary agreement which rneets several of their key demands. Leuu s demandi11g respe" for the human rigJus of c;amf'(Sinos <Jnd NCO workers in the coca regions c;a~t be sent to Bolivian President Gom::alo Sanche:: de ~ada, Fax: 591 -2·391216 Adapl<d from : \Vtekly N t h'S Upd<lle. 011 tilt AmcriC Nicamgua Solidarity Network tJf (IS, Greater New Yor·k. 339 Wfayeue Sl.• New Yorh. NY 10012. Argentina: Constitution Finally Recognizes Indigenous Rights ArgentinaS constitutional revision on Aug. 11 this year rec· ognized Indigenous peoples' rights after a series of postponements by the dmfting commission. After much debate. Article 67 of the constitution was modified to read : (the slate/ relognizes concwn:ncly with the provinces, the pre· existence of the lndgenous peoples that make up the Ar:geminian nation, guaranteei,lg respect for their elhnic and cultural identity. the legal sw1us of their communities; the tmession and communal 4 ow11crship of lands that they tradilio11ally occupy; mal1i11g a"ailable sufficient and suitable lands for their lwman development. which will be h1alienable and not subjeCl to seiZl~re; assure their access to bilingual ancl inrerculwral education: and their lHH'tici· palion in <lecisions n:gardirzg the rational use, administration <Jnd consen•ation of natural re:sour·ces: in the developmcmt of their interests; and in national life. Nonetheless, the final text relating to communal ownership of trnditionally-occupied lands ended up only partially satisfactory. The original Indian proposal used the word •guarnntecd" in respect to ownership of these londs. The governing justicialista Party, alonned by the supposed legal and economic consequences of this proposal. pushed the d rafting commission to rephrase this with the word ..regulatc..-which obviously has different implications. In the final compromise. the commission settled on the word "recognize)!o which implies at least that communities wilt be able to secure ownership or lands for which they already have titles. Settlement Between Texaco and Ecuadorian Government Sidesteps Indigenous People U.S.-based multinational oil company, Texaco Inc. and the Eeuadorian govemmem have reached a tentative agreementsubject to Ecuadorian President Sixto Duran Ballens approvalon clean-up and restoration of fom1er oil production sites in Ecuador's remote Oriente region. The populations. panicularly Indigenous peoples. whose communities ha"e been devastated by twenty years or accumu· lated toxic dumping and oil spills. were never consuhed in the process of negotiating this settlement. Indigenous and colonist organizations have been fighting for yec1rs, in alliance with envi· romner!lal groups and lawyers. to force Texaco to carry-out a thorough clean-up and restoration of the areas it polh.ucd and to provide health services and monitoring of oil related ailmems within affected comrnunities. Texaco$ oil operntions have spilled some 16.8 million gallons of crude oil into the Oricme. The company also voluntalily dumped 20 billion gallons of water containing toxic hydrocarbons. chemicals and heavy metals. into the regionS waterwa)'S. Roads built by Texaco have blazed the way for deforestation of O\rer 2.5 million acres of rainforest by opening previously isolated Indian territories to colonization by fMmers and mnchers. On tenninating its operations in 1990, Texaco made no effon to clean up the toxic mess it left behind. Indigenous umbrella organizations including COICII. CONAIE and CONFENAIE as well as the environmental coalitions CEDENMA and Amazon For Life "ill not accept this exclusive bilateral settlement between Texaco and the Ecuadorian government. The governmentS interests and the IVYya Yala News �IN communities' interests are n ot congruent. The sune-own.cd oil company CEPE (now Pcuocc-uador) worked in conson.ium with Texaco as a co-polluter and will ha"e to pick up the tab for 65.5% of any remediation bill. Given the ccuadorian govern- ment's financial liability in this situation, organizations fear that their government will not adequately meet the needs of the communities that have been impacted. For this reason. Indigenous org~nizmions must be fully involved in negotiating any settlement if a tmly effective plan for environmental reStoration and human heahh care is to be designed, financed and implemented. Pleas.: write or fax Texaco and dtt &uadorian gwcrnment immediarcly exp~ming your conetnt. Presid<nte SL, to Dur.ln Ballen. Prosideme dela Repblica dd Ecuador, P:llacio PrtsidencW, C'lle Garcia Moreno, Quito, Ecuador. Fa." 593-2-580-735 Alfred C. DeCrone Jr.. CEO and Chainnan of the Board, Texaco. Inc.. 2000 Westchester Ave.. \Vhite Plains, NY 10650. Fax: 914-253· 7753 lnfonnation supplied by the Rainforest Aaior~ Nawork Paraguay-Parana Waterway Threatens Largest Wetlands in t he Americas BR I EF mental costs, a nd comprehensively evaluate the waterway's impacts. including those to all 2,000 miles of river that will be affected. lnfonnatio-n supplied by tltt lnctrnational Rivers Nuworh. Venezuelan Indians Seek Constitutional Rights R epresentatives of Venezuela's twenty-seven Indigenous peoples began a series of meetings at the Latin American Indigenous Parliament Center in Caracas to demand that their rights be included in the national constitution, which congress is current· ly attempting to reform . jest\s j im~ne.z , Vene.zuela~ only lndigneous congressman, explained that the 350.000 Indigenous people living in this country seek inclusion for their rights tO land, usc or their languages and recognition of dual citizenship for those peoples living along the Colombian and Brazilian borders. Jimenez pointed out that ColombiaS Indigenous legislation guarantees dual citizenship in such cases. including for the 10.000 Wayu who inhabit the Colombian-Venezuela border area. The Indigenous repre-sentatives will also try to secure guarantees for participation in legislative powers at the national, regional. municipal. and local levels. Injorm<Hion COU1'te$)' of Ansa Nt.WS Agency Inc. " More than fony scientific, environmental and indigenous o rganizations launc hed an international campaign in early Sept. to protect the vast Pantanal wetlands from a .. mega-project'" known as the Parana-Paraguay Hidrovia (or watenvay). Organizations rne1 in Chapada dos Guimares in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso to discuss the Pantanal's current situation and the proposed waterway. According to these diverse organizations, the Pamanals already suffer tremendous impacts caused by gold and dia mond mining. logging, u rban sewerage. industrial po llution. pesticide and herbicide run-off and overfishing. The proposed waterway would include several massive engineerin_g projects to straightel't, deepen and "regulate" the c hannel of the Paraguay River. The governments of Brazil. Argentina, Bolivia. Paraguay and Uruguay hope that the watcrwny will open the riverS upper sections to year-round industrial shipping. and have applied to the !mer-American Development Bank and other sources for funding. International funders are wary, however, u mil an environmental impact statemem (ElS) has been completed. T he groups meeting in Chapada dos Guimares are therefore demanding full participation in the ElS process. They also demand that it take into account all social and e nviron· Vol. 8 No.3 5 �P ERS PECT I V ES 0 N TH E E L E C T O R'.!~_!....!R O~:..:E S :__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ~ A L P ~ C ~S In the following section we present a review of the Indian movement's experiences with electoral processes over the last year. Members of the movement p rovide analyses intended both to expose the problems and dangers of the nation-state's existing political processes. and to evaluate the Indian movement's political weaknesses. and thereby strengthen future political participation. Opinions in these articles belong to their authors. and are not necessarily those of SAl/C. Elections in Mexico: Indigenous Suffrage Under Protest By Araceti Burguete Cal y Mayor T he Mexican Constitution was modified in 1992 to include certain new tures. Faced with this situation, nearly 100 politically diverse Indigenous organizations met in Mexico City on Indigenous rights. Unfonunately, ingly doubtful about working through the March 4 and 5 10 develop a common this rdonn has never been implcmcmcd. political parties. Consequently, the tradi- national electoral strategy. The and Indigenous fonns of social organiza- tional parties have gradually lost political Convention presented presidential candi· tion and democratic representation still control within the coumryS Indigenous dates attending the meeting with a con· lack legal recognition. Despite many efTons regions. sensus program with universal to pass legislation guaranteeing Indian repThus, despite the high turnout of Indigenous demands. At the same time. resentation in congress over the p."lSt three Indigenous voters for the Aug. 21 presi- the Convention demanded candidates to years, none have been adopted because dernial elections nationally, several specify their policies on the right to selfIndigenous organizations still lack allies to lndiger'IOUS regions refused to vote in detennination, as well as representation suppon these proposals. Thus. Mexico's their entirety. A significant number of in congress. The Assembly's program Indigenous peoples have access to the community assemblies, like that of &In demanded that political parties agree to nation's congress only through panicipa- juan Comalapa in Oaxaca. rejected the the creation of a Sixth Electoral District. tion in the political panies. establishment of polling places in their exclusively for Indigenous peoples, and At the same 1ime. there is ample COE communities and decided to remain out· that they reserve a quota of 10% of their 'Isensus among the nation's Indigenous side the electoral process. Not just this candidacies for Indigenous representaorganizations that the political parties are town. but practically the entire Triqui tives. not adequate mechanisms for bringing region in Oaxaca boycotted the election . Although the candidates reiterated Indigenous representatives to congress. Of those Indigenous people who voted their commitment to the Indigenous peoThis conclusion has been reinforced by nationwide. many did so under protest: ple-especially due 10 the pressure the marginal placement of Indigenous unhappy with the panisan system , but caused by events in Chiapas-they did demands in the political parties' agendas, conscious of the need to contribute with not adopt the demand for a new district· in addition to the absence of Indigenous their vOle to the country's political future. ing as their own. Only the Party of the represemmion in their leadership stn1c· Democratic Revolution (PRD) responded National Indigenous Electoral b)' reserving three cand idacies in the Araa:li 8urgucle I a Chiapas ,uuivc as well as Convention s lower house and two in the senate for Technical and Research Coordinator for the For the first time in contemporary Indian leaders. Though not insignificant, lndtf'(nclem Indian Pcoplc.s Front. Mexican history. delegates representing this gesture is cenainly limited-especial· 6 Indigenous people have become increas· I>Jyya Yala News �PERSPEC TI VES ON THE EL ECT OR A L PROCESS ly if it is taken into account that Mexico~ Indigenous people constitute more th~t 15% of the population. The governing nizations and individuals from through· out the country to a National Democratic Convention (CND) from Aug. 8 to 10. Institutional Revolutionary Party will have no more than two Indigenous wilhin Zaptuista territory in the Lacandon jungle. AStonishing!)', over 6.000 delegates from throughout Mexico made the long joume)' to attend this event in the isolated and previously obscure comrnunity of Aguascaliemes. As with practical!)' all events organized by the ..civil society"'-that is, mestizo society-Indigenous panicipation was marginal and the number of delegates was scarce!)' significant. Despite the limited number of panicipams. Indigenous orga· nizations came to a consensus proposal for use in the discussion table. Thus, half of the resolutions at the round table for a Constitutional Congress and a New deputies and one lndigenous senator. National Democratic Convention in Chiapas On june 13, based on the overwhelm· ing majority of the vote within their sup· porter communities the Zapatista National Liberation Arm)' (EZLN) refused the Mexican government's peace pro· pos~l. At the s~me time the EZLN announced ~ strateg)' to seek unit)' the civilian 1novement pushing for a transition to national democracy. To this end, they surnmoned a diverse group of orga· Vol. 8 No.3 Constitution related to Indigenous peo· pies rights. gathering in a S)'nthesis of the proposals presented b)' the Independent Indian Peoples Front (FIPI). along with those of other delegations. The final text of the Convention read as follows: As ctmcems the Indigenous peoples, the National Denux mcic Converllion resoh·es that their autonomy, sclf·<iecennination and territorial rights bo recognized; char che customary riglu of lndiger~o~ts 1>eople be elevated to a constitutional right; that a new chapter on hldigtnousr>eoplc. elab· omced by che llldigeiiOilS r<or>les themselves, be integrated in the New Cor~scicution. Tite policy will bo elaborated on seven axes: lcmd, emJ>loymem. justice, economy. freedom, hullch and ed1•C a· tion. Thac articles 115 thro~tgh 122 be 7 �PERSPECTIVES ON THE ELECTORAL PROCESS rc:viscd to srrc:ngtltcn nwnicip<1lities <md establish the Indigenous regions, Tlwt the fourth article be mO<Iified to co•iform a Sixth Plurinominal Districting for lr1digenous representation, that the right to tulucacion be made effective and llwc this education respects and iruegrates the diver>ity of all Indigenous peoples, their traditions, customs. and languages. Education should be free at all levels, democratic, lay. scientific. humanistic. national and critical. Education for Indigenous people must be bilingual at all levels. In spite or the importance or this pamgmph, it is important to acknowledge that Indigenous perspectives and the aspimtions or the Indigenous people in Mexico were not the centmlthcme or the CND- opposmon to the government and the again appropriated-through rmud and official (PRI) party. Predictably, the gov- multiple electoral transgressions that have ernment ~ried to rorestall CEOICs partic- not been investigated- over 90% or the ipation in the CNO by trying to crea.te seats ror in the House or Deputies and divisions within the coalition. almost I 00% or those ror the Senate, Unronunately, these prospered. Hair or Nonetheless. the d isappointment relt by CEOIC-made up or organizations large- Indigenous peoples d id not coalesce into ly financed by the government or the a post-electoml struggle, When the elecPRI-stood against participation in the tions were o,·er. Indigenous organizations Convention, The other hair-the selr-pro- returned to their previous stntggles and daimed Independent CEOIC-<:ndorscd. tactics, The PRO vote cast by the majority and then joined the CNO, The indepen- or Chiapas' Indigenous peoples was not a dent CEOIC maintains a line of civilian truly partisan vote. The PRO was persupport ror the Zapatista proposals and ceived as the best party at hand, but not negotiations, and continues to contribute necessarily as their own party, or as one significantly to the extension of '"civilian that identi fies wholly wilh their interests. bridges· into the conOict zone. Votes garnered by the PRO in Chiapas awarded two seats in the lower house to Elections in Chiapas Indian leaders. These are: Antonio this despite the conventionS location in August 21 , election day, was particu- Hernandez (see interview in VoL 8:1&2). the heart of the conflict zone, wilhin ter~ larly significant ror Chiapas, The states Maya-Tojolabal, state leader or the rilOry held by an army, nearly all of whom elections commstcd sharply with those in Independent Central or Agricultural arc Indian. the rest or the country, For the forst time Workers and Campesinos (CIOAC), and in the highland and jungle regions or M ario Landeros. candidate for the Xfnich Fragi le Coalition Divides in Chiar>as, Indigenous people exercised organizmion of Palenque. Elsewhere. Chiapas their citizenS right to vote in massive Martin Equihua rcpreseming the A political watershed leading up to rashion. For the forst time they voted or Guerrero 500 Years or Indigenous the National Democratic Convention their own free will. without impositions. R esistance State Council also won a seat was the fragnlcntation into two halves or and without being coerced. For the forst in the lower house through the PRO vote, the Indigenous and Campesino State time the Indigenous vote in Chiapas was Euldarico Hemandez. Chontal writer and Council or Chiapas (CEOIC), It was evi- not ror the PRL leader rrom the state or Tabasco. sec\lrcd a dent that the Convention would express At the national level. the PRI once seat in the senate, along with Hector Sanchez, leader or the Worker·C.1111pesino Student Coalition or the Isthmus, The present political balance is certainly not what Indigenous or ganizations demand, nor what justly corrcs1>0nds to their peoples, Nevertheless, the Indigenous movement will have at least three authemic advocates in the next legisla· ture. These delegates are committed to constitutional rcrorms elabomted by the Indigenous National Electoral Com•en· tion including: rhe right to govern their territories according to norms established by their customs and usage. and the right to Indigenous representation in congress through special districting without Maya residents o f Altamirano, Chiapas U up to vote; o bservers at polling place s ne in the town reported significant irregularities. dependence upon the political l>arties. -., 8 AIYya Yala News �Reconstructing the Ayllu: toward Renewal of the Bolivian State By Maria Eugenia Choque and CariDs Mamani ast years eltcuons m Bolivia culmi· noted m August Wlth the victory of ·ealthy mdustriahst Gonzalo ("Goni") ~nchez dt Lozada and Aymara Indian intellectual Victor Hugo Olrdenas, leaders of tWO distinct political traditions: Coni !rom the leftist-turned-centrist Nationalist Revo lutionary Movement (MNR) credited with •modernizing" Bolivia. and Victor Hugo !rom the Aymara Tupac Katari Revolutionary Movement of Liberation (MRTKL). Their election trig· gered celebrations among various sectors or the Bolivian population. On the mght or Aug. 5. the coliseum in La Paz was the scene or a grand. picturesque ceremony organized by the MNR. Indigenous people panicipatcd in a ntual of homage and recognition in which representatl\'eS of almost all o f the native groups in the country presented symbols of power and authority to Gonzalo Sanchez and Victor Hugo. It symbolized their acceptance as ··n:nive authorities... The presentation took place in a colorful atmosphere o f wiphalas (multi-colored patchwork Aymara Oags which have come to represent Indian Unity). The ceremony was a perfect an1ftce: showing Indian inte· grauon and ascendance lO po\1 ter-by Marla fugmla Olotr-" is a luslonan and Dir«IIJI' of the Alldtan Oral Hwory llbrl>shop m l.n Paz. Carlos Mamanl also ..00.0 as a luslorian m l.n Paz. Vol8 No.3 Marching for territory and dignity way or the vace-presadent elect. Funhermore. the president appeared (how marvelous!) to be seeking Indigenous recognttaon before taking power. Alliance with the Tupac Katari Revolutionary Movement of Liberation (M R TKL) wns a great success for the MNR, leading to a decisive electoral victory. The MRTKL, for their part, gained five seats in Congress. a small role in the administration or the Slate, and the creation or a National Secretariat of Ethmc Affairs. Quruitath·ely. howe,·er, their presence in parliament as more hmucd than that of the first Indian depuues m parh•mem (including Olrdenas hamseiO m the 1980s. Since the elecuon, pohuc::al propag;mda has tned to show that the indigenous mo,·ement-wuh Vfctor 1-iugo at its head-is pan of the government. Or, at least, that it Is willing to wait to be vindi· cated through reforms proposed by the government in llCW hlW'S O( popular par· ticipation. cdu~tion , :1nd privatization. The situation in UoHvia C;ln be under· stood as the continuation or an inter-eth· nic relationship an which the criollo (people of European descent) groups in power use the an of samulaung lnd.,n political pan.capauon. to perfecuon. They accomplash thas b)• puttmg on shows such as that descnbcd obo\'C and through their newly acquued ~bthty to integrate Indigenous andavaduols mto the politic::al elite. These and"'duals must only pass an exam where saenficc. higher education. desire !or power and presuge, and the denunciauon of their adeals appear to be the deciding factors. Wlthm this context. it is not saying too much to point om that Victor Hugo appeared in electoral propa· ganda representing the COntinmuion of the stateS intcgmtiomst policies such as the agrarian refonn of 1953. Given the StateS VISible securily in hs control over the lndagenous popubuon, \\'C ask here. what is the state or the Indian MO\'trnent? History of the Movement Todar~ lnd.,n n>ovement os neuher a recent phenomenon, nor the result of the 1952 revoluuon. It as the conunuation. although in fragmented fonn, of a ffiO\'C· ment of C<ICiqut'S (tradltionul chiefs) which was led in the first hal! or this century by Santos Marka T'ula. Eduardo Nina Qhispi, Gregorio Ventura, Rufino \C,IIca. Feliciano Aruquipa, Celcdonio Luna. Mateo Alfaro, and others. These caciques struggled !or the survival or the Indigenous people and proposed the "renewal Of 8ohvi3" With the InstitUtionalization or respect !or dovcrsoty and pluralit)' In thear analystS of domeStiC: and international pohcaes (1920-1936) , they Continued on page 33 9 �PERSPECTIVES ON THE ELECTORA L PROCESS Photo : Gvatemal3 NC\'/S and Information 8ure3u Guatemala: M aya M ovement At The Politica l Crossroads Maya " Communities of Populations in Resistance"' (CPR's) left hidden communities in the lxcan jungtc in February of this year to establish an open potiticat presence. By Estuardo Zapeta. n june of 1993. following the failed self-coup d'ttat by former President jorge Serrano Elias, the Pem1anent Maya Assembly submitted a list wi1h three names for the Vice-presidency. This act in itself shook the Guatemalan politi- I C.."'..I establishment, demonstrating the new asseniveness of the coumryS Indigenous movement. This p reviously little known polhical curre m is now one of the strongest in Guatemalan society. Paradoxically 1he ..Serranazo," as Serrano Elias' attempted coup was nicknamed. helped the Maya movement emerge o nto the national stage. Nonetheless. and perhaps due to a lack of political experience. Maya organizations have fallen fa r short of their political potential in recent years. This year, two political C\'CntS rencct on the situation faced by the movement. On jan. 30, a majori1y of voters approved Esruardo Z<lp•:~a is Maya-Caqchiqu<l and works wirlt rhe Ctmro de Esrudios dela Culwra Maya (CECMA) of Cuaremala. 10 newly-appointed President Ramiro de Leon Carpio$ proposed constitutional revision a midst massive abstentionism. Then. on Aug. 14. parliamentary elections were held in which fonncr military d ictator Rios Mont , whose administration from 1981-82 was responsible for the bloodiest repression of the Maya population in rcccm history. won a seat in congress. The Political Movement: Internal and External Factors Maya Indians arc the majority in Guatemala with over 60% of the I>Opulation. ThC)' are also victims of the \Vestem Hem isphere~ longest and most bloody modern civil wars. Understanding the discovery of the Americas in 1992 unified organizations in a common cultural and political cause. Second. numerous Mayan organizations have fonned in the country- side. These range from agricultural cooperatives to a national system of Mayan schools. and they have begun 10 consolidate local power as the basis of an effective political panicipation. Third. ethnic issues have become a maucr of national debate since the agenda for peace talks between the govem mem and the guerrilkl movement was modified to include a point on "ldemi1y and Rights of the Indigenous People." Advances made by t he movement have unfonunately been undem>ined by e rnerging Maya political participation power struggles within the Indian leader- requires a look a1 both internal and external factors affecting the movement in ship. Fueled by the lack of clear I>Oiitical objectives, this in-fighting slowly gnaws away at achievements 1 nadc over the last three years. Additionally. one effect of the recent years. There ttrc three major internal innuences on Maya political activism. First, strong Op(>OSition to celebration of the Quincenrenary of Columbus' so-called diminished influence of Marxist d iscourse has been the new recognition of previous- ly ignored cultural differences among the !Wya Y News ala �PERSPECTIVES Maya peoples. Th<S< dtfferences h3\·e in ON Thts ts true. first of all. because only tum, accclcr.ued the mttrnal competition 20% of the electoratt voted. Second!)\ for power. Rtos Mont exploned law and order Externolly. Moyo pohllcal panicipation rhetoric tn a count')' where criminal foces chollenges generated by last years activity tS second only to poveny as a failed coup d'tun, the nations general social problem. The ex-dtctator is also a democratic crisis and the Aug. 14 con· born-again Protestant. and could there· gressional elections. International pres- fore count on nc:uly un:mimous suppon sure OJ\ the Guatcmahm government has from the evangelical Protestont popula· also contributed to the opening of politi· tion. In 1990. 36% of the population was cal spaces for the Maya. estimated to be l'rotestant. the highest proportion or nny country in predomiOf Elections And The Elected nantly Catholic latin America. The lndtgenous movement discovered Evangelical advances are not surprising in its first '"polittcal thermometer'" in rural. Mayan commumues. Thts success Prestdent Carptos referendum for the results from a well-planned and well· proposed con.sutuuonal revision. The funded wave o( e'"ngehcal mtssionizing rtVtSlon was 01med ot purgmg the corrupt from the Untted States. Serrano congress and represented a funThe Maya people and the former dicdamental clash between the executive and tator w>ll face thetr real challenges in the legislative powers. The Indigenous mo,·e· Nov. 1995 prcstdenual elections. Unless ment could have exploited this division. Rios Mont can eng1neer a constitutional but political inexperience limited any revision. he will be b.1rrcd-as a former gains. The principal Mayan organizations dictator-from seeking the presidency. At threw their supJ behind the president~ the same time, moderate right-wing par>Ort constitution•! chonges. In exchange, the ties. who are best placed to \vin the pres· president approved a National Indigenous ideney. have shown liule concern for Rios Fund. The Maya people could have Mont and are turning their :mention to gained much more. the 1ndtgenous vote. For instance. the President C.1rp1o~ constitutional revi· National Advancement Party (PAN). has ston was approved with a majority )-es· been in ·secret• tolks with the vote on Jan. 30. but turnout \1>1\S a shock· Autonomous Movement of Masses. an mgly low 16'10 of the dectora.te. Poor orgamzauon worktng for poliucal educa· commumcauon btlwetn the Indigenous tion and org:t.mz;mon m poor Indigenous nauonal and grassroots 0rg.1niza1ions pre· and mtsti.c;o rommunu1es. ''ented any stgmficant political panicipa· tton. Yet Mara Orgllmzations ha\'e learned Military Ethno-hysteria that politicians now place imponance on Withtn the politico! process. the the Indigenous vote. Indigenous rno\·emem c:mnot underestl· National congressional elections were mate the anny$ presence and power. held on August 11. 1994. Surprisingly. This institution. which has systematical· (ormer military dictator Errnin Rios Mom ly opposed any Moya political panicipa· and his Republican Front pany emerged lion, is undergoing one or its worst with a significnnt vtctory. R ios MomS times . It's important to remember that tenure as dictator in 1981-1982 was one the :mny has free nnd permanent access of the bloodtest ever endured by the to most Maya communmes through Mayon people. At that ttme. his "bullets paramilitary squads known as Civil and beans· counter·tnsurgency program Defense Patrols 11 has established razed hundreds of Mayo villages to the throughout the countrystde. The current ground. H1s VICtory howe,·er is not~ sur- number of 3Ctl\'C members m the Civil pnstng as 11 appe3rs. Defense: Patrols 15 esttmated at O\"tr Vol. 8 No.3 THE ELECTORAL PROCESS 500.000: 95% of these are Maya A senous tntemal dJ\'tSton. '"loss"' of the commumst enemy, a re--defimtton of its role after mmal peoce talks. and a problem of · unage· both at the nauonal and internauoMIIcvel. are JUSt few of the problems foced by the Guutemulan army. The appoumncnt of General Julio Otzoy Colaj. Mnya-caqchiquel from the town of Comalapa. as Vice-Minister of Defense is widely percei,'Cd as on auempt to tum back Maya poliucal odvances. Otzoy never tdcnufies htmself as Mayo and leads the army's ultra<Onservative sector. 0tzoy explamed m a 1\~nt tntervtew thot "due to the senous ethniC problem· facing Guatemala. there \S g7t3t nsk for the emergence of an •ethntcally·based guemlla mo,-ement" m the next ten years. The recent ·Maya Nauon h)-pothests• and the new ideas on Mt\)'0\ :.'lutonomy have increased Ouoys fears. Although these ideas arc mere speculations. the conserva· tive military lllCrcaslngly accuses Maya organizations or subversion ond sep.1ratism. The ultra-right is olso haunted by the possibility that the Guotcmolan govern· Ex-dictator Rios Montt's amp&ign slogan prodaiming "'With us.. your vote counts.• 11 �PERSPECTIVES ON THE ELECTORAL ment might ratify Convention 169 of the labor Org:mizmion on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries. This would International increase the international legal validity of rights claimed by Ma)'a organizations. PROCESS at the end of the 1980s. The Indigenous National Front (FIN) was fou nded for this purpose. This political organization faded out. basicall)\ because it had neither the people nor the monel' to be heard at the national level. Work at the local level has Indigenous leaders who participated in Christian Democratic President Vinicio Cerezo Arevalo's administration . Many outstanding accusations of corruption and financial mismanagement remain against them. Though Minister Tay Coyoy is the first Indian to r each such a high position in Guatemalan government, the ract that his activities cominue to be opaque h as not helped the consolidation of the political party. The Maya dilemma has always been whether to participate in the electoml systemS existing panies in order to gain new spaces. and eventually rise to shape party platforms themselves or to create their own political associ· ations. capable of partici- pating at the national level. The Indigenous movement is also limited by a Jack of economic T army maintains a political presence in most Maya communities through the Civil Defense Patrols. he Recent publication of Rujunamil Ri Mayab' Amaq (Rights of the Maya Peo1>le) has also fueled the am1yS fears. In sum. these military sectors see any Indigenous political been visibly more effective 1han at the national or regional level. For example, the Came Civic Committee, an Indigenous grassroots organziation. has kept power. Maya organiza· tions are facing financial crise-S at the national, regional, and local levels. This has only been overcome at the local level, where the Maya ob,oousl)' have more opportunities. progress as a national security threat. However, the " young officers" sector and the anny:S so-called Mprogrcssive wing" arc to some extent forcing the ul~ra-con­ servative groups to be more lOieram toward political indigenous participation . control of the Mayors office for the last The Chall enge Ahead ten years, even while competing with the Though many have argued that the congress elected on Aug. 14 represems a It moted formation of a political pany. This who represem a challenge to the congress. The congress$ shon d11ration (one year) Maya organizations to take advantage of commiuee is covertly directed by the cur. these divisions within the anny. rem minister of education. Alfredo Tay and its ideological composition which leans heavily lOward the right wing ""II be up to the political abilities of the established national parties. The most recent national efforts for Maya political participation was through the Sociedad lxim, a committee 1hat pro~ Coyoy. Dilemmas and Limitations of Political Participation The first Maya auempts at direct national political participation took place 12 Maya-K'iche' from challenge to Mayan political participation. the opposite is in fact true. h i.s the Maya Quetzal- (which ignores Indigenous demands). tenango. Chrisitan Democratic parties bcnh wilhin Guatemala and Europe are indicates that the Indigenous movernem should take the time to re-evaluate its also supporting this effort in ncar secrecy. Among the ranks of this group are Guatemala's socio·polilic31 reality. position and design Strategies that renect PIDya Yala News �PERSPECTIVES The foll0\\1ng pomts require t\'aluation: a) Substantial changes in the political diseourse. The radical nature of ahe Mayan political discourse-based on s tagnant leftist Ideas from the 1960s-has become obsolete in 1994. This discourse d oes not help Ind ian political participation : 10 the contrary, it reaffi mts the fear and cahno-hystcria of the army and the economically powerful sectors. In short, this discourse is characcenzed by mconsistent pop· uhsm. the InSIStence that the MayaS only problem is unJUSt land distribuuon, and b)' a rod1cal envuonmental· 15m th31 defends the adopuon of exouc hfesayles. Thts is not ahe Mayan people's dascourse. but rather results from an inOux of ideas from M:lrxisl. environmental and ocher radical groups fro m Europe and ahe United States. b) The c re:uion of a solid base of lead- ON O\'crcome m order to achieve effective pohucal parttcipation. This lack of leadershtp w;u patently ob,ious durmg the recent congressional elections. Although a good number of Indian candtdatcs ran for offiee, only fiveout of a congress with eighty mem- bers-were clec•ed. Abstentionism added 1 the fact that Ma)oan candi0 dates were virtually unknown, guaran· aced this result. Remarkably, the five winning candidates ran wilh right· wing parties. An urgent imperative for Maya org.1nizations ls to ..train.. new leaders who can act as catalysts for the thoughtS and feelings of the Ma)'3n people <)Clarification and unification of realistic goals and objectives. The current debate 0\'er ahe Mayan Vol. 8 No. 3 E LECTORA L PROCESS autonom. lS a perfect cx.•mple of confuSIOn Wlthm the lndrgcnous movement of tiS 0\\'ll pohucal objecd,·es. When lndtgenous nglus. Ma)oan education. the Guatemalan lndrgenous Fund, and that some nght-\\1ng panres demonstrated ao''"'rd Rtos Mont must be seen by the lndtgenous mo"cment ;u represemmg a range of possibtlilies for par- compulsory milnary service-to men· lion just n (cw national issues-are must take ad,oamage of the liberal added 10 subject of autonomy, the con- ticipation. The lnd1genous movement mindsets of the ccmer.right panics' younger gcncmtions, fusion becomes even more app.1rem. The Mayan org,1nizmions. independent of ahe mearlS they decide to adopt, must together clanfy their objectives and sea goals for the short and longrun. The current political confusion naturally suppons the St..ae~ argument that·· the Mayas don' know what they want or wht:rt they w3nt to go: \Ve muse recogruzt: m :td\'3nce that this process or clanficauon and unificalion of goals does not nooess.1nly imply a political homogeniution. Unity within di\·ersit)' h.._'\5 sustained the mo\'emem up to now. l11is claim is supponed by way In which the d ifferem Indigenous froms united In opposition 10 the 500 years celebration . ership. The lack of Maya leaders is another challenge the mo\'ement will have 10 THE d) Political education at the community level. In Guatemala, the Maya ,,;II ha"e 10 redirect their effons 10\\'ard an effecti\'e pohucal pantctpauon Within the commumues. In :1 country where power ts htghly cenamliud, traditional pohucs have completely neglected the rural areas. The consolidation of Maya o rganizations throughout the country is the best indication that cffons for political educ.1tion at the community level arc feasible. In this sense. the army also has recognized the political potential of the rural areas through the Civil Self-Defense patrols. c) A relations hip with the moderate right. The senous constderauon of possible rebuons \\1th a Congress dominated by nght·Wlng parttes hos become necessary. The strong mllial opposuion 0 Dc~minorizntion of the n'Htjorily. In a country where the Mayan majority has always been perceived and treated like a m•nonay, it is necessary to intelhgenaly demonstrate ahe numencal posstbihues. In principle. poh11cs as a numbers game. The lnd•genous mo\'cmcnt must take ad\'antage of liS maJonty status 10 win 1he necessary SOCial and economic changes. g) Continuing diplomatic work at the international level. The Mayan people must cominue to carry out diplomocy nt a global level. This has been an extremely effec1ive political aool that would be unwise 10 neglect. In ahe final analysts, the new generations of Guatent3lan Ma)'aS. the so-called ·children of repressaon: have the greatest challenges and responsabthttes toward their people. The challenges they confront are many. and changes at the national. regional and global le,-el are rapid. Achieving change at the nauonul levcl ,,;II depend on a realistic vision of goals and political means congruent with global political c hanges. Posa-war Guatemala represents a nother challenge at ahc macro-social level for contemporary Mayans. Having been born and raised in waNime, the new Maya generations, as well as the new nttSHZO generotions. will have 10 look for \\'a)'S of peaceful and respectful cocx~Sicnee tn a multicultural and multihngual country hke Guatemala. All Guaacmabns \\111 ha,·e 10 tnsist on the possibrlny of umty wllhtn di,·ersity. .., 13 �PERSPEC TI VES ON TH E EL EC TORAL PR O CES S Special Indian Districting: Unresolved Political Problems in Colombia Members of the Colombian Indigenous movement are now trying to critically evaluate the movement's political participation in order to surpass the constraints that have kept many Indigenous objectives out of reach. The following article reflects this process of self·criti· cism. as well as the movement's search for new solutions. by A lfonso Palma Capera and Oskar Benjamin Gutierrez W ithout doubt one of the worst "hettdaches" that the Indigenous movement has endured is the problem of electoral panicipation. In 1990, when Lorenzo Muelas, Alfonso Pena Chepe and Francisco Rojas 6irry panicipated in construction of Colombia's new constitution the}' were sure that il would be extremely difficult to carry out the reforms they were outlining. Four years and two parliamentary elections later. Indigenous political panicipationwithin those spaces that Indigenous peo· pie themselves have forced open-is in deep crisis due to the political inexperi- ence of Indigenous representatives. lack of unity among Indigenous organizations and panics. and failure to skillfully manage relationships with the govermncnt. On March 13 of this yMr, Indigenous communities elccu~d Lorenzo Muclas and Gabriel Mujuy as their representatives to the Senate thanks to the system of Special ElectOral Oistricting (CEE), one of the most imponant political achievements of seats in the senate for Indigenous candidates. The CEE allows Indigenous "lists" (names on the party ticket) registered under the special district to compete fo r these scats independently or the senate races for the other one hundred scats within the National Electoral District. The Indigenous movement won the CEE through its advanced level of organization in a bitter struggle with the traditional institutions. It should not in any way be seen as a gift from the Colombian state. The proliferation of ettndidates this year~ight different Indigenous listsreflected the moven1ents lack of unity. In many cases, the vote was split even within the same ethnic group. Many Indigenous people who wanted to suppon their own cause did not know for whom to vote. Not knowing the candidates, the electorate was forced to decide "by sight" which candidate on the ballot seemed to represent their cause. The Indigenous candidates used their experience in previous clec· tions, and attempted to extend their the Colombian Indigenous movcmcm. appeal to the population in general and Article 176 of the revised constitution capture votes in non·lndigenous cotnmu· created the CEE as a system reserving two nities. This may explain why only three Indigenous parties registered their list Alfo>~so Palma Cap<ra is the jon>1er prtside>ll of under the CEE. while five sought office lht National lncligenous Organitation of through the National Electoral District, Colombia (ONIQ. Oskar Benjamin Culitm:z is competing with the other political groups a journalist and ONIC collaborator. under equal conditions. 14 The results were clear. On one hand, the Indigenous vote was diluted. This reflects d isunity and lack or coordination among so many candidates, but it also reflects the immense level of abstention among ethnic minorities. On the other hand, the large number of votes obtained by some Indigenous candidates in the urban areas suggests that non.Jndian vot· ers looked to Indigenous candidates as an alternative capable of generating debate with the traditional panics. First Experience Three different lists registered for the 1992 senate and chamber of deputies elections. The first was headed by Gabriel Muyuy for the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC): the second, was backed by the Indigenous Authorities of Colombia (AICO) headed by Floro Alberto Tunubala; and the third. that of the Indigenous Social Alliance headed by Antonio Quira GauM was created by a faction of the Indigenous movement especially for electOral participation and registered within the national district. For the first time in Colombian history, three Indians held scats in the senate as representatives of their own communities. The Indigenous lists succeeded in that moment largely due to their usc of an Indigenous program of action titled "The i>J:Jya Yala News �PE R SPEC TI VES Colombia that We Want.• This platform reflected a conception of Indians not as islands. but as part of a diverse country, and reached out to all the sectors of the country. It was grounded in culture, plurality and tolerance and called the nationstateS attention to a new and independent discourse with alternative proposals. This proposal was elaborated by working groups at the local. regional and national levels d\Jring the National Constitutional Assembly. These groups sought to develop a clear legislative agenda and plan the new constitution's design and implementation. These work groups. however. were not re~assembled in fol~ lo" ;ng years. and the task of continuing to develop an Indigenous policy was left to the regional organizations which gener· ally lack the advice and resources available to Indigenous Senators. ON TH E E L EC T O R A L PROCESS paigns without first drawing lines to dis- irresponbilities tinguish the two activities. In this way obtained some important seats (ma)•ors, congressmen. senators), but who lacked leaders of some organizations enter polit- ical life and never return to work with their organizations. This situation has made many indigenous organizations skeptical and concerned about the rela· tionship between politics and the organi- zations. For this reason the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) did not endorse any candidate in this election and does not plan to do so in the future, considering that doing so f could deepen existing divisions. or candidates who training and experience in govemment. Minorities Supported? Operation of the special electOral district which Indian groups fought for so long to establish is now being questioned. Its establishment probably numerically increases minority representation and pennits those sectors less involved with traditional politics to reach office. But there is also the risk that this mechanism could distort the expression of the ethnic Alliances and Alternatives In order to gain access to public office. Indigenous candidates have sought the support of different movements that do not represent Indigenous interests. Several of the Indigenous candidates ran with the Conservative and Liberal parties. communities political will. Since voting within the special districts is not closely regulated, majorities may end up decid- ing \\•ho is elected in the name of the minorities. Many sectors within Colombia request a stricter regulation of the Disuicting. in order to strengthen the eth- The Problems Increase nic communities· participation . In spite of the political space obtained. the participation and inOuence of Indigenous peoples in projects and discussions has been limited due to the dis- The problems described above have resulted in the loss of many votes o f those ·clean" candidates or programs for gov- advantage of having only two senators as ernment. compared The Colombian Indigenous movement is now suffering from a state of apathy, finding hope only in what new laws can offer, rather than pressuring the State through marches and mobilizations. The to ninety from Colombians who did not find new or the Conservative and Liberal parties and ten from other sectOrs. In addition to the corruption of these political entities. Indigenous representatives' progratns have received little respect. As a politically inexperienced minority, the Indigenous representatives have not been able to resist the machinations of the traditional parties. Confusion Between Organizations and Parties presence of the Indian parliamentarians has helped establish the fundamental rights of ethnic groups and to open spaces One of the first Indian scnotors. Anatotio Ouira. played a k<ty rote in promoting Indian potitical participation d uring his tctm in otftec. for participation. However, it is now nee· essary for them to work toward recon· struction or their own fragmented forces in order to jointly face the t raditional political establishment. Common p roposals must be elaborated to fonn an electoral strategy capable of uniting with In addition, the Indigenous movement suffers serious internal problems. The ln consequence, many Colombians who previously saw the Indian candidates as a organizations have not completed enough respite from the political panorama were dis.,ppoimed at these alliances and the appearance that the Indian parties were immediately falling into the same old political customs. These doubts have committed to this end, and the communi· ties themselves will verify its develop been reinforced by the inefficiencies and ment. .., basic work with their members to help them differentiate clearly between the political campaigns and their organizations. Regional organizations frequently support their members' political camVOl. 8 No. 3 other sectors proposals who have tradi· tionally shown solidarity with 1ndigenous peoples. The Indigenous movement is 4 15 �I H T E R H A T I 0 H A L ~_ _ _ _ __ Barbados Ill: On Democracy and Diversity We ptint below excerpts from the third declaration by the Barbados group of social scientists. The Barbados I declaration was an early and extremely Influential document written by an intematlonal group of academics In support of Indigenous people 's struggles. It is accompanied by an introduction by Stefano Varese. one of the group's founding members.' n 1971, on the Isle of &rbados. a Six )'<31'S !:Iter, an 1977, the group met by Abya Yala Press m Quuo) auempt to group of L:mn Amencan anthropolo- again an Barbados. thas ume accompanied clarify some of these problems and conIJlStS met under the auspices or the by a matehang number of Indigenous tribute to the construction of a more just vn"·erstt)' of Zunch, Swuzerland. and the leaders and antelltctuals. By this time, the and dtgniOed future for the Indigenous World Councal of Churches. The meeting Latin American pohtical context had suf. people. took place at a time when the expansion fered a radacal change. The national polit· of development in Amazonian Indigenous ical projects for rcfom1 In Chile, Peru, Barbados Ill Declaration: territories was escalating and when Bolh•ia and Panama had been defeated Articulation of Diversity dependent capitolism's modernization and the most violent forms of State More than two d ecades after our forst project met wilh strong resistance from repression and terrorism had been insti· declaration ( 197 1). the members of the the Indigenous and peasont peoples o f the tuted in a great number of coumries in Barbados Group gathered in Rio de Andes and Meso-America. the region. An armed revolutionary strug· janeiro. Bmzil. to rcOcct on the situation Simplistic political interpretations gle seemed a real possibihty to many of of the lndagenous peoples in Latin which employed an analytical framewo rk the continental Indigenous mO\'Cments. America and to document the persistence overly concerned wath economic issues The &rbados II Decl>rauon reOected this of secular forms of dommation and had the reahty of ethnic conflicts during new reahty. Unfonun:uely us impact on exploitation that affect them. The develthat neocolomal penod. LeftiStS argued nauonal SOCICUes and the organized opment of new forms or colonization th.'i only the tnumph of a socialist revo- lndtgenous mo\'emtnt was not of the ha\·e aggra\'ated th1s SHU3uon. \Ve arc lution would soh·c the problems which same magnnude as the previous one. witnesses 1n each of our countries to the 1ndagenous groups faced. Finall)•. In December 1993. the repeated Y10l3ll0n5 of thetr right tO life, The &rb:ldos I Declaration which Barbados Group met agaan m Rio de their dignity, and to the cultural a.nd resulted from that meeting. and the long Janeiro, 8raztl, tOasses the situation of the human uni,·ersc of their local expressions. book documenung it, had strong reper· Indigenous populations in the context of At the same time we connrm the cussions among ::tcademics, the indigenist the sudden anack of Nco· Liberalism and Indian peoples' will to resist and to live. sectors of the State bureaucracies. renewed fonns of Nco-Imperialism. The expressed through the multiplicotion or Catholic and Protcsumt missionaries, and. new conditions facing the 1ndigcnous their ethno-politlcal organizations, and or most of all. among org.1nized Indigenous movement m the end of the second mil- the daily afr.nnation of cultural speciOcigroups. Barbados I took on a life of its lennium include the collapse of the ties that manifest the resilience of their own among some Indian organizations in socialist "utopia." the veniginous expan· civili.z:ations. Latin Amenca. who adopted it and used it sion of drug trJfficking. the involvement The above stated. together with as an anstrument or struggle. of the Unated States in the promotion and lndigneous peoplrs' demographic - - - repressaon of drug traffickang. and the rise growth. defies the current proJCCI of glob· Sttftl110 \llrnt Is Prc{tsSC< of Nali•'< Ameritml and urgency of envaronmental issues. alization. whach leads us towards a worldand Chila"" Stud~ at lht University of The Barbados lll Declaration. a.nd the \\ide homogemzouon that as enforced by book that attompanaes it (to be published the expansJon of and dominauon by a CalifMil4'" ~ll I 16 �IHT £ RHATIOH A L western-oriented integrationist market system, whose technical, economic and Ideological projects recewe multi-national flnoncing. The umlonnuy bemg pursued has genemted profound political, economic and social asymmetry, C\'eO in the dominant countries. The individualist and competitive Neo-Liberal discourse masks the real make-up or the growing inequality and or the conOict between nauons. ethnic groups, classes and other soc1al groups. creaung an illusory equality, when in reality it confronts nation against nation, people agninst people, community against community. This is contmry to the spirit or solidarity of communities which is mor.: conducive to human kinship. A world without alternate communities, wuhout differentiated social groups, would be a world condemned to a lack ol creativity and fraternal loyolti<s. Just as for centuries each ethnic group was forced to integmtc and incorporate itself into the ineffable vtnues of an illdefined national life. the same compulsive proposition is currently made to latin American countries. wtth the intent of cementing their imegrauon nod incorpora~ tion into a planetary order controlled by a type or transnational oligopoly. Simultaneously. the scientific knowl· edge brought by ecology. together with the well-founded warnings or environmentahsm. ha,·e been mtsmterpre<ed and redefined by a tendency Wlthm this social movement. It seeks to impose the theory or the global management of natural resources but h ignores or minimizes the vernacular 'visdom and knowledge. considering them incapable or creating a global environmental solution. Howe,·er. th1s knowledge constitutes the social bases that maintain the bases or biodiversity m the world. Today. the forces that dominate the regions with the grMtest biodiversity have grown. Territories that were before the exclusive lands of Indigenous peoples \<ol8 No.3 have been opened to colonizing expansion Wlth the purpose of expropriating the trop1cal regions' enonnous natural reserves hke oil. minerals, umber and hydroelectric sources. This distonang tendency presents obstacles to the alliance of the diverse human coznmunilics that defend the ownership and usage of the natural resources under a socio-environ· rnentahst current. which constitutes one of the most accurate and cffcc:dve criti· CISmS of the Neo-liberal premistS of unlimited growth. V...'e observe the existence of processes istic. united. nnd complementarily-articulaced societies. The fragile Latin American Democmctes, still monopohzed by the inttreslS of conservati\'e sectors who in their majority descend Irom old European and colonial elites. have failed to generate the political spaces or legislative and admlnistmtive mechanisms necessary to allow Indigenous people to progress in butldmg their own future. ln pantcular. mihtary 1deologies which frequently degenemtc into geo-political paranoia, see Indigenous societies as potentially subfor ethnic reaffirmation. conducive not versive groups which threaten national only to cultuml reproduction but also to unity, mther than as different peoples. the recovery of loyalties and potrimonies Indigenous peoples demands lor territorwhich were apparently lost. In the face or this the domanont Democracy. as the philosophy of a SOCltty responds with new ronns Western social system. is centered for the destruction or diversity. on the individual and excludes collecwith obstacles and repressive tives like Indigenous peoples i>Oiitical and judicial changes. Furthermore, the persistence of multiple lonns of racism that clisquahly and destroy .. ,periences or alter- ial reorg.1nlzation and more cultural and noll\'( Civilizations is generating processes lingUtsuc •utonomy are thus seen as sepor "de-lndianization: which lgiiOr<S the anutst effons. fact that each culture destroyed or termiWe exhort the presidents ol the nated is an Irretrievable loss lor the whole republics ol Latin America to comply with the promise made to the Indigenous peoof humanity. Democracy, as the philosophy of a ples ht the Declamtion of Guadalajam \Vestcrn social system. is centered on the (Mexico, july 1991). In which they ind1v1dual and e.'cludes coll<ctives like solemnly promised to ensure their ecolnd1genous peoples. ln thts way an objec- nomiC and social well being. as well as to ti\•ely VIable plurality has been denied at the obhgauon of respecting their rights the hngmstic, social, economic and cul- and cultural identity. We also belie"e it tural levels. The deferred democmtization necessary to approve the Chaner of the of L.1tin America will continue to be an Rights of Indigenous Peoples which the empty discourse and favorable only to the UN promoted as well as the International groups with hegemonic power if it does labor Org.1nizat ion~ Convention 169. We hkewise demand that legislative not take mto account the nect':SS.1ry rede· l'inuion of the current States' territorial, and JUdiCI31 powers and pohucal panics pohucal, social and cultuml spaces. frame their Jaws. resolutions and activities Buildang future democracy Wlll require an with respect lor ethnic pluralism and the increase in the presence and representa· inalienable rights to Hie. land. freedom tion of different cultural communities and and democracy. And especially. for them the respect for their political logic, which to carry through an effective effort to •viii contribute to the formation of plural- guarantee the respect for these rights at 11 �INTERNATIONAL tial of political projects upon which Indigenous organizations embark. where Indigenous peoples live. \:Ve recognize the initiatives fonnulated We believe that the Indigenous organiin re<:enl years b)' international organiza.* zations should reflect on these problems tions (United Nations, UNESCO, and re<:tify the individualist and competiOrganization of American States, UNICEF. tive behaviors of those leaders who have OIT and others) in favor of the Indigenous diSianocd themselves from the spirit of solpeoples of the continent and the world. idarity in which their organizations were Nonetheless the results have been limited. fonned. This is the only guarantee for More pressure and vigilance regarding progress toward the crystallization of a just Indigenous peoples' current situation is society. no1 only for the Indigenous people necessary. The imcmational organizations but for all of the oppressed sectors of must pressure the latin American heads-of- humanity. state to ratify and comply with internationMany of Latin Americas intellectuals al conventions on Indigenous peoples.. . continue to produce speeches referring to There is a simplistic and erroneous supposedly homogeneous national com\~Sion of what Indigenous panicip:.:uion munities. devaluing or lending a folk stigshould be in the actions and elaboration of ma to altemate cultural presences. ll is lndigenist policies, in the formulation of equally neocssary 1 mention the historical 0 community programs and of aid, and in the respot>Sibility that belongs tO the right wing polilical process of mobilization of the civil- in the fonnulation of the ideological paraian society itself. Such perspective assumes digms that guide the cultural and physical repression of Indigenous peoples. On the other hand, some A world without alternate communities. dogmatic sectors -guided by thewithout differentiated social groups, oretical mistakes- produced would be a world condemned to a lack political practices that have conof creativity and fraternal loyalties. tributed 1 the repression of eth0 nicity by considering it coumerthat Indigenous peoples simply copy mod· productive to the cla..<S struggle... II is also neocssary to realize a radical els of or ganization fron1 unions or other sectors of the population. The ethnic conti- questioning of some currents in the social nuity of Indigenous peoples cannot be sole- sciences and in ctrtain anthroJX>logy which ly understood as tenitorial control, but il is oriented more toward the aesthetic and requires the incorporation of political con- Sterile critique of its own disciplines than to ceptions that are part of the diversity of political thought and action. This is also the their cultures. case of a sector of linguistics that does not Indigenous organizations have fulfilled cooper.ne with ethnic cotnmunities, as well a fundamental role in the revindication of as not favoring the most appropriate the rights of the peoples they represent and methodologies for codifying. recovering in the construction of spaces for dialogue and consolidating autochthonous lanwith ea.ch other and national and interna- guages. tional powers. V.le cannot omilthat some of There ha\·e been advances in 1he fommtheir leaders have abused the mandate they lation of bilingual and intercultural educareocived from their peoples and communi- tional policies, but these are far from being ties to embark upon a career of personal implememed. Education often plaocs chilaccumulation and power. When they dren against the family environment-even a5Sllme the Criollo model of Clientelismo. from the pre-school level-at critical times and, more than a few times. of com..1ption, of primary socialization and learning of these leaders not only discredit themselves their m.other tongue. This results in a subbut they threaten the continuity and poten- sequent deculturation in which languages the level of the regions or territories 18 are convened into crutches for the acquisition of the dominant language and their own culture is lOSt to the hegemonic society. 'Whereas until now the State as well as private and religious groups has used the formal educat.ional system to undennine ethnic identity. the school can eventual!>' become a factor for cultuml reproduction if Indigenous people effectively appropriate il for their own historical and cultural imer· estS. .. Indigenous people have an undeniable right 1 their history and cultural heritage. 0 II is the obligation of the State and of secular society 1 promote an orderly and effec0 tive process for returning the knowledge collected on such peoples. A process of Latin American democnuization that effectively includes Indigenous peoples 'viii not be viable if it does not take imo account the necessity for geopolitical re-ordering that contemplates the specificities of Indigenous peoples' territoriality. In this sense. the concept of "peoples" corresponds to socially-organized human popu· lations which are ethnically defined and endowed with a spacial dimension that is their territory. This is conceived as the confines defined by the total and struciUred SCI of ecological. social and symbolic relations between a society and the geographical continuous or discontinuous space upon which it acts. This should include the numerous cases in which Indigenous peoples have been divided by State borders. where it is their right to aspire to circulate freely in the tenitory of these bordering r~ations, in accordance wilh their situations. In any case, tenitOrial autonomy ,viii imply not ot\ly decision-making in the case of tt..1..tural and economic resource use but also in political and cultural self-detern>ination, in the framework of a self-dctcnnination COtnpatible with and complementary to the sovereignty of national States. '!I Rio de janeiro. December 10 . 1993. Th~ full ltXl of rhis declaration is a\'ailablt upon request from SAIIC, or can bt fmmd in the SAIIC conj<rtne< (SAIIC.fndlo) on P<actnc<. I>Jyya Y News ala �SE L F DETERM I NAT I ON AND T E R RI T O RY Ecuador: Second Indigenous Uprising Secures Concessions on Agrarian Reform by Robert A ndoUna bill through congress. Over the objections of CONAIE and other popular organizaEcuadorian Indigenous move- tions. President Sixto Dulin Ballen signed mentS capacity to mobilize tnasses of the bill into law on june 13. supponers to defend the interests of this Indigenous organizations rejected country$ Indigenous population . In a numerous aspects of this law that either mobilization reminiscent of the landmark ignored or threatened interests or uprising in 1990, Indigenous org:mizations Indigenous agricuhurnl communities, as nationwide blocked the country$ roads and well as those of 90% of the rural populahighways. in order to prevent implementa· tion. The law would have encouraged the tion of a new ..Law for Agricultural disappearance o£ Indigenous communal Development" enacted by the government lands in order to promote fom>ation of agrias p.tn of its structural adjustment pro- cultural "enterprises." Rodrigo Carrillo, gram. For a tw<Hveek period, commerce member of the press conunission for the throughout Ecuador ground practically to a Indigenous Movement of Chimborazo halt. As with the uprising four years ago. (MICH) explained, "You cannot simply Indigenous organizations paralyzed much conven Indigenous communal production of the country, endured military repression, imo agricultural businesses. This law forcing the government into negotiations, imposes a vision of agriculture that doesn' and finally emerging with significant gov- fit within Indigenous thought and practice: Indigenous organizations were outraged ernmental concessions in hand. Over 3,500 Indigenous communities as not only by the law~ content but by the well as campesino and popular organiza- undemocratic and unconStitutional me.th· tions mobilized under the leadership of the ods used by the Social Christian Pany to Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities railroad it through congress. The National of Ecuador (CONAIE) the National Agrarian Commission (CAN), formed by Ecuadorian Federation of Camj)<Sino and CONAIE and other Indigenous peasant Indigenous Organizations (FENOC-1}, and organizations, had drafted (over a period of the Evangelical Federation of Indigenous two years) a detailed proposal for refom> of Ecuadorians (EFIE). Over the course of two the nations agrarian laws and had submitweeks. at least five Indigenous acth;Sts ted it to the legislature for consideration. were killed and many more were hospital- The President and the legislature completeized, mostly from gun shot wounds. An ly ignored this project. unknown number were jailed. In addition, the PSC failed to submit the Panies from throughout the political proposed law to each member of congress spectrum have debated refonn of the coun- for consideration at least 15 da)'S prior to try$ outdated agrarian ktws for years. On passage, as required by law. CONAIE criti· May 18. the conservative Social Christian cized the politicians for disobeying the funPany (PSC) forced a radically new agrarian damental laws of the land, for excluding the intereSts and participation of Indigenous Robert Andolina is a grad1uzte student in Latin people in the development of the law. and American Studies al the University ofTtx(IS, and for their refusal to develop a law of nationha.s volunt«r<d , ;ch CONAIE in Quiro. al consensus instead of one that serves the T his june, international observers were once again stunned by the Vol. 8 No.3 interests of a small, wealthy sector of the population. For all of these reasons. CONAIE convened an emergency assembly on June 7 and 8 to prepare for a national "Mo,;lizaci6n por Ia Vida" (Mobilization for Life) to protest the law iJ il \vere to go into effect. CONAIE released a resolution calling for repeal of the Agrarian Development law. The resolution addressed other issues, to Stop unrestrained oil exploration and persecution of Indigenous leaders among other demands. Fundamentally, however, the mobilization was called to protest the PSCs Agrarian La'v. Ecuador Paralyzed On june 13, President Dur.ln signed the Agrarian bill into law. Indigenous protes· tors converged on strategic points, building roadblocks that paralyzed much of the country Demonstrations in urban areas and occupations of public buildings also took place. Ten provinces in all 'vere heavily affected. Despite the government and mass mediaS distonion of events. protestors remained firm in the Streets and the blockades were very effective. Albeno Saeteros, Secretary of the Provincial Union of Cooperatives and Indigenous Communities of Cat,ar (UPCCC) Stated, "Here in Cai\ar we met \vith the people in the communities to explain to them the negative effects or the law, and we then wem out to paralyze traffic to the nonh, south, and west." Ignacio Grefa, President of the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of Napo (FOIN) reponed. "We maintained the roadblock for a week -nothing got through." Non-Indigenous campesinos, workers and some urban citizens expressed consid· erable sotidarit)' for the mobilization and 19 �5 ELF 0 E TERM I ~ A T I 0 ~ A~ D TERR I T 0 R Y- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Indigenous Community Center Destroyed uring the "Mobiliuuion for Life," a major community center belonging to the Union of Cooperatives and Indigenous Communities of CaMr Province (UPCCC) was a{{acked and burned to the ground. The UPCCC is Canars regional Indigenous organization and is affiliated with CONAIE. The D following are excerpts from an interview 'vith UPCCC Se<:retary General Albeno S.-u~teros. Why did the auack take p lace? Who kets. nor poisoned the water like they damages, and was involved? claimed. The attack itself was very violent. They came with pistols. homemade cannons, and tear gas. One of our activists, that the government offer compensation . Have you received 3 tl)' financial -As you know. we participated fully in the mobilization called by CONAIE in opposition to the recently passed Agrarian Oevelopmem law. This law was not only illegal, but also threatened the interests of Indigenous people. We cut the area off by blocking the main highways. Because we were winning in the struggle. the followers o f Jaime Nebot and the PSC (Social Christian Pany) decided in desperation to a"ack us. It wasn't just because of the mobilization, but also because of our alternative market which cut the '"'middleman" out of the sale of our products. We were. therefore, competing 'vith the Manuel Mestas Yupa Yupa died from a bullet wound to the head . We also had 38 injuries and a number of disappearances. Many poople are still unaccount· ed for. The community center was sacked and burned. What d id the police and military do during the auack? ·They did a lmost nothing to prevent or inhibit the attack. Moreover, the military shut down our radio station which made it difficult for us to communicate speculators living in the area, many of with the people. to tell them what was whom are Nebot supporters. happening. Indigenous leaders have Additionally. we were a{{acked because of long-standing racism against Indigenous people. been pursued and in some cases jailed. Right now we are conducting investigations into the action or the police and )'OU have demanded help from the state? -No. We haven't received a cent. And from other sources? -A little. Some popular sectors have offered assistance both in terms of money and labor to help us rebuild . \¥e have a couple of new machines in the carpentry center, and we should have a new FAX machine soon. But as you can see, this is a very small part of the rebuilding that needs to be done. For thi.s reason. we are calling on our allies and sympathizers here in Ecuador and in the international community to show their solidarity by sending us financial suppon so that we can rebuild our office and community center. Many people here ' viii benefit if we can rebuild. mili1ary during the a{{ack and during What happe ned during t he auac k itself? -The a{{ack was carefully orchestrated by a relatively small group of people; the general population was not against us, nor were we against them. This small group told all sons of lies in order to make us look bad and to justify what they did. We never auacked the mar- 20 the mobilization as a whole. What was damaged during the auack? -Everything. Nothing was left untouched. The damage t<xal has exceeded 10 billion sucres ($5 million). U PCCC h as argued that the govern- ment is in part responsible for Lhc Do you have any final comments? This attack was motivated by a desire on our enemies pan to break the will of the Indigenous leadership and the movement here in Cat'lar. Although our office is destroyed. our determination is not. 'J!le will continue with our struggle. In fact, we are more determined and unified than ever. ~aYala News �SELF offered their suppon. Ldt and center-left political panies demanded the Agrarian law be revoked. Hector Villamil. President of the Organiz.11ion of Indigenous Peoples of Pastaza (OI'IP) noted , "Some campesinos and workers mobilized with us. We see this as a positive and significant change. ln the 1992 OPIP March on Quito many campesino-colonists reacted against us." According to Rodrigo Carrillo of MICH. · tn general, the people of Riobamba (capital of Chimborazo province) understood the imponant role of Indigenous producers in the supply of staple foods and offered us help during the mobilization." DETERMINATION Security forces also threatened or shut down Indigenous and popular radio sta· tions in Tungurahua. Cotopaxi, Chimbcr razo. and Cat)ar. making it difficult for activists to transmit news tO the population at large regarding human rights violations and violence perpetrated by the military and para-military forces. Fortunately, the military was more restrained in some regions. Hector Villamil , president of OPIP. reponed, · we in Pastaza are lucky not to have experienced repression this time. Before, we considered the military and police to be enemies, so we see this as a TERRITORY include two representatives of lndigenouslpeasant organizations on its executive council. Ownership of water will remain public, and more emphasis 'viii be gi\'en to production of food for internal consumption to meet the needs of Ecuadorian soci· ety. It also recognizes Indigenous agricultural knowledge, and respects the cultural and social valt~es of the ,,.rious peoples who are involved in agricuhural activities. lmponantly, the reformed law also calls for continuation and improvement of the agrarian refom1, including land distribution. as well as increased access 10 credit, good sign. However, we technical assistance. and better infrastruc.. denounce the repression that took place in other provinces. and for that we remain suspicious of the anncd forces... M ilitary Counter-Mobilization A week after the tnobilization began. President Durftn offered to negotiate. CONAIE. however. found the presidents Commission For Dialogue mediation commission wlacceptable. stat- Formed ing that its representation was heavily CONAIE leaders in hiding called for an weighted in favor of the govcmmem and end to the militarization and organized a the landowners. mediation commission composed of The following day, President Duran national and international religious and declared a military "State of Mobilization," human rights representatives. Under conand decreed that blockaders would receive siderable national and intemational pres· one to three year jail tem\s. Arrest warrants sure, the president agreed to lift the state of were issued for Indigenous lc.~ders, includ- mobilization and agreed to a compromise ing the CONAIE leadership. Highways and on the committees formation. Congress Indigenous communities were occupied by also pledged to revise the agricultural law. the security forees. Although protestors Negotiations began on june 30 and contin· abandoned highways peacefully when the ued into mid-July. military arrived, several were killed and dozens or possibly hundreds were injured. The Struggle's Results: Words or Police sa,,.gely beat protestors, includ- Substance? ing children. in the provinces of Cotopaxi The negotiations, like all those where and Chimborazo. In what was perhaps the actors with vastly different interests take MobilizationS worst moment, a mob of pan, were tonuously difficult. Perhaps in Social Christian Pany supponers attacked an effon to save face. President Duran. on and destro)•ed the office and community the one hand hailed the dialogue as a succenter of the UPCCC in Cat ar. The com· cess. while also stating that only words but ) munitycemerserved tosuppon alternative not substance had changed. However, it is fomt of education. commerce and medicine the nature of law.making that words are more suited to the needs of Cm)ar's substance. The refom1ed law-which wem Indigenous and poor peoples. One into effect on Aug. 3-did include real Indigenous activist was killed and thiny- improvements for lndigneous peoples, eight injured in the auack. which also camfJtSinos and Ecuadorian society in gen. reduced a market , carpentry center. library. eral. It will penn it the maintenance of comcomputer center. radio station. fax and munitarian. cooperative. and small-holder photocopy machines. and several \'Chides fonns of agrarian organization. The new to ashes (see accompanying intel"'ocw). state agrarian development agency 'viii Vol. 8 No.3 AND ture. It demands the protection of national parks and reserves, and recognizes Indigenous peoples' rightS to live from and manage forests. Finally. the law calls for the fomlation of markets tltat pennit indige· nous a.nd peasant prod\1 cers to cut out speculati'" middlemen. Indigenous peoples gains in this mobi· lization go beyond these legal refom\S. Again, the movement demonstrated its strength. This time, Indigenous people sat f~ce to f~ce at the bargaining table \vith those who used to be their "patrons" (land· lords). As described by Rodrigo Carrillo of MlCH, "The government now knows that it has to include the interests and panicipa· tion of Indigenous people in the future. We arc now recognized as thinking human beings 'vith rights, not as lazy animals." Ignacio Grefa commented on the process, ..V.le have won new political space and have fonified the space we earned in the 1990 uprising. In that sense this is just a contin· uation or that mobilization and of our struggle for the past 500 years. This struggle 'viii continue in the future." '!I For adclirfonal infonnalion: UPCCC. Correo Centro! CMar. Ca!'lar, Ecuador Fa.x: (593 7) 235 266 To contriblltCIO lite n:buildir;g of llu: UPCCC com· munizy ctntcr . plwsc saul Cashier's Ot«hs ma.cle our to UPCCC, to: CO:-IAIEAv. de Los Gmnados 2553 y 6 de Didembrec.stlb 1717·1235EI 8.11:m. Quito Ecuador. Specify on the chedc that it is for UPCCC. 21 �SELF DETERMI~ATIO~ A~D T ERRITORY Original Nations and Bi Iateral agreements with the Bolivian Government Governments and corporations across Latin America are turning to limited two-party agreements as a means to resolve conflicts with increasingly forceful Indigenous orga· nizations. As experiences in Bolivia demonstrate, this "bilateralism · offers certain gains. but in the process challenges the Indian movement's unity and strength. his year. SAIIC received reports from Bolivia pointing out parallels between several connicts that were settled through bilateral agreemems T Guarani were Hving under conditions of virtual slavery on the cattle ranches of the Gran Chaco. Among those cattle ranchers between Indigenous organizations and the government. h> large pan. these are driven by the new assertiveness of rently practice debt·peonage are several politicians of the the governing MNR party and of the opposition righHving Bolh;a's' National Secretary for Ethnic Affairs, which has take11 a leadership role in brokering such agreements. The three pany. This year, a congressional investigation launched by Guarani congressman Sihri.o Arnmayo and others in Bolivia's who have stolen Guarani lands and cur· cases below offer some interesting exam- house of deputies found that the earlier ples from three very different regions. estimate was extremely conservative, and Guarani: Debt-peonage and Bilateral Commissions that the actual number of Guarani living in debt-peonage is closer to 40,000. The Guarani successfully mobilized on the heels of this publicity. Their Since our report on the Guarani of Mato Grasso do Sol, Brazil, in the last journal. the political conditions for the Guarani lh;ng on the Bolivian side of their territory have improved slightly. Within Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, the Guarani, remain one of the most tragic examples or systematic racial discrimination in the Americas: living as landless peasants \vithin systems of debt-peonage. Suffering from poverty and repression, \vith a territory that is fragmented by the borders of four nation states, they have been unable to regroup and make their demands as a unified people. Last year, national attention in Bolivia focused for a brief moment on the Guara11i after press accoums that 10,000 22 largest organization. the Guarani Peoples Assembly, threatened to march on the capital if the government of Gonzalo Sanchez de Losada and Aymara Vice-President Cardenas did not respond to their demands of free· dom for all enslaved workers and the return of ancestral territories. The government invited Guarani representa· tives to negotiate. and the march was deferred . Three bilateral commission s com· posed of government representatives and Guarani delegates were formed as a result of this dialogue. Each a imed at solving one of the Guarani$ key problems: land, labor, and political participation. Guarani delegates Guido Chumiray. Envin Cuellar and Marcelino Robles signed the prelirni· nary agreement with representatives from the governmentS two ..supcr·mlnistries'" o, Human Development and Sustainable Development, as well as those of minor ministries such as Ethnic Affairs. Guido Chumiray, stated: · when we implement the agreement to solve the concrete problems of land and labor, the Guarani people 'viii hopefully regain territories and labor rights that belong to us. This is a not a favor given to us by the government. It is our right. V..1e deserve it... Indigenous Organizations Sign with Loggers in the Beni Deforestation continues to spread across the Bolivian Amazon-at the rate of 80,000 hectares last year alone. In the northern Amazonian province of Beni, Indigenous organizations will finally expel three logging companies from the Multi-ethnic Indian Territory (TIM) \vith· in the Chimanes Forest region which stretches from the Andean foothills to the Beni's extensive savannahs. Mojer"to, Movima. Yurncare and Chimane communities won a de jure entitlement to ..sustainably manage· this region in 1991. This summer. the regions Indigenous federation, the Cemral de Pueblos lndigenas del Bcni (CP16). representing the region's M:t-{a Yala News �------------------------'S E.!: f~D E T E R M I NAT I 0 !.!:. L.! ~ Indigenous communmes signed an "upgrading of their habitat." Under the agreement with the Herve!. C IMAGRO, agreement, a study will be carried out of and Montegrande. logging companies the ecological collapse affecting the Uru which will force companies to abandon Nation and potential for governmental the TIM by july, 1995. Paradoxically, Mr. assistance to help them survive under bet· Roberto Velasco. a caHle rancher and ter conditions. This agreement will also owner of Herve! reported!)' presented consider programs for land distribution Traditional Uru-Murato the agreement to be signed by CPIB. programs. with the Secretary of Ethnic Affairs act- authorities also requested the liberation of ing as b roker. The companies and com- Uru Indians Paulino Flores. Rogclio munities have been in a-at times Choque, Anacleto Garcia. Angelica Flores armed-stand-off for years. Since title de Garcia and Justina Opida who have was granted to the Indigenous commu~ been accused of '"environmental vandalnitics. logging companies have post~ ism• for hunting namingos that nock on poned the date of their departure from lakes within their territory. Sadly, it seems the TIM se'•eral times. Although calling easier to find Indians guilty of "environfor ren'IO\ral of the companies, the agree- mental vandalism.. 1han to arrest loggers ment is in effect, yet one more postpone- whose blatantly illegal destruction of the ment-and one which will allow the Chimanes Forest goes far beyond mere companies to extract all the remaining vandalism. valuable woods (mahogany in particular) Each of these bilateral agreements won from accesiblc areas. small advances for Indigenous communiCPIB President, Marcial Fabricano. ties. as a whole. however; the)' may have noted. ·we have to deal \\oth clandestine functioned to undermine the strength of a loggers and chain-sawers who intimidate coordinated Indigenous movement. us with guns. This is one of the problems Unfortunately, the movement has been faced by our communities." He added unable to establish a position of bargainthat, "V../e are also now insisting in the ing power which would allow il to press recognition of our traditional authorities, for their acknowledgement would mean that the Bolivian nation indeed is a full democraC)~,. Fabricano. however. remains skeptical. In 1990 CPIB led the "March for Territory and Dignity" from the Beni to La Paz. This was positively received, and achieved many governmental commit· mems. including establishment of the TIM. None of these, however, had any enforcement power. N AN D TERRIT0 RY for "Territory and Dignity" for all Indigenous peoples. The governments new Secretary of Ethnic Affairs has contributed to this weakness. in ilS attempt to act as sole broker between Indigenous organizations and the government. Bolivian anthropologists have often followed the govemmems lead and contributed to establishing isolation rather than coordination. Finally, there is " 1despread disapointment within the lndigenous movement \vith the performance of the Vice-president Victor Hugo Cardenas. His candida~ cy with the l<atarista pany raised expecta· tions as he is the first Aymara Indian to reach such a high governmental post. He has, however. used his power to little or no effect since taking office. A handful of Aymara Kataristas have been appointed to govemment posts. Unfortunately. these few have made a series of raciSt staternents against non·lndians which are of grave concern to the Indigenous move· ment. Although the vast majority in the movement do not share in these opinions, they already arc suffering from the backlash they have generated. ~ Government and Uru Sign agreement to Improve their Habitat The Bolivian government recently signed a bilateral agreement with the highland Uru Nation. of whom scarcely 2,000 remain . This agreement addresses the need to assist the Uru Nation in lhe 1101.8 No.3 Logging companies have postponed departure from the Multi-ethnic Indigenous Territory tong enough to remove thousands of giant mahogany trees like those pictured above. 23 �SELF DETERMIHA TIO H AHD TERRITORY Organizing from Oaxaca to California ,~~~4 Rufino Dominguez This October. SAIIC had the opportunity to interview Rufino Dominguez. Secretary General of the Organization of Exploited and Oppressed Peoples and Sub-coordinator of the Oaxacan Indigenous Binational Front at his office in Fresno. California. long with Chlap>S, the highland state of Oaxaca is one of Mexico~ most Indigenous regions. The Mixteco people arc one of the many Indigenous peoples living In OaxaC3; they have also Immigrated to the North in larger numbers than any other Indigenous people m Mextco. This exodus has been dnven by a number of factors common to many of Mextco~ lndtan groups. Although MIXleco communities have secured legal =ognnion for communal land titles that predate the Mexican re\·olution, there Is sullinsufficlent land to go around. As In Chiapas. local cadques have consolidated ownership over the best lands. At the same time, years of deforcsuuion has tronsformed much of the ter· United States. These mlgronts have often faced not only the exploitation commonly suffered by migrant fannworkers, but also discrimination for being Indian. The emergence and linking of Indian organizations throughout the p3th taken by this exodus is one of the maS> encouraging and intrigumg examples of cross-border orgamzing on the AmeriC3S. Rufino Dommguez grcw up in Oaxaca's Mixteco temtory. on the town of San Miguel Cue,,as or. Nu..Vucu. which means on top of the mount..'\tn in hls nati\'t language. He C3me to the US for the first time in 1964. Uke many Indigenous immigrants. he h>S conserved much of his community's culture. Indigenous Oaxacan immigrants In the US generally keep conritory into ncar desert conditions. \Vith tact with their communities at home. This insufficient land. and fewer opportunities is perhaps beS> exemplified by formation of for wage employment. a steady stream of the Indigenous O=C3n Binational Front Indigenous lmmtgrants have left to look simuluneously in O:lx.1ca, &ja C.lifornia for work elsewhere. Thousands went to and C.lifornta (U.S.). SAIIC had the work m the fields further Nonh, first in opponunhy to mterview Dominguez the S>ates of Stnaloa, Veracruz, the Federal regardmg hiS work wnh the Front in Oislnct. •nd Bop C.hfornta and later in Oaxaca and the Central Valley of agriculturalarus throughout the Western C.lifot1lla. A 14 Can you tell us about when the Mixtccos began to immigrate. and then later, to organize? -The firS> Ml><tecos beg<ln to immigrate in smaU numbers ln the 1960s. but it wasn't until the period known as "the braceros· in the 1980s when we S>aned immigrating as enurc famthes, and in large numbers. When we amved, we worked in the fields in Orcgon, V.'ashington and Alaska. We MtXtecos ha,-. mostly engaged in field work. The truth Is that we began to organize ourselves back in our communities [in OaxaC31. because there were so many injustices there and the authorities abused many of our people. The authorities then beg.'n to kill and threaten our leaders. burned several houses nnd all thnt. They also imprisoned many of our people. This was In 1981-83. Thus. we organized ourselves and it took us one ye-ar to rtmO\'t those authoriues from office. So those who came here already had expe.rie.nces in organizing at home in Oaxaca? Pbf• Yala News �SELF DETERMI N ATION AHO T ERRITORY ·Yes. but back m our communities. our organiza1ion dtdn't htwc a name. \Ve were was just n community committee. Then. I moved to Sinaloo after having won the battle with those people. My companions in Sinaloa had asked me to help organize an assembly. They thought h neccss..1ry to name the or ganization and continue figh ting. and that in this way. our actions could scr"'e the community in at home. What did you call the organization? -The Org.1no.z.1uon of Exploited and Oppressed People. That was the majorities' cho•ce. They ~•d that we are exploited by the econom•c Situation. and oppressed by the nch. What's the relationship between the Organization of Exploited and Oppressed Peoples ond the Indigenous Oaxacan Binational Front? -Well. the Front is an umbrella group or many org.1nizations. What ore it's objectives? -At the org.1n1zoUonollevel, our objecti\'t tS to mcorpor.uc all the lndigenous organtzations th:u agru wnh our princi· pies and our program of actiOn. And our objecu,·e IS to fight for JUStice for all the Indigenous communiues of Oaxacabecause we ha\'t learned that if we are organized. the go"ernments have to pay attention to us-;tnd ir we arc not, they pay no attention to us. Here In the U.S.. the f-ront is involved in labor organizing. in denouncing rocism against Indigenous people-not just o f white americans. bUl or other latinos as well-m denouncing Governor Wilsons anti·immigmnt attacks and in uniting ""'h other latmo org.1niz.1tior1S to oppose the raciSt ballot measures (in California$ Nov. elecuons). \Ve ~lso work v..fth our members to help them get citizenship and emer the country$ pohtical sysrem. Vol. 8 No. l \Ve The Organization ol Exploited and Oppressed Peoples: 500 years of Mixteco Resistance. have 15-20.000 members in California. \:Ve also suppon the From:S activism in Oaxaca b y pressuring the Mexican consulates here. There. the Front works for to get land. basic services in the communitics; for potable \VOter. clinics, electricity, schools. \Vc ha\·e also entered into agree. mcnts with the Federal and State governments to promote small busmesscs m the commumues. Indigenous peo plts throughout the continent have a 1cndcncy toward autonomy and self-d etermination. Do the Mixteco people have as1>irotions to govcn'l yourselves in thls way? -Of course. We all need common objectives. Its vital for us to struggle for autonomy-because unfortunately the Mixte:co communities are not currently autonomous. 1t's unportant to struggle for the autonomy of our community's customs because these are currently threatened ot their rootS. We heard that the Front's organizations met in Tijuana this past month, what happen<d there? -The meeting '""s for all Indigenous Oaxaquei"'os in exile. We met to change the organization's rtttrnc. because new members were entering who speak differ· em languages. llcforc. we were called the Zapoteco-Mixtcco Bmauonol Front. but it turned out that Oaxaca has more than 16 Indigenous peoples. Our brothers, the Triquis. Mcxes and Others groups who had asked to, JOmed the Front. We now include f\\'e lnd•genous peoples, and renamed the orgamz.1uon the lnd•genous Oaxacan B•nauonal Front. We also decided at the meeung to continue the camp.1ign ng.•inst [Go,·emor) Wilsons rocism. reformed our basic anides. named new officers and established c:ornmiuees or coordination ror each region. However. before the meeting, which took place on Sept. 3, the PAN (the right -of-center Nauonal Acuon Party) governor Ernesto Rufo repressed a march or ours which was commg from S.1n Quintin to Mexicali. They were demandmg th." wages be mcrcascd to a JUst le"el. dignified housmg. rural chmcs ond the introducuon of potable water to San Quintin. 25 �SE L F DETERMINATIO N AND And the government's response? ·Seveml protestors were imprisoned; more than 32 comrades went to jaiL TERRI T ORY The National Solidarity Program paid campesinos so that they would vote for the PRL But, we know that this won't bring us out of the misery. This only happens during the elections. There was also lotS of bad information-tnany attempts to discredit the opposition panics. Are there any parties w hose platforms include Indigenous peoples' rights to a dignified li fe, to autonomy and selfdetermination? -They do it in a very panial, Rufino Dominguez (center) Signing agreements intellectual and campesino form. of mutual respect with the UFW. We don\ believe it should be this way. Rather, they should Thirty were wounded. This was an awful include us, as the Indigenous activists, to response from the government: neverthe- give our point of view regarding our less. we were not deterred. We returned autonomy, and what we really want . to regroup and the government accepted negotiations. Two days later. the govern- ls this campesino (or peasant oriented) ment met all our demands except that for approach a result of the first Zapatista a higher minimum wage. which. they revolution, the revolution of 1917? -The (revolutions o0 1910 and 1917 claimed was under the federal governments jurisdiction. Thanks to the interna- had no effect in the Indigenous commutional community'S intervention. we also nities. I say this because we have seen won release of all our prisoners. no changes. To the contrary. there was (Many thanks to all those who wrote more racism and discrimination toward letters in support or the imprisoned pro- the Indigenous people. We are finally testors, your leuers were critical in secur- seeing change now, with the uprising by ing their safe release. eds.l the Zapatista National Liberation Army in Chiapas. They have provoked a You have said that the PAN d id this in change at the national level. Now there Baja California, but doesn't the PRJ do is talk of autonomy for the Indigenous the same in Oaxaca? peoples, there is talk o f education, peo-Actually. the Pany has never taken ple are talking-but these are demands that altitude toward the Front. that I doubt the government with comply with. Definitely, the previous revoluSo, w hat do you think of the PR!? tions did not benefit the Indigenous - 1 totally repudiate that pany. It has communities. done nothing to bring the Indigenous communitie-s out of their misery. It isn't Do you thin k that the Zapatista posicapable of curing a single Indigenous tions go beyond a merely a campesinista child. 1 don't see the PRI as an option for position? Mexico. Speaking of the last election, I -Definitely, they are very much in know the PRIS tactics in the rural areas. agreeme-nt with the Indigenous struggles and they arc cxpen in maintaining power objectives, because they truly take into because they have a giant lpoliticall account Indigenous peopleS necessities. machine. There was lots of manipulation No other political pany has taken this and lots or money exchanged for votes. position. Their platfornt of anned struggle 26 includes the necessities of the Indigenous peoples. W hat about conditions here in California? Have things gotten any better? -No there have been no changes. The farmworker continues to be exploited. They are not paid minimum wage. They work many hours without the right to rest 10 minutes. Women are sexually abused. The contractors and landowners rush the workers to do more than than human beings are capable of. ls the Front affiliated with any union? We're not affiliated.just one year ago. we signed an agreement of respect with Cesar Chavez's United Fannworkers of America. This is, however, nOthing more than an agreement of respect and cooperation. How do )'OU see Indigenous unity in Mexico and at the continental level? Has there been progress in these last few years in organization. communication and solidariry? -At the organizational level. I believe we still have a lot to do in Mexico. There are a great number of Indigenous organizations, and we haven't united. It's the same at the continental level . We need to get better organized, to strengthen the coordination between the Indigenous organizations if that~ possible. Even though it's tme that we have some organi~ zations that arc already very well connect· ed, still we have a lot to do. In relation to communication, only the most important organizations have good communica· tions, and the others have nothing. With SAilC 1 have seen that there is more communication, not juSI. at the continental level, but worldwide. And l think that is where we should focus ourselves. Our objective is to strengthen this communication at the cominemal and global level between all the organizations...., For Mort informacion, comaa: Frentc ind1gtrta Binacional P.O. Box 183, Uvingswn, CA 95334 Ttl: (209) 577·3077 Fax: (209) 577·1098 Abya Yala News �CHIAPAS UP Update on Chiapas D A T E --- A ugust 6 -9, the National Democratic Convention (CND). organized by th e EZLN in Aguascalientes. Chiapas, emerged as one of the most significant political gatherings in modern M exican history. Six thousand delegates from all over Mexico aLtended. The cemrnl theme was the .. transition to democracy.• Several local. regional and national Indigenous organizations partici· pated (see article below) . Most were not entirely satisfied with either the CND's structure or results. but have chosen to \ \· continue panicipating. October 8 . the Zapatista National Libenuion Aml)' broke off negotiations with the government , stating that the Salinas administration was not acting in good faith , and was preparing a military assault. The EZLN also claimed lO have mined the roads leading to their territory. October 10, peace mediator, Bishop Samuel Ruiz expressed ·grave· concern regarding the tensions in the state, and called on both sides to maintain the ceasefire and return to the negotiating table. October 12. the CND reconvened in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. With the support of thousands of local Indigenous supporters, the CND then symbolically and peacefully took over the town. The convention declared itself in permanent session. stating that a civil insurgency is necessary in order to topple the PRI from power. The CND also called for nation·wide mobilization on Nov. 5. to prevent President-elect Ernesto Zedillo from taking office. The EZLN has maintained a p resence in Chiapas's principal city, San Cristobal de las Casas: mini Zapatistas for sale. Six Principles for a New Mexican State he following an icle is based on a proposal titled "Six Principles and Six Proposals" wriuen by the Independent Indian Peoples From (FIPI) T Vol. 8 No.3 and the CommiLtee for the Support and Defense of Indian Rights (CADDIAC). After e xtensive consultations with Indigenous organizations, FIPI con- tributed this document to the working roundtables established at the National Democratic Convention. Although written for Mexico. the analysis could apply 27 �~~ I ~ P_A S ~ P~ ~T E --------------------------------------------C H~ A~ ~~ U~ D~A ~. to the other L.nin American states who · conceive themselves to be mestizo. I. An end to the " Mestizo-cratic" state In Mexico, ethnic homogeneity was considered a necessary precondition in the c remion of the nation·state, and in consolidation of a market cconotn)'· Indigenous peoples have therefore been subject to hostile policies. ranging from physical extennination to "'lndigenista .. strategies whose aim has been to assimilate us. As a result . we have not had. as Indigenous peoples. a dignified place in Mexican society. Not only has our right to exist as a collective entity been denied, bm also our rights as a peoples. Today. we continue living under a neocolonial oppression promoted by the State and perpetuated by mestizo people who ben- efil from this siluation . They, in turn, pr oblems we face, and thus must be mod· believe themselves to be the synthesis of iOed. It was modified in 1992 in a way the Mexican people, the embodiment of that was both limited and has not been the nation, and to have created a State in enforced. Additions to 1\nicle Four recogtheir image and likeness; that is to say, a nize the plurality of the M exican nation, "mestizo-cratic" State. Thus, by the light but this plurality i.s not rcnected in the of comemporary morality. the position of State, which should be structured in the 'Mexican State and the mestizo peo~ order to rcnect this fact. pies is illegitimate: both arc based upon This problem is compounded by the the displacement and the abrogation of fact that Indigenous rights arc located the rights of Indigenous peoples, and under Article Four. which guarantees upon excluding us from collective partic- individual freedoms, rather than within ipation in the nation and the state, which the constitution's principal anicles (ani· has bound us in a neocolonial relation· cles 39, 40, and 41, which have to do ship. with sovereignty and the fonns or go"ern· mem. and ankles 115 to 122, which II. Revise the constitution to eStablish the basis for our federal strucserve as the foundation for a wre). The location or our rights under new, democratic, mult iArticle Four signifies the go"ernmemS national, and popular state refusal to recognize our collective rights The constitution is a key source of the as distinct peoples. recognizing only our looking toward the National Oemocrc.tic Convention. 28 N>ya Yala News �CHIAPAS UPDATE affected the territorial rights of Ind igenous peoples. In many cases, the ejido continues to function in a destrucis a multiethnic nation as it is to recognize tive and assimilationist manner in that Mexico is a multinational state. This Indigenous territories. The new reforms is why the central project is to divest the to Article 27 constitute a fi nal blow constitution of its ..mestizo-cratic" cast. towards the dismemberment of Indigenous territories. the state and the Indigenous peoples: between the Ind igenous and nonIndigenous peoples: between the federation and the elements thereof: between the capital and the provinces: between the p rovinces and the Indigenous regions, etc. Ill. Building a new federalism on the basis of a new understanding of territory VI. A transitional government: towards a multinational state individual rights. This is a fundamental and significant difference, as il is not the same thing at all to recognize that Mexico The ideal of federalism -for which thousands o f citizens, Indigenous and non·1ndigenous, have struggled- has not been realized in our country. From the very beginnings of the Republic, the Mexican people agreed to constitute a federatio n: however, in prac tice our government has been centralist, subject to an overly powerful presidency and to the domination of 1he State by one party, leading in effect to a dictatorship. In order to ful fill the precepts o f fede ralism. it is necessary to redefine the notion that through federation we shall .. unify our diversity". Although t his is a valid concept. it does not acknowledge nor include the continued presence o f distinctive peoples within a federation. Thus indigenous peoples are left out of the fede ral structu re of our cou ntry. Some of the worst consequences o f this exclusion are found in the territorial reorganizations which decisively and negatively impacted the social organization of the original peoples of this land. From that moment to the present, Indigenous territories have been continuously divided. The federalist policies did not take into account the preexisting territories nor acknowledge them as a basis for a re-organization. Instead. they were deeply genocidal, placing Indigenous regions under the tutelage o f the H lndigenista"' ann or the government. Today the few remammg Indigenous territories face new threats. The land redistribution that took place throughout the country based o n an ejido concept of occupancy. instead o f on a communitarian basis. has greatly Vol. 8 No.3 IV. Democracy for Indigenous peoples: only within the context of a democratic nation justice \viii prevail for indigenous peoples only if there is democracy in the rest of the count!)< And democracy can exist only if governments are created that are respectful o f diversity and able to share power, not only 'vith different political parties but also with different ethnic groups. As Indigenous peoples we have often been d enied the vote and been prevented both from choosing our own legit· imate representatives as well as fr exerom cising our right to represent others. As Indigenous peoples, we add our voices to the national clamor for democracy. yet we add that no d emocracy \viii be a true detnocracy if it does not resolve the amidemocratic relationship between Indigenous people and the power of the state, as exemplified in our ability to participate and be represented in the structures of govcrnmem. V. Towards a new covenant between Mexicans The road towards democracy must necessarily take us through a process o f democratizing the relationships between Indians and non-Indians. It is u rgent that as Mexicans we re..1.ch a new national accord, a new social covenant that is based on a new ethic of tolerance and respect towards diversity and plurality that will allow us to live together in peace. But this pact c..1nnot rest only upon individual efforts or moral values; we believe that it must be affirmed by our Constitmion . The State must address this covenant by creating the foundation for a democratic relationship between the State itself and the Mexican people: between It is not possible in this day and age to defend an ethnocratic nation-state. As we seek to give power to the people, we are led to question the legitimacy of the mestizo population being the sole holders of that power. The need for a transilional government means that we need to create a new national model that is no longer an ethnocrntic nation-state, but instead a multi-national state. The creation of a truly multi-national state implies the acknowledgment of the free self-determination of Indigenous peoples, and the embodiment o f those rights through the cr eation of autonomous regions. Six Proposals Included within the six proposals are: !)the constitutional recognition of Ind igenous autonomy through the fo rmation of '"Autonomous Pluriethnic Regions": 2) an addition to Article 42 . and 3) to Article 43 o f a section guaranteeing the existence of the Autonomous Indigenous Regions: 4) refom>s 10 Article 11 5 10 acknowledge the Autonomous Indigenous Regions (referred to as Pluriethnic Regions) as fundamental elementS of the political and administrative struclUrc of the country: 5) modifications to Article 73 and 6) modifications to Articles 52. 53. 54. 55. and 56. which refer to political participation. in order to redraw electoral districts in Indigenous regions. In this way, a sixth d istrict will be drawn to provide for election of Indigenous congressmen and guarantee the presence of six Indigenous senators. '!I 29 �ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT The Convention on Biological Diversity: An Imperative for Indigenous Participation The Biodiversity Convention. one of the world's most important pieces of environmental legisla tion, will be finalized at the end of this year. Whether it will provide tools to defend Indigenous bio-cultural resources remains unclear. By Alejandro Argumedo A t the 1992 U.N. "Earth Summit" in Rio de janeiro, over 150 governments signed the International Convention on Biological Diversity (Biodiversity Convention), which , came into force last December after the required ratification by more than thirty national legislatures. After two-and-a-half years of negotiations, the Conference of Parties (COP) which was eStablished as the Convention's governing body will meet for the first time from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 in the Bahamas to further define the treaty's implememmion. The Convention has yet to establish the scope and nature of Indigenous peoples' rights to their bio.cultural resources. Thus, this meeting will either help ascenain native rights, or function as yet another intema· tiona! mechanism to legitimate the theft of Indian resources. The Convention is the first global agreement committing signatory nations to comprehensive protection of Mother Earths biological giftS. Provisions stipu· lating specific commitment towards achieving this goal are covered in forty· two legally-binding articles. This legal instrument addresses issues of tremen· dous significance for the world's Indigenous peoples. Alejandro Argumcdo is Q11ec.hua from Peru, a SAIIC board member aru1 Dire<tor of Clllt11ral Survival Canada. 30 Biodiversity and Indigenous Land Up to the nineteenth century, Indigenous peoples exercised de facto control over most of the world's ecosystems. Today, only an estimated 12·19% of the earths land area is home to the four to five thousand Indigenous nations of the world. Even diminished to a mere fragment or what they were, our homelands constitute an important ponion or the globe's relatively intact ecosystems, and shelter an even larger share or its b iologi· cal diversity. ll is no coincidence that the habitats richest in natural diversity are usually home to Indigenous people as well . By some estimates, Indigenous homelands shelter more endangered plant and animal species than all the worldS ..namre reserves" combined. Through millennia we have depended on the diversity of lire around us: uncovering its secrets, and learning how to increase these riches, for example. when we create new genetic diversity within a species. We possess a knowledge that is not only innovative and cognizant of eco· logical processes and uses of biodiversity, but also uniquely holistic for its spiritual and ethical components. That is why the conservation of all components of biodiversity-genetic, species and ecosys· terns--is crucial for our survival as cultures of the land. For Indigenous peoples biodiversity means just that: the land . The recognition of inherent rights to our tra- ditional territories is the foundation both for our survival as peoples and for the conservation and sustainable use of biodi· versity and its components. ln this context the Biodiversity Convention could provide an imponam mechanism to pro· tect Indigenous Peoples' rights over bio· logical resources. The Convention: a Significant but Flawed Tool Disturbingly, there has been liule participation by Indigenous people in developing the Convention. As usual, we have been viewed as the objects (another endangered species) rather than subjects of the process. Most Indigenous people know little, if anything, about the Con· vemion. l'iowever, the treaty does recognize our contributions to biodiversity conservation. In addition, appreciation of our · use of the medicinal, agricultural, and other useful properties of endemic nora and fauna.. i.s increasing. Nonetheless. parties to the Convention are now meeting behind closed doors tO determine what rights we will have over our knowledge. innovations and practices, for which we currently lack any legal Instruments of protection . Bio· cultural pirates are currently plundering these resources \vithout prior infonned consent of Indigenous communities and organizations. Free access for free value is the common practice. For the first time, Abya Yala News �ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT provisions of the Biodiversity Convention may offer opportunities to effectively pro· teet rights to biocultural resources. With the increasing focus on Indigenous territories as reserves of genetic diversity for use in the food. agriculture, pharmaceutical, b iotechnology and other industries, Indigenous peoples presence in the ConventionS develop· ment is crucial. The Indigenous Peoples' Biodiversity Network (IPBN). a global coalition of Indigenous peoples' organizations formed to protect biocuhural resources, has been lobbying for Indigenous peoples' rights within the Convention. In order to promote greater Indigenous innuence within the treaty. the IPBN. SAIIC and the Abya Yala Fund, an Indigenous foundation that supports Indigenous-based sustainable development in the b .tin America, are jointly working to facility increased panicipation Potato crop d iversity developed atongside Andean cultures in the Altiplano region, where hundreds of varieties can be found in tocat markets. of Indigenous peoples from South and Meso America. We need to monitor. ana· lyze, and seek greater mmsparency and accountability from all panics, in addition to promoting policies that protect our local rights and inte rests. The Convention's value lies in the comminnent of signatory nations to work for a common cause. h also supports national sovereignty and each country$ right to benefit from its own biological resources. It funher specifies that each country should ha\re access rights to new technologies. including new biotechnologies. which could assist in conservation efforts or prove useful in the exploitation of biological resources. The Convention does not recognize Indigenous peoples' rights over their traditional tenitories and resources. But it does rc<:ognize the importance of our cultures' survival to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. It also recogn.izes that first nations should share in the benefits deri"ed from their knowledge and innovations. Unfortunately, the ConventionS provisions leave it up to n..1tional governments to decide the scope and nature of Indigenous peoples' rights. Currently, few colonial nation-states recogVOl. 8 No.3 nize Indigenous land rights or rights to customary practices on the land (biodiversity). Inserting these adequately imo the treaty is a serious challenge for the signatory members of the Con"emion , and \viii be a tough figh t for the Indigenous peoples working within the process. The ConventionS existing mandates can be grouped into several broad categories. these are briefly summarized below. National Action Plans and Environmental Impact Assessments One of the Convention's central mandates is to ensure adequate planning and decision-making to protect biodhrersity at the national level. Each country will be Environmental Impact Assessments. This Article may provide Indigenous peoples with a forum-which they have often been lacking-for voicing opposition to senseless · mega-development" projects that affect their human and territorial rights, such as the COI\Struction of hydroelectric dams, highways. tourist resorts, tnining. oil exploration and exploitation, and logging. Protection In tem'ls of concrete protective mea· sures, the Convention has three require· mems: control sources of significant injury to biodiversity. establish systems of protection . protected mnural areas, develop and implement policies for in situ conserva· tion. Indigenous participation is critical Indigenous organizations should panici- both in designing protected areas and in pate in designing these plans because new managing them. First, because Indigenous communities often have extensive knowledge regarding the land· scapes at stake. Second to ensure that these actions are complimentary and required to formulate a national action plan for biodiversity policies will affect their communities the most. Implementation of these plans, is of course. another mancr. and Indigenous organizations will have to monitor this process as well. Secondly for all individual projects "likely to have significant adverse impacts on !biodiversity)" governments will be required to develop compatible \vith pre-existing Indigenous land rights, rather than-as we ha,rc seen in some previous cases-an auempl to clrcumvcm them. 31 �ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT The Convention specifically recommends the application of traditional knowledge and conservation practices. This is a very valuable recognition of Indigenous practices, Indigenous organizations will have to be proactive in the implementation, financing and monitoring or these mea- sures. Research and Indian Lands reliable biodiversity indicators than science. Monitoring the status of ecosystem and species can be done by Indigenous peoples along with scientists if the integrity, and rights to our knowledge is respected and protected. At the same time. parties to the Convention are supposed tO identify and monitor activities that are likely to have significant adverse impacts on biodiverslly. In In addition to protecting biodi\'ersity, the Convention is supposed to promote · sustainable use of biological resources through governmenllprivate sector cooper- ] ation. ln the past, such bilateral coopera- ':' tion has nearly always sidestepped ~ Indigenous panicipation (e.g. "Texaco & """ Ecuadorian Government Settlement" on pg. 4, eds.) The Convention continues to favor bilateral rather than multilateral agreements. Multilateral agreements are more favorable for Indigenous organiza- al action plan should include the following economic activities in their list of harmful processes reqltiring monitoring and mitigation: mining, oil exploration, agribusiness, commercial logging and cattle ranching. Financing The Convention mandates the industri· alized countries tO provide developing countries with new and additional funds to meet its implementation costs. The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) ' vas chosen as the Convention's interim financing mechanism. The panies \viii select the per- manent mechanism at this meeting in Nov. and Dec. Institutional Structure And Intergovernmental process At the international level, panies to the Convention will meet regularly in a Conference of the Parties (COP). A tions: these are more transparent and Secretariat will provide administrative str· vices. An interim Secretarial has been estab· involve a range or concerned sectors who can act as our allies, support our rights, and lished in Geneva, $\vitzerland. In addition, a scientific and technological advisory committee will give technical assistance to the COP. At the COP. panies \viii report on compliance's and consider measures for strengthening the treaty. They 'viii also address, among other issues: a) administer- help to monitor the agreement. Indigenous peoples' organizations should consider multilateral agreements for decisions affecting biodiversity in their tenitories. Identification and Monitoring of Priorities and Problems ing the financing of arrangements under Parties to the Convention are required the treaty; b) seuing up a clearinghouse of infom1ation on teclu1olog>1 transfer and other areas; c) establishing cooperative pannerships on research. information sharing. and technology transfer. "!) to identify priority ecosystems. species, and genomes for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. These priority areas ";11 largely be congruent with Indigenous terri- tories. and Indigenous communities could benefit from research acti\;ties that help to ascertain territorial rights (e.g. ecosystem research). Since the Convention recognizes the merits of Indigenous knowledge in relation to biodiversity, Indigenous peoples should participate in this research as equals with \Vestem researchers. In addition to biodiversity identification. parties are required to monitor the sta- tus of their countryS biodiversity resources. Here. in particular, Indigenous knowledge has a critical role. In many instances. Indigenous knowledge can provide more 32 Chimane farmer shows just one of the several hundred different domesticated and semi·domesticated plant species he cultivates- a local variety of peanuts. many countries Indigenous organizations are the first to identify and denounce large- scale envirorunemal irnJXl.ClS (see for exam· pie Vol. 8: 1&2. Oil exploration in Peru, eds.). Panies should provide Indigenous groups \vith resources for in-depth and continuous monitoring ofhannf\1 activities 1 in their regions. In addition, every nation- For furt.ll<r infonnation 011 the B:odiwfSfO' Conwnllon and lndig<nQ\~ '-"'«$ p/c<U< """"" d-~ folfq,fr.g; M.s Angela Cropper, fx«uti\'t S«relary Col'l\'tndon on Biological Oi\·crsily IS Ootmindc$,~ncmortS CP 3S6CH·12I9 O.aU:laiu Ccllcva. SuiU:crlaltd Td: (i 1-22)979-9J 11 Fax: (41-22)979·2.512 Tht Abya Yala Fund P.O. Box 2&386 Oakland, CA, USA Td: (510) 834-4263 F<JX: (510) 834 -1264 Indigenous P(Oplt:S' 81odiver'$iry Nc:(w'Ori: 62(), l Nic.holas 5-l. Ouawa. Ontario, CanaM. KJN 787 Td: (613) 241 iSCOFax: (613) 241-2292 Abya Yala News �BOLIVIA : Continued from page 9 stmggled untiringly for the establishment of a commission to verify boundaries between conununal and individual proper· ty: between canton. provincial. and departmental jurisdictions: and imen>ational bor· ders. This mo,-emem had a vast and exten· sive organization which included the Guarani people in the fonn of their Captain Casiano Barrientos as well as leaders of the Indigenous people orTarija and Beni. The llolivian state could not tOlerate an autonomous Indian Movement with such extensive organizational capacity, especially since Eduardo Nina Qhispi. one of its bold· est leaders, favored the "Renewal of llolivia" and to that end declared himself President of the Republic of Qullasuyu. creating a parallel Indian State (He was imprisoned by President Salamanca from 1932·36). Thus, in 1945, the government of President Villarroel, in which the MNR fonned one RECONSTRU CTI NG emerged in the 1970s. This mo"ement exposed the nature of colonial domination and sought to develop an alliance between the different Indigenous nationalities in the country. All of the mainstream panies immediately labeled this emerging Indian THE AYLLU ... Reconstructing Traditional Forms of Organ ization In response to the traditions of political manipulation and \\;,s,em "ci\;lizing" syn· dicalism. Indigenous communities in the highlands are reconstructing Ayllu federa· Movement "'raciSt ... The KatariSta panics. tions which maintain traditional structures supponed as they were by the church and although in segmentary fashion. Thus com· the MIR, also condemned the lndianist munities have begun reconstructing ancient position, the recognition of ethnic differ· identities which the Toledian refonns had ences, and the use of native languages, and destroyed centuries earlier. This movement were obliged to testify for a "llolivian" grounds itself in the rights to tenitorynational idemily. understood as physical space, the soil, sub· The 1980s \vitnessed the Indian move· soil; the place where families are rooted. ments premature collapse, weighed down According to Indigenous organizations, by caudillismo {strong individual leaders what lies within the boundaries of demar· who manipulated organizations for their cmed tenilOries belongs to the community own benefit), corruption, and internal divi· and not to the State. Their demands for sions. The movementS ideological consis-- tights to territory and the e:<ploitmion and tency and institutions could not resist the administration of the resources oomained power (and violence). financial resources. 'vitl\in it, are based on titles granted by the and the privileges (congressional seats, gov· Spanish Crown. The govcnuncmS new pan, moved to co-opt indian organizations. ernment jobs. or cash) of the traditional laws, such as that for "popular panicipa· The government organized an Indigenous panies which. for the sake of capturing tion'" fail to ~cognize this concept. and Congress in which the legitimate leaders of Indigenous votes, incorporated Indian therefore remain null. the movement were thrown out by SC(.Urity cadres into their circles. In contrast to the rural unions. the Ayllu forces. After the triumph of the revolution. By the 1990s. Indigenous political insti· federations have reestablished traditional the MNR (\vith the experience of 1945) tutions were practically destroyed, barely authorities as weU as an autonomous admin· rapidly engaged in organizing campesinos leaving behind acronyms and their con-e· istrntion of economic and social resouras and imo a National Federation of Campesinos. sponding caudillos. Finally, the 1993 elec· of justice. E.'O!mples of this are organiz.1tions NuOo Chavez Oniz, a descendent of the tions resulted in an auctioning ofT of Indian such as FASOR (the F ederation of Ayllus to founder of llolivias second largest city, was panies. the South of Omro) with respea to the placed in charge. This elTon ushered in an At the level of the national unions, the Quillacas-Asan.1ques chiefdom, FAONP (the ern of i><mgutajt politico, or political patron· innuential Aymara Genaro Flores was OtlSl· Federation of Ayllus to the Nonh of Potosi) age. which has endured until toda)< This ed as leader of the nations largest rural jach'a Karangas which reconstituted the large system guarantees Indian bondage to the union, the Single Confederate SyndiC>te of Karang.'\5 in La Paz where FACOPI (the benefit of the Pany and the State. Peasant Workers of llolivia (CSlJTCB), and Federation ofAyllus and First Communities of Nevenheless, the political control which his MRTKL pany divided. Thus, the criollo the Province of lnga,;) revindicated their the MNR and the llolivian State exercised political panics fought to gain control over Pakaje origin. and more recently the fonna· over Indian groups could not last forever. what remt'\ined of the lndigenous-annpesino tion of the Supreme Council of llolivian Ayllus In the mid·l960s Indigenous groups arose, organization-viewing it as war booty. in the depanments of La Paz. Omro, and seeking to reclaim their traditional fonns of This sitt"1tion, although gloomy in its Potosi. FACOPls Organic Statue is insuucti\·e. organizalion and to develop their own ide· outlook, has given way to the strengthening in the way it emphasizes the value of culture, ology. The traditional system of control of grassroots organizations in the Andes. In history, and Indigenous language which con· founded in 1952 'vas also battered by other the Oriente (the upper Amazon Basin). stitute the basis for identity and self-detenni· pressure groups. Among these, the military however, the situation is very different and nation. with ilS own attempt at peasant co-optation more closely resembles the organizational The re·establishment of Indigenous ian· through a military-campesino paCt, and the process of CONAIE in Ecuador. There, guage. culture, identity. territory. and SO\>er· Leftist Revolutionary Movement (MIR) Indigenous organizing has always been cignty is the goal of the Indian movement. 'vith its call for independent labor organi· closely tied to idemit)\ and the Indian orga· represented by a variety of grassroots orga· zations figured largely. niz.ations have not taken up the camptSino nizations working for the rights and dignity Thus, an energetic Indian Movement rc- banner. as often occurred in the highlands. of Indigenous peoples. .., Vol. 8 No.3 33 �W 0 ME N 3. Establish relations with national and inte- national organizations and particr ipate actively to articulate, promote and project the demands of women and Indigenous peoples. In order to achieve these objectives, the committee members established the regional bases for a continental communication and infom1ation dissemination net· Women from around the continent ca me to La Paz to b uild commu· nication and plan future strategies Strengthening the Network: Second Encounter of Indigenous Women from South, Central America and Mexico work. These will be, the Council of Maya Organization of Guatemala. the Workshop of Kuna Women-Association of Napguana (Panama), the Foundation of Educational . Social and Economic Development FUNDASE (Guatemala); the Coordinating Committee of Indigenous Women of Bolivia and the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (USA). The CIMI issued a statement pointing out that eventhough there has been progress in tenns of strengthening com· munication and women's participation in the organizations, there are still abuses against women like physical violence and basic rights , such as education. continue to be discriminatory.( ...) The statement also points out that: ..Neo-Hberal policies of the Latin American governments are he Executive Committee of the T Coordinating Body of Indigenous Women of South and Central America (CIMI) met in La Paz. Bolivia, from july 4·6 of 1994 in preparation for the General Assembly that will take place in Mexico in August of 1995. and for the Founh World Women's Conference of the United Nations in Beijing in 1995. The meeting in La Paz was hOS<ed by Centro de Discusion ldeologioo de Ia Mujer A)onara (COlMA) and attended by delegates from Guatemala, Panama. Mexico. Venezue]a. Nicamgua, Peru. Argentina and a representative from the Coodinadom de Mujeres lndigenas de Bolivia (CMI6). Background: In August of 1990. the Sabmi Women's organizations fron1 Norway organized an international Indigenous \-\'omen's Confe- rence. At that C\'Cnt, women representati\'es from aU coumrics in the American continent 34 were present and decided to ca11 a meeting to set up a network o£ Indigenous \'\bmen from Mexico. Central and South America. The First Encounter of Indigenous \\llmen from South and Central America took place in Uma, Peru. in March of 1991. At that meeting the Coordinating Body was fomted. This Encounter in 1...:'1 Paz was initiated with an Aymara·Quechua ceremony which is the \Va:..:t'a. offer to the Pachamama (mother can h). The committee affimted the following broad objcetives: l. Promote permanent communication between existing Indigenous wo1nen's organiutions in order to develop a network of solidarity at the national and international level. 2. Promote the exchange of cultural and organizational experiences between Indigenous women's organiz..1.tions. putting the Indian communities under more threats. Our territories and the Ecosystems will be more exploited and contaminated."( ...) Members of the Coordinating Body of Indigenous Women are planning to travel to the Fourth \.Yorld ~'omen's Conference in Beijing to organize a Workshop on the issue of domestic violence. "il For mo~ infonnation you can contact: Sm. Maria Riquiac Morales Consejo de Organizacioncs Mayas de Guatemala - l'UNDASE 10 Calle 5-21 Zona 1 CHICHICAS Chirnaltenango . GUATEMAUI Telcfa., : 502-9-561018 Fany Avila Eleta Taller de Mt~eres Kuna Apartado 536. l>anama. Rep. de Panama Ph: 507-696525 Fa." 507·693514 You can also concaa SAIIC. N>ya Yala News �W 0 MEN Drug Trafficking and Strip Searches Place Wayu Women in Peril The following statement regarding "La Requisa lntima"-The Strip Search. was made by Dalla Duran of the Indigenous Movement for National Identity CMOIIN). and appeared in IWGIA he Way(l people have lived on Guajira Peninsula between Colombia and Venezuela since before the Spanish arrived on this conti· nent. This coastal and semi·desert territo· ry of vast planes is the home of our matrilineally organized society. Way(l women are the axis of this society: inheritance and the last name follow the mothers line. Women:S presence and participation arc funda mental in the development and T continuity of each clan . Nonetheless. in the last few years, the menace of drug trafficking has begun to shake the foundation of our community and the position of women Within it. In contrast to many other regions of South America, drugs arc neither grown. nor processed in Guajirn. However. our location , which for years kept us isolated from European innucnces and the missions. has today become our biggest problem . Over the last twenty years, the Guajira has been converted into a giant landingsuip and a port of transit for ships. Drugs arc launched from here to the drug consuming countries of the world . Drug trafficking has had more than a transitOT)' presence. Huge quantities of money have allractcd cheap labor to the region: men • women and children act as guards for the landing strips and illicit ports which appear and disappear as if by magic on the savannas and coasts. Dntgs are stored in the workers' houses, involving entire families in this activity. VOl. s No.3 The quanlllles of money paid to the "mules" work should be stopped. we canworkers transforms our communities' not accept the treatment that our women traditional values. Our society's mea· receive daily on crossing the border check sured balance with the environment, points. The searches that arc carried out based on taking only what is necessary are inhuman and undignified. The from our habitat, is evaporating. At the national guard. police and customs offisame time. violence has grown. as has cials assume that every woman dressed in the nun1ber of anns-which are required traditional clothing or having our featu res in the functioning of the drug trade. is a ..mule." During these searches, even Thus, the model of life based on respect women~ genitals are examined in small for women and on strong commu· nity solidarity is at risk. For five "For five centuries. women have centuries, women have exercised a exercised a fundamental role in fundamental role in the defense of our traditions along the long road the defense of our traditions ... • of European colonization. and the place of women emerged strengthened by this process. Despite the cubicles in front of the other traveling Spanish conquistadors' plundering o f companions and without any kind of san· our society, it never uprooted the status itary control. Only the poor and humble of women in WayU society. \VayU women who travel by truck or bus Throughout the world, drug traffick- are searched in this way. Those who trav. ers use '"mules.. to transport small quanti· el in private cars are not affected. ties of drugs from one spot to another. h is no exageration to call these strip Here, drugs need only be carried the few searches a violation of our fundamental kilometers from Colombia to the frontier rights. The searches violate our dignity as cities of Venezuela. In this activity, Way(l human beings, it is not only an ass.'luh on women are in demand for their stamina, our morality, but only exposes the popuaudacity and capacity to overcome fear. lation to venereal diseases and conNonetheless, the government's actions tributes to the deteriorating physical. to arrest violence generated by the drug emotional and mental health of the Way(l trade have put Indigenous people at the women. We hope that this statement center of a connict which. in many cases, causes renection on this issue. as our jeopardizes women the most. Even people are living under inhuman condithough we understand that the authori- tions under the indifferent glances of the ties reaction is logical, and that the authorities. ~ 35 �ORGANIZATION AND COMMUNICATION Indigenous People's Alliance <IPA> Update countries to panake in the next encounter. Those pre-.sem emri. Indigenous Peoples Alliance (IPA) members auended the Tohono O'odham Human Rights Conference in Sells. Arizona, on july 29-30 in the lohono O'odham Nation, extending alliances across the Mexico/U.S/Canada borders. Following the conference in Sells, the IPA convened in Phoenix for a strategy and planning meeting on Aug. I. Representatives from sioned the promotion and encouragentcnt of elders around the Tonanrzin, Indigenous Environmental Network, En'owkin ciples for the CONIC constitutional convention were distributed for cotnment and discussion on recruitment strategy undenak· en. Members were updated on the situation in Chiapas by was the 1heme of this congress sponsored by the CH1-G (Council of May Education of Guatemala), Aug. 8-11, 1994, in Que1zahenango attended by approximately 350 Ma)'a teachers. In discussing 1he needs of the Maya, their reality and cosmovision, spirituality and philosophy, 1he teachers recommended Marcos Perez Gomez from ORIACH (Organizacion Regional de los Altos de Chiapas). the initiation of Maya curriculum in both rural and urban areas. including: Mayan mathematics. astronomy, medicine, linguis· Center, and Peace and Dignity Project auended. The draft prin- For' mon: information. Contact: Tonatiern. POll24009, Phoenix Az 85074 Tel: 602- 254-5230 Fa." 602-252-6094 First Encounter of Maya Elders and Spiritual Guides in Guatemala Maya elders and spiritual guides met on March 13-22. 1994, at the different cardinal points in Tecpa'n, Guatemala. This gathering wns a chance for an exchange of information on Maya astrology with an ernphasis on predicting cycles which can aid elders in their healing rituals. The Maya Calendar was a major point of discussion. Some people believe that the prophecies o f the calendar will have a great impact over the next 20 years. A council of elders and spiritual guides fonned at this encounter with the intention of unifying Indigenous communia ties. The panicipants also decided to invite elders from other world to practice, exchange, and impan their traditional teachings and healing practices. First Congress of Maya Education "The time has come that we re-initiate the cirdc of light. .... tics, ans. philosophy. productivity and culture. They also called for the opening of more schools for training bilingual MayaSpanish teachers, and the institutionalization of21languages by the Academy of Maya languages. Workshops to Train Indigenous Journalists Planned in Norway SAI IC·Norway representative Sebastian Lara and Sami journalist Unni Wenche Gronvold are establishing an Indigenous journalists Project in Oslo, Norway. The p roject will o rganize training workshops for Indigenous journalists from throughout the conrinent. These workshops will strengthen the lntemalional Association of Indigenous Press (AlPIN) which is currently broadcasting from Mexico City. SAIIC-Norway is seek- ing economic assistance from governments who are sponsoring to 1he U.N. Decade for Indigenous Peoples, as well as from the Spanish News Agency EFE. The Foreign Relations Office of the Norwegian government is now swdying SAllC·NorwayS pro· posal. This project will enable more Indigenous journalists to repon on their own struggles. F4r m4rt infonnatlon and to send a$$fSrancc: SAIIC-Norge. Torgatta 34.0183 Oslo. Norw.>y Free Workshops For the Women of La Quebrada de Humahuaca, Argentina The women of Quebrada de Humahuaca Province. in the Republic of jujuy, Argentina. have been organizing . Recently, this work included designing n ew practical components for the States educational system, including the prac1ice of preserving fruits and vegetables, weaving, hcahh education, ceramics. music and dance, and especially the recuperation of their native language Kechua. This project results from free workshops orgaInd igeno us w o men's committee meets betow the wip h&t& 36 nized independently by women in various localities. Also the educational amhorities. OIGEMAS. and the Ministry of Culture M:Jya Yala News �ORGANIZATION and Education all included the women~ proposals into the state system. The workshops' primary objectives have been to achieve incen- tives for panicipation through collective organiz.. 'l.tion. incentives for production based on a subsistence oconomy, incorporation of modem techniques, re-valuation and advancement of the culture, recovery of the native tongue. Kcchua. and improving the standard of li'""&· For mort: infotmalion~ J~ de Ia lglesia/2238-Cu)"'ya·Son Salvador de jujuy Rcp~blica Argcntin.V Tel: 29605 Ecuadorian Indigenous Women's Forum The forum was held between july and Sept. . in preparation for the Fourth Women$ Conference. Women from the Quichua. Slmar, Achuar. Siona, Cofan, Secoya, lioao. Awa, Chachi, Tsachi and Huancavilcas prepared the document "Women of Yesterday, Women of Today, Always 'Women, \Ve weave the Fmure of Our People.. which analyzes their situation within the communmes and within Ecuadorian society in general. They demand recognition of the different Indigenous nation· alities within a Plurinational state, demarca· tion of Indigenous territories, and the granti· ng of communal ownership over them. At the same time, they requested govern· ment attention to improving agricultural and anis..·m production and commercialization. better infrastruc-ture. education and health services. They also demanded respect for Indigenous peoples human rights and the par· ticipation or women in the processes that affect them. For more informa!lon, or ro obtain tilt meeting~ final dccumcm: Agel'lcia latino:uncrica.na de 1nfonnaci6n (ALAI). Casilla 17-12-$77. Quito. Ec\lador. Av. 12 de oetubre 622 y Paula. Edificio 6ossano. Of. 503. Tel: (593) 2 505 074 Fax: (593) 2 505 073 First Regional Encounter of Mapuche Women in Chile The Mapuche Zomo Ni Unel Xawl"' (First Regional Encounter of Mapuchc Women) was Vol. 8 No.3 AND COMMUN I CATION organized by the Coordinating Commiuee of Mapuche Women\; Institutions of the IX Region on Sept. 5. Participants worked to analyze a number of fundamental cultural concepts in order to understand and implemem them from an Indigenous perspec· tive. Concepts like Mapuche identity; health and its relation to the sacred: education. and its relation to wisdom~ the exercise of memory and precision~ were central themes of the discussion. Finally they addressed the situation of Indigenous women who cominue to live in the communities as well as those who have migrated. �CA L E H D A R 0 F EV E H T S Oct.17-18 Nov. 30-Dec. 2 Seminar on Self-determination for Indian Peoples National and International Conference on NAFTA Indigenous people from throughout Mexico will participate in this conference organized by El Colegio de Mexico, under the leadership of Rodlofo Stavenhagen. The Aukir1 Wallmapu Ngulam (All lands Council) is calling this conference in Temuco, Chile out of concern fo r the governments plans to join NAFTA by the end of next year. Qmtact: Rod~fo Stavtnhagen, tcVfox: 52-5·645·59·55 ContGGt: Au.hifl WQ.Ilmapu Ngulam, General Mackenna 152 Ca.silla 448, Tcmuco. Chile teVfax: 56-45-235-697 Oct. 20- Nov. 15 Big Mountain to Chiapas Good Medicine Run This relay run will begin in Big Mountain and proceed to Brownsville, TX. (Oct.20·29). Second leg is from Brownsville to Chiapas (Nov. l-15). Each night of the run traditional exchanges or Native American cultures will take place. Sacrtd Run Foundation, Inc. PO BX 315 Newport, Kenrutky 41071 Td: (606)581·9456 Fax: (606)581-9458 Dec. 9-10 Summit of the Americas President Clinton has invited the other p residents of the Americas to Miami , Florida, to establish a strategy for develop· ing a new relationship between the American states. Clinton is ex1>ected to pressure the latin American states to accept U.S. patent laws and the international agreements of NAFTA and GATf. Indigenous people " "" work to establish an alternative Oct. 22-24 meeting, and pressure governments to accept Indigenous partie· ipation. Guatemalan Government and URNG Re-open Negotiations Peace negotiations between the Guatemalan government and the Dec. 12 National Revolutionary Union of Guatemala guerilla movement will re~open in Mexico City. lndian groups will be working to gain emrance into these talks which will affect Indigenous communities throughom Guatemala. Nov. 10-20 Symposium: " 502 Years of Denied Rights" The Centro di Doeumentazione della Etniein Firenze, Italy, is organizing this conference focusing on rights to land. spirituality and identity. Contact: Villa Fabbricoui· via Viu. .Emtlntu:lt 64, 50134 Flrcnzc, ltalla, tel/fax: 39-55·48860 Nov. 13 First Indigenous Autochtonous Festival Dancers and Musicians will be coming to La Paz from all over Bolivia to commemorate the deuh of Aymarn heroe Tupac Katari in 1781. Ccntatt: CED1MA (Aymara \Vom<n$ Center for ldcologtcal Dis<u5Sion. tel/fax: 591-2.35-48-74 38 Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples The United Nations will inaugurate the Decade for Indigenous People during International Human Rights Day in New York City. Indigenous leaders from around the world are expected to attend. Comact: Tonaticrra, 1818 S. 16!h St, Phoenix, AZ 85034 #418 T<l: 602-254-5230 Or conratt SAliC January. 1995 Indigenous Peoples, Customary Law and 'Intellectual Property Rights' Workshop The workshop \viii be held at the SAIIC offices in O..kland. Indigenous representatives from Meso and South America ' vill gather to develop Indigenous strategies for long-term survival in the face of new exploitation aimed at Indian lands. Sponsors are still needed to suppon participation of Indigenous delgates. Comact: SAIIC or the Indigenous PeopleS Biodi\'trsicy Network, Suit< 620. I Nltlrolas St. Ouawa, Ontario, KIN787 Tel: (613) 241 4500 Fax: (613) 241 2292 Abya Yala News �S A I I C News from S S~IIC ... AIIC is tn the midst of many changes. We h.-·e changed our name to the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center to bet· ter rcOcct the focus of our activit<>. Wlule rninee as international relat1ons coordinator. SAIIC board member and women's project coordinator. Wam Alderete fur· thercd her information g.11henng on tm· ditional health systems and auended a infonnation gathering and dissemination conference on women and traditional continue to be major projects fo r us. the health hosted by Way\1 Indians this new name describes more clearly our role September in Venezuela. In conjunction in International organizing: to fight for Indian peoples' rights. In a more concr<te change. we will also be mo,1ng tn No"ember to new office spaces at 171'1 Fmnkhn (3rd Floor). also in downtown Oakland. Tins large new sp3cc "111 acco· modate our expanded team or amcms and volunteers. 0\'CT the summer, we have focused largely on Issues o f biodiversity conserva· tion and Intellectual property rights. which are receiving increasing international attention. SAIIC board member and Cultuml Sur\-ival-Canada. exccutl\'e din:ctor. Alejandro Arnaru Argumedo spent se\'Cml weeks here in Oakland p3r· with The Book Publishing Comp3ny. we ha'" published the second edition of the women's book "Daughters of t\bya Yala" . For the fifth consccuuve ytar. Nilo Cayuqueo represented SAIIC at the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples meeting in GenC\•a. He also helped orga· nizc a planning meeting for 1he Coordinating Committee of Indigenous Nations a nd Organizations of the Continent (CONIC) in Bolivia. St\IIC is pleased to announce that Marcos Yoc, Maya·Caqchiquel from Guatemala, mil be joining the board of dtrectors. Marcos has been :acuve m the Chtmahenango area and works m Maya ticapaung 10 e\'tnlS relating to these 1ssues education. and planntng for our upcoming workhop on ''Indigenous peoples, Customary Law and 'Intellectual Propert y Rights."' This workshop " ;II take place in corly 1995 and will bring together Indigenous peoples from Nonh and South America who arc facing constant thrtats to theor survi"al as cuhures of the land. The work· shop \\111 be an opponunoty for lnd.g<nous peoples to dC\·elop pohey and suateg~es to enhance their struggles for ad,·ancing inherent rights and protecting blo-cultural resources and spiritual values. SAIIC assisted in organizing a plan· ning meeting of the Coord inating Committee or Indigenous women of Meso nnd South America. which took ploce in Boliva this june. SAIIC Mil con· tinue pan•dp3t1ng m the steering com- David Tecklin will be l<aving the SAIIC Office Coordinator position to renew work with forest conservation issues. Ch eryl Musch will be managing the office through the winter. We are also happy to welcome MacArthur Foundation Fellow Marc Becker here to work wuh us for the next y<ar. Marc ,viii be using h•s extensive experience with computer nctworklng to help us exp3nd our inforrnauon systems ~N0.3&4 via the internet. Marc li\'ed in Ecuador last year. where he will return ngain next )'C:rtr to finish research for his disscnation. St\IIC has established on electronic con· terence on PeaceNet called S(liic.indio. \Ve \viii be po&ing a voriety of new and histor· leal infonnation on St\IICs acth~ties and the Indian mo\'ement m thiS conference. The full text o( the &rbados Ill Declamtlon e.•cerpted u1 th•s 1SSue has been po&ed there in English and Sp3nish. To join PeaccNet. c:~ll ('115) 442.{)220. If you already ha"e all Internet e-mail account rou can be placed on a mailing list to receh'C the postings to the SAIIC conference by send· ing a note which simply s. ys "subscribe 1 saiic·l.. to majordomo®igc.apc.org. Over the summer, SAIIC has also been organiza· \'try busy Implementing se\'ernl tiona) str.ueg•es m order to strengthen our work. We completed one of the two public awareness c:amp.•igns planned for thiS )"ear. Approximately 5.000 people in the San Fmncisco 6.1y t\rea received news and information about SAIIC-most likely for the first time. This effort will also help to finance the second planned public aware· ness campaign targeting approximately 200 foundations in the United States. Broadening our base of subscribers to the journal IS cn1ieal m our move tov..ard more self-sustaLnabLiity. You can help with this elTon b)• sending us the names and addresses of anyone who might be interested in receiving infonnation about SAIIC and Abya Yala News. You are cordially invited to SAIIC's Offlce Warming Party 1714 Franklin, 3rd A. Monday. December 14. 1995 6:00-1O:OOpm Refreshments Mil be served. Office \vonning gifts glad I)' accepted. We still need office equipment, including: modems, a scanner, Macintosh or 486 PC computers. as well as alithe usual items. 39 �ITEMS AVAILABLE FROM SAIIC Daughters of Abya Yala Video: Rebuilding Our Communities Testimonies of Indian women orga. Indigenous leaders from Central and South America d iscuss the nizing throughout the Continent. SOO-years campaign, which began as an Indian response to the Quincentenary celebration and has developed as an ongoing d ialogue among indigenous activists. Produced by SAIIC. S18 + S 1.75 shipping. Statements from gra.ssroots Indian women leaders from South and Meso America. rndvdes resolutions from Indigenous women's meetings, a directory of Indian women's orga· nizations and key contacts, informa· tion on Indian women's proiects, and poems by Indian women. Forty-eight pages w ith beautijul black and white photographs. Printed on recycled paper. S6 + S1 .50 shipping. An updated, bound edition is also available for S8 + S 1.50 shipping. Video: A Skirt Full of Butterflies Amazonia: Voices from the Rainforest A resource and action guide with a comprehen.sive listing of international rainforest and Amazonian Indian organizatiions sponsored by SAIIC and the International Rivers N etwork, and pub· lished by Rainforest Action N etwork and Amazopia Film Project. 199 0. Available in Spanish or English for $ 4.50 + S 1.75 shipping. 15 minutes. A love poem to the Isthmus Zapotec women of south· ern Oaxaca, Mexico, by filmmakers E llen Osborne and Maureen Gosling. For every purchase made, a se<ond copy will be sent to an Indigenous women's organization as a gift. S19.95 + S3 shipping. Video: Columbus Didn't Discover Us Native people's petSpcctives on the Columbus Quincentennial based on the footage of the 1990 Quito Conference. 24 minutes. A co-produc· lion of SAIIC, CONAIE, ONIC and Tuming 1id<! Productions. Available in Spanish or E nglish. S19.95 + S1.75 for shipping f< handling . 1992 International Directory & Resource Guide An annotated d irectory of over 600 international organizations that participated in 500 Years of Resistance projects. Includes declarations from Indigenous conferences and organizations and information on curriculum resources, speakers bureaus$ computer netw orks, audio-visual resources and print resources. SS + S1.75 shipping. South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAil C) P.O. Box 28703. Oakland, CA 94604 Non-profit O rganization US Postage PAID Oakland,CA Permit No. 79 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Indian Movements and The Electoral Process Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fall 1994 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Fall 1994 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Fall 1994 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Description An account of the resource Fall 1994 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Fall 1994 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource Fall 1994 English Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Fall 1994 Relation A related resource Fall 1994 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Fall 1994 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Fall 1994 Subject The topic of the resource Fall 1994 Type The nature or genre of the resource Fall 1994 Zotero Artist Fall 1994 Attorney Agent Fall 1994 Book Author Fall 1994 Cartographer Fall 1994 Cast Member Fall 1994 Commenter Fall 1994 Composer Fall 1994 Contributor Fall 1994 Cosponsor Fall 1994 Counsel Fall 1994 Director Fall 1994 Editor Fall 1994 Guest Fall 1994 Interviewee Fall 1994 Interviewer Fall 1994 Inventor Fall 1994 Performer Fall 1994 Podcaster Fall 1994 Presenter Fall 1994 Producer Fall 1994 Programmer Fall 1994 Recipient Fall 1994 Reviewed Author Fall 1994 Scriptwriter Fall 1994 Series Editor Fall 1994 Sponsor Fall 1994 Translator Fall 1994 Words By Fall 1994 Item Type Fall 1994 Note Fall 1994 DOI Fall 1994 ISBN Fall 1994 ISSN Fall 1994 Abstract Note Entire issue Access Date Fall 1994 Application Number Fall 1994 Archive Fall 1994 Archive Location Fall 1994 Artwork Medium Fall 1994 Artwork Size Fall 1994 Assignee Fall 1994 Audio File Type Fall 1994 Audio Recording Format Fall 1994 Bill Number Fall 1994 Blog Title Fall 1994 Book Title Fall 1994 Call Number Fall 1994 Case Name Fall 1994 Code Fall 1994 Code Number Fall 1994 Code Pages Fall 1994 Code Volume Fall 1994 Committee Fall 1994 Company Fall 1994 Conference Name Fall 1994 Country Fall 1994 Court Fall 1994 Date Fall 1994 Date Decided Fall 1994 Date Enacted Fall 1994 Dictionary Title Fall 1994 Distributor Fall 1994 Docket Number Fall 1994 Document Number Fall 1994 Edition Fall 1994 Encyclopedia Title Fall 1994 Episode Number Fall 1994 Extra Fall 1994 Filing Date Fall 1994 First Page Fall 1994 Forum Title Fall 1994 Genre Fall 1994 History Fall 1994 Institution Fall 1994 Interview Medium Fall 1994 Issue 3 Issue Date Fall 1994 Issuing Authority Fall 1994 Journal Abbreviation Fall 1994 Label Fall 1994 Language English Legal Status Fall 1994 Legislative Body Fall 1994 Letter Type Fall 1994 Library Catalog Fall 1994 Manuscript Type Fall 1994 Map Type Fall 1994 Medium Fall 1994 Meeting Name Fall 1994 Name of Act Fall 1994 Network Fall 1994 Num Pages Fall 1994 Number Fall 1994 Number of Volumes Fall 1994 Pages 1-40 Patent Number Fall 1994 Place Fall 1994 Post Type Fall 1994 Presentation Type Fall 1994 Priority Numbers Fall 1994 Proceedings Title Fall 1994 Program Title Fall 1994 Programming Language Fall 1994 Public Law Number Fall 1994 Publication Title SAIIC Newsletter Publisher Fall 1994 References Fall 1994 Report Number Fall 1994 Report Type Fall 1994 Reporter Fall 1994 Reporter Volume Fall 1994 Rights Fall 1994 Running Time Fall 1994 Scale Fall 1994 Section Fall 1994 Series Fall 1994 Series Number Fall 1994 Series Text Fall 1994 Series Title Fall 1994 Session Fall 1994 Short Title Fall 1994 Studio Fall 1994 Subject Fall 1994 System Fall 1994 Thesis Type Fall 1994 Title Fall 1994 University Fall 1994 URL Fall 1994 Version Fall 1994 Video Recording Format Fall 1994 Volume 8 Website Title Fall 1994 Website Type Fall 1994 Attachment Title Fall 1994 Attachment URL Fall 1994 http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/d9a7275c0cc86513d3cd9ac1e66a800d.pdf c851ba5fc015830f303eb835e0f34747 PDF Text Text S oath and Meso A merican I ndian I nformation C enter Newsletter Vol 5 Nos 3&4, December 1990 The Delegations to the Continental Conference on 500 Years of Indian Resistance tour San Francisco de las Cajas which was reclaimed by Quechua Indian people in the Ecuador Uprising. See pages 2, 18, 20 Linking Indian People of the Americas �Table of Contents Editorial ................................................................................................... 3 Amazon 700 Amazonian Indians March for Land & Dignity .................................. 4 Guarani Community Uprooted ............................................................ 6 Indian People of Roraima Issue Call for Help ......................................... 6 Brazilian President Postures Under International Pressure ..................... 7 Toba Reclaim their Traditional Lands .................................................. 8 Mennonites Invade Mbya Lands in Paraguay ........................................ 9 Indigenous / Environmental Summit Held .......................................... 10 Oil Companies Threaten Indian Communities in Ecuador........................ 12 Ecuadorian Government Sued by Indian / Environmentalist Alliance ...... 13 Southern Cone Damn Forces Mapuches to Abandon Ancestral Lands .......................... 15 "Nehuen Mapu" - Interview with Veronica Huilipan ............................... 16 400 Pehuenche Families Refuse to be Driven Off Lands ........................ 17 Kings Visit Protested ........................................................................ 18 Andes Uprising in Ecuador ......................................................................... 19 Declaration of Quito ......................................................................... 21 Arhuaco Indian Leaders Murdered ..................................................... 22 Felipe Quispe Huanca Arrested and Released ..................................... 22 AIGACAA-Integrating Traditional Forms of Organization and Commerce . 23 Coca: Symbol of 500 Years of Resistance .......................................... 24 US Promotion of Militarization Continues ............................................ 27 Peruvian Prosecutor Denounces Massacre in Ayacucho ....................... 28 Meso America Massacre of Tzutijil Indians in Santiago Atitlan .................................... 31 Campesino Unity Committee (CUC) Calls for Solidarity......................... 33 First Gathering of Indian Nations of El Salvador ................................... 34 North America Mohawk Lands Invaded by Canadian Government............................... 35 Indian Student Alliance Denounces US Aggression in Middle East ........ 36 Conference Updates Indian Women Meet in the Land of the Reindeer People ........................ 37 Sixth NFIP Conference Adopts 1992 Resolutions ................................. 39 North American 500 Years Conference to be Held ................................ 39 About SAIIC ................................................................................. Back Page 697-M 2 SAIIC Newsletter �W e are calling on all sectors of society to form an alliance to counter the planned Quincentennial Jubilee and demand that governments, religious institutions, and educational institutions tell the truth about what took place 500 years ago and examine how these injustices continue unabated today. Genocide and ethnocide have been committed against us Indian people by European invaders in the name of "God," "civilization" and "democracy." We realize that we are just one population of many which have been and continue to be victimized by the system imposed upon us by the Western/European culture. African-Americans, brought to this continent as slaves and the Mestizo populations continue with us in our struggles for freedom, justice and respect. On July 17-21, 1990, nearly 400 Indian people, representing 120 nations, tribes and organizations of the Western Hemisphere met for the first time in Quito, Ecuador to discuss their peoples' struggles for self-determination and strategize for a unified Indian response to the 1992 Jubilee celebrations. Despite the offensive denial of truth in the official history, we choose instead to use this symbolic date to reflect upon what the invasion has meant to us, to work with a renewed effort for our autonomy, to educate the people of the world, to celebrate that we are still here and our cultures are still alive thanks to 500 years of resisting, and to formulate alternatives for a better life, in harmony with Mother Earth. We urge you to find out how 1992 is being portrayed and celebrated in your community. Demand that the truth be taught in schools. Support Indian organizations by attending events organized by Indian people. Donate your time and resources to Indian organizations and projects. If you have access to the press, make this available to the Indian Voice. If you belong to an organization, a church group or a club, we urge you to collectively reflect on the 500 years and form alliances with other groups and sectors of society in support of the truth about the colonization of the Americas. Write letters to your political and community leaders and urge them not to celebrate the Quincentennial Jubilee, but to support Native alternatives instead. We, at SAIIC are serving as a liaison between Indian people of the South and Indian people of the North, as well as educating the general public about what the past 500 years has meant to Indian people in South and Meso-America and how we are strategizing for change. See Page 20 for the Declaration of Quito Vol 5 Nos 3&4 3 �700 Amazonian Indians March for Land and Dignity! " We Indian people have walked so that everyone in Bolivia and throughout the world will know that we exist and that we have our rights. We want our ancestral lands which have been stolen by ranchers and logging companies, returned to us. We are perfectly capable of managing these lands on our own!" - Marcial Fabricano (Bolivia) On August 15th 1990, 300 Indian people left the Beni Region of the Bolivian Amazon on a march to the Bolivian capitol of La Paz, high in the Andes. The march grew in strength as they passed through Indian village after Indian village on the long, uphill trek. The marchers mobilized almost one-quarter million lowland Indian people along the way. In La Paz, they publicized the many abuses against their peoples being perpetrated by timber companies and ranchers. Among others, the following communities participated in the march: Chimanes, Yuracares, Matacos, Movimas, Sirionos, Waranis, Mosetenes, Cobendo, Chipayas, Sancalixto, San Lorenzo de Mojos, Chiriwanos. The marchers primary demands are the inmemorial right Indian people have to the lands where they have lived for thousands of years, and that timber companies and ranchers respect these rights. They demanded the return and the restoration of the once pristine forests which the Bolivian government leased to seven lumber companies. In 1978, 1.47 million hectares of the Chimanes Rainforest (located at the entrance to the Bolivian Amazon) was declared a "Forest Reserve." In 1982, 135,000 hectares of the same land was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Then in 1986, the Bolivian government arbitrarily changed the legal status of the Chimanes Forest to "Forest of Permanent Production." The government then began to sell logging concessions within the preserve to lumber companies. Over 11,700 cubic meters of fine hardwood have been cut and no reforestation measures have been taken. The 700 delegates marched for 33 days, experiencing radical temperature changes as they made the Andean climb. In the Highlands, they were greeted by powerful Aymara and Quechua organizations which welcomed their lowland brothers with ancient rituals, where offerings were made to the sacred Achachila Mountains of La Cumbre. Part of the huge success of this historical march is due to the very personal expression of grievances, Indian nation to Indian nation. The idea for the March for Land and Dignity grew out of the Second Encounter for Unity among the Indigenous People of the Beni Region and was led by CPIB (Indig- enous Peoples' Central Office of Beni Province). 4 Please write and express your solidarity with the Central de Pueblos lndigenas del Beni CPIB Casilla 58 Trinidad, Beni BOLIVIA Tel: 011-591-46-21525 SAIIC Newsletter �Last-minute Communiqué • • • As a result of the march, on September 22, the Indian delegates achieved the signing of five Supreme Decrees which restore their rights to their traditional lands and set down the basis for their treatment as equals, rather than as second class citizens. In a recent letter SAIIC received from CPIB, they wish to thank individuals, grass-roots organizations and international institutions which have supported them in their struggle. But the struggle has only just begun! The situation has become tenser and could lead to confrontation at any moment. The Minister of Campesino Affairs in Trinidad (the site of the commencemt of the March) recently ruled in favor of cattle-ranchers who are occupying Indian lands in Ibiato. CPIB was told repeatedly that these ranchers would be removed from Siriono Indian lands and that the government would resolve this issue with the ranchers. The fact is that the terms of the Decrees require that these and other issues be resolved fairly, and they are not. In the meantime, the Indian people of the Bolivian Amazon are witnessing the uncontrollable acceleration of the plundering of resources from their lands. In the letter SAIIC received, CPIB states: For this reason, we would like the Bolivian nation and the international community to know that we will not tolerate further deceit; therefore, we renew our call to the Bolivian people and the international community for their staunch support, so that together, we may be alerted, demonstrating our willingness to see that the Decrees we have earned are carried out in good faith and not be subverted in their intent. The march and successful bargaining for ecological preservation on the part of Indian people, sets a precedent for an effective way of defending the rainforest ecology. There is no alternative to completely removing the "quick profit mentality" of the timber companies. The march has demonstrated that this is possible. CPIB is requesting that letters be written in support of the Indian people of the Bolivian Amazon, demanding that the Five Supreme Decrees be honored by the government. Send letters to: President Jaime Paz Zamora Palacio Presidencial Plaza Murillo La Paz, BOLIVIA Vol 5 Nos 3&4 5 �Guarani Community Uprooted Their Homes Burnt to the Ground to Make Way for Tourist Resort! (Misiones, Argentina) According to AmerIndia Boletin de las Comunidades Indigenas, seven Guarani families, including 17 children, were forced out of their homes, which were subsequently burned. This atrocity took place in the Port of 'guard, in the northeastern province of Argentina, bordering on Brazil and Paraguay. Officials from the government's Land and Colonization Department joined police forces in uprooting the families and burning down their homes. The Guarani families were then forced into a truck and abandoned in a barren, rocky area bordering a garbage dump, where they were forced to spend one of the coldest nights of the year. The violent eviction of the Guarani families, none of whom held official title to their ancestral lands, came as a result of a contract between the Misiones provincial government and the Iguazil Company. The contract was for the sale of 500 hectares to the Iguazli Company (at a cost of $400 million). The company is constructing a tourist complex on the land, which is adjacent to the world-famous Iguazii Falls. People from various organizations expressed their outrage over the evictions and their solidarity with the Guarani families. The Bishop pf Misiones, Joaquin Piera, and the Popular Ecumenical Action Branch in Misiones were among them. Representatives from many Indian organizations expressed support for their Guarani brothers and sisters. The leader of the Guarani community, Jose Espindola, expressed "...great sorrow for the seventeen children who were exposed to the extremely low nighttime temperatures as a result of the eviction, as well as for the incredible lack of sensitivity demonstrated by the white men with respect to our culture and lifestyle." For more information, or to subscribe to Amerindia, you can write to them at: P.C. 207, Suc. 1 1401 Capital Federal ARGENTINA To contact the AsociaciOn de Pueblos Guarani, you can write to them at: P.C. #2 Capiovi 332 Misiones ARGENTINA Indian People of Roraima Issue Call for Help (Brazil) The Macuxi and the Wauja of Roraima are threatened with extinction because the policies of FUNAI (the Brazilian Bureau of Indian Affairs) which encourage encroachment on the lands, lives, and properties of Indigenous peoples. Like the Wauja, leaders of the 15,000 surviving savannah Macuxi have for years formally complained about actions of illegal poachers on their lands. They have witnessed FUNAI effectively defending only those who usurp Macuxi and Wauja lands, lives, and property, and that FUNAI policies have precipitated another era of lawlessness in this region of Roraima. Acts of violence have been committed on behalf of poachers and landowners who are sanctioned by complicitous FUNAI/Brazilian laws. These acts include assault, battery, and hundreds of murders. They have been committed against trade union leaders, competing peasants and/or poachers, as well as Indian people. Two Macuxi Indians from the Jiboia maloca (communal house) of Santa Cruz, in the state of Roraima were killed on June 25, 1990. The two men, 19 year-old Mario Davis and 35 year-old Damiao Mendes, were allegedly murdered by employees of an influential landowner while they were out herding pigs. Their bodies were found on the banks of the Mau River, three 6 kilometers from their house. The Conselho Indigena de Roraima (Indian Council of Roraima - CIR) informed the public of the murders. Earlier in April 1990, the CIR petitioned the federal police and state prosecutor to intervene in racist crimes against lives and properties of Indigenous peoples. They requested an impartial investigation of associated lawlessness involving Roraima's police and poachers and landlords. At present, they also demand: (1) that they undertake full and impartial investigation of the recent murders of Mendes and Davis; (2) that they bring the perpetrators to justice; (3) that they publicize all related decisions, findings, and actions in adjudication of these cases in Roraima. Atamai, the principal chief of the Wauja Nation seeks support from international groups and individuals concerning the violation of their sovereignty and human rights, including religious rights through usurpation of their traditional lands, destruction of their homes and property, and thinly veiled threats upon their lives by foreign and domestic poachers acting in collusion with the Brazilian government. This very old land dispute between FUNAI and the Wauja concerns sacred and fertile agricultural land located in the southwestern SA IC Newsletter �corner of Xingu National Park, south of Batovi and Ulupuene rivers. Atamai accuses FUNAI of the following: (1) the publication of maps which altered the boundary of unceded traditional Wauja lands without the prior consent of the Wauja Nation; (2) failure to rectify initial complaints voiced by Atamai before FUNAI concerning these errors; (3) through omission (e.g., failure to protect rights of the Wauja) and/or commission via these documents, aiding and abetting subsequent foreign and domestic poachers on Wauja lands; (4) subsequent use of indirect threats on Wauja life and property in its attempt to silence Wauja protests concerning land poachers and FUNATs failure to adjudicate Wauja complaints about land rights; and (5) unlawfully defending the usurpation of Wauja lands which the agency now claims belong to non-Indians under Brazilian law. Atamai states that it is urgent that we now pressure the Brazilian government to ethically adjudicate the Wauja situation before lives are lost on both sides. This situation is critical since racist poachers recently destroyed three Wauja houses containing not easily replaceable tools and medical supplies (late summer, 1990). How You Can Help Send letters, Faxes, telegrams, telexes 1) urging that a thorough, prompt and impartial investigation be opened into the killings of Damiao Mendes and Mario Davis, that the results be made public, and that those found responsible be brought to justice; 2) urging that a thorough, prompt and impartial investigation be made of FUNAI concerning the above five accusations, and that justice is carried out in regards to Wauja land claims; 3) respectfully reminding the authorities of their duties to offer effective protection through judicial or other means to individuals and/or groups who are in danger of extrajudicial executions, including those who receive death threats. Send your appeals to: President Collor de Mello Presidencia de la Republica, Gabinete Civil Palacio do Planalto, CEP 70150 Brasilia DF BRASIL Sr Bermardo Cabral Ministro da Justica Esplanada dos Ministerios Bloco 23 70.064 Brasilia DF BRAZIL Fax: 011-55-61-224-4357 Telegrams: Ministro Justica Brasilia, BRAZIL Telex: 391 611003 MNJU BR Vol 5 Nos 3&4 President Postures Under International Pressure Bombing of Airstrips is Meaningless My people, the Yanomami, are dying. When they take the minerals from under the earth, whites do not realize that they are spreading poison throughout the world, and that the world will come to an end, will die. - Davi Yanomami (Brazil) With these words, Yanomami leader Davi Kopenawa describes the tragedy of his people. In the past three years a goldrush has brought 45,000 miners to the state of Roraima, home of the Yanomami Tribe (See SAIIC Newsletter, Vol. 5, Nos. 2 & 3). The mining operations have severely damaged the environment. Mercury residues from the mining operations poison the rivers, killing fish and destroying Yanomami water supplies. Wildlife, essential to the Yanomami diet, is scared away by noise and is decimated by the miners. But most disruptive of all, the new immigrants have brought with them many diseases for which the Yanomami have no immunity. As a result, of the 9,000 Yanomami in the region, as many as 15% have died so far. At this rate, all Yanomami will have disappeared in the next ten years. Last January the Brazilian Government ordered the eviction of the miners, but no real enforcement followed. An estimated 8000 miners remain on Yanomami lands, and more have been returning. Pressured by an international outcry, President Fernando Collor de Mello ordered the bombing of all illegal landing strips, estimated to be about 100, built by the miners, so as to prevent their returning. Since the Presidential decree, only 14 airstrips have been destroyed. Heavy rains have brought any further government operations to a halt while the garimpeiros (gold prospectors) are already recovering the few damaged airstrips. The bad faith of the government and its posturing to hold off criticism are evident by President Collor de Mello's refusal to repeal former President Sarney's decree that permits miners to enter the 35,000 square miles of Yanomami territory, establishing "three garimpeiro reserves." The decrees are uncon- 7 �stitutional, and the Federal Court ordered that they be repealed. Yet the Government continues to allow miners access to these reserves. In fact Roraima's settler population -which is dependent on mining for its subsistencegave the President his largest margin of victory out of all Brazilian states and territories. President Collor has thus pledged he will take into account the miners' interests as well as the Indians'. On March 27th, the new President went to Roraima making his first official visit to Yanomami territory. The President's priorities were not so much to visit Indian villages, but rather to inspect the local military base which is part of the Calha Norte (Northern Headwaters) project. The military program was estab- Toba Reclaim Traditional Lands (Argentina) The Voz de las Primeras Naciones informed us that the Toba community of 011a Quebrada in the Chaco Province (located in the Northeast of Argentina), hosted an assembly organized by the Community Association of Meguesoxochi of Teuco Bermejito on April 7-8. Representatives from eleven Toba Indian communities united to reclaim 150,000 hectares of land between the Teuco and the Bermejito rivers. These lands were recognized as belonging to the Toba by National Decree in 1924, but have been increasingly stolen by logging companies and large cattle ranches. This is partially due to the fact that land titles were never given to the Toba for these lands. About 500 people from 15 local communities participated in the reclamation and the symbolic reratification of the 1924 Decree. Many creole families who have lived among the Toba for more than 50 years, stood in support of their Indigenous neighbors. This proves false the circulating accusations that the Indian people "are on the warpath" against the creole inhabitants. The Creole supporters declared "...today, we stand in solidarity with our brothers in the neighboring community of 011a Quebrada, whom have not yet received official titles to their lands." The Toba leaders stated that the Creole population they are having difficulties with, are those who buy thousands of hectares for logging and cattleranching and never live there. "They don't care that they are cutting off paths with their wire fences and threaten those who try to cross them, and irrationally exploit the valuable Chaquenos trees." 8 lished in 1985 and has installed 26 military outposts along the 3,900 miles of Brazil bordering Colombia, Venezuela, Surinam and the Guyanas. The program has cost $640 million and is designed to attract settlers to these remote areas. On a recent trip to Sao Paulo, Davi Yanomami stated that just dynamiting the airstrips will do nothing to eliminate the problems. "The Collor government isn't worried about the Indians. They want the riches of the forest; they want money. I fear that the government will get the garimpeiros out and the large mining companies will move in," he said. Although they have not received any word on the matter from the provincial government, representatives of the Meguesoxochi Association inaugurated the land reclamation by installing a sign on the Santa Ana Bridge which read s: "Lalamax Nam Qom 'Alhua" or "Toba Dominion'' - 150,000 hectares, by National Decree (February 19, 1924). Please send letters of support and concern for the lands of the Toba people to: Ministerio de Gobierno, Justicia y EducaciOn Dr. Julio Sotelo Resistencia - Chaco, ARGENTINA For more information on the Indian people of Argentina, subscribe to: La Voz de las Primeras Naciones Casilla de Correo #49, Suc. 3-B 1403 Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA SAIC Newsletter �Mennonites Invade Mbya Lands (Paraguay) Several families from the Civil Society of the Sommerfeld Kommittee have invaded lands which were recently reclaimed by the Mbya people. A total of 1,430 hectares were expropriated on November 21, 1989 and designated for use by 90 Mbya families from Cheiro Arapoty, as stipulated in Paraguay Law 23/89. Nevertheless, the Mennonites began erecting prefabricated houses, building roads and cultivating the land without regard for the law. According to Mbya leader Maximo Gonzalez, "...the Mennonites entered our community. They entered 'Mbaratepe' by force, threatening us and ignoring our protests. They told us the law meant nothing to them, that the expropriation papers were pure garbage. A Mennonite named Abraham laughed at General Rodriguez' signature and said all the papers were false. I can't do anything. The Mennonites don't respect the law. We are afraid of the Mennonites. They say they will take us prisoners, punish us and throw us off our land. All of the land you see in front of my house was cultivated by the Mennonites in violation of the law. They arrived in the evening, worked into the night and planted wheat in front of my house." The area affected by the Mennonite invasion is known as Mbaragui 14 and is located within the limits of the Caazapd Project, which poses another serious threat to the Mbya people and was the focus of a campaign launched on June 7 by: the National Team of Misiones from the CEP, the UC Defense of Indigenous Heritage, Socio-Anthropologic and Judicial Professional Services, the UC Center for Anthropological Studies and the Indigenous Support Services. Marilin Rehnfeldt of the Center for Humanitarian Studies in Paraguay writes: Enormous tracts of Indigenous lands are currently being occupied for raising livestock and for agricultural purposes as part of a quasi-official government policy carried out in the name of progress. The forests, hunting and gathering grounds, sacred sites burial grounds have become the private property of livestock owners and non-Indian farmers. The entire process of leaving the Indigenous people destitute and marginalized leads irrevocably to ethnocide. In other words, this process leads to the elimination of Indigenous culture and values and, most importantly, the destruction of the collective identity associated with the land/territory. The 'place of Indigenous culture' or Tekoha, disappears. Approximately 7,000 Mbya live in Eastern Paraguay and the forested regions of Northern Argentina, Southern Brazil and Uruguay. Threats to the cultural, spiritual and social integrity of the Mbya have intensified since the 1950's when rapid capitalist development reached their lands. In more recent years, the Indigenous people of Eastern Paraguay have lost much of their forested land to a colonization project (Proyecto CaazapS) financed by the Paraguayan government and the World Bank. The need for demarcating and legalizing Mbya territory has been voiced since the beginning of the project in 1983, and as of today, only a small minority has seen their lands legalized. Even that small group has had their lands shrunken by the government. To contact the Mbya Guarani Bulletin, you can write to: Mbya Guarani Bulletin Azara 3267 C/Kubischek Asuncion, Paraguay Telephone: 203-618 One of the educational panels held during the campaign focused on the issue of ethnocide. The United Nations definition of ethnocide established in 1948 states: Ethnocide means that an ethnic group, either collectively or individually, has been denied the right to enjoy, develop and transmit its own culture and language: We declare that cultural ethnocide is a violation of international law, as is genocide, and is condemned by the UN Convention for the Prevention and Sanction of Genocidal Abuses of 1948. Vol 5 Nos 384 9 �First Summit Held Between Indian Peoples and Environmentalists (Peru) The Coordinating Body for Indigenous Peoples Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) and international environmental and conservation groups met in Iquitos, Peru in May 1990. The purpose of this historic summit was to analyze the serious deterioration of the Amazon biosphere and search for joint alternative solutions. The first summit between Indigenous organizations and international ecology groups holds great promise for future joint actions in the defense of the Amazon basin. COICA has advanced the idea that the struggle is to preserve not only the land, but also Indigenous communities and cultures which have always recognized the importance of a harmonious relationship between humans and their natural environment. What follows are excerpts from the Iquitos Declaration, signed by representatives of 14 Indigenous organizations and 24 international environmental organizations. We, Indian people and ecologists are here because we share a common concern: respect for the world that we are destined to live in and the conservation of that world for a better life for all of humanity. We Indigenous peoples and our lands are one and the same. To destroy one is to destroy the other. Now we have again become strong through our organizations; we have again become the main actors in the defense of our environment as well as its primary guardians. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, conservation is of great concern to us. We are at a historical and decisve crossroads: either we will disappear along with the forest or we will survive together. For us, the forest is not just another resource, it is life itself. It is the only place where we can live. Migration would mean the death of our people and our culture. The Amazon is our legacy for our children. The 'development' of the forest has been undertaken, seeking short-term profits, which translates to the overuse of certain resources and the elimination of future development possibilities. We think as much of the forest as we do of our own well-being. We have a deep need for diversity and wholeness in our relationship with the forest. As the destruction is reaching alarming proportions, the main concern has become the environment. In this way, we are disregarded and being destroyed as human beings. Millions have been invested in parks whose only guarantees are motivated by the very transitory interests of governments. These guarantees are very weak and fleeting as we see it. Unfortunately in certain cases, the parks and other conservation areas have imposed yet one more obstacle for us, another reduction in our ability to control our land. Sometimes they have only turned out to be reserves for future oil and gold exploration, timber concessions, etc... Parks are not a reality in the same way that a community is. A park is a law and therefore subject to violation, change and dependent on the goodwill of the state. 10 SAIIC Newsletter �Technical considerations and scientific interests alone represent a less effective deterrent than the human defense of communities fighting for our futures. However, joint action could have the most effective results. tion and to use our resources according to the mandates of our tradition and culture, instead of mere demographic groups. This follows the mandates of the United Nations. Our proposal for conservation is nothing more than giving priority to the recognition and recomposition of Indigenous territories through all of the legal mechanisms possible. The Amazon is not under the reign of technicians or isolated bureaucrats, but of a single People which stands firmly behind its conservation because the forest is our only home, our only future. Our life itself is at stake. We think of our land as a continuity, without breaks or divisions, integrated and diverse whose legal guarantees do not differentiate between its diverse elements. It must be as broad as possible to insure a suitable life for each community. It must correspond to community's traditional or current perception of territoriality. This territory should be cared for according to the guidelines set down by that particular community's culture. This community should also have broad control over its resources; the same prerogatives that are granted to any community. Indigenous territory, as an area simultaneously diversified and whole, is conservation at it's best. It is not the false conservation of a museum. It is a complete, integrated use of the resources; one where all is used rationally. The greatest criticism we have received as Indigenous Peoples has been that we don't use or exploit the jungle enough. For us, that is both the highest praise and proof of our inherited wisdom because we do use the whole forest in an integrated fashion, but with such care that our critics don't even realize it. To make use of these rights means that we must demand to have direct representation as communities in any discussion or decision, be it national or international, scientific or political, regarding the fate of the Amazon in such a way that assures respect for our initiatives. So, we don't have a manual, but rather an ancient culture. It is this culture where a mutually beneficial relationship exists with our forests, which should guide environmental action in the Amazon. Our concept of territoriality presupposes another way of understanding land rights and the generation of new rights. It is not only the rights of those who have been here for centuries, it is also the rights of the water, the plants, the animals and of all living things. An Ashaninka leader expressed it clearly when he complained because the government tried to restrict his community to a small area claiming that they were very few people. "Don't the monkeys, the birds and the huanganas also need land to live on?" This is our idea. Furthermore, Indigenous people's land and conservation rights are not just shallow, passing fancies. It is the right of each community to share its life and culture with the land for all generations to come. It is a permanent and profound commitment. All legal and social guarantees regarding the survival of the Amazonian jungle must be tied to our life and survival as Indigenous peoples of this planet. Indigenous land rights will gradually become an effective instrument for conservation as we come to be recognized as communities with rights to self-determinaVol 5 Nos 3&4 If these criteria are applied justly, people will realize that the extent of our presence in the Amazon is much greater than official policy, which tries to dissolve us and wipe us out in order to present us as minorities on the way to extinction (as they would like to believe). Our presence in the Amazon is real and our ability to project ourselves into the future will become more evident as we continue to receive the necessary ideological and fraternal support in order to open the path to Indigenous Territorial and Conservation Rights together with all of its implications for the future of humanity. For all of the above reasons, we propose that the ecology groups of the world ally themselves with Indigenous communities in order to defend the Amazon Basin through collaborative efforts. Achieving the recognition and conservation of Indigenous territories is our common goal: Give Humanity and the Amazon Basin a Future. We invite you to take that step with us here and now. The Iquitos Declaration was signed by representatives from the following Indigenous, international and environmental organizations: COICA, AIDESEP (Peru), CIDOB, CPIB (Bolivia), CONAIE, CONFENIAE (Ecuador), ONIC (Colombia), UNI (Brazil), Indian Law Resource Center, etc..., Conservation International, The Peruvian Foundation Friends of the Earth, Green peace, National Wildlife Federation, Probe International, Rainforest Action Network, The Rainforest Alliance, Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, World Resources Institute, World Wildlife Fund, Cultural Survival, Ford Foundation, Gessellschaft Fur Bedrohte Volker (Austria), Inter-American Foundation, OXFAM America, Campaign for Life in the Amazon, and Survival International etc... As a follow-up to the Iquitos meeting, COICA and environmental organizations met in Washington, DC in August, to further discuss the alliance and strategize for the future. For more information, you can contact COICA at: 1011 Orleans St. New Orleans, LA. 70116 FAX: (504) 522-7815 Tel: (504) 522-7185 or: Jir6n Almagro 614 Lima 11, Peru Tel. 51-14-631983 FAX 51-14-631983 11 �Oil Companies Threaten Indian Communities (Sarayacu, Ecuador) The Texas-based oil company, ARCO (the Atlantic-Richfield Co.) is finishing an exploratory well on Amazonian Quechua Indian lands and in three months the year-long exploratory phase will be over and commercial drilling will begin. Meanwhile, the ARCO drill-sites are being guarded by heavily armed Ecuadorian Military units. This is taking place despite the fact that the Ecuadorian government signed an agreement with OPIP (the Organization of Indian People of Pastaza) last year which stated that all Indian lands in the Sarayacu Region would be demarcated and legalized, and all work being done by oil companies would cease until this happens. The agreement also states that adequate environmental measures would be enforced in the exploitation of resources and that the Summer Institute of Linguistics (a Texas-based missionary organization) would be prohibited from operating in Ecuador. As of today, none of these agreements have been kept by the government. The drilling is being done on Moretecocha Indian lands, near Sarayacu, in the Province of Pastaza, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Pastaza is the most intact Amazon rainforest left in Ecuador. There has been very little colonization except near the capitol of Puyo. This is sure to change if commercial oil drilling begins. Several other oil companies are finishing explorations and gearing up to drill in Pastaza, including British Gas and UNOCAL. What is taking place in Pastaza is an all-toofamiliar scenario which has taken place in rainforest regions throughout South America. First, valuable natural resources are discovered on Indian lands by North American or European companies. Next, the Summer Institute of Linguistics moves in to local Indian communities in order to undermine the Native culture and prevent the influence of Indian federations. Then, roads are built, massive exploitation of resources and rapid colonization begins. National militaries are employed to insure that the process unfolds smoothly and objections are quickly silenced. This is how the Amazon rainforest environment and Indian communities are effectively destroyed. situation is very critical and major violence may be taken against the members of these organizations very soon. The truth is, these organizations are very strong Indian organizations which are attempting to protect their people and homelands from destruction. They are calling on the international community to support them in their struggle. How You Can Help! Please write, call, send Faxes and telexes to ARCO, and President Rodrigo Borja of Ecuador, protesting this critical situation and expressing your solidarity with the Indian people of Ecuador. Please reprint this bulletin in your publications and pass it on to others. Your help is desperately needed! President Rodrigo Borja Palacio Nacional Quito, ECUADOR Telex: 393-223-75 PREREP ED or 393-222-01 PREREP EDL.M. Cook, ExecDir and: Atlantic-Richfield Co. 515 South Flower Los Angeles, CA 90071 Tel: (213) 486-3511 or 486-2049 Please don't let this happen again! Currently, the only people actively working to prevent this from happening in Pastaza is OPIP, CONFENIAE (The Confederation of Indian Organizations of the Ecuadorian Amazon), and CONAIE (The Confederation of Indian Organizations of Ecuador). The Ecuadorian Military has been actively discrediting and harassing all of these organizations, calling them "extreme leftist, violent terrorists." The 12 SAIC Newsletter �"It's Your Land, But..." Ecuadorian Government Legalizes Huaorani Lands Ayuma Tenko explaining the provisions of the land titles to the Huaorani community. (Ecuador) For several years, the Huaorani people, aided by the Confederation of Indian Peoples of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE) have been working on delimiting and legalizing the lands which have historically belonged to them. On April 3, the President of Ecuador, Rodrigo Borja granted, in his words, "612,000 idle hectares" to the Huaorani. 18 Huaorani community leaders traveled to Quito to receive title to their lands in a ceremony held in the Presidential Palace. The ceremony was imbued with political propaganda: "Under my government, you are free men and no longer slaves of anybody or thing...including dogmas of agitators interested in using you as a political instrument..." The small print on the land titles given by the Institute for Agrarian Reform and Colonization explains that the Huaorani "are not allowed to interfere with mineral and oil exploitation by the national government or authorized individuals." These conditions make it very clear that the Ecuadorian government intends to continue the exploitation of oil and other natural resources on Indian lands. This perpetrates the colonial policies of disrespect for Indigenous peoples and their rights to decide their own destiny. The grand political propaganda that accompanied the ratification of the land entitlement, shows how the government is trying to change its negative image in respect to the destruction of the natural environment and the negation of Indigenous rights. Neither CONAIE (the Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador) nor CONFENIAE were invited to the ceremony. Ayuma Tenko, representative of the Huaorani people, upon receiving the ownership titles, commented: "This ratification of our territory is not completely your will. It is the product of years of struggle by our people, of national organizations and of national and international solidarity. Furthermore, Mr. President, we ask that you immediately stop the construction of roads in our territory, that you evict the colonizers that have invaded our lands and the oil companies that are destroying our forests. Someday we will have nothing. If you do not meet our demands, we will defend what belongs to us with our own spears." Ecuadorian Government Being Sued by Indian - Environmental Alliance!!! (Ecuador) On June 4th,1990, the Confederation of i ndigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon 'CONFENIAE) and lawyers of the Sierra Club Legal Defence Fund (SCLDF), together with the Inter-American 2ommission on Human Rights, filed a petition in which :hey charge the Ecuadorian Government with "the endangerment of the lives and culture of Ecuador's ivaorani people through the encouragement of oil ievelopment on the Huaorani's traditional lands." Vol 5 Nos 3&4 CONOCO Ecuador, Ltd, a "wholly owned subsidiary of Dupont, plans to build more than 100 miles of roads and pipelines, as well as dozens of oil rigs, pumping facilities and housing for several hundreds workers" with direct encroachment on Huaorani lands. 13 �About 1,600 Huaorani people live by hunting and shifting cultivation, and are among the most isolated groups of the Amazon rainforest. CONFENIAE president, Luis Varga tragically sums up what the "developers" will bring to the Indian population: Forced employment or unemployment, a loss of the natural resources which guarantee Indian subsistence, as well as general contamination of their environment, the introduction of prostitution, alcoholism and infectious diseases, the destruction of traditional healing methods and natural cures, and the assimilation into a destructive, consumerist society. Furthermore, the abuse of Indigenous people goes hand-in-hand with the destruction of the Amazonian rainforest. Members of both CONFENIAE and SCLDF emphasize how the interests of Indigenous people and conservationists coincide. "By assuring the respect and protection of Indigenous rights, the environment will automatically be protected. On the other hand, efforts to protect the Amazon which do not actively include Indigenous people and elicit their sincere support are doomed to fail." Members of CONFENIAE warn us not to fall prey to governmental demagogic discourse which buries ecologically destructive practices in ecological rhetoric. National parks, forest reserves and protected areas have 14 not meant the protection of the environment in Ecuador, but rather have become new areas for colonialialist exploitation and environmental destruction. The Yasuni Park is a good example of this. Oil exploration and drilling has been frequently conducted within it's borders by CONOCO. Recently 200,000 hectares of Yasuni Park land was granted to CONOCO. The Department of National Forestry has developed a plan in conjunction with CONOCO, by which more than 50% of the total area of the park will be opened to petroleum and mineral operations. The World Bank has been financing oil development in Ecuador and a new loan of $100 million is pending. Indigenous people have filed a petition with the Ecuadorian government and the World Bank in which the respect for Indigenous cultural and territorial integrity is demanded. For more information, contact: Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund 2044 Fillmore Street San Francisco, California 94115 Tel: (415) 567-6100 SAIC Newsletter �Construction of Dam Forces Mapuches to Abandon Ancestral Lands When the gates to the hydroelectric dam "Piedra del Aguila" were opened, an important part of the Mapuche community of Pilquiniyeu were covered eternally with water. The inundated areas included the cemetery, where our ancestors rest, as well as the site of many cave paintings. - the Indigenous Council of Rio Negro (Rio Negro, Argentina) Heralding the slogan, "Energy to Move the Country," Rio Negro's provincial government, moving fullspeed ahead, signed a contract with the Hidronor Enterprise which allowed for the construction of a major hydroelectric facility at Piedra del Aguila. The facility is one of a series which are planned for the Limay River, stretching from the Rio Negro to the Neuquen Provinces in the South of Argentina. The estimated cost of the project is 1.2 billion dollars and is being financed by the Inter-American Development Bank. The project is expected to generate ten-percent of the country's total energy needs. 4 Vol 5 Nos 3&4 ment for the families who lost their homes and farms in the flooding. The dam was built with such poor standards that a structural crack has already been detected. The Latin American Council of the Social Sciences, FLACSO, said that the damning of these lands is "yet another step in the relentless process leading to the disappearance of the history and cultures of Indigenous peoples." Please send letters of concern, today to: Ministro Edgardo Buyayisqui Minis. de Recursos Naturales Viedma, Rio Negro ARGENTINA In addition to the sacred sites, the 9,300 inundated hectares included a fertile valley, containing extensive forest reserves, fruit orchards and the subsistence farms of 130 Mapuche people. The 29 homeless families were relocated to neighboring lands which the government expropriated. In addition to the land, the government promised these families new homes. Nevertheless, the only homes constructed thus far have been precarious emergency shelters. Clearly, the project budget did not include an allot15 �"Nehuen Mapu"- Strength of the Land An Interview with Veronica Huilipan (Argentina) Veronica Huilipan, a Mapuche Indian from Neuquen, Argentina, participated in the Continental Conference: 500 Years of Indian Resistance, in Quito, Ecuador. Veronica belongs to the organization Nehuen Mapu (Strength of the Land). She spoke to SAIIC about the work Nehuen Mapu is doing in Neuquen. Our organization emerged as a result of concerns shared by Mapuches who had migrated to the city for work, health or educational reasons. These Mapuche families in Neuquen wanted to get together, to speak their own language and overcome their feelings of isolation. The first thing we did was to build a house, a place to shelter those brothers and sisters visiting from the countryside while taking care of personal matters in Neuquen. In the past, many Mapuches arriving in Neuquen from the country were obliged to sleep on chairs at hospitals or on benches in the plaza, due to a lack of resources. After accomplishing our first goal, the building of the house, we began to notice that those of us living in Neuquen were having many problems. We were discriminated against by the white society, within the educational system and at work. For example, the white people would look at us disapprovingly when we spoke in our language. We realized that we had to work on the recovery and practices of our culture. The Council of Elders forms an integral part of our organization. We call the elders "the old ones." The elders give us strength; they motivate us. After we complete a task, they point out our mistakes. The elders play an important role in our organization. They help us understand that if we want to defend and recover what is rightfully ours as Mapuches, we need to do it our way and not as the Western culture does it. For example, the elders are very much opposed to political parties. It hurts them to see a member of Nehuen Mapu endorsing a political party. The elders say: "the politicians come, they take our vote, they give us a few bags of flour and, after the elections are over they never come back. That is how they have used us in the past." 16 When we inaugurated our headquarters, our "ranch," the elders organized a ceremony to give thanks. In our community we had ceremonies only once a year, between February and May. These ceremonies are to thank Ngenechen for all the good we have received. We also thank Ngenechen for the bad, since according to our elders, Ngenechen does not bestow bad things upon us without reason. Ngenechen will make things better the next year. The Grandmothers coming from the Mapuche communities in the countryside advise us to be careful about our behavior; never to forget that we are Mapuches. Mapuches must be respectful. This is an attribute of our people. We want to teach our history to the rest of the people. It is very different from what they read in the books. For example, the so-called "Conquest of the Desert" was when the Argentine army, led by Roca, invaded the desert to kill all the Mapuches, to eliminate us and take our land, imposing Western culture onto our region. Today, in Argentina's schools the children are taught that, thanks to Europe, we are civilized; that thanks to Roca, there are no more Indians. For this reason we go to the schools making presentations which give our side of history. The students have no idea why the "Conquest of the Desert" occurred, nor who financed it. The conquest was not the result of a lone army acting independently. It was the result of an economic'power dominating Argentina. The multinational corporations are guilty of creating our poverty. As a result, today in Argentina, we suffer from poverty and unemployment. The English financed the invasion of the desert. They wanted Patagonia free of Indians because the land was good and fertile. They paid Roca's army to exterminate us. They were not successful. In hindsight they claim the invasion was done in the name of "civilization," "religion," or some other reason... We ask those who justify the invasion in these terms: if progress and civilization were the reasons for the invasion, why are those now in control of the lands of Patagonia, English, and not Argentinian? The same process is unfolding today. SAJIC Newsletter �In Neuquen, we are trying to inform the people in our 35 Mapuche communities about the 500 years campaign, We are in the process of making a video. We already have a radio program called "Quinte Fold" (Searching for our Roots) . We use the radio to share our culture, our customs, religion and language. We also use the media to denounce human rights violations against our communities and our people. ARAUCARIAS Participating in the Continental Gathering: 500 Years of Indian Resistance provided an opportunity for me to meet with my Indian sisters from North, Central and South America. I participated in the Women's Commission. Before the Continental Gathering, I knew women were organized and struggling for their rights, but I didn't know there were so many of them! It was very encouraging to meet all these women. This meeting has given me yet another issue to discuss with my brothers and sisters - the organizing of Mapuche women. The situation of Mapuche women has not really come to light in Argentina. I observed that Indian women spoke on a variety of subjects, yet they all shared the same perspective, the same feelings. I really enjoyed how the women spoke from their hearts. It seems like many times people struggle using only their intellect. Many errors are made that way. At some point in the future and I don't know when that might be, Indian women will be united into one huge organization extending from the national to the international level. Nehuen Mapu Juan B. Justo 33 8300 Neuquen ARGENTINA 400 Pehuenche Families Refuse to be Driven Off Lands by Lumber Company In the harshest winters, when it's cold enough to kill our cows, our families depend on the Araucaria trees for survival. These trees are the only guarantee for our future. When they cut them, they are cutting off our future. The Araucaria are stronger than us... for thousands of years, it's been our source of life. - Don Melinir of the Quinquen Valley (Chile) The Pehuenche people of the Quinquen Valley have been struggling for years to obtain official and rights. The Chilean government, meanwhile, has ;old their lands to the Galletue Lumber company. The umber company won a court battle by arguing that the 'ehuenche do not use their lands to their fullest potential )y not harvesting the valuable and endangered Arauca-ia trees. These ancient and beautiful trees are central to -he lives of the Pehuenche, who have a variety of uses for :he nuts. The Pehuenche settled in the Quinquen Valley n 1880, after escaping the persecution of the Chilean 'acification Plan. The 400 Pehuenche families in the Quinquen Valley were ordered off their lands by November 4, 1990. After this date, the lumber company has the legal right to :all in the military to evict them. The lawyer for the ipecial Commission for Indigenous Peoples (CEPI), Eduardo Astorga, stated that the situation is becoming very dangerous because the Pehuenche have announced :hat they would only leave their lands in coffins. If there Vol 5 Nos 3&4 17 �is a forced eviction, he fears that it will lead to a battle. On November 21, the Pehuenche residents blocked the roads to the valley to stop the logging company from taking out truckloads of araucaria trees. Pehuenche leader Ricardo Meliñir stated that they have taken the action because the land and all that is on it, is still in dispute. The previous Wednesday, the Pehuenche saw twelve truckloads ofthe sacred trees being hauled off and have kept a permanent vigil since then. He reports that they are willing to block the roads indefinitely. The assistant to the government on Indigenous Issues of Governorship has accused the Communist Party of provoking false hopes of land recuperation among the Mapuches, inciting them to fight for their rights. Kings Visit Protested (Chile) Since September 28, 1989, the National Commission of Mapuche Communities "500 Years for Our Identity and Autonomy" and the Council of the Lands (Aukin Wallmapu Ngulan) have been carrying out a campaign focusing on the "teachings of Mapuche ideology" in Chile. The Mapuche population in Chile comprises 10% of the nation's total number of inhabitants. Nevertheless, the newly installed government of Patricio Alwyn has demonstrated a blatant lack of sensitivity with regards to this significant sector of the population. Among the most recent affronts to the Mapuche population was the invitation to the King of Spain to visit the southern Chilean city of Valdivia as part of the 500 years "celebration of the discovery of America." Valdivia is located in the heart of Mapuche lands (the provinces of Valdivia, Malleco, Cautín, Osorno, Chiloé, Bío Bío, and Arauco have large Mapuche populations, which constitutes a majority of the province's total population). The invitation of the King of Spain to Valdivia was followed by an offer to make Chile the headquarters for the Ibero-American Conference scheduled for October, 1990, an action denounced by the Mapuche, Rapanui (of Easter Island), and the Aymara people in Chile. Despite these recent affronts by the Alwyn regime, and the democratic and human rights violations committed between 1973 and 1989 by the notorious Pinochet dictatorship, the Mapuches in Chile have both maintained and strengthened their organizations over the past few years, enabling them to successfully car ry out many important activities. In November of 1989 th e Mapuche people commemorated their Final Uprising, holding meetings with various regional and national government officials. Also, the First National Conference of Authorities and Personalities of Mapuche Origin was held April 23-26 of this year. The Council of All the Lands declared this Conference "an important step for our people considering it has been nearly a century since 18 these Mapuche leaders were wrested from their positions Following the loss of control over our lands. Now we are meeting once again. In the company of many international guests, including our Indigenous brothers from Argentina, Bolivia, and Canada, we analyzed a variety of issues bringing the event to a close with a Nguillatun (Mapuche ceremony) at Cerro Nielol in the city of Temuco. 2,500 brothers and sisters attended the N guillatun. A Meli Wuitralmapu (Meeting of the Four Corners of the Earth) was held on October 10 and 11 of this year. The objective of the Meli Wuitralmapu was to 'promote activities rejecting the 500 years celebrations." According to a document produced by the Council of All 'he Lands, "a Meli Wuitralmapu is both the procedure for organizing and the form of organization which our ancestors used to analyze situations of importance to us Is a people." Approximately 450 people participated in the Meli Wuitralmapu, including our Mapuche, Aymara, and Rapanui brothers, as well as many international guests. The plans for October 10 and 11 reflect the broad perspective held by the Mapuche organizations enabling them to carry out the many activities conducted thus far. The earlier mentioned document by the Council of All the Lands summed up the point of view held by these Mapuche organizations in the following manner: Today, after five centuries of invasion, the Mapuche people, along with many other Native Peoples, continue to exist. We are now emerging as a new movement, fighting for both immediate rights and needs, as well as a far-reaching, comprehensive politic which links our own ideological goals with those of other poor sectors of the population and questions the essence of the nation state concept embodied in the Latin American nations of today. As we approach 1992, a wide range of social and political sectors are coming together to celebrate the so-called "discovery" of America and the alleged "civilizing" process undertaken by Spanish colonialism. By participating in these celebrations and naming the celebration "The Meeting of Two Worlds," these sectors are attempting to deny the existence of the most massive attempt at genocide undertaken in the history of our nations. Following the formation of the nation states, we were forced to endure the process of internal colonization. Embodied in this process was the systematic denial of our existence as nations and the imposition of a different life-style as a result of the policies implemented by the descendents of Spanish colonialism. Nevertheless, Mapuches continue to exist as a people because of the strength and richness of our culture, passed on to us by our ancestors. SAIIC Newsletter �Uprising in Ecuador! (Ecuador) One-hundred representatives of the nine Indigenous Nations of Ecuador met and decided to stage the "First Uprising of Indigenous Peoples" on June 4th. The uprising was a response to the Borja administration's treatment of Native peoples and their continuous disregard for agreements made, promising restraint regarding the exploitation of Indian lands by multinational corporations. Amazonian province of Napo. The uprising quickly spread throughout the nation as people proceded to congregate in massive protest demonstrations engulfing the nation's population centers. All major thoroughfares in Ecuador were blocked, and the situation was complicated by a general strike among farmworkers. The decision to call for an uprising was spearheaded by the country is the history of 500 years of Indigenous resistance against colonialism, oppression, discrimination and neocolonialism. The Indigenous Uprising demonstrates the continuity of a struggle begun by Rumitahui, Tupac Amaru, and other leaders who fought to recover the lands belonging to our forefathers." Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador (CONAIE), the Confederation of Indian Organizations of the Ecudorean Andes (ECUARUNARI), and the Confederation of Indian Organizations of the Ecuadorean Amazon (CONFENIAE) the umbrella organizations which includes all major Indian organizations in Ecuador. Collectively, these organizations represent approximately four million people. The decision was made in early June, in the town of Pujili, Cotopaxi Province. The uprising began with a sit-down occupation of the Santo Domingo Church in Quito by approximately 200 Indian people and their supporters from human rights organizations. Simultaneously, all major roadways were blocked in the Vol 5 Nos 3&4 At the start of the uprising, CONAIE declared "the history of our Violent clashes between the military, police and Indian people took place in various parts of the country, leading to several casualties and the arrest and detainment of some leaders. According to ECUARUNARI, Oswaldo Paguay, one of their leaders was killed by the military in the Chimborazo Province. CONAIE demanded that the Borja government comply with the Sarayacu Agreement signed in June, 1989. The 16 point agreement in- 19 �cludes a demand for the return of stolen lands and that negotiations be held in good faith to solve existing land conflicts, the immediate halt to oil exploration and exploitation on Indian lands, the recognition of an Indigenous Nationality Law, which recognizes Ecuador as a plurinational state, and the immediate expulsion of the Summer Institute of Linguistics from Ecuador. Negotiations began on June 7th, when the demonstrators left the Quito church and the military released those they had arrested. The Archbishop of Quito, Antonio Gonzalez and Bishop Victor Corral of Riobamba mediated the talks between CONAIE and the government to put an end to the violence. President Borja ordered the military into the "conflict zone" while publicly accusing "irresponsible agitators of manipulating the Indigenous people, encouraging them to commit acts of violence which blocks the economic progress of Ecuador, as well as the arrival of food supplies to the cities." From November 9-15, police and paramilitary groups hired by local landowners, violently evicted Indian people from lands which historically are theirs in the Quechua communities of San Francisco de las Cajas, Huaycopungo, 1 de Mayo, and San Clemente. During the attack, Gaitana Farinango was killed and more than 40 men, women and children were wounded, homes were burned and gardens were destroyed. This act of violence was denounced by CONAIE, who then announced a break in the negotiations with the Ecuadorian government on November 19th, after five months of unsuccessful negotiations. In an open letter to President Rodrigo Borja, dated November 11th, CONAIE states that "the government is responible for the attacks on the Indigenous and campesino movements and we call on you the President to reflect on the dangerous consequences of permitting the paramilitary groups who work for the landowners, along with the complicity of police forces to carry out such attacks with impunity." After this, the government issued an order for the capture of Luis Macas, Vice President of CONAIE and eight other Indian leaders. Please send letters and telexesof concern to: President Rodrigo Borja Palacio Nacional Quito, ECUADOR Telex: 393-223-75 PREREP ED -■ 20 SAIIC Newsletter �Declaration of Quito Indigenous Alliance of the Americas on 500 Years of Resistance, July 1990 The Continental Gathering "500 Years of Indian Resistance," with representatives from 120 Indian Nations, International and Fraternal organizations, met in Quito, Ecuador on July 17-20, 1990. The gathering was organized by the Confederation of Indian Nations of Ecuador (CONAIE), the Organization of Indian Nations of Colombia (ONIC) and SAIIC. The following is the Declaration from this gathering.To order the English translation of the conference resolutions, please send a five dollar contribution to SAIIC. The North, South and MesoAmerican conference participants declare before the world the following: We Indians of America have never abandoned our constant struggle against the conditions of oppression, discrimination and exploitation which were imposed upon us as a result of the European invasion of our ancestral territories. Our stuggle is not a mere conjunctural reflection of the memory of 500 years of oppression which the invaders, in complicity with the "democractic" governments of our countries, want to turn into events of jubilation and celebration. Our struggle as Indian People, Nations and Nationalities is based on our identity, which shall lead us to true liberation. We are responding aggressively, and commit ourselves to reject this "celebration." The struggle of our People has acquired a new quality in recent times. This struggle is less isolated and more organized. We are now completely conscious that our total liberation can only be expressed through the complete exercise of our self-determination. Our unity is based on this fundamental right. Our self-determination is not just a simple declaration. We must guarantee the necessary conditions that permit complete exercise of our self-determination; and this, in turn must be expressed as complete autonomy for our Peoples. Without Indian self -government and without control of our territories, there can be no autonomy. The achievement of this objective is a principal task for Indian Peoples however, through our struggles we have learned that our problems are not different, in many repects, from those of other popular sectors. We are convinced that we must march alongside the peasants, the workers, the marginalized sectors, together with intellectuals committed to our cause, in order to destroy the dominant system of oppression and construct a new society, pluralistic, democratic and humane, in which peace is guaranteed. The existing nation states of the Americas, their constitutions and fundamental laws are judicial/political expressions that negate our socio-economic, cultural and political rights. At this point in our struggle, one of our priorities is to demand a complete structural change which allows for the recognition of Indian people's rights to self-determination, and the control of our territories through our own governments. Our problems will not be resolved through the selfserving politics of governmental entities which seek integration and ethno-development. It is necessary to have an integral trasformation at the level of the state and national society; that Vol 5 Nos 3&4 is to say, the creation of a new nation. In this Gathering it has been clear that territorial rights are a fundamental demand of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. Based on these aforementioned reflections, the organizations united in the First ContinentalGathering of Indigenous Peoples reaffirm: 1. Our emphatic rejection of the Quincentennial celebration, and the firm promise that we will turn that date into an occasion to strengthen our process of continental unity and struggle towards our liberation. 2. Ratify our resolute political project of self-determination and our autonomy, in the framework of nation states, under a new popular order, with respect for whatever forms of organization each Nation determines appropriate for their situation. 3. Affirm our decision to defend our culture, education, and religion as fundamental to our identity as Peoples, reclaiming and maintaining our own forms of spiritual life and communal coexistence, in an intimate relationship with our Mother Earth. 4. We reject the manipulation of organizations which are linked to the dominant sectors of society and have no Indigenous represenatation, who usurp our name for (their own) imperialist interests. At the same time, we affirm our choice to strengthen our own organizations, without excluding or isolating ourselves from other popular struggles. 5. We recognize the important role that Indigenous women play in the struggles of our Peoples. We understand the necessity to expand women's participation in our organizations and we reaffirm that it is one struggle, men and women together, in our liberation process, and a key question in our political practices. 6. We Indian Peoples consider it vital to defend and conserve our natural resources, which right now are being attacked by transnational corporations. We are convinced that this defense will be realized if it is Indian People who administer and control the territories where we live, according to our own principles of organization and communal life. 7. We oppose national judicial structures which are the result of the process of colonization and neo-colonization. We seek a New Social Order that embraces our traditional exercise of Common Law, an expression of our culture and forms of organization. We demand that we be recognized as Peoples under International Law, and that this recognition be incorporated into the respective Nation States. 8. We denounce the victimization of Indian People through violence and persecution, which constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights. We demand respect for our right to life, to land, to free organization and expression of our culture. At the same time we demand the release of our leaders who are held as political prisoners, an end to repression, and , restitution for the harms caused us. u 21 �Three Arhuaco Indian Leaders Murdered (Colombia) SAIIC learned from Amnesty International of the torture and killing of three leaders of the Arhuaco Indians from the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Department of Magdalena. Luis Napoleon Torres, former governor and spiritual leader of the Arhuaco and mediator between the community and the Colombian authortities, was killed together with community leaders Angel María Torres and Hugues Chaparro in circumstances suggesting they may have been victims of extrajudicial execution. On November 28, the three set out from Valledupar, the capital of the Department of César, on a bus going to Bogotá. According to eye-witness reports, the bus was stopped near a town called Curumani in the south of César by a group of heavily armed men wearing army uniforms, who forced the three men off the bus. On December 13, the bodies of Hugues Chaparro and Luis Napoleon Torres were found in an unmarked grave in Tomalinda, César, showing signs of severe torture. The body of Angel María Torres was found on December 14, in El Paso, César, also showing signs of torture. Members of the Arhuaco community and the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) have denounced the killings to the Procurator General, who has a human rights monitoring role in Colombia, and to other national authorities. In recent years human rights violations have occurred on an increasing scale in Colombia. Armed forces counter-insurgency operations have been progres- sively intensified to combat the country's guerrilla groups. In areas where guerrilla forces are active, the local civilian population is often perceived by the armed forces as potential collaborators and has, as a result, been subjected to arbitrary arrest, torture, "disappearance" and extrajudicial execution by army personnel and civilians working for them. Civic and community leaders, including leaders of Indigenous communities in areas where guerrilla forces are active, have been particular targets. The majority of abuses have been attributed by Colombian authorities to civilian "death squads" which it claims it is unable to control. However, independent investigations, including judicial enquiries, have concluded that many such groups operate under the command or with the support of the Colombian armed forces. We urge you to send letters urging that there be an immediate enquiry into their deaths, the results of which should be made public and urging that all possible measures be taken to protect the lives of Indigenous community leaders to ensure that they are able to carry out their lawful activities. Send your appeals immediately to: Presidente César Gaviria Trujillo Presidente de la República Palacio de Nariño Bogotá, COLOMBIA Telegrams: Presidente Gaviria, Bogotá, Colombia Telexes: 396 41224 PRGEN CO Felipe Quispe Huanca Arrested! Released Due to Urgent Action Response!! Woodcut from the Asamblea Zapote” Chinanteca Oaxaca a Mexico (Bolivia) On the 14th of November 1989, policemen arrested Felipe Quispe Huanca, union leader of the Federation of Campesinos Tupak Katari of La Paz. He was held for several months in the Public Prison of San Pedro in La Paz. The government accused Felipe of being the perpetrator of assaults with explosives against the central offices of two political parties. Felipe vehemently denies these charges, indicating that they are reprisals for his trade union activities among Indian communities. Felipe has worked extensively with Aymara Indian communities. He was arrested on his return from a gathering of 5,000 Indian people, honoring the famed Indian leader, Tupak Katari, killed for his resistance to the Conquistadors. Felipe was held prisoner for months without formal charges or a trial. SAIIC sent out an Urgent Action request in June of 1990 and Felipe Quispe Huanca was released in August. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all those who responded to the Urgent Action. Please take the time to respond to as many of the Urgent Actions as you possibly can as they are often proven to be effective. 22 SAIIC Newsletter �Al GACAA Integrating Traditional Forms of Organization, Modern Technology and Commerce (Bolivia) AIGACAA (Association of Llama and Alpaca Farmers of the High Andes) is an organization comprised of approximately 800 heads of households from ayllus (traditional Andean community structures) where the principal occupation is that of raising llamas and alpacas. AIGACAA has been functioning as an organization for over ten years. In June, Rene Pacasi, President of AIGACAA and Luis Ticona, the Administrator, were interviewed by SAIIC in Chuquiago, Kollasuyo (La Paz, Bolivia). They spoke of their successful experiences in community organizing. AIGACAA is organized in a manner corresponding with and helping to maintain the ayllu structure, which is the original form of organization in our communities. The ayllu structure continues to exist in most of what is now considered Bolivia. When speaking of the ayllu, we are referring to the territory occupied by the community and the natural resources controlled by the people of that community, such as the llamas and alpacas. The ayllu has a particular form of leadership, the maximum authority of which is the jilacata. It is not easy to become a jilacata, it is a step-by-step procedure. The jilacata holds this position for one year and is not elected by the Western system of voting. A jilacata must demonstrate good moral conduct and leadership abilities within the ayllu and becomes the authority as a result of proving these qualities. In the process of organizing AIGACAA, we analyzed various organizational structures. We have found that the imported models are not effective. We took a careful look at our own Indigenous forms of organization, which take into account our particular economic situation. We wanted to strengthen the economy of the ayllu. One aspect of our workplan is to train members in methods to increase the production and quality of our animals. Since our organization is primarily concerned with livestock, we provide support by offering trainings to our members. We have an agreement with the University of Puno in Peru, which has been training many of our members as veterinary assistants and veterinarians. These scholarships require that these individuals return to their ayllus of origin to care for the animals of the community. AIGACAA also conducts literacy classes and craft workshops within communities. AIGACAA was successful in obtaining permission from the Bolivian Minister of Agriculture for the commercial use of llama and alpaca meat. This was an important victory for our organization. Vol 5 Nos 3&4 We collectively market the llama and alpaca wool which our members produce. Each head of household is paid in cash and trade for veterinary tools, medicines and syringes. We exchange the wool for objects of use to the members, because Bolivian currency is not used often within the ayllus. We use the trueque or Darter system. The organization selects and processes the wool and is responsible for selling it to the weavers. We rent an industrial plant where we make yarn. One day, we would like to install a textile mill where the people who raise the llamas and alpacas will be processing the raw materials themselves. The present reality is such that the people providing natural resources and the people processing these materials are living in two different worlds. Rene Pacasi is from the ayllu Chacoya, in the Pacajes Province. Recalling that there used to be many more alpacas and llamas in his region, Rene states that, "They say that people who are strangers to the region are purchasing the llamas and alpacas at a very low price. They are hunting them, killing them and driving them to extinction. They say that is why so many of them have disappeared . Before the agrarian reform of 1952, we were united, not divided. We worked in the minka (traditonal work parties). After the agrarian reform, the land was divided and small land-holdings appeared. The distribu:ion of land tore us apart. With the land parcelled out, each family could only raise a few animals. The minka is when families help each other out. I help them one day, Ind then they help me. We also have a ceremony for branding our animals and we will never lose this ceremony. We still do the challa, which is how we make offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth). AIGACAA is helping us to rebuild our communities. You can contact AIGACAA at: Casilla 6032 La Paz, BOLIVIA 23 �Coca: Symbol of 500 Years of Resistance in the Andes: The Sacred Leaf and the "War on Drugs" They built their channels, their roads, with coca in their cheeks. With it they sang hymns of happiness and love to humans and to the gods. They made a rebellious earth produce thousands of fruits. If a shortsighted paper prohibits it, these people will respond with the subtlety they have always had... Ortiz oca has been the object of debate since the Spanish invasion in the XVI century. It originated in Antisuyo, the rainforest region now considered part of Peru and Bolivia. From this region coca spread, thousands of years ago, to the Andean region. The discovery of pouches full of coca and packets of llijta (a lime m ix ture which is taken with the coca leaves) in gravesites ten centuries old, confirms assertions that coca use constitutes a long-standing tradition in the region. C The use of coca was widespread by the time of the European invasion of the Americas and there were no known laws prohibiting its use. During the colonial era, when coca was identified by the dominant Spanish class as an essential factor in the rituals of Andean culture, it was perceived as an evil herb which needed to be eliminated in order to assure the salvation of the Indigenous people 's souls. Presently, attempts to prohibit the use and cultivation of coca are the consequence of the growing illicit use of cocaine, which has wrongly been identified with the coca leaf, from which it is derived. The opposition to the use of the coca leaf is based on the supposition that the coca leaf is a narcotic drug. There is no evidence of this whatsoever. Nevertheless this assumption has been used by the oligarchy in their efforts to repress Indigenous people. The view that the coca leaf is a narcotic drug from which Indigenous people must be protected, is a notion steeped in pate rnalism, viewing the Indian as incapable of making his/her own decisions. Such an attitude constitutes yet another attempt to destroy the structures and values of Andean culture and Westernize the Indigenous population. Coca is an essential component of the social web and human solidarity in the Andean world. It is used at ceremonies following strict social rules. Coca does not 24 produce harmful effects, nor the social decomposition associated with alcohol use in western social groups. With respect to social relationships, coca is used as an offering which signifies friendship and generosity. The act of sharing coca with other persons is a very important occurrence which seals the fraternal bonds of mutual trust among the participants. "When people care about each other, they invite each other to chew coca. First we chew it a little and thank each other; then we begin to chat" (Ataliano Perez). "We women have always participated in these rituals. All of us women form a group to chew the coca and to make offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth), along with the men, because this has been the custom since long ago" (Serafina Cusipoma). On the other hand there is no other remedy with as many nor as vast an array of uses and high efficacy as the coca leaf. In this respect, coca is one of the most outstanding components of popular medicine. It has become indispensable in sustaining the physical and emotional well-being of the Andean person. "Coca is used for just about every sickness. When the stomach hurts, we make a coca leaf tea. It is also used for cramping and swelling. It is very effective in warding off the cold and for curing snake bites. Pregnant women benefit from coca. When it is applied to a wound, the blood stops flowing immediately." (Ines Limachi, Macedonio Mendes, Demetrio Verduguez) Studies of the chemical composition of the leaf have demonstrated that it contains significant quantities of vitamins A, B1, B2, and C, as well as iron and calcium. All of these vitamins and minerals are necessary to maintaining a healthy diet. In high Andean regions, vegetables and fresh fruits are scarce, making coca's contribution to the diet all the more impo rtant. Thus, it can be concluded that the factors which have motivated the prohibition of coca over the past five centuries are not due to problems existing in SAI IC Newsletter �the Andean culture. Nevertheless, the conflict with western culture has triggered the prohibition of coca, a measure reflecting the interests of the dominant classes and certainly not those of the Andean peoples. Coca has been used in the Andes for about 4,000 years, despite continuous reprisals against those engaged in coca use and cultivation during the last 500 years. Those who support the abolition of the coca leaf, view themselves as saviors of the Andean inhabitants. The reality is that they are attempting to free themselves of a particularly western problem: cocaine addiction. This assumes that the Indian is a defenseless child, needing protection from himself. Once again, "integration" without respect for Indian culture is the goal. In fact, this is an effort to destroy the Indigenous culture under the pretext of "progress" and "civilization" in a manner similar to that of five centuries ago, when deep cultural values differing from those of the invading civilization, were ruthlessly attacked in the name of Christianity. The cross has now been replaced by the banner of progress, development and the "war on drugs." This latest assault constitutes one of the worst cultural aggressions in history and has been carried out consciously, without even the excuse of ignorance used retrospectively by the Spanish to disguise the crimes surrounding their invasion. In 1962 the Geneva Convention resolved to eradicate coca cultivation within the next 25 years. This resolution is a violation of the right to free choice of entire peoples and cultures. Furthermore, since this resolution was passed, nothing has been added to the body of knowledge about coca which indicates that the manner in which it has been utilized by the Andean people is damaging to their health and would warrant such radical, unjust, repressive and farreaching legislation. However, in the same way that a culture cannot be altered by the simple passage of a repressive law, the signing of a decree and the implementation of eradication plans which ignore the reality of the Andean people will not be successful in terminating coca use in the Andes. We should ask ourselves seriously if the utopic goal of eliminating drug addiction in the United States justifies cultural aggression against the Andean people. The question should also be asked as to whether eliminating coca in the Andes is going to resolve the problem or simply motivate the international drug traffickers to switch to some other drug, equally desirable to the nation's youth in their quest to escape reality. Meanwhile, the Andean people will be left, having born the brunt of brutal physical and cultural assault on their population. Ralph Bolton from the Anthropological Institute of the University of Trondheim stated back in 1979: international agencies which favor this line of action in combating the drug problem in the United States and Europe. These agencies do not take into account the rights of millions of Indigenous people in the Andes for whom the coca leaf is a sacred and integral part of their daily lives. The decisions adopted by politicians and bureaucrats of diverse nationalities, attempting to ban the use of coca, are a violation of the basic rights of the Quechua and Aymara peoples who wish to maintain their cultures, practice their religions, conserve their identities, and protect their health; that is to say, exercise their right to biological and cultural survival. The coca eradication program, judged by its effects, is a form of ethnocide. (Bolton, R.,1979) The War on Drugs Recently, the U.S. has launched an international campaign targeting drug trafficking and focusing on the media in order to influence the public and promote the dominant culture's ideology. This campaign seeks to pressure the producer nations. Military actions have been launched in these countries under the pretext of combating the drug problem. Such was the case in Bolivia in 1986 when the U.S. occupied the nation in an operation dubbed BOL-USA. At present the U.S. has installed military bases in the Peruvian jungle using the same pretext. The true goal of these activities, however, is to establish strategic control zones in areas considered "low-intensity conflict" zones, as well as in those regions where U.S. interests face imminent danger. In February of 1990, the governments of Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and the U.S met in Ca rtagena, Colombia, to organize a plan of action against the narcotrafficking industry. While the U.S. insists on "militarization," the coca producing nations have attempted to establish a more integrated development plan. Indian people have been noticeably absent from all of these discussions. Nevertheless, there is no evidence today of a reduction in coca producing activities. Similarly, drug trafficking has continued unabated, and the drug traffickers have not been prosecuted. Since the U.S Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) began operating in Bolivia, the area under cultivation for coca has multiplied a minimum of three times. Likewise, drug trafficking operations now involve capital over five times supe ri or to that of pre-DEA operations in Bolivia. Considering these results, it would appear that the actual mission of this agency is the exact opposite of that which it claims to be. Foreign pressure on the Andean governments to declare the use and production of coca leaves illegal, has intensified lately. These pressures are the result of measures taken by the North American and Vol 5 Nos 3&4 25 �Narcotrafficking - Underground Activity or Business Venture? The production and trafficking of drugs is a highly profitable, transnational capitalist activity. At present, the production and trafficking of drugs is one of the most profitable businesses in the world, equal or superior to arms trafficking. Drug trafficking is not an "external evil" of capitalism. The term "illegal" does not explain the economic reality, since capitalism, according to its own logic, accepts any activity which generates the process of capital accumulation, whether this activity be harmful to humanity or not. Thus, we have seen phenomena ranging from the contamination of the environment by legal indust rial activities, to the major weapons industries raking in record profits as a result of genocidal wars . The drug trafficker is acting within the framework of the capitalist system, not against nor outside of it. The notion that the narcotics industry is reserved for shadowy criminals is a fallacy. In fact, the narcotics industry forms part of the international economy. Those who control the international trafficking of "illegal" drugs are also those who control "respectable" and "legal" enterprises. Billions of dollars are injected into the world's markets as a result of "illegal" trafficking of drugs. This tremendous sum is invested in all areas of industry and has helped reactivate the economies of major industrial nations. Given this situation, referring to drug production and trafficking as part of an underground economy is profoundly contradictory. Condemning Indigenous people as the source of the problem is more practical and acceptable for policymakers in the industrialized countries than examining and correcting the problems in their own culture. In any event, if cocaine production were to end, the present drug-users would continue to consume legal, illegal, natural and/or synthetically-produced drugs. This situation has been exacerbated by the North American government's drastic cutbacks in drug treatment programs, among other significant social programs. Coca and Cocaine - as Different as Grape is from Wine The official discourse has incorporated two completely different realities into one issue: the reality behind coca and the reality surrounding cocaine use. Lumping these together invokes feelings of social decay and collective guilt. Coca has been stigmatized, its use (whether masticated, used as a medicine, or in ceremonies) has been confused with drug addiction. Coca, as the raw mate rial for cocaine, has been targeted as the critical element in the "crime" of drug trafficking. Therefore, the coca growers, the 26 peasant farmers and the nations located in the coca growing region, have been fingered as the guilty parties. Rather than approaching the problem of drug addiction in a rational and objective manner, human feelings and social values are being manipulated. Without a doubt, the interests of those in power lie behind this discourse. It is necessary to change the manner in which the problem has been approached, analyzing the concrete differences existing between coca and cocaine, two distinct phenomena and two distinct realities. 1. Coca and cocaine are two completely different substances. The first is a natural substance which produces no harmful effects on human health, is of great nutritional value, and possesses medicinal properties. The second is the result of a chemical transformation, denaturing coca in both appearance and effects. Cocaine is harmful. It is a drug which destroys and enslaves. 2. Coca cultivation and cocaine production are two radically different activities with respect to the material and social wealth generated by each. 3. The marketing of coca is completely different from the marketing and transportation of cocaine. The use of the coca leaf in its natural state, whether masticated, employed to cure or as part of a ritual, is a harmless, traditional manner of using the leaf. Drug traffickers is a problem for the producer nations because it involves a new form of economic, political and social aggression by the capitalist system. It maintains and reinforces a dependent relationship with consumer nations, and requires the economic and political subjugation of the producer nations. The clandestine nature of drug traffickers has contributed to the extremely inhumane working conditions for those involved. It has created a social sector which is virtually enslaved. Additionally, the production and trafficking of drugs in the producer nations is encouraging the use of these drugs locally. In light of the dramatic differences between coca and cocaine, it is necessary to change the course of "drug war" policies. The present policies of the consumer nations constitute a direct aggression against the coca producing farmers, namely the Indigenous populations of the Andes. These policies do not represent an effective means of interdiction because they are based on the premise that coca cultivation is at the root of the problem, which is clearly not the case. To lash out against Indigenous farmers is certainly easier, less costly and more prudent than combating the drug traffickers whose origins lie in Weste rn culture. SAIIC Newsletter �U.S. Promotion of Militarization in the Andean Region Continues Unheeded (Peru & Bolivia) The United States Government offered the Peruvian Government a military aid packet of $36 million, earmarked for updating the equipment of six special infantry battalions to be employed in the high Huallaga area in the "fight against narcotrafficking and subversion." The military aid was rejected by the Fujimori government which refuses to order the Peruvian military to fight in the "war on drugs," citing more pressing issues. Nevertheless, Fujimori has extended the emergencyzone to other provinces. Because of this, the Bush administration is threatening to cut $63 million in scheduled economic aid for 1991. Following the same political plan, the "war on drugs" has brought ever-increasing U.S intervention in Bolivia, and has made militarization the precondition to any sort of financial aid. In 1989, the Bolivian government had to agree to the eradication of 5,000 hectares of coca groves, either with the collaboration of peasants or against their will, to obtain future loans. By the end of 1990, according to the Bennet Plan for Drug Control, the Bolivian military, police, judicial and intelligence forces will receive $67 million. Another $30 million will go to "approved" alternative development projects. by Amnesty International as one of the worst countries in respect to human rights records. In 1989, approximately 500 people "disappeared" and hundreds more were victims of extrajudicial executions. Peru's armed forces have military and political control of 67 of Peru's provinces, all of which have been declared "emergency zones," which allows the military to severely restrict civil rights in those regions. Thus the U.S Government declaration that financial aid will be given only to those countries with a clean record on the subject of human rights is pure rhetoric. As Diego Garcia Sayan, executive director of the Andean Commission of Jurists, expressed in an interview with Caretas (May 14, 1990) "There is great danger in a war that does not clearly distinguish its target, blurring drug dealers, coca growers, insurgency forces and political activists into one and the same enemy." In both Bolivia and Peru, the military and police are a continual menace to democracy and human rights. Peru in particular, has been targeted Vol 5 Nos 3&4 27 �Caught in the Crossfire! Peruvian Prosecutor Denounces Massacre of Quechua Indians in Ayacucho F earing for his life after denouncing the Peruvian Army as being responsible for the "Cayara Massacre," Dr. Carlos Escobar fled Peru with the aid of Amnesty International. He was the appointed Prosecutor for the Ministry of Public Affairs whose jurisdiction included the zone of Ayacucho, Peru, from July 1987 to November 1988. SAIIC had the opportunity of interviewing Carlos Escobar in the end of June. What follows are excerpts of that interview. SAIIC: Why are you now in the United States and what are you denouncing? Carlos Escobar (CE): I was taken out of Peru by Amnesty International due to an investigation I conducted there about a massacre of peasants in the Cayara zone, Department of Ayacucho, in 1988. The military killed 31 persons and "disappeared" another 40. But the idea was to kill them so the massacre could be blamed on Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path guerrilla group). They killed them in front of their families with knifes, axes and machetes. The investigation established that 200 military personnel participated in the massacre. The order was given by a General, the Chief of the Political-Military Command of the zone. On October 14, 1988, I turned in the report and by the 18th, my office was shut down by the Attorney General. After that, there was a mandate to close the investigation. No accusation was made and as the days passed, the people who had already given witness in my presence, 41 in all, were detained by the army. In other words the office of the Attorney General gave out the names and addresses of the witnesses. In September, 1989, the most important witness, a nurse of campesino descent who was pressing charges against the General himself, was killed. In our work, my office uncovered evidence of 200 "disappeared" people who were detained in army barracks. Almost all of them showed signs of physical torture. The army detains people for supposed participation in terrorist acts, but nothing is ever proven. The work of our office was to pressure the military headquarters into freeing these people and to obtain evidence of illegal activities by army personnel. SAIIC: How can you be certain that members of the army committed the Cayara massacre? 28 CE: Two-hundred army personnel were recognized not only because of their uniforms, but because they arrived in army trucks and government helicopters. What happened was that the previous day, May 13, in a town called Erusco, ten minutes from Cayara, a platoon was ambushed and terrorists killed 4 military personnel. The next day, the army came and took over the town. They killed the people in front of the children and in front of their wives. They staged it to look as if Sendero committed the massacre. SAIIC: Before, you mentioned to us an interesting contradiction. You were telling us that the soldiers who committed this heinous act are also Indigenous people. Is this true? CE: The army administration is made up of middle class officials. This class is not Indigenous. Army officials reject the peasants, believing themselves to be supe ri or. They treat peasants like animals. But the army's rank and file includes Indigenous people who are, themselves, manipulated to combat their Indigenous brothers. In Peru, the draft is mandatory at 18 years of age. The Navy has a reputation for being very courageous in Peru. It was funny to see that in the jungle zones, they utilize Indigenous people for protection. From 6pm they are secluded in their barracks and they leave two or three people from a local village with whistles on a platform to alert them if terrorists arrive. SAIIC: What is the status of the investigation now? CE: In Peru it has been indefinitely closed. I was called to Washington on May 14th by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States. This commission is conducting its own investigation of the massacre. If there is sufficient evidence, the case can be taken to the International Court. SAIIC: What is the purpose for militarily organizing civilian patrols in Indian communities? CE: To confront Sendero Luminoso. In the Ayacucho zone, these groups do not form at people's initiative. The army has tried to mandate the creation of these groups but it doesn't always work. SAIIC Newsletter �SAIIC: What is the relation between Sendero and the communities? There is information about massacres committed by Sendero in some communities, isn't there? SAIIC: What do you see in the future of the Indian population of Peru and how can solidarity organizations help? CE: For almost two years I have been investigating this and I have not seen even one community voluntarily collaborate with Sendero. People in the communities fear the army as well as Sendero. When the army or Sendero patrols arrive, people collaborate with them only out of fear. CE: The government has never bothered about the poorest zones of the country: Ayacucho, Apurimac and Huancaveliva. That is why Sendero became active there. The population there doesn't have anything to lose. A good way to help them is by communicating directly with the organizations which are truly representative of them. These are organizations of farmers and peasants. The organization of the families of the disappeared has headquarters in Ayacucho. This is where people from many different communities meet. They come with their children, prepare food in a soup kitchen for the orphans, and write down their testimonies to take to the prosecutor's office. SAIIC: But are the accusations about assassinations and massacres of supposed army collaborators by Sendero true? CE: This happens. When an army patrol arrives in a community, the people collaborate out of fear of being beaten up or robbed. Afterwards, when a Sendero patrol arrives, there are people who denounce them so that they will not be beaten or robbed by Sendero. In other words, the Indian people are caught in the cross-fire. SAIIC: Do you have any information of US military bases in the jungle, being used to train the Peruvian army to fight the narcotraffickers? SAIIC: There is great concern about the number of orphans whose parents have been killed in the violence. Is there any support for the communities which have to take care of these children? CE: The important thing is not only to help the orphans, but to prevent the killing of more people. In the Cayara case, a woman whose husband was killed, testified. She escaped with her six children. The military took her as a prisoner and because she was a prime witness, they killed her too, leaving the six children without protection. CE: I have learned that the North American government has One of the witnesses recovering from bullet given economic aid of approxiwounds in a nearby hospital. mately 36 million dollars. A big portion of this goes to the army. Nevertheless, the army in Peru has no legal jurisdiction to fight drug trafficking. SAIIC: Are traditions, like the minka [communal This legally falls under the jurisdiction of Police forces. work] in the Quechua areas, being preserved? Possibly this money is being used to confront subversion, and that is a completely different situation. CE: In the entire zones of Ayacucho, Apurimac and Cuzco, traditions are still strong. The minka is even SAIIC: Governments tend to mix the concepts of being exploited by the army. They make people work for subversion and narco-trafficking. This provides a pretext nothing, utilizing the minka system to build roads. And to repress the population, and ultimately, to fully exploit the people obey because they are used to it, the minka is human and natural resources. part of their upbringing. CE: The government has publicised the fact that SAIIC: Peru has a new government now. Do you Sendero has links with drug traffickers, but I don't know think that there will be changes in the human rights if this is exactly true or simply a way to attract US situation? Will the violations persist? monies. In the Huallaga Zone, drug-traffickers operate with small airplanes and it would be impossible for the CE: The government is not confronting the Peruvian airforce not to detect them. In the same way guerrillas adequately. The political and military control that drugs leave the country, sophisticated weaponry of emergency zones is under the sole command of an enters, and Sendero has never attacked a community army general who doesn't know what human rights are. with sophisticated weaponry. The weapons confiscated If he does know, he disregards them. That is why there from them are those stolen from the police or the army. If are so many disappeared people. The police are conSendero had some control over the drug-traffickers, if trolled by the Public Ministry. The Attorney General can there were any sort of relationship there, they would enter all their stations, but he cannot enter any military have sophisticated weapons. The fact is that they don't. headquarters. Vol 5 Nos 3&4 29 �SAIIC: Why can't the Attorney General enter military headquarters, is there a law that prohibits this? CE: No. There is no such law, but there is the gun. The Attorney General is the law, but in remote zones such as Ayacucho where the military is omnipotent, the Attorney General cannot enter their headquarters. That is why, if we suspend emergency zones, we can solve the problem of the disappeared. The emergency zones are at the core of the problem. In Peru the emergency zones include 40 percent of the country. It would be a radical change to send the military back to their barracks. In these zones, the army has created a kind of status quo. They are very entrenched in being there and extorting the people, etc... When [former President] Alan Garcia said the emergency zone status of Ayacucho would be lifted, car bombs immediately appeared in Ayacucho. The Attorney General's office investigated one of those car bombings and we came to the conclusion that it was How You Can Help! Write to the Peruvian President 1) expressing your concern at the murders and to rtures in the Ayacucho Province,2) request that a prompt and independent investigation of the to rtures and killings be carried out, that the results be made public and those responsible be brought to justice, 3) request that safety of the witnesses be ensured, 4) contact your local media to give publicity to these atrocities. Last-Minute Communiqué SAIIC was just informed by Amnesty International about more tortures and deaths of Quechua Indian people in the Department of Ayacucho. At least 16 people were tortured by soldiers, as a result of which three of them died, in the province of Vilcashuamán, Department of Ayacucho. On September 25, at lam, a contingent of soldiers from the Accomarca military base, led by officials nicknamed "Moreno" and "Gitano," went to the community of Pucapaccana in the Province of Vilcashuamán. They reportedly called the community together and forced them to hand over cattle, money and belongings. The reports add that the names of Bernabé Baldeón García, Jesús Baldean Zapata and Santos Baldeón Palacios were read from a list and they were ordered to accompany the soldiers to Pacchalualhua, bringing the animals with them. Bernabé Baldean García was among the confirmed dead. On their way three women who 30 planted by the army. So the President revoked his order. Today fifty percent of the population of Ayacucho is military or police. SAIIC: With the US promoting the militarization of the coca production zones, will the situation in the emergency zones be aggravated? CE: I think the problem of drugtrafficking is wrongly emphasized. The problem is not the production, but the consumption. If there is nobody to consume cocaine, who is going to produce it? The consumption must be attacked and that must happen in the US. Peruvians have been using coca leaves for thousands of years and it's caused no problems, ever! It's part of the tradition. So why try to eradicate the production of coca leaves? For North Americans, it would be cheaper to control their borders, than to spend what they are spending in weaponry in South Ame rica, unless, of course, they have other goals... ■ Presidente Alberto Fujimori Presidente de la República Palacio de Gobierno Plaza de Armas Lima 1, PERU For more information on human rights in Peru, contact: Coordinadora de Derechos Humanos Horacio Hurteaga 704 Jesús Maria Lima, PERU were grazing their sheep were reportedly raped by five of the soldiers escorting the detainees. When the group arrived at Pacchahuallhua, they were taken to a local government center where they were joined by other men, women and school children, who were being held by soldiers who had carried out similar raids in nearby areas. Ill-treatment and torture reportedly took place in a nearby church. In a written denunciation made by the Federation of Vilcashuamán Institutions (FIPV), its representatives describe the torture to which the peasants were subjected: ...they were tied up with wire and hung upside-down from a beam and whipped; afterwards they were made to lie on the floor, one on top of another, forming a pile of human bodies such that the person at the bottom carried the weight of all the others and the soldiers jumped on top of them; after this illtreatment they were submerged in ...hot and ...cold water ...until they were dying... SAIIC Newsletter �Massacre of Tzutujil Indians in Santiago Atitlan (Guatemala) On December 2, 1990, after midnight, members of the military garrison at Santiago Atitlan fired upon a crowd of 1500 people who were protesting the harassment of civilians from their village. There were confirmed reports of 11 dead and 19 wounded. Other sources • l aim 26 dead and 71 wounded. By December 4, 1990, three more wounded tad died, bringing the confirmed total dead to 14. The evening of the massacre, soldiers entered the town, robbing a tore and kidnapping its owner. Relatives of the shopkeeper woke other esidents by ringing the church bells. When villagers heard the commotion, a crowd of 1500 gathered in the town plaza and proceeded to the Panabaj army ;arrison to protest the incident, shouting "Leave us in peace!" A short time ater, the army opened fire on the crowd. The army claims that the crowd fired the first shots. Nevertheless, he commander at the garrison was immediately relieved of his post. According to Guatemalan Archbishop Prospero Penados, "... it is not very that the villagers might attack the garrison. They are a probable tranquil and hardworking people." Within hours of the incident, villagers 1 had co ected 15,000 signatures on a petition ad collected demanding prosecution and punishment for the military personnel responsible, and the withdrawal of the army from Santiago Atitlan. Santiago Atitlan has been the site )f massacres and continuous murders ever since the army permanently occupied the town in 1978. Mayor Delfino Rodas is calling for a rapid investigation into the massacre and prosecution of those found responsible as well as the removal of the army garrison from Santiago Atitlan. Referring to the army base, he states that "Instead of protecting us, it is they who, under the effects of alcohol, become the assasins of the residents of this area." The people of Guatemala have Vol 5 Nos 3&4 31 �expressed their solidarity with the people of Santiago Atitlan on a huge scale. Many Indian, religious and human rights groups are demanding justice. The people of Atitlan are not allowing themselves to be intimidated and are coming forth to give testimony, in spite of repeated threats to their well-being. The military is emphasizing that the massacre was a "mistake committed by the officers and soldiers of the garrison." According to the Guatemala News, the massacre was no mistake, but part of a well-orchestrated plan to intimidate and hold back the growing tide of popular discontent. The 1978 massacre of over 300 farmers in Panzas, Alta Verapaz, the killing of 39 political leaders in the Spanish Embassy in 1980 and the "scorched earth" policy that did away with more than 440 villages and countless human beings between 1982 and 1984, were all carried out on orders that filtered down through the military chain of command. Indian organizations in Guatemala are requesting that people throughout the world express solidarity with them by reading the following declaration in their respective languages over local radio and televsion stations: We, the people of [country, organization, community or Native nationality] express our anger and anguish over the massacre by the Guatemalan army of the people of Santiago Atitlan on the 2nd of December, 1990. We join with the orphans, widows, families and neighbors of those killed in cold blood to demand the immediate removal of the Army and National Police from Santiago Atitlan and that those responsible be brought to justice. With great admiration for your unity and bravery, rooted in the strength of your community we appeal to those who rule Guatemala: the Army, the landowners, the indusrialists, to match your determination for peace and justice. Please write letters, send Faxes, telexes or call to: 1)Demand the prosecution and punishment of the military personnel responsible for the massacre. 2) Demand the respect of the villagers' petition to remove the army from Santiago, Atitlan. 3) Demand that the U.S. Congress withhold all U.S. aid to Guatemala until the villagers' petition is respected and those responsible for the massacre are brought to justice. (Suggested salutation: Your Direct messages to: Brig. Gen. Juan Leonel Bolaños Excellency) Tel: 011 502 22 1212, 011 502 Ministro de Defensa 22 2266 Ministerio de Defensa Fax: 011502 253 7472 Palacio Nacional Telex: 305 5331 CAPRES GU Guatemala, Guatemala Telegrams: Presidente Telex: 305-5321 RELEXTGU Tel: 011-502-253-7472 ext. 2226 Cerezo, Guatemala, Guatemala Fax: 011-502-253-7472 and: Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo Presidente de la República de Guatemala Palacio Nacional Guatemala, Guatemala 32 ACT NOW!!! Your prompt action is urgently needed! Please feel free to reprint this and help to spread the word! SAIIC Newsletter �Campesino Unity Committee (CUC) Calls for Solidarity We struggle for the right to life and peace with a clear head, a heart of solidarity and a combative fist! Indians and poor latinos, organized in C LIC, urgently denounce the following atrocious crimes before their people and the international community: 1. Each day the pain and anguish suffered by their families, as a result of governmental repression, increases. In the month of June, the number of assassinations rose to 198, in addition to 20 kidnappings and 49 wounded in political violence. In the countryside, the kidnapping of Maria Mejia and the aggression on the part of the civil patrols against the government's Adjunct Ombudsman for Human Rights in Parraxtut, Sacapulas; the attack made on the Mutual Support Group (GAM) in Xepol, Chichicastenango; and the military sweeps carried out by civil patrollers in Huehuetenango, Solola, El Quiche, and other departments, add to the list of repressive actions. 2. Soldiers have threatened the communities of Zacualpa, El Quiche, saying that they are ready to carry out massacres like those of 1981, '82, and '83, which left hundreds of widows and clandestine mass graves. In the township of Chimatzat, Zacualpa, on July 12 at 3:00AM, soldiers dressed as civilians kidnapped Samuel de la Cruz Gomez, and beat his wife, Ignacia de la Cruz Gomez, and son, Genaro de la Cruz Gomez (age 16). In addition, they stole money and other belongings from the family. To justify the kidnapping, uniformed soldiers arrived five minutes later to say that guerrillas had carried out the kidnapping. With methods like these, they try to fool people and force them to participate in the illegal Civil Patrols. The army has occupied several townships of Zacualpa and San Andres. It is increasingly clear that the government and army are getting ready for another massacre like that of El Aguacate, Chimaltenango (November, 1988). 3. On July 1, two civil patrol commanders, Santos Chic Us and Catalino Juarez, of Joyabaj, El Quiche, sent a death threat to department authorities to force them to oblige Tomas Lares Ciprian to join the Civil Patrol. Mr. Lares Ciprian has been struggling for his constitutional right to refuse to participate in the Civil Patrols. 4. In Chichicastenango, El Quiche, the military Vol 5 Nos 3&4 commander is threatening people so that they will lie to reporters about the truth of military repression in the community. The army is also harassing members of the community who are organizing development committees and is keeping a strict watch on the markets in order to control how much food people buy. In the township of Chipaca Primero of Chichicastenango, Juan Tiriquiz Perez, 47 years old, was assassinated on July 8. 5. Thousands of displaced families are suffering aerial and land-based bombings, while on foot the army has destroyed many of their crops and houses. In the ghettos of the cities, threats and persecution against these displaced families are increasing. 6. Believing that the recent Presidential elections would divert attention from these abuses, the government and the army began a repressive campaign against the leaders and members of Indian, campesino, and popular organizations like CERJ, C LIC, CONAVIGUA (Guatemalan National Widows Committee), GAM, cooperatives, catechists, all of those who are struggling to throw off the illegal Civil Patrols and to provide a little more food for their children. Through this campaign of terror, they are trying to justify a policy of repression in the upcoming months, supposedly to control the violent situation which they, themselves have created. Faced with the tragic situation in which they live, Guatemalans call on all governments, non-governmental organizations, human rights organizations, and people everywhere, to put pressure on the Guatemalan government and the army to investigate these crimes and punish those responsible for violating their human rights. Guatemala and her children want life and peace. You contact CUC at: Comité de Unidad Campesina Apdo Postal 20-475 Col. San Angel C.P. 01000, Mexico DF MEXICO 33 �The First Gathering of All Indian Nations of El Salvador Held The National Association of the Indigenous People of El Salvador (ANIS) held its first nationwide gathering of Indian Peoples on September 17-22, 1990 in San Salvador. The National Gathering of Indian People on Culture, Ecology and Justice was well attended by Maya, Lenca and Nahua Indian representatives from throughout the nation, as well as national and international lawyers, environmentalists and human rights delegates. Despite careful invitations to a broad range of representatives which might truly promote peace in the region, government officials, FMLN and most political party representatives were conspicuously absent from the meeting. 12. The Legislative Assembly should write laws which benefit Indigenous and poor people in general; 13. Humanize the army; 14. Lower the price on basic articles of consumption and distribute articles donated by foreign countries and international organizations rather than selling them; 15. Define a policy which recognizes all peoples right to an adequate diet and implement this policy; 16. Investigate and punish all human rights violations and incidences of corruption; Nevertheless, those present made concrete proposals directed specifically at the Salvadoran Armed Forces and the national government. A summary of the conclusions of the September meeting follows: 17. Reject foreign intervention in internal matters and keep government hands out of Indigenous matters; 1. A policy with respect to the conservation and protection of natural resources which stems from a change in attitude as regards Nature; 19. Implement an integral agrarian reform program which includes a food policy, the redistribution of the land, technical assistance, sufficient administrative assistance, establishment of credit and mechanisms for marketing products which benefit the producer rather than the intermediary; 2. A policy with respect to the conservation and protection of Indigenous culture and values and strict adherence to Articles 62 and 63 of the Salvadoran Constitution which refer to the preservation, diffusion and respect for native languages, history, artwork and archeology; 3. A fair application of justice; 4. An end to the repression of all peoples; 5. Subscription to, ratification of and application of all UN treaties designed to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples; 6. Dialogue and negotiation with the FMLN as well as a cease-fire; 18. Respect Indigenous autonomy; 20. Control and elimination of all drug sales beginning with alcohol producing factories and sales, then on to marijuana, cocaine and other substances damaging to humanity and denigrating to the individual. As ANIS leader, Adrian Esquino Lisco subsequently noted at an important march in San Salvador on October 12th, "When the Indigenous people become liberated, the land too becomes liberated... For the Indian people of El Salvador, and for Indian people throughout the Americas, October 12th is a 'Day of Disgrace,' because it marks the beginning of an invasion which continues today." 7. Respect for brothers and sisters practicing traditional medecine; 8. Distribution of all uncultivated state lands to the Indigenous peoples as these lands were wrongfully taken from them; 9. No forced and illegal recruitment of our children into the armed forces; 10. Absolute respect for human rights; 11. The government and the FMLN should request our consent before entering our lands to carry out any operations; 34 SAIIC Newsletter �Mohawk Lands Invaded by Canadian Government over the Expansion of a Golf Course! Canadian Federal Government Mounts Fullscale Military Invasion of Kanesatake and Kanahwake Mohawk Reserves In response to the expansion of a local golf course onto ancestral lands, Mohawks began to protest on March 11th, 1990 in the village of Kanesatake (40 km from Montreal). The ownership of their sacred burial grounds has been a matter of dispute between the Mohawk Nation and the Canadian government for more than 200 years. The local government sold the land to developers after the federal government had refused petitions to adjudicate Mohawk land claims since 1956. In response, the village of Kanesatake blockaded a small, local, dirt road leading to the resort community of Oka, where the golf-course was planned. This was done to prevent further usurpation of their lands. The Mayor of Oka obtained an injunction ordering the removal of the road-block, clearly violating treaty agreements. The Mohawks were attacked on July 11 by about 100 well-armed provincial paramilitary police. The Mohawks fought back and in the ensuing gunfire, one of the police officers was found killed in the crossfire. The Mohawks were charged without due process of law, despite their claim that they heard a police radio transmission which revealed that the officer was killed by his own colleagues in their confused retreat. On the same day, July 11, the besieged Kanesatake Mohawks requested assistance from kindred Mohawks at the nearby Kanahwake Reserve. In support, the people of Kanahwake erected a blockade of the Mercier Bridge which was built on their lands. This effectively blockaded a main commute artery to Montreal, and thereby drew international attention to the situation at Kanesatake. On April 26th, 1990 the Mohawks at Mercier Bridge offered to open one lane to traffic. In response, government officials walked out of the negotiations, ignoring the offer. The following day, Canada's Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney ordered 4,000 army troops to join the forces already outside the two Indian reserves. Government forces were armed with armored personnel carriers, grenade launchers, rocket launchers and tanks. An attack by the army seemed imminent. Thus a caravan of 60 cars full of women, elders and children made ready to leave Kahnawake. They were searched by police just outside the reserve. While they were being detained, they were attacked and stoned by nonIndian protesters, while the police stood by watching. A child, a mother and an elderly man were taken to a hospital as a consequence of the assault. The elderly man died in the hospital four days after the stoning. On September third, 1990 the Quebec Police and the Canadian Army forcibly invaded Mohawk lands. Broken ribs, jaws and elbows were reported. About 50 Mohawks retreated into an alcohol treatment center. They held off the confrontation for 11 weeks. Throughout this time the Mohawk Nation presented Vol 5 Nos 3&4 35 �the government with proposals for peaceful solutions to the cri sis. Yet the government refused to negotiate. The Indians who laid down arms and left the treatment center will be brought before a Que bec judge who will determine whether charges will be lodged against any of them. Mohawks who had been previously arrested came out of jail covered with cigarettes burns. At the sight of burned chests, Canadian judges threw the cases out of court. Mohawk ac tive resistance to land usurpation comes as a response to repeated and recent losses: they have lost more land since 1950 than in the previous 100 years. Their land has been purchased by the Government and developed with bridges (including the Mercier) and hydroelectric power plants that provide cheap energy to industry. This has meant environmental degradation, as the heavy industry discharges pollutants into nearby rivers, making both farming and fishing unsafe for the Mohawks living on the Kahnawake and Akwesasne reserves. Thus, Indian's revendications have moved to the larger and present issue of selfdetermination and the general question of lands rights: over 570 aboriginal land claims, covering more than 1/2 of the Canada land mass, still await settlement. The Government now has a policy of negotiating no more than six claims at a time and made vague promises toaccelerae the process. Yet particularly clear and rigid is the Government position on native self-determination. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney declared: "Native selfgovernment does not now and cannot ever mean sovereign independence." The Mohawk Nation is asking people to write to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in their support: Prime Minister Brian Mulroney House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario CANADA K1 A OA6 Fax: (613) 995-1686 For more information about the Mohawk situation, contact: Mohawk Nation Defense Fund PO Box 1987 Kahnawake, Qubec CANADA JOL 1B0 36 Indian Student Alliance Denounces US Agression in Middle East SAIIC received the following from the Student Alliance of North American Indians. We at SAIIC wish to express our solidarity with their views. We, the members of the Student Alliance of North American Indians (SANAD, oppose the war in Iraq. We oppose all acts of aggression inflicted upon Indigenous peoples, and upon all peoples of the world... The government which is now killing the peoples of Iraq, and risking the lives of millions throughout the world, is the same government which has been killing and oppressing the Indigenous peoples of the Americas for 500 years. The government and people of the United States took American Indian tribal land by force and trickery, and have never fulfilled their promises to the tribes. The government and the people of the United States have tried to marginalize American Indian peoples, and ignore our pleas for justice, but when the Army wants bodies for the frontline, we are expected to die first. Second-rate citizens, but first-class cannon fodder. Throughout our history, we've served, both voluntarily and involuntarily, in every war in which this country has been involved. Yet, the United States continually fails to serve the needs of American Indians in education, in housing, in health care, and basic human rights. Tribal lands have a long history of being exploited. This exploitation will be intensified because of the need for natural resources. The government and multinational corporations threaten the future of our tribal homelands and the balance of the world...We owe no debt of allegiance to the government. SAIIC Newsletter �Indian Women of the World Meet in the Land of the Reindeer People SARAH KKA .. in the eye of wintry storms, In the teeth of howling blizzards, Sami kinship spreads its warm embrace; Moonlight guides the wayfarer, Under flows of flashing northern lights;... - Sami National Anthem Indian women from the four corners of the world gathered in the land of the Sami people last summer to share experiences and plan strategies for developing an international grassroots organization. The meeting was hosted by Sáráhkká, the Sami Women's organization. As a result of this meeting, a decision was made to develop an International Indigenous Women's Organization with an egalitarian structure to promote the participation of Indigenous women in decision-making processes. Several meetings will be held in the coming months to develop an organizational structure based on our traditional forms of community administration. At the same time, efforts are being made to notify Indian women throughout the world of our plans and to invite them to participate. The next International Conference is scheduled for October, 1992. A South and Central American Indian Women's Conference will be taking place in Lima, Perú in March, 1991 and hosted by AIDESEP (Association of Indian Organizations of the Peruvian Amazon) and COICA. This will be a historic meeting since it will be the first time a conference of South and Central American Indian women is held. Our sisters from the participating organizations have requested financial support to make their grassroots organizing efforts a reality. We urge you to respond to this request by sending contributions to: Indian Women's Grassroot Movement Tides Foundation c/o SAIIC PO Box 28703 Oakland, CA 94604 Following is the Declaration of Karasjohka: We, Indigenous women from 19 countries have come together on August 5-9, 1990 in Karasjohka, Samiland (Norway), to collectively share our Vol 5 Nos 3& 437 �Indian women of the world meeting in the Land of the Reindeer. socio-economic, cultural, political and spiritual situations, experiences and needs. We come from various parts of the world and are aware of our diversity, but we are here because we believe that we also have common grounds for unity and action. We heard the testimonies of our Indigenous sisters on issues related to the global environmental crisis, the effects of exploitation of our ancestral territories and natural resources on our lives as women, the impact of militarization and nuclearization and presence of foreign military bases on our lands and seas. We tried to understand how powerful nations and governments have imposed state laws on us which have institutionalized our discrimination and repression and facilitated the rape of our lands. We have realized that our continuing marginal ization and oppression as Indigenous women are results of colonization, the setting up of powerful nations of neocolonies to ensure their economic, political, cultural and military stranglehold over supposedly sovereign nations and the insatiable greed of multinational corporations to accumulate profits. We were also made aware that patriarchal systems have been imposed on us by such oppressive structures to further ensure the division between the people and assure the continued domination of these powerful nations and multinational corporations. 38 We are alarmed by the continuing number of Indigenous women and children being victimized by military operations in the guise of anti-communism, as shared with us by our sisters in Central and South America and in Asia. The number of Indigenous women being raped, sexually abused, tortured, arbitrarily arrested, and widowed have been increasing since the United States Government has launched low -intensity warfare on various South and Central American, and Asian nations which have national liberation movements. The rapid degradation of the environment of our ancestral homelands has caused irreparable damage to our lives and lands and we have come up with regional workshop resolutions which address problems related to this. We grieve over what is happening to Mother Earth, and we share in the pain of our sisters who have been dehumanized by militarization, who have been compromised because of tourism and the debt crisis, and those who have to suffer from incurable diseases, car ry toxins in their breast milk, and give birth to deformed or mutilated babies because of nuclear radiation and toxic waste dumping. We are strengthened by our sisters who refuse to be immobilized in spite of their dehumanizing situations. We are inspired by the courage, the steadfastness, determination and the commitment of our Indigenous sisters who continue working for a transformed society, SAIIC Newsltr �where oppression due to race, class, gender, and nationality will no longer exist. We believe that the formation of an international network of Indigenous women will help further our struggles to be liberated from all forms of oppression. This network should always ensure that Indigenous women from the grassroots level have representation in decision-making bodies and general assemblies. We will carry out our responsibility in sharing what has transpired in this conference with the rest of our sisters who are not here with us and we will strive to continue expanding the linkages among ourselves regionally and globally. We affirm our commitment to empowering ourselves through sustained education, setting up more Indigenous women's organizations and working out development and action programs which are sensitive and responsive to the needs and demands of the majority. We are in solidarity with our sisters from the Americas who are going to celebrate the 500 Years of Indian Resistance to colonization and we look forward to joining with them in their celebrations. North American Conference on 500 Years of Resistance The 1992 Bay Area Regional Indian Alliance is coordinating an All-Native Conference to plan and coordinate 1992 Year of Indigenous Peoples activities. The conference is an important North American follow-up to the July 1990 international gathering in Quito, Ecuador and the October 1990 meeting in Minneapolis. The gathering will be held Friday through Sunday, March 22-24, 1991 at DQ University, a private, fully accredited Indian-sanctioned college, located 8 miles west of Davis, California. Papers, draft statements, action plans, recommendations, or suggestions should be submitted by March 18, 1991. Delegates from Indian organizations planning 500 Years activities as well as interested Indian people from the US and Canada are invited. If you are planning to attend, be sure to contact the coordinators as soon as possible. The Sixth NFIP Conference Adopts 1992 Resolutions The Sixth Nuclear-Free and Independent Pacific Conference (NFIP) was held November 1-7, 1990 in Waiuku, Pawarenga, Aotearoa (New Zealand). The following is a statement made on the 500 Years of Indian Resistance in their resolutions: ...Indigenous Peoples still have a responsibility as caretakers of the land and all life-circles. These lifecircles are threatened by the acceleration of the patterns of destruction initiated in 1492. The Quincentennial is an unprecedented opportunity for the voice of the people to be heard, and to support each other with a united vision of a healthy environment, healthy lives, and freedom to live the way of life given by the Creator, in balance with the natural world. Therefore, the Sixth NFIP Conference, meeting in Waiuku, Pawarenga, Aotearoa during the 1-7 November, 1990: 1) agrees to hold support actions on October 12, 1992 to celebrate the survival of Indigenous peoples, 2) agrees not to buy anything (accept in emergency situations) for one day, October 13th, 1992, in support of an International Indigenous Campaign, 3) declares 1992 to be "The Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples. For more information on the NFIP, you can contact : Pacific Concerns Resource Centre PO Box 9295 Newmarket Auckland, AOTEAROA (New Zealand) Tel: 09-375-862 For more information contact: All Native Conference DQ University PO Box 409 Davis, California 95617 Telephone: (916) 758-0470 Vol 5 Nos 3&4 39 �South and Meso American Indian Information Center (SAIIC) Mailing Address: PO Box 28703 Oakland, California 94604 Office Address: 1212 Broadway, Suite 830 Oakland, California 94612 Tel: (415) 834-4263 Fax: (415) 834-4264 Photo of Quechua Indian girl by Dick Bancroft About SAIIC... Acknowledgements SAIIC's goals are to promote peace and social justice for Indian People: 1) by providing information to the general public in North America, Europe, and to human rights and solidarity organizations regarding the struggles for survival and selfdetermination of Indian peoples of South and Meso America; 2) by facilitating exchange and promoting direct communication and understanding between Native peoples. SAIIC's projects and programs include: 1) publication of the Newsletter in Spanish and English, as well as other special publications; 2) Indian Visitor Program; 3) human rights advocacy; 4) 500 Years of Resistance project; 5) Indian women's project; 6) public presentations; 7) resource library (periodicals and videos). SAIIC Welcomes All Contributions! All of our projects and programs are financed by donations. Due to the expansion of our office and staff, we need to expand our donor base. We are in special need of equipment and financial contributions. Please contact us to find out how you can best help us. Your generosity is greatly appreciated! All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. SAIIC Membership A SAIIC membership entitles you to receive the SAIIC Newsletter, Urgent Action Bulletins, notification of special events in your area, and correspondence on the 500 Years of Indian Resistance Campaign. To receive a Personal SAIIC Membership for one year, send a $15 donation to our mailing address. For an Institutional Membership, send a $25 donation. Publications Available SAIIC has co-authored along with the Rainforest Action Network, Amazonia Film Project, and International Rivers Network a special publication designed to give added force to grassroots groups in the Amazon fighting in defense of the rainforest and basic human rights for the Indigenous people there. Amazonia - Voices from the Rainforest, A Resource and Action Guide is available from SAIIC for $8. The Quito Resolutions from the Conference on 500 Years of Indian Resistance are also available from SAIIC for $5. SAIIC thanks the following people for their contributions: Wara Aderete, Nilo Cayuqueo, Peter Veilleux, Karen Crump, Karl Guevarra Erb, Guillermo Delgado, Ramón Diaz Lazo, David Lauer, Pat Brooks, Francesca Castaldi, Dardo Salas, Fernando Torres, Judy Shevelev, A rt uro Ramirez, Gina Pacaldo, Xihuanel Hue rt a, Bobsy Draper, Dick Bancroft, James Muneta, Isidro Galli, Carlos Maibeth, Melina Selvertson, Alfredo Quarto, Nilak Butler, Debra Harry, Gail Gordon, Lynnda Gray, Juan Rebock, Lucilene Whitesell, David Balsam, Dr Carlos Escobar, Katherine Cole, Paul Haible, Sr Mary Peter Bruce, Joshua Mailman, Maya Miller, Jeffrey Bronfman, Jon Christenson, Kit Miller, Wes Huss,Angelica Mendoza, Cristina Marquez, Francisco Mamani, Juan Radovich, Veronica Huillipan, Emilienne Ireland, Diane Nelson, Yolanda Ronquillo, Funding Exchange, Peace Development Fund, Tides Foundation, Vanguard Foundation, Threshold Foundation, Methodist Church - Latin American Division, Agricultural in Mission, Church of Christ for the Homeland Ministries, Open Meadow Foundation, Amerindia, and Amnesty International. Special thanks to all the people at Intertribal Friendship House for sharing their space with us for seven years. The SAIIC Newsletter is provided free, in Spanish to Indian Organizations in South & Meso America moved our offices! Please note our new addresses above! � 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 News from Around the Continent Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 1990 Zotero Abstract Note Entire issue Issue 3&4 Language English Pages 1-40 Publication Title SAIIC Newsletter Volume 5 http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/d7c6173b3aba075f6a011ab478440fad.pdf cda88468e6a2fb0d6d6e6500920e18d6 PDF Text Text SOUTH AND MESO AMERICAN I NDIAN I NFORMATION CENTER Newsletter Vol 6 No 3, Spring & Summer 1992 Linking Indian People of the Americas �Contents AMAZON March from Pastaza to Quito (Ecuador) .................. Sacha Yachana Research Center (Ecuador) ............. Military Reserves on Indian Lands (Brazil) ................ Spreading Venereal Diseases (Brazil) ...................... Inte rv iew with President of ONIC (Colombia) ........... 4 8 9 9 10 SOUTHERN CONE The Mataco Face Cholera Outbreak (Argentina) ...... 500 Years of Epidemics (Argentina) ....................... Letter from PIRCA (Argentina) ................................. Pehuenche Lands Still Not Secured (Chile) ............... Mapuche Protest Forced Eviction (Chile) .................. Mapuches Living under Ozone Hole (Chile) ............. 14 15 15 16 17 17 ANDES Indian and Campesino Leaders Meet (Bolivia) .......... 18 Drought Forces Aymara to Migrate (Bolivia) ............. 19 Indigenous Help Draft Constitution (Colombia) ........ 20 MESO AMERICA CONIC Meeting in Kuna Yala (Panama). ................ Police Raid Indian Cooperative (El Salvador) ........... Dangerous Agricultural Reforms (Mexico) ................ Indians Violently Evicted in Palenque (Mexico) ......... Logging Deal Blocked (Honduras) ........................... Proposal to Create Biosphere (Honduras) ................ 22 24 25 26 27 28 NORTH AMERICA Inuit win Back Territorry (Canada) .......................... 29 I NDIAN WOMEN Inte rv iew with Carmen Pereira (Bolivia) ................... 30 CONFERENCES ....................................................... 32 Indigenous People's Alliance .................................. 23 Second CONIC Meeting ....................................... 23 OTHER NEWS Letter to the Pope ................................................... 34 Indigenous Leaders Sign Paris Declaration ............... 34 UNCED ................................................................ 35 Available Items ........................ Back Page Mail: PO Box 28703 Oakland, California 94604 Office: 1212 Broadway, #830 Oakland, California 94612 Phone: (510) 834-4263 Fax: (510)-834-4264 Peacenet E-mail: saiic@igc.org SAIIC Staff Coordinator: Nilo Cayuqueo Coordinator Assistants: Eva Aguilar Veilleux -Jim Freeman Development Coordinator: Karl Guevara Erb Accounting: Quipus Radio Program Coordinator: Carlos Maibeth Design & Typesetting: El Andar Publications SAIIC Board of Directors Gina Pacaldo (San Carlos Apache/ Chicana),Nilo Cayuqueo (Mapuche Argentina), Carlos Maibeth (MiskitoNicaragua), Wara Alderete (CalchaquiArgentina), Xihuanel Huerta (Chicanlndia), Guillermo Delgado (Quechua-Bolivia), Lucilene Whitesell (Amazonia Native-Brasil) The SAIIC Newsletter (ISSN 1056-5876) is published 2-4 times per year and available for an annual $15 personal membership, $25 for an organizational membership, or $ at certain newstands. For membership, you will also receive Urgent Actions bulleti ns. We would like to thank the following people and organizations for their generous assistance and donations to SAIIC. A Central Place, Peter Veilleux, Juan Aulestia (Oxfam), Jeffrey Bronfman, Karima Cammell, Theodore Downing, Dianne Engleke, Ethnic News Watch, Fellowship of Reconciliation,W. H. Carol Ferry, Howard Frederick, Abby Friedman, Dan Greenwood, Rick Hamouris, Incomindios, David Lauer, Andrew Mutter, Sergio Montaño, Alfonso Palmas, Robert Patton, Joe Quigley, Rainforest Action Network, Julie Rogers, Judy Wells. Thanks to the following foundations for their generous support : The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, General Service Foundation, Tides Foundation, Funding Exchange, Seventh Generation Fund, Agricultural Mission, United Church of Christ, Peace Development Fund, Vanguard Foundation, Oneway Trust, Highlander Center-Environment and Democracy Campaign, Compu Mentor, Damien Foundation. �Editorial Since the publication of our previous SAIIC Newsletter, Indigenous unity and continental organizing continues to be a subject of dynamic discussion. More Indigenous peoples have been contacted, and we have witnessed encounters with younger leaders, men and women, who continue to take political responsabilities within Indian communities. This year's meetings have resulted in strengthening ties among Indigenous peoples. They have helped to clarify our positions within the larger spectrum of societies, and international organizations. The Indigenous perspective is contributing to promote a process of mental decolonization, and is opening spaces of dialogue unknown before. Some are Demands continue to considered positive as in the case others have SAIIC, we are questioned. Hoover, untenable , truggle of continue to receive reports of the s Indigenous people in their efforts to achieve greater levels of influence. These have increased as thes e groups better uunderstand current nation-stat es. their own Printed on Recycled Paper PRINTED WITH SOY INK �AMAZON Ecuador AMAZON I NDIANS DEMAND TO B E HEARD We come to speak in the name of all In the last three years the Ecuadorian the lives of the jungle, especially for those government has been intensifying the explowhich are disappearing. ration and exploitation of the natural resources in the Amazon region, especially in the Pastaza They are the water spirits: Province, homeland of the Quichua, Shiwiar the Yacurunas. and Achuar Indians. As a way to defend their They are the jungle spirits: territory the Indian People, led by OPIP, have the Sacharunas. They are the fertility spirits. been trying to persuade the government and They are the sowing spirits. oil companies to recognize Indian territories They are the harvesting spirits. and conduct rational exploitation of the reThey are the gods of abundance. sources in these territories. After exhausting the possibility of a negotiated settlement, the Allpamanda! Causaimanda! Indians felt their only recourse was to march Jatarishum! on the capitol. (For land! For life! We all rise up!) Thus on April 21, 1992 10,000 marchers — from a flyer distributed by the marchers arrived in Quito, led by 2,000 Indians from the 4 Pastaza Province, to demand that the Indian voices be heard. The marchers called on the government to legally recognize their territories, and reform the National Constitution to protect the different nationalities and cultures ofEcuador. The Indians a re demanding control over the largest remaining Amazon rainforest lands. Under very heavy military guard, the government of President Rodrigo Borja partially met their demands by officially recognizing over two and a half million of the almost five million acres of lands they occupy. The government also called for a special session of Congress to review Indigenous Peoples' demand for constitutional reform. SAIIC Newsletter �Woman with bouquet at the march The Amazon march was coordinated by the Organization of Indigenous People of Pastaza (OPIP) as a response to nearly three years of fruitless dialogue between the government and the national Indian federations, culminating in the government's refusal to legalize the Indian territories and its acquiescence to pressure from trans-national oil, timber, mining and tourism industries to exploit the Amazon rainforest. The Quichua, Shiwiar, Zaparo and Achuar marchers were following in the footsteps of their ancestors. Ninety years ago, led by the legendary chief Palati, leaders of these groups marched from their communities in Pastaza to the capitol of Quito to meet with the government over the rights to the territory which they have occupied for a millennium. The leaders returned to their communities with a title to all the lands of the Pastaza Province. This title to seven-million acres was buried and forgotten when the chief died. On April 23, President Borja warmly greeted and thanked the Indians for their courage and agreed to negotiate the first of their demands of the legalization of their traditional territories. Despite the warm welcome and promises, the peaceful marchers were met by a massive contingent of police and military in riot gear and army tanks. Tito Merino, the communications coordinator of OPIP commented wryly that he did not realize that Ecuador was at war. Vol 6 Num 3 One hundred of the Indian leaders were allowed to pass through the military blockade to present their demands to President Borja. Indian leaders, from Luis Macas, the President of the National Indian Confederation of Ecuador (CONAIE), to a traditional midwife urging the President to legally recognize Indian rights. The negotiations with the Indian People of Pastaza reached a deadlock over the government's refusal to legally recognize Indian territory which falls within a 25 by 120 mile swath of land along the Peruvian border. The main force blocking the legalization of these lands is the Ecuadorian Institute for Agrarian Reform and Colonization (IERAC). IERAC claims that this border area is necessary for "national security" and h as re- Ecuadorian March cently begun a campaign to colonize the region under a program known as "Living bor- ders." Citing the loss of nearly half its territory to Peru this century, the Ecuadorian government claims it is encouraging development along its borders to prevent further incursions. The Indigenous Peoples of Pastaza are not asking for areas already colonized, but only land which they currently use. Close to 35 percent of the Pastaza Indian communities are located within the border region slated for colonization. They are demanding that this security zone be reduced considerably. On May 13th, the Borja administration formally handed over title to over one-half of the Indian-occupied lands. The Indians claim that all of their territory must be legalized and that these lands be contiguous so as not to separate communities of the same nation. Instead, the government is recognizing 19 separate blocks of lands as the properties of individual communities. The military charges that the Indians are attempting to divide the country by claiming their "nation-hood." CONAIE disagrees. "In no way are we calling for dissolution of the Ecuadorian State. We only want our country to legally recognize the fact that we Ecuadorians are made up of different nations and cultures," stated one member of CONAIE. The Indians suspect that oil interests are at the root of the government's reluctance to formally recognize all their territory. PetroEcuador, the pow5 �Rally In a town after the march erful branch of the Ecuadorian government which oversees oil concessions to trans-national oil companies, announced the day before the marchers arrived in Quito that the US based oil company, ARCO, had discovered a huge reserve of oil within the territories being claimed by the marchers. OPIP organized the march to prevent the ecological and cultural devastation which they witnessed in the Northern and Southern Ecuadorian Amazon regions. Due mostly to oil development, Ecuador has the highest deforestation rate of any South American country. The Pastaza province contains the largest remaining pristine rainforest in Ecuador. Since Ecuador's oil boom began in the early 1970s, over twelve million acres of Amazon rainforest have been turned over to trans-national oil corporations. Millions of gallons of oil and toxic waste by-products have been spilled or dumped into the rainforest, contaminating the soil, air and water. O il development has brought deforestation, colonization, militarization, prostitution, alcoholism, violence, poverty, malnutrition and disease to the Indigenous Peoples. "They treat it [the Amazon] like a box full of resources," says Tito Me ri no on the government's attitude toward the Amazon, "They turn it upside down and shake it out and leave nothing for those who live there." "We marched along with the men to Quito to demand the recognition of our ancestral territories," said Patricia Gualinga, a Quichu women from the Sarayacu commu6 nity. "The women in Amazonia are fighting together to defend our people from the oil companies' threats to our territories. The oil companies come in and they bring disruptive ideas. They are trying to change the way our men act. One example is that they a re trying to prostitute our women. So, we have to be strong. Some women get pregnant. This is very bad for the community. The women feel embarrassed, and they move to the cities." Along with their demands, OPIP presented a natural resource management pl an in which they explained their traditional, nondestructive use of the forest, "not only for short-term benefit, but for the benefit of the children of our grandchildren." The concept of indigenous territoriality is a fairly new one for the Ecuadorians. The only lands currently recognized as Indian territories in the country a re those occupied by the Huaorani—also located in Pastaza—and the Awa on the Colombian border. These territories were legalized in the 1980s due to international pressure placed on the government. Over the last decade, environmental and human rights activists have become increasingly aware that ter ri to ri al rights a re necessary for the survival of Indigenous Peoples and for the protection of rainforests. OPIP now wants to extend these territories to include the rest of the Pastaza Indian lands. They claim that terri torial rights a re necessary in order to guarantee the survival of their cultures and their communities. The Organization of Indigenous People of Pastaza is calling on the government to change Article I of the Constitution to read, "Ecuador is a pluri-national, sovereign, independent, democratic and unified state which recognizes, protects and respects cultural diversity." Most South American countries have either reformed or are in the process of reforming their constitutions to recognize and protect the rights of Indigenous People. However, the popular concept in Ecuador is still that Indians belong to the past, part of what is known as "folklo re ," to be commercially exploited. In an attempt to contrive a single and uniform cultural identity, the government has been actively promoting the "integration" and "civilization" of Indian people since its formation in 1830. This strategy has led to the social, economic, and political exclusion or exploitation of Indian people who comprise 40-45% of the total population of Ecuador. After three weeks of camping in a public park in Quito, the Indians left with less than they came for. They gained the titles to little more than one-half of the lands they use and Congress called a special session in June to review the Indians' demand for constitutional re form. Another important achievement was winning the hearts of the Ecuadorian people. Long thought of as "invisible savages," the Indians are now recognized as courageous and articulate people. The marchers met in Puyo, the capitol of Pastaza, on April 10th, many of them having SAIIC Newsletter �Argentina HISTORICAL REUNION OF THE MAPUCHE NATION After one hundred years, the first reunion of the Mapuche nation took place in Neuquen, Argentina. Over a hundred lonkos, spiritual leaders of Nagmapu, Chile, and over 200 traditional leaders of different communities in Argentina met to analyze the situation of marginalization and oppression that the national states of Chile and Argen ti na are imposing on the Mapuche people. They also reaffirmed their historical rights of existence as a nation, the rights to exercise their traditional law and speak their own language, and walked and canoed there from their communities 150 miles away on the Peruvian border. Men, women and children nervously set out from Puyo on the 11th in the pouring rain, holding leaves and plastic over their heads to keep dry. When they entered a community, throngs of people met them, offering donations and support. On their fourth day out, they were greeted by musicians and a fiesta in the Indian village of Salasaca. The community had built bamboo huts in the center of town for the marchers to rest. The "Salasacas" opened all public facili ties to them and greeted them with speeches of solidarity. Over one-half of the marchers' enormous needs for firewood, food, drink, blankets, clothing, shelter and medicine were met by donations from communities along their route. In a press release, the Indians stated, "Our historic walk has definitively changed the relations between Indian people and the white/mestizo society: the demonstrations of solidarity with our objectives a re a clear sign that it is possible for us to live side-by-side, respectful of unity within our diversity." Many of the marchers came down with severe colds and were treated by one of the doctors and/or shamans accompanying the march. The people of the Pastaza rainforest are accustomed to a very warm climate at near sea-level. During the march, they had to climb to al ti tudes of up to 14,000 feet where the nights were sometimes below freezing. In reaction to the gala jubilee celebra- Vol 6 Num 3 agreed on the creation of a Mapuche flag. The reunion ended with a ceremony with the participation of more than a thousand people. A complete report will be published in the next SAIIC newsletter. Also for more information write to: Nehuen Mapu Barri o Islas Maluinas Batilana 315, Neuquen, Argentina tions being planned by governments and corporate interests throughout the Americas and Europe to mark the 500 years since Columbus began the process of colonization of Indian lands, leaders of the march declared, "Now is the ti me for de-colonization, the time to recognize our rich cultures and build a new Ecuador." 7 �Ecuador SACHA YACHANA The Sacha Yachana Research Center (CISAY) was created in February 1992 as the scientific arm of the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of Pastaza (OPIP). It was established to advise OPIP and its member communities and associations on issues related to the management and conservation of ecosystems in the indigenous peoples' territories of Pastaza. The goals of CISAY are: o To conduct studies of indigenous peoples' territories and their natural and managed ecosystems ° To research cultural and ecologically sound socio-economic development plans for Indigenous communities o To evaluate governmental and nongovernmental organizations' economic development projects for Pastaza that affect indigenous peoples' territories. ° To evaluate governmental and NGO scientific projects within Pastaza's indigenous peoples' territories. o To develop guidelines for scientific research, socio-economic development, resource extraction, and conservation within indigenous peoples' territories in Pastaza. CISAY's finances and management are independent from OPIP. However, CISAY is accountable to the policies emanating from OPIP's congresses and assemblies. A diagram of CISAY's internal organization follows. CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION OF CANDIDATES FOR CISAY'S SCIENTIFIC TEAM 1. A workshop for team pre-candidates will take place in Puyo in May 1992. The theme of the workshop will be: natural resources and environment, traditional Quichua knowledge, environmental policy. 2. Candidates will be chosen because they are: bilingual (Quichua/Spanish); at least high school graduates; inclined to work 8 on environmental issues; and, experienced in community activities and organizations. 3.Team members will be chosen among those who have: good training, a commitment and understanding of indigenous and environmental issues, understanding of the national mestizo/creole society and the other ethnic groups of Ecuador, and also on the basis that they exercise their traditional and cultural practices. Currently, CISAY is formed by Leonardo Viteri, Director; Alfredo Vargas , Hydraulic Engineer; Wilfrido Aragon, Zootechnist; Olga Pineda, Research Assistant; Maritza Toala, Secretary; and Ricardo Grefa, Cartographer. THE ORGANIZATION OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF PASTAZA (OPIP) OPIP was established in 1978 by the Quichua, Achuar, Shiwiar, and Zaparo peoples of Pastaza. It is formed by 148 communities with a population of nearly 20,000 people. The grass-roots members of OPIP are organized in centers (settlements); and associations (groups of centers). The first authority of OPIP is the Congress which meets every three years with delegations from each community. Additionally, there are annual assemblies and ordinary bi-annual assemblies. OPIP also h as aboard of directors elected by the Congress which are: President, Vice President; Director of Promotion and Organization; Director of Territories and Natural Resources; Director of Education, Science and Technology; Director of Community Health; Director of Community Development; and Director of Women in Development. The goals of OPIP are: 1.To promote the unity and develop the organization of the peoples of Pastaza. 2. To obtain land rights to our ancestral territories from the government of Ecuador. 3. To develop policies for conservation and sustainable management of natural resources on our territories, for the benefit of indigenous people and for the rest of humankind. SAIIC Newsletter �Brasil MILITARY RESERVES ON INDIAN LANDS I N THE AMAZON The Brazilian military controls 25 million acres of land in the Amazon. Presidential decress have alloted and reserved 36 areas for the armed forces. According to Angelo Pansa, an Italian priest who is a member of the International T ribunal for the Rights of the People and who is also active in CIMI (Indigenous Council of Missionaries) there are 6 areas that trancede Indigenous lands, totally or partially. In the southern part of the state of Pará, where 2,600 Indians live, the military holds 16 million acres, an area twice the size of the Kayapó Indian rese rv e. The majority of the land reserved for the military is devoted to the establishment of living quarters, the stationing of battalions and border platoons as well as for military training in areas that a re remote and sparsely populated. Source: Jornal do Comércio, 2111192 (via alternex) GOLD-MINERS AND SOLDIERS SPREADING VENEREAL DISEASES TO INDIGENOUS WOMEN Indigenous women and young girls in the Amazon have been contracting venereal diseases from gold miners and soldiers. According to CIMI (Indigenous Missionary Council) and Indigenous leaders from Pará, Amazonas and Acre, many of them, lured to the cities, end up in brothels and in the trafficking of babies throughout the Amazon. "Prostitution among indigenous girls is alarming. Indigenous women come to the city and don't have job qualifications, so selling their bodies becomes the only alternative", said Antonio Apurina, Coordinator of UNI-Acre (The Union of Indigenous People in Acre). Anthropologist Antonio Maria de Souza confirms that soldiers have been known to gang rape Indian women in the city of Sao Gab ri el da Cachoeira, on the border of Brazil and Colombia, in the state of Amazonas. Source: Folha de Sao Paulo, 2/10/92 (via alternex) Vol 6 Num 3 9 �Colombia I NTERVIEW WITH ALFONSO PALMA PRESIDENT OF ON IC SAIIC: What region do you come from and who do you represent? AP: My name is Alfonso Palmas, I come from the department of Tolima from the inte ri or of the country, and represent ONIC (Organization of Indigenous Nationalities of Colombi an ), of which I have been the president since June, 1990. SAIIC: What is the role of ONIC? AP: Our role is to train, orient and promote organization in the indigenous communities, because we believe that it is the indigenous peoples who must look for solutions to our own problems. ONIC promotes programs, we like to promote inter-ethnic relations among the different ethnic groups in the country and with those in other countries. SAIIC: What is the indigenous population of Colombia, and how many groups are there? AP: There are about 100 indigenous groups, and we speak more than 80 languages and a re located all over the country. SAIIC: How would you desc ri be the situation of the indigenous communities in Colombia? AP: Up to this moment the wave of violence against indigenous peoples continues in Colombia: very often the leaders are persecuted and even assassinated. We continue to face colonization of traditional lands — that is indigenous lands a re still being taken — 10 o o Alfonso Palma, center, describing the situation In Colombia at the SAIIC office with representatives of the Tonantzln Land institute and Bay Area Indian Alliance the drug problem, guerri lla organizations... all these groups have lack of respect for the indigenous communities. In addition, a major problem is that of communication, there is no permanent communication. We have no means to communicate among ourselves, much less with indigenous communities of other countries. The state does not provide us with anything, in fact the government has sponsored division among us by creating organizations simil ar to, but self-sufficient from those of the indigenous peoples. Therefore we cannot analyze or understand other communities problems, nor can we be updated on issues which involve us, or evaluate the actual national situation. Another problem is the exploitation of natural resources by foreign and even national companies. They never consult with the in- digenous communities and their acts only bring more problems for us. First of all, the cultural clash. Then, contamination of all living creatures and plants, and death of our people. Also, we have land but no means to produce, and if we do produce then the production goes through an intermediary and this person retains all the profit, leaving the indigenous with little or almost nothing. SAIIC: C an you tell us about the massacre of Dec. 16 and what ONIC does in such cases? AP: In Colombia there are, legally speaking, "indigenous reservations", these cannot be sold nor rented (leased), and they ar e imprescriptible; that is the indigenous communities c an claim them whenever they want. In this c as e there are many territories SAIIC Newsletter �with colonial titles that belong to the indigenous communities, but the farmers, ranchers, and landowners, and production companies have kicked out indigenous communities by violent means, and this is what has happened in Colombia. In the case of the massacre, the killing took place in the department of Cauca in the PAES territory, where they had been reclaiming their land from the government for four years. However, this land h as been invaded by big landowners who form large groups and send them to kill the indigenous. In this case, the indigenous had communicated to the government about their claims, however, the State did not answer, therefore the massacre took place. In these cases, ONIC, first of all issues denunciations at the national and international levels. We've denounced this and many other problems which a re unknown to the international community. For example, the massacre of December last year, where five compañeros were burned alive by narcotraffickers. We denounce all of this violence against indigenous peoples. Last year ONIC met with the Government Ministry, and the senators and we demanded that the state respond to all of these acts of terror and what the State was doing to investigate. Until now, all we know is that there is an investigative commission and that there is a negotiation being carried with the institute of land reform. However, we are pessimistic about these type of investigations because our experience is that such investigations do not bring any results, as occurred with the indigenous peoples of the Aruaco community, where the armed forces and even government people were involved, and nothing was ever done. In that case, more than 20 compañeros were assassinated. SAIIC: What are the activities of ONIC planned for 1992? AP: At the local level, we a re working with the organizations in the inte ri or of the indigenous communities. We are working with students, professors, the popular sectors, blacks, environmentalists and other people who see in the campaign a positive aspect, that it is important to reflect and cultivate our magnificent and rich culture, also that we evaluate and reflect what these 500 years have meant for our culture. Also in the Vol 6 Num 3 proposals for the Constitution we have to make clear that Colombia is a multi-ethnic pluricultural country, and we have to work closely with other indigenous peoples who are working on the campaign, who have similar and different problems, so that we c an create bonds of fraternity and unity among indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. SAIIC: There were 3 indigenous representatives elected to the congress of the country. Who are they? What are their proposals to the national Constitution? AP: Compañero Gab ri el Muyuy, representing ONIC, and Anatolio Quira of the Social Indigenous Alliance and Floro Alberto of the Auto ri dades Indígenas de Colombia. They represent different indigenous sectors, however we are trying to work in unity and present our proposals together. In addition, we believe that by having our own representatives we can have a voice; we are open to work with other people and like that other sectors of the society of Colombia work with us in problems which affect not only the indigenous peoples but all Colombians. Concerning the issues of the national Assembly, we have obtained that in the constitution it be stated that Colombia is a pluricultural state; the harmony of many cultures is declared; the issue that the state must protect our national identity, that is our customs, traditions, language, all that makes us different. We have now achieved the recognition of our languages in our territories, that education be bilingual. We have about 40 groups who live near the border with other countries and the governments do not understand that for indigenous peoples there are no borders. So now they have double nationality. Another achievement is the recognition of ownership of our territories. Right now there is a discussion with the government because the government does not want to recognize territories traditionally occupied, which are large extensions. They want to recognize only the reservations; now we will struggle for the recognition of traditional lands, reservations. For this we are proposing a pl an to the government so that we do not have foreigners coming to our communities and pl an our development, but instead that this planning be left to us, once 11 �we're trained. Another important aspect is that of jurisdiction; that is each community has its own form of sanction and imposition of penalties. We will try to fix this according to the national system. Now this is considered. Another issue is that in relation to the natural resources, its exploitation must be consulted with the indigenous peoples. For this we a re hoping to write a guide, rules from all indigenous Peoples communities, that will be followed, because even if there are already laws they do not represent our view, nor are they followed. However we must organize within the communities, so that we c an face the problems and present plans. For this we are planning a mee ti ng for December 1992 to discuss the problems we have, how will we participate politically speaking. INCORA is the institute in charge of h an -dlingasue,coft;hralge extensions which have been traditionally occupied by the indigenous peoples who have always lived there and have no titles for it. They are called "traditionally occupied". The reservations are where INCORA has handled titles, but this sort of land is not defined yet. SAIIC: If you could realize anything in the world, this year of 1992, what is the outcome you would hope for? AP: At our level it will be that the Constitution serve our interests and not those of a few people, as has happened historically. We want to retain our cultures. We hope to unify at the con ti nental level. We want to avoid past mistakes and work towards understanding among different communities; we are not going to celebrate the genocide, we want to analyze the past so that we can work for the future. We want to make demands on the UN since 1993 has been declared the year of indigenous peoples. We want a strong United Nations (UN) presence so that human rights violations be watched carefully and that something more than just condemnations be made. We want protection. SAIIC: What role do you see the government playing in this multi-ethnic and pluricultural state? 12 AP: I believe that the government should facilitate changes. They are not only indigenous peoples but blacks and other groups; the government should protect the culture and promote overall cultural development. SAIIC: What do you say to the Crioles, Campesino people who are afraid of losing land while indigenous peoples recuperate their lands? AP: First of all, we are not claiming land which is not ours. Our claims are over lands which we have been on for hundreds of years; therefore we believe that if there a re cases where there are Campesinos who have come to our land due to many problems, we demand the government car ry out an integral agrarian reform, that they be relocated to lands where there are no indigenous communities, and to lands where they c an survive and develop economically. SAIIC: What ONIC is doing about education? AP: We are talking to the government. We are participating in certain areas of education, such as health and agriculture. We believe that the state should provide access to education for indigenous peoples because it is only in this form that we c an become independent and govern ourselves. SAIIC: C an you comment on the continental struggle against 500 years of colonization? AP: By being here and after exchanging views and talks with other people, I acknowledged the we the indigenous peoples all through the continent face the same problems such as land recognition, development, etc.. We must acknowledge how can we unify and defend ourselves as communities. First of all, indigenous peoples' lands must be recognized. Secondly, the state must respect cultures, different cultures from those which were brought to Latin America by the Europeans. Therefore we must communicate and join together in order to demand this from states and from the UN. We need to develop a means of communication. We need to know the problems of our brothers and sisters in other countries. In reference to SAIIC Newsletter �the campaign, we must develop the campaign in an autonomous form that is because the situation, even if it similar, is also unique in each country. We do have commonalities. We have to negate these state celebrations and come up with specific proposals, because for us the campaign does not end this October. In fact, this is only the beginning; the plans of the Indigenous Continental Alliance is to continue working for the rights of indigenous peoples and others with similar problems to those we have. Therefore the campaign for us goes beyond this year. SAIIC: What does development means for Indigenous Peoples in Colombia? At the community level, we c an talk about how to develop solutions, alternatives on development. In Colombia we are trying to find solutions for our communities. AP: In Colombia, with the so-called economic internationalization, or the economic aperture, the indigenous communities will suffer problems because most of these projects carried out in the name of development will exploit and explore the wealth, the natural resources, diversity, wild life. In the area of the Choco (Pacific coast) and the Amazon, the resources are being negotiated behind our backs. These negotiations are going to be carried out among the government and the large foreign companies. They do not consider the people living there. We a re never consulted. We need to put international pressure on the government. SAIIC: What do these Con ti nental Conferences mean for the communities? SAIIC: What is economic development for indigenous peoples in your opinion? AP: First of all, we discuss and share to analyze the situation of the indigenous people of the con tinent. We want to know what the specific problems of indigenous peoples are. Once we acknowledge this, we c an start to think about solutions, alternatives which we ourselves formulate. Those encounters try to find this diagnosis of the problems, but also through them we solidify our links at the continental level. AP: First of all, let's look at the word development, for us development is not just economics, it is integral; that is to have autonomy, to have organizational and administrative capacity. In these terms, when promoted like this, we can realize development for the community as a whole. Most of the ti me when talking about economic development, it means to have economic possibilities for the betterment of our compañeros. For us, however, it would not just mean individually, but at the collective level; it means to propose solutions for the community. We have to generate many alternatives such as appropriation of technology, credit possibilities, adaptation of an economy proper to us, an economy that allows us to con trol our means, that allows the communities to develop their autonomy. In Colombia, since we have such a variety of indigenous peoples, we say that our country c an achieve development once the communities and their cultures have developed to the upmost. This identity of the country is important to look at from different points of view, in the mutual harmony of different communities, so that we learn to live and recognize cultural and historical differences, which have been denied for 500 years. We consider that this identity of Colombia must be looked at from its territorially, regions, religions, anthologies, different cultures, rites, practices. We have to analyze what is Colombia, because throughout all of the years in Colombia others have been wanting to impose one culture, different to ours, and this is not possible. We are a country rich on cultural traits, therefore we must try to live in harmony among all of these cultures. Vol 6 Num 3 SAIIC: C an you talk to us about environmental organizations in Colombia? AP: I believe that the environmental organizations and indigenous peoples have one thing in common, that is the defense of nature, of the environment. However, we indigenous peoples go beyond that, we defend human life too. We have to initiate a dialogue so that we can work for nature but also for human life. Environmental organizations c an coordinate international actions so that projects are carried out only if indig- enous peoples have been consulted. We really need to work on a dialogue in order to see how indigenous peoples c an work together with environmental organizations. SAIIC: Could you please talk about culture in Colombia? AP: One of the main purposes of ONIC is to protect and promote indigenous peoples' cultures. We consider that culture is an authentic expression of peoples or a specific group; that is, their very own traditions, practices, form of government, values, organization, adaptation to changes maintaining their values. One of our achievements has been the recognition of a multi-ethnic society, country. For us, education is important because through it we learn to value our culture, because right now we have problems mainly with religious organizations which want to wipe out our cultures and create foreign one. Through education we value our cultures and learn the differences SAIIC: What about oil companies in Colombia? AP: There are now oil companies going to Colombia wanting to explo re and exploit our lands in search of oil and other precious minerals. In our proposals to the constitutional reforms we proposed recognition of our right to the land; that is, the soil and subsoil, because for us land is property which belongs to the community and soil and subsoil are not separate, they a re an integral part. However the state did not want to recognize this right, because they know there is enormous wealth, so there is an article which states that where there are minerals, oil, or other exploitable resources there will be consultations with the indigenous peoples. At this point the foreign companies are experimenting in many places in order to find oil and other resources. Where there is oil the government takes the land even if it belongs to the indigenous peoples. It is for this reason that we believe it is crucial that we organize so that we can defend ourselves, that we learn Spanish so that we can talk their language and conduct a dialogue. March 1992 13 �Tartagal. Gerardo Tortelli, a medical doctor who lives in Salta, arrived in Misión La Paz and said that, "drinking water in this area is contaminated with cholera, but we cannot do much about it, except to tell people to add the chlorine we a re distributing to the water, and to boil it before drinking." Landowners in Salta, Argen tina, have used the cholera epidemic to accuse Indian communities of hosting such diseases. Journalists asked Health Minister Julio César Aráoz, if it was true that local landowners had said that "due to a bunch of shitty Indians our Province will lose a lot of money." The Minister answered, "Whoever is thinking that way is stupid and inhuman... What I am interested in is not the Salta landowners, but people infected with cholera, and not trying to confine it to this sector [the Indians']. Afterwards we will talk to the landlords." Local landowners, exporters of fruits and produce, have pressured Health Minister, Julio Cesar Araoz into not reporting the presence of cholera in Salta, "because the cholera presence would affect the export and sales of our produce on the market." Argentina The Mataco of the Gran Chaco Health Secretary Alberto Mazza reported to President Menem, the press corps and administrators in Tartagal, that the total number of people with cholera has risen to 154 cases Mazza also noted that the cholera type is different from that in Bolivia and Peru, and that most of the affected people a re children. Source: El Tribuno (Jujuy) and written by journalists Diana Alvarez and Walter Echazu The following is excerpted from a letter to the newsletter in Boletin de las ComunidaesAbríg. December, 1991 ................................ HARASSED AS THEY FACE CHOLERA OUTBREAK More than one hundred Ma taco and Toba people who have lived for centuries in the Gr an Chaco, a territory that comprises the colonial boundaries between Bolivia, Argen ti na and Paraguay, are facing incredible hardships due to an outbreak of cholera on the Pilcomayu River where they traditionally fish. Local authorities have been accusing the Ma taco of being responsible for the cholera outbreak, and have closed off the Mataco's territory, not allowing them to leave, nor allowing people to enter their territory. This forced isolation by the Argentinian authorities h as led the Mataco to denounce their discriminatory treatment. "Our source of life is the Pilcomayu ri ver. If we a re not allowed to fish there, we will die not of cholera, but of hunger," said Noe and Martin Bravo. The Ma taco harvest squ as h and watermelon on their tiny plots of l an d, but they have been forbidden to sell, buy, or exchange with local merchants. Ma taco Indians also live from selling folk art, and their small surplus of produce and fruits. "Authorities do not allow us to leave or travel," a Ma ta co Indian recently reported in 14 I am writing to inform you that our work continues at our own pace: we are preserving the production of quinoa and kiwicha seeds, and it looks like some small farmers in the south of Mendoza are seriously considering cultiv acing them commercially. We are in touch with a similar group in Bolivia with whom we are attempting to resolve some of the problems we are having. We recently completed 54 houses in rural areas utilizing our traditional technology and we colored them with paints which were used by our ancestors thousands of years ago. We even extracted them from the same sources our ancestors used! We continue to videotape life in the Andean world. We have taped more than 100 hours which will be edited as soon as we have the opportunity. We have finished installing the offices for Radio FM Pirca in Tilcara. Occasionally, we have been able to air our programs thanks to borrowed equipment. Well, the struggle continues, with all the usual problems. Nevertheless, we are progressing. Please receive from all of us a fratern al hug. Arm ando Alvarez Proyecto de Rescate de la Cultura Andina (PIRCA) CC 6 (4624) Tilcara, Jujuy, Argentina. SAIIC Newsletter �Argentina VICTIMS OF CHOLERA AFTER 500 YEARS EPIDEMICS BROUGHT BY "CIVILIZATION" ARE STILL KILLING THE INDIAN PEOPLE The Indian people of Argen tina in general, and particularly those living in this territory, have been displaced by the national society to marginal areas; they constitute a cheap labor force, and do not have access to adequate health care and education. They become the center of attention of government officials only when they a re victims of infectious diseases which c an be transmitted to the rest of the society. However, historically they have been silent victims of malnutrition, dysentery, Chagas disease, tuberculosis, infant mortality and many other illnesses which do not represent a threat for the rest of the population. It is not by chance, that Indian people have been the first victims of cholera, "the disease of poverty". On Jan. 1, 1992, during a long and warm summer, Argentina was hit by the cholera epidemic. The first person to acquire the disease, and the first fatal victim, was a Mataco Indian who lived in S anta Victoria Este, a province of Sal ta . Soon five mo re c as es were diagnosed, all of them Indians of the same village. The focal point of the epidemic was the area where the Ma taco and Chorote people live. The area is known as "The Great Chaco" (El Gr an Chaco) and it includes the provinces of Salta, Formosa, and Chaco; this area has been devastated by indiscriminate deforestation. The Indian sandemervsoficuitn people live in communities which lack sanitary tion. The p rovincial government in Sal ta , implemented tight military control, with the participation of the military Border Patrol. Physicians were allowed into the area only when accompanied by military personnel. The Indian people were intimidated and forced to attend the sanitary establishments. A military blockade was set up to isolate the area. The Ma taco people still remember that during the smallpox epidemic of 1930, military personnel burnt their houses often with the sick people inside, in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease to the rest of the population. As a consequence of this treatment, many Matacos fled to the forest, allowing for further spread of the disease. Vol 6 Num 3 Attitude toward the Indian People The statements of the mass media regarding the cholera epidemic showed that in Argen ti na Indian people are seriously discriminated against. The discourse of the press blamed the Indians' way of life for the acquisition and transmission of the disease, ignoring their historical experience of exploitation and discrimination. We c an provide many examples of the disdain and ignorance of the press in their coverage of the "news about the cholera epidemic": A woman legislator said: "these groups do not have culture or education, what c an we expect of the Indians?" The latifundists of the province of Sal ta, who export vegetable crops, declared to the local press: "Because of a few shitty Indians we are going to lose a lot of money." Arguments of the press and health officials for explaining the epidemic: "The Indians eat raw fish, they use the river to defecate." None of these statements are true. The Ma taco people do not eat raw fish, and they a re very careful to avoid contamination of their rivers. Headlines of a newspaper of nationwide distribution stated: "The faseiorchltnwpsabedigno." Racial conflicts in Argen tina are usually covered by a discourse which presents the Argentine society as a homogenous population of European descent. It conceals and ignores the fact that Argentina is a multiethnic country, like any country in the American Con tinent, and most of all, it conceals the discrimination against Indian people. Five hundred years after the arrival of the colonizers, the epidemics continue to be a weapon for the extermination of the first nations of this con ti nent. To protest the discrimination, and most of all the fact that the Argentine society consistently igno res the existence of Indian people, please write to President Carlos Menem, Casa de Gobierno, Buenos Ai res, Argen ti na. Source: The Oyemboati Foundation for the Promotion of Indian People 15 �Chile Ten members of the Mapuche Indian Nation were arrested in front of the government palace Thursday, Feb. 7, during an antigovernment protest against their anticipated expulsion from land they have lived on for years. The protest was organized by the National Council of Indigenous Peoples (CNPI) in support of the 22 Pehuenche (abranch of the Mapuche) Indian families who face the expulsion order. A recent judgement determined that the territory, an agricultural zone south of the Chilean capital, belongs to a group of families called the `the Gallatue Society.' CNPI protested the police "repressive measures," and demanded that the govemmentgive a"justifiable explanation for this shameful action." While the police dispersed the crowd, several ministers and members of the Gallatue Society were negotiating a possible expropriation of the lands where the Pehuenche Indians live and work. "We view with profound disdain the fact that 500 years after Europe invaded our continent, we are still being robbed of our ancestral lands," said a statement read in front the National Palace. Representatives from Mapuche and Aymara oganizations, as well as other Indian groups, took part in the demonstration. They blame the slow resolution of the problem on the "inefficiency and lack of political willingness on the part of the the negotiating commission" which is addressing the issue. A committee for the defense and solidarity of Indian tribes is proposing that Mapuche representatives negotiate alongside those who claim to be the rightful owners of the territory. Edgardo Boeninger, General Secretary to the President, has announced the government's offer to purchase the territory from the Gallatue Society for five million dollars. Although the territory is not "economically exploitable" explained Boeninger, "the offer is based on our desire to resolve this conflict to the satisfaction of the Indigenous community." 16 Faced with an eviction order from the Chilean Supreme Court, the 22 Pehuenche Indian families li ving in the Quinquen Valley are hoping for an agreement between the government and the landowners which will allow them to stay on their ancestral lands. Officials a re trying to beat the March 2 deadline set by the Supreme Court for the eviction of the Pehuenche from the 333,450 acres of the Cordillera Valley located some 385 miles south of S anti ago. The Pehuenche Indians say they have occupied the lands, rich with forests of araucaria pine trees called "pehuen" in their language, since ti me immemorial. The Pehuenche got their name from the trees which are also their source of income. The Galletue firm, which got its name from a river that flows in the area, claims it owns the valley and brags of land titles to prove it. Galletue, which obtained the eviction order from the Supreme Court, h as refused the government's offer to buy the lands for five million dollars. The bi-monthly magazine Página Abierta has accused Galletue owners, Gonzalo Lledo, Miguel Lamoliatte and Mauricio Menas of trying to profit from the negotiations. The government of President Patricio Aylwin wants to turn the Quinquen Valley, whose name means `place of refuge' in the Pehuenche language, into a national park and re serve. In the early 1970s, the socialist government of Salvador Allende set up an agrarian reform program which expropriated the Quinquen lands from Galletue and recognized the Pehuenches' right to the l an d. But the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship gave back the lands to the firm in 1974, and later authorized it to exploit the araucaria forests. Last year, the Aylwin government declared the araucaria tree a national monument and once more prohibited its exploitation all over Chile. Asa result of this decision, the state gave Galluete six-million dollars in compensation and paid the firm another fivemillion to conserve the forests as a national patrimony. But Galletue is asking ten million dollars for the lands, a sum considered "excessive" by the government and "immoral" by the Pehuenche, politicians and ecologists. Government experts say a police eviction of the Pehuenche would elicit criticisms locally and abroad, particularly in consideration of the upcoming quincentennial. Local Indigenous groups waiting for the government's decision describe the case as the "robbing of their an cestral lands which began five hundred years ago." Should Galletue and the government fail to reach an agreement, Aylwin, backed by the ten parties of the ruling democratic coalition, will have to urge congress to pas s the bill expropriating Quinquen. Jorge Arrate, acting president for the Chilean Socialist Party which is the second strongest group in the coalition, has accused the government of acting with timidity on the case. Fe rnando Quilaleo, President of Ad-Mapu (the national Mapuche organization) h as called on the government to solve the case this year. "But Quinquen is only one of Chile's problems. Between the Chilean state and the Pehuenche Indians, there are a thousand mo re Quinquens," Quilaleo said. SAIIC Newsletter �Chile The Mapuche Nation of Chile has launched a campaign to draw international attention to the plight of over one million Indians threatened with forced eviction from their an cestral l and. "What we a re asking is that the Chilean authorities leave our people alone," Reynaldo Manqueo of the Mapuche Committee in Europe said. This message was also communicated to Chilean Ambassador German Riesco Zañartu in a letter addressed to Chilean President Patricio Aylwin. The Committee, representing the Mapuche-Pehuenche, said they launched the campaign to confront the "unofficial state of siege" declared recently in Indian territory in Chile. Mariqueo said: "The government h as sent in a police contingent of approximately 400 men, military vehicles, police vans, mounted police and helicopters, and (taken) other measures to prevent a possible uprising in the Andes mountains and take the l and." The community, situated in the Quinquen district of Cautín province, survived mainly on the pehuen tree, harvesting the pine nuts for food and selling or exchanging the surplus for other essential goods. But the Indians were unaware that as far back as 1918 their land had been sold by the Chilean state to private owners (non-Mapuche) who then resold it fora profit In 1987, Pinochet's government issued a decree that allowed timber industri es to override an earlier forestprotection law. When the present government came to power, another law was passed to protect the forests, which meant the owners now wished to sell the land that they could no longer exploit. But in June 1990, the land owners filed a case at the supreme court asking the Indians to leave to facilitate the selling of the l an d. "The present situation is desperate. Until now the strength of opposition from Mapuche organisations has delayed the eviction proVol 6 Num 3 cess," Manqueo said. Orders to proceed with the operation, he said, have now been given and will be carried out by Gen. Osvaldo Muñoz Sanhueza, who was ac tive in the Pinochet dictatorship. The objective, Manqueo said, is to transfer the people together with their personal belongings and animals to a designated area away from the community, while their homes will be destroyed. Mariqueo quoted Sanhueza as saying that military units from three provinces had been mobilized, and a base camp had been set up to superv ise the takeover and provide logistic support. The Mapuches, living in the Andes mountains, are the o ri ginal inhabitants of what is now Argen tina and Chile. During the Spanish conquest, the Mapuches signed a treaty to define the borders of their territory, which was honored by Spain. The treaty was also acknowledged by Argen ti na and Chile when they gained independence. They signed several more agreements with the Mapuches but which they later b roke. "Our major objective is to continue with the campaign until justice is served to our people," Mariqueo said. "if we don't campaign, the atrocities will con ti nue. Our ultimate aim is to press for autonomy and self-determination for our people." Source: International Press Service Mapuches Living Under the Ozone Hole The people living in the tip of Tierra del Fuego are living under the ozone hole, which scientists have recently found to be growing much faster than anticipated. It is now four ti mes larger than the United States and from late August until early December is directly over the high mountain homeland of the Mapuche. Walter Ulloa, a 28-year-old farmhand found that his arms burned "like boiling water" and his eyes became swollen, irritated and clouded over after working high mountain pastures. His left eye is now completely blind. After examining him, Chilean doctors said that he was probably exposed to excessive ultraviolet-B radiation. They prescribed UV-resistant sunglasses, which Ulloa can't afford. Chilean scientists estimate that levels of the carcinogenic ultravioletB radiation jumped more than 1,000 percent in Punta Arenas, the largest town located under the ozone hole. Huge increases in skin cancer, and sheep, fish and rabbit blindness are being reported in the area. Despite this startling evidence, there is very little research being done in the area. The University of Chile was unable to raise the $11,000 for a spectral radiometer to measure radiation levels and because of this a planned three-year study fell through. 17 �Bolivia Aymaras herder with their Llama "Nearly 150 Indian leaders from the La Paz provinces came together in a planning and consciousness-raising meeting to consolidate the Assembly of Nationalities," reported Zenobio Quispe, permanent secretary of the Federation of Campesino Workers of La Paz (Tupaj Katari). During the event, campesinos of La Paz, struggling for unity, reiterated the need to establish their own political party and assembly of nationalities, and determined that the Indian confederation should be formed, under its own laws, and its own political constitution "until Aymara, Quechua, Guaranies and other nationalities assume power." The participants reject the celebration of the quincentennial because Oct. 12 is a date of pain and mourning for campesinos and Indians of the continent. For this reason, they will demonstrate with a reaffirmation of their cultural identities and 18 against ethnocide, genocide, and the destruction of cultural values. Ideological and Political Unity The participants will ask professionals committed to the cause of Native peoples for their support in creating documents and school texts, both historical and otherwise, which will encourage Native cultural values. "This first meeting h as been positive, because with the initiative of the campesino and Indian authorities, we have accepted the responsibility of strengthening our organizations," said the Director of Tupaj Katari at the conclusion of the meeting. He indicates that the most important step is to organize because the Indi an , campesino, worker, and popular movements have been weakened in the current political climate. "In spite of the adverse situation, campesinos and Indians have accepted the great challenge of establishing the assem- bly of nationalities and a political party, to provide an alternative for the marginalized and oppressed sectors of Bolivia." Seventh Congress The seventh congress of the Federation of Campesino Workers of La Paz (Tupaj Katari) will be held Dec. 20-22. At this event the Federation will discuss the situation of the campesinos, who categorically reject property taxes and demand that the government fulfill the numerous obligations it h as made to agricultural workers. The Federation of Campesinos of La Paz, which seems to be consolidating itself after several actions which were interrupted by official militants, "h as decided to form a new pluralist executive committee, but only with leaders who fight for the people and not with those who have sold out to the oligarchy's parties." Source: Semanario Aquí [Chuquiyawu, Bolivia) SAIIC Newsletter �Bolivia A gathering of Aymara Women AYMARA CAMPESINOS FORCED TO MIGRATE TO THE CITIES In one blow the drought and freeze of 1978 destroyed the future of Nicolás Mullisaca, who as the eldest child would have been responsible for his parents' l an d. Like many other children of campesinos, he was forced to leave for La Paz in search of work. "It was not a happy day, but it was the only choice because there was nothing to eat. For a campesino, leaving the land that our ancestors have farmed for generations is always a very sad thing." Nicolás Mullisaca, and later his five brothers, started out as casual laborers in the city of La Paz. He became a mason and has worked in this profession ever since, except for two years when he went looking for gold for a company in Tipuani where he nearly died of tu be rculosis. For one year now he has worked as a mason fora construction company with about 30 employees. It is hard work, with a ti me card to punch and pay docked for arriving even a little late. He travels an hour from the worksite in the center of the city to his home with his wife and eight children in the barrio of Pasankeri. Pasankeri is located high above La Paz and is one of the final rungs in the ladder of suburbs which climb up out of the city. It is the last barrio before arriving at Ciudad Satélite at the very peak in El Alto. Their pig stays in the lower part of their yard. Above, there is a little pa tio that his wife Ceferina uses to wash clothes and p repare the Vol 6 Num 3 food, and where the kids and the dog play. The adobe house has two rooms, and alongside the bed stan ds a sewing machine that the two parents use. Spanish and Aymara a re spoken in the Mullisaca family household, Spanish because it is mo re practical in the city, and Aymara so the children don't lose their culture. "I dream of opening a tailorshop in Pasankeri. For a year and a half I've attended a sewing course at night here in my barrio and soon I'll be done," says don Nicolás. His wife has attended a course in weaving and is hoping to get a loom. But with ten stomachs to fi ll , they live hand to mouth and it's practically impossible to pull together the necessary capital to start their own business or save the 150 bolivian os that a loom costs. "I will probably be a mason for many years to come, and knowing this, I take on as much responsibility as the others in working to form a union to ask for better wages." At one time he was a campesino leader in his village. Many migrant families suffer from the harsh conditions of the city, and from not even knowing their neighbors and have to face frequent periods of unemployment. "We worry about the children and fear that they will fall in with delinquents or drugs," explains Ceferina Mullisaca. "In the countryside, life is far more peaceful and safe." "Sometimes mestizos and white people ride by in mini-vans and humiliate us for being Aymara. They harass us as we car ry our loads and accuse us of being dirty." In the city, access to medical attention and education is easier. Yet without money, life in the city is impossible, while in most cases, people in the countryside can live from what the land yields. "Work in the city is boring and makes us feel like slaves. For a campesino, work is also hard but at least you feel free, and the work is interesting," said Nicolás Mullisaca. His parents still live in the countryside and he and his family return during planting and harvesting to S an Andrés Machaca, a village located in the province of Ingari, three hours to the west of La Paz, near the Peruvian border. For Nicolás and Ceferina, going to the country is like returning home, while their children treat these visits as outings. "I am not ashamed of my roots as an Aymara and a campesino. I am proud of our culture. When my children grow up, I hope to go back and live in my village." "But to make this happen, we will need economic help for digging wells and better tools to work the l an d. We're never going to get these with governments run by the rich who could care less about the problems and needs of poor campesinos," said Nicolás. He adds that "so long as neoliberal policies hold sway, migration from the country to the city is sure to con ti nue." Source: Aquí, [Chuquiyawu, Bolivia] 19 �Colombia •••••••••••••••• • •••••• • The following in• formation was given to • • • SAIIC by Alfonso • • Palmas, President • • National Organization • • of Indigenous Peoples • • of Colombia (ONIC), •• while visiting in Febru•• ary 1992. • • At the demand of students, activists and the general population, the Colombian • government was obliged to call for elections to a National Constitutional Assembly • • (NCA) on Dec. 9,1991. Aside from a few minor reforms introduced by Colombia's two • political parties, the liberals and the conservatives, the Colombian Constitution had not • been modified since 1886. Indigenous people had never participated in constitutional reforms, but this time the indigenous movement introduced two candidates, Francisco Rojas Birry of ONIC and Lorenzo Muelas of the Indigenous Authority of Colombia (AICO). The indigenous candidates were elected despite lack of experience and funds and the fact that a large portion of the indigenous population was not registered to vote and did not even have the official identification required to register. The indigenous •• movement was concerned with natural resources and regional development, and wanted • to change the constitution to decla re Colombia a multicultural country. But they also • • • stressed the more general issues of democratic participation, human rights and resolution •••••••••••••••••••••• of regional conflicts, and the candidates were elected with a large percentage of non20 • • • • • • SAIIC Newsletter �Indian votes. Once in the assembly they had to broaden their proposals to benefit not only indigenous peoples but also the general population of Colombia, especially those who like the indigenous peoples, live under oppression, discrimination, exploitation and misery and who struggle to build a better society. The indigenous movement achieved the following points in the new constitution: I. Right to Culture: Colombia is recognized as a multi-ethnic and pluri-cultural country. The great diversity and coexistence of cultural identities made up of values, customs, community practices, rites, religions and languages which differentiate one group from another a re recognized. II. The languages of indigenous peoples will be official languages in their respec ti ve territories; and education will be bilingual and bi-cultural in those territories. III. Dual nationality is recognized for the indigenous groups who live on the borders with other countries, such as Brazil, Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador. IV.Indigenous reservations a re recognized as territories of collective ownership which cannot be sold, rented, or owned by other peoples because they are the communal property of indigenous communities. These territories will be administrated together with the state. Indigenous Councils will be formed and a governor will be named for each department according to the practices and traditions of the indigenous communities. These councils can develop and design plans and programs for economic and social development; in addition they will watch over the conservation of natural resources, promote public investment and coordinate programs together with the community. V. Jurisdiction: In the indigenous communities there exists customary law which dictates how the members of the community act and how they a re punished. This law is recognized but it varies greatly between communities and will be coordinated with the judicial system of the country. Nevertheless it will be indigenous peoples' authorities themselves who will judge and sanction penalties in indigenous communities, in accordance with their practices and traditions. VI.Permanent participation of two indigenous peoples in the Senate of the Republic , which is formed by 100 members, is guaranteed. Despite these gains the new constitution was a mixed victory. There was no change in the structure of the armed forces which have committed many human rights abuses against Indians. The constitution mentions indigenous communities and reservations but does not give Indians rights to their traditional territories. The government also retains subsoil rights. In December 1991 three indigenous people were elected to the Senate: Gab ri el Muyay of ONIC, Anatolio Quira of the Indigenous Social Alliance (ASI), and Floro A Tuñu Gala of AICO. They face a great challenge because the Senate is dominated by the traditional parties, and groups working for change have less influence than they Vol 6 Num 3 did in the NCA. The indigenous movement will have to mobilize the communities and get them involved in the law making process. They will also have to look for national and international solidarity to support their proposals in the Senate and they will have to fight to make sure the new laws protecting indigenous rights a re enforced. It is clear to us that laws alone will not solve our problems. In fact we recognize that we need organization, autonomy, decision making power, permanent community work and ac ti ve participation. In addition we acknowledge the need for changes within the political, economic, cultural, territorial structure of the Colombian state, changes which correspond to who we are as true Colombians and not to models which do not fit our needs. In conclusion, there were already laws in Colombia which protected indigenous peoples, but they were neither enforced nor respected. Even though the killings, massacres and persecution of our leaders con ti nue, we will continue struggling to strengthen our unity, to attain autonomy, to preserv e our culture and to promote and protect our right to work for change so that we can live in a just society with opportunity and dignity for all. 21 �Panamá Representatives at the meeting for the foundation of ONIC in Panama THE COORDINATING BODY OF INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND NATIONS OF THE CONTINENT In December 1991 the main Indian organizations from South, Central and North America met in Panama to discuss the future of the inter-relationship between the Indian People of the Con ti nent, and to define the politics and way of communication with nonIndian people due to the failure of building alliances with some of the grass-roots organizations, especially with the groups that a re directing the "Con ti nental Campaign 500 Years of Resistance of the Indigenous, Black and Popular Movement" Some of the resolutions of the meeting are the following: There is an urgent need to unify the Indigenous Peoples (O ri ginal Nations) of the continent. We want to re-establish and utilize the historical links that were disrupted by the invading colonizers. In this way, together, we are planning the reconstruction of our communities. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the European inv as ion, we reaffirm our 22 historical commitment to unity and to the development of a pl an to mobilize for 500 Years of Indian Resistance and Struggle against colonialism. We a re declaring to the world that, despite more than five centuries of genocide, more than 40 million Indigenous Peoples from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego continue to live and pl an for our future. We maintain a firm position against all forms of colonialism, neocolonialism, and internal and external racism. We reject all kinds of manipulation and ideological or political imposition, because we, as peoples, have our own ideology. We support alliances with other popular sectors in order to change the conditions of injustice in which oppressed peoples of the world find themselves today. Hence, we have decided the following: 1. To form an Indigenous commission committed to organize a mee ti ng of Indigenous Peoples, the establishment of a continental coordinating body of indigenous organizations and peoples. This con ti nental coordinating body will consist of representatives of all Indigenous Peoples, O riginal Nation of Abya-Yala (Land of Life, the America continent in the Kuna language). 2. To carry out a coordinated pl an a action for 500 Years of Indian Resistance an Struggle against colonialism. 3. To organize workshops and continen tal gatherings in order to make known the Indian position regarding the 500 years, wit the goal of attaining a definitive unity at th con tinental level. We reject the celebrations of the so called "Quincentennial of the Discovery o America," "Encounter of Two Worlds," an the "Quincentennial of Evangelization." W are promoting actions at the regional, national and continental levels which respond to the fundamental interests of our people and honor our ancestors who gave their live defending the dignity of our peoples. In th same spirit, we will continue to confron oppressive forces, such as military invasion and repression, and exploitation of our toriesbyan lcportis. SAIIC Newsletter �We reaffirm our commitment to a con ti nental Indigenous alliance, and to reciprocal support in our struggles for rights and self-determination, traditional ways of life, religion, culture, and the protection of our Mother Earth with all her resources. Finally, we call on all nations, organizations, and Indian communities of the con tinent, even the most isolated ones, to unite in this great effort for action and con ti nental coordination, on the path towards the liberation of our peoples. Signed on the Dec. 21, 1991, in Kuna Yala, Panama Indigenous Peoples Alliance Founded in North America In Jan. 10-12, 1992, the National Indigenous Forum, the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of North America was founded. The mee ti ng took place in Alburquerque, NM and was hosted by the Tonantzin Land Institute. The participants came from the different Indian communities of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Californ ia, Idaho, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota, and Alaska. The decisions that came out of the conference represent a consensus by all participants. Some of the of the main resolutions of this conference are the following: • It was decided to create an alliance called the Indigenous Peoples Alliance. This alliance is open to all Indigenous Nations and organization who a re interested in building a long term alliance of Indigenous People who emphasize grassroots community involvement in issues affecting Indigenous communities. • The Indigenous Peoples Alliance would endorse the Con ti nental Indigenous Coordinating Commission's resolution that was written in Kuna Yala, Panama. • Tonantzin Land Institute was given the responsibility for sending out all communications being produced and /or being sent by the Indigenous Peoples alliance. •The Indigenous Peoples Alliance should implement regional meetings that would focus on education and training. It was decided that the first re gional mee ti ng would take place in conjunction with the Indigenous En- Vol 6 Num 3 I ^ 2 We understand ONIC to be a communication instrument for the Indigenous Peoples of the Continent and not a representative organization. Our objectives are the following: 1. To seek Indigenous unity on a con ti nental level, recognizing that we have a comnpastdre, that we have decided to work ogether beyond the years 1992, respecting the situation and strategies which each Indigenous Nation may adopt to reach their liberation and self-determination. 2. To develop a con ti nental communication network which would directly involve the grass-roots communities in order to strengthen our ties and make known the critical situation in which we the native Peoples live, and seek solutions for our future. 3. To promote a process leading to dialogue and consensus based on our spiritual values, life styles and millennial knowledge. 4. To form a common alliance to reconstruct our Nations which were dispersed by colonization and to fight to curb the destruction of our Mother Earth and her harmony. t Meeting in Kuna Yala environmental Network conference in the Ca lumbia River area. It was decided that the focus of the regional meeting would be on sovereignty. • Our logo consists of a turtle (to represent Turtle Island), with the con ti nental campaign logo of the Eagle and the Condor located inside the turtle and the North, Central and South American continent in the Center. Second CONIC Meeting in New York The Second Mee ting of the Coordinating Body of Indigenous Organizations and Nations of the Continent, CONIC, took place in New York City from March 4-7, 1992. The mee ti ng was hosted by the Native Council of New York and organized by Tonantzin Land Institute and SAIIC. Delegates representing Indian organizations and nations of the continent from 17 countries participated in the Meeting. Indian delegates: Kuna, Panama; Maya, Guatemala; Following are some Mapuche, Chile; and Nahuath, El Salvador of the resolutions that came out of the mee ti ng in New York: The Con ti nental Coordinating Body has Solidarity Organizations: arisen due to the need to consolidate the bonds Solidarity organizations and institutions of union and communications between orga- may participate in meetings specifically organizations and nations native to this continent, nized to exchange information coordinate which include, the Southern Cone and the activities, or promote dialogue with members Caribbean. of the Coordinating body. These general prin- 23 �iples and guidelines will continue to be dis-cussed within each organization and in the Regional Workshops. This Coordinating Body calls upon all he progressive, honest and committed to join against the contra-celebration of the colonialist plans. In the same form, we call upon the popular sectors and the racially discriminated to form an alliance to struggle against the oppression, respecting, among ourselves our diversity. Regarding the "Continental Campaign of 500 Years of Resistance Indigenous, Black and Popular Sector" In 1986, the Indigenous Movement initiated a campaign to disseminate information about the state of oppression under which our peoples live. The movement has taken the opportunity of t h e Quincentenary as a way to let the world know about the situation of repression under which Indigenous Peoples live; and to show our rejection of the celebration of the so called "V Quincentenary of the Discovery of America or the Encounter of the Two Worlds," led by the Spanish government and the Vatican and supported by the governments of the colonial states of the continent. Among the initiatives of the native peoples of ABYA YALA have been to invite the different sectors of the society to organize a common front, based in mutual respect of the differences and characteristics among sectors. This indigenous proposal has been distorted, and usurped by sectors which have always carried out discriminatory practices. Their policy has failed in our region and in other parts of the world, because their project are far from the reality of Native Peoples, because they tried to impose a system of a homogenous society which is based in centralized and bureaucratic power which ignores the right of Indigenous Peoples to Selfdetermination. In conclusion, the Indigenous, Black and Popular Sector Campaign, does not respond to the demands of Native Peoples of the continent. In addition, the form in which it is structured does not guarantee that Indigenous proposals will be respected in the future, nor does it allow for an honest alliance based on the right of each people to decide their own destiny, no matter how small the group is. Therefore, this Coordinating Body calls upon all the progressive, honest and committed people to join us in the struggle of the oppressed peoples, to join in contra-celebration of the colonialist plans. In the same form, we call upon the popular sectors and the racially discriminated to form an alliance to struggle against oppress ion, respect ing among ourselves our diversity. Given in New York (Indigenous Land occupied by the United States), 5/5/92. For more information contact: Kunas Unidos for Nabguana (KUNAS) Via España y Via Argentina, Edificio Brasilia, 1 er Piso Panama 1, Panama Tel: 507- 638-879, Fax: 507-693-514 Consejo de Todas las Tierras Casilla 448 Temuco, Chile Tel: 56-45-234542 Tonansin Land Institute Tel: (505) 766-9930 Fax: 766-9930 (You may also contact SAIIC) El Salvador POLICE RAID INDIAN COOPERATIVE On Thursday, Feb. 27, 1500 police raided the Corte Azul Cooperative, arresting 60 Indian men, women and children and destroying crops and supplies. The community members had peacefully occupied the unused government land to plant their crops. The police arrived at 7 am accompanied by three representatives of the United Nations Observation Team, reporters from a local television station and a group of local landowners. The police ordered the 250 workers from the Indian community of Costa Azul to leave their fields immediately, and when asked for a warran t ordering the displacement, they replied that they did not have one, but President Cristiani had instructed them to proceed as quickly as possible. The workers responded that their crops were already planted and that they could not leave them unattended. 24 At 2:15 p.m., in the presence of the ONUSAL officials, along with a captain, a second lieutenant, and the director of the National Police of Sonsonate, the police proceeded to intimidate the Indians with their weapons and then arrest 60 Indigenous workers and physically remove them to a nearby command station. The Indians were then taken to the nearby hacienda of Dr. Guillermo García Guerra, where the police officers were received with a special luncheon. During this ti me, the arrested men, women and children were made to st an d and listen to the police say things like, "We should just machine gun these sons of bitches down to solve our problems." Hours later, they were transported to the Sonsonate police station and imprisoned and not allowed to speak with family members or lawyers until Saturday, Feb. 29, when they were released. The following local landowners were with the arresting police officers: Andrés García Corona, Rafael Flo re s, Elsa Gutiérrez Candel, Julia Leiva, Juan Martínez, and the three brothers, Carlos Chacón Moreno, Arm an do Candel Calderón, and Guillermo García Guerra. The Co rte Azul and nearby Monzón cooperative members have received numerous threats in the past from these men, especially the three brothers, who flaunt their close ties to President Alfredo Cristiani. The crops, hammocks, blankets, beans, corn, crates, clay frying pans and comales, and a food storage hut were destroyed in the raid. Source: ANIS (National Association of Indigenous Peoples of El Salvador) SAIIC Newsletter �M éx ico THREATENING INDIAN LANDS In December 1991, Tarahumara, Tepehuano, and Raram uri sent the Governor of Chihuahua, Fernando Balza Melendez, a document demanding the protection of Indigenous territorial rights. The document came from the Commission in Defense and Solidarity of Human Rights (COSYDDHAC) with input from eleven communities and focused on the impending agrarian reform. As Mexico works out the details of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the government is in the process of restructuring the country's agrarian laws to, among other things, allow the privatization of ejido lands. Though in principle the new laws respect the terri torial integrity of Indigenous peoples, the Indians have reason to be skeptical. Their lands a re coveted for tourist and agribusiness expansion. "We do not want hotels and other things that do not belong to us on our land," they stated. "We do not want to work for others who come to own the l and." In principle, free trade is contrary to Indigenous beliefs, "We do not negotiate the lan d, or the forest, or the animals; we the Raramuri do not work in order to make business of our l and." Fundamentally different philosophies about human relationships to the earth arise when passing privatization policies. "The land is the one who sees that we grow, she is like our Mother who gives us nourishment, the one who takes care of us, she is all we have." One of the significant victories of the Mexican Revolution was the 1917 Agrarian Reform Law which established communal land ownership in the ejidos. The ejidos are communal farms formed from expropriated large estates on which farmworkers are given free access to small plots. Ejido tenure is nontransferable. However, under constitutional changes proposed in November by President Carlos Vol 6 Num 3 present reforms to [article] 27 of the constitution will give new impulse to the invasion of indigenous territory, against the justice that the spirit of the law seeks." The Indians say that, as it is written, "This reform is only for the benfit of the rich, it is not in favor of the poor.... The ejido should stay as it is." The Indians therefore proposed the inclusion of the following sentence to article 27: "the law protects the territorial integrity of Indigenous peoples." Salinas de Gortari, communal ownership and land distribution under the agrarian reform law would end. The amendment to Article 27 of the Constitution, was promulgated on Jan. 6, the final stage of its approval. Article 27 as amended, will abolish restrictions on corporate ownership of land (including ejido land), and farmers on ejidos (ejidarios) would be allowed to own their land outright and to rent or sell it to non-ejidarios. The law provides for the abolishment of constitutional obligations for land distribution and Indian an cestral claims, insitutional reforms, and relaxation of the limits to property size. The COSYDDHAC proposal sent to Fernando Balza Melendez focused specifically on Article 27, section VII of the Mexican Constitution, which refers to lands of Indigenous communities. The statements by the Indians challenged the government's very right to legislate their lives and lands: "The government did not plant the grass, this was planted by God. The government did not give us the grass, God gave it to us. The trees a re not government property, nor does the grass belong to the government; therefore the government cannot take our land." The legal process was criticized: "We are called only when we a re needed to sign, and we a re not given explantions about what we a re signing." The COSYDDHAC proposal states "The In the proposal to the State of Chihuahua, Indigenous groups expressed concern over the uncertain future of their lands. The statements from the people included: "What is going to happen to our children? They will have nowhere to go, nowhere to live because all that once was ours will pass to others' hands." Elders are concerned for their descendants, "We the older ones will die, however what will our youth live from if they are not to inherit even the l and, which is ours and which gives us what we eat." History h as confirmed their concerns. The privatization of lands held communally by Indigenous nations is a common strategy to weaken their self sufficiency. In the late 1800's the United States Dawes Act allotted acreage to male heads of households, and males over 18 years of age. This created a fictitious surplus of lands that were then sold to settlers. The Indian landholders then split up their land to give to their children, who had the power to sell. Within three generations, 90 percent of the lands allotted under the Dawes Act were expropriated by settlers. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 allows Native shareholders to sell shares of their lands to non-Indians beginning in 1991. Thus their lands a re more vulnerable to takeovers by private corporations, especially when the economies of Indian commu25 �nities are depressed. Alaska Natives resisting this process are encouraging members of the tribes to transfer title to the Tribal Councils from the Native Corporations, thereby protecting communal ownership. Free trade and privatization will benefit the business community, as is aptly noted in a headline in a Bureau of National Affairs publication called BNA International Trade Daily which states "Agricultural Reforms announced in Mexico should benefit U.S. Firms, specialists say." The Tarahumara, Tepehuano, and Raramuri of Chihuahua want the government to recognize the ethnic and cultural diversity of Mexico and allow the Indigenous people to play a role in the national a re na. They state: "For the Indians of the state to retain their identity and contribute to the identity and richness of the state, it is necessary to respect the territory that they have been defending for four centuries." Mexico I NDIANS V I OLENTLY EVICTED At midnight on Saturday, Dec. 28, 1991, 200 state judicial police bearing sticks and firearms violently evicted 300 Tseltales and Cho'ol Indians from the steps of the Municipal Palace in Palenque, Chiapas. They had occupied the square two days before to protest police violence, unjustified arrests, and judicial abuse and corruption, and to demand access to interpreters in the court system. As a result, 102 people were arrested, including Jesuit priest Jerónimo Hernández, and Cho'ol deacon Sebastian Torres. While being held incommunicado, they were beaten, dispossessed of their belongings, and pressured to sign declarations which they were not allowed to read. The Public Ministry of Palenque denied a request on the part of local government officials that prisoners be medically examined in order to certify physical injuries suffered. On Monday, Dec. 30, Hernandez and 92 Indians were released . The remaining nine were held without bail on charges which included disturbing the peace, inciting to riot., and sedition. On Saturday, Jan. 5, while government officials held formal talks with the organizations involved, sentences ranging from 10 to 40 years were handed down for the nine. Non26 dian Freedom (CDLI), the Union of Indian Communities of the Chiapaneca Jungle (UCISECH), and Tsoblej Yu'un Jwocoltic Union, have since returned to the Plaza at Palenque, where they are holding a vigil to pressure for the resolution of their o ri ginal demands and for the immediate release of the nine prisoners. governmental human rights organizations took the case to the government's National Commission for Human Rights. The wives of the incarcerated have received support from throughout the state of Chiapas, as well as from other parts of the country. Local merchants have financed paid aids requesting that the authorities respond to the Indians' petitions. Telegrams demanding freedom for the imprisoned have poured into the governor and Chief Justice's offices. Meanwhile, government-controlled farmer and workers' organizations have responded with a counter-campaign. On Wednesday, in Tuxtla Gutirrez, one of the judges in charge declared himself incompetent to continue with the case. The three organizations who sponsored the December sit-in, the Committee for the Defense of In- The above-mentioned organizations ask that people send telegrams demanding freedom for the imprisoned to: • The Mexican President, Carlos Salinas de Gortari (Palacio Nacional del Gobierno; Mexico D.F.) • The Chiapas State Governor, Patrocinio Gonzalez Garrido (Palacio de Gobierno del Estado de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas) • The government's National Commission for Human Rights president, Jorge Carpizo. (Periferico Sur #3469; Col. San Jeronimo Lidice; C.P. 10200 Mexico D.F.) For more information contact the. Miguel Agustin Pro Human Rights Center, Puebla #45, Col Roma, C.P. 06700 Mexico D.F. Telephone & Fax: 011-525-511-9097. E-mail: igc!sipro. SAIIC Newslette �Honduras I< LOGGING IDEAL BLOCK daily influx of landless campesinos. On Feb. 27 the Honduran government announced the indefinite postponement of the decision to give a 40-year logging concession to Stone Container Corporation of Chicago due to a tremendous outcry from national and international environmental and indigenous organizations and from the Honduran people. The concession would have allowed Stone to log 840,000 acres or four-million cubic meters momentum continue to fight against the Wellington Ha ll Company, a US furniture manufacturer which is logging mahogany in the Mosquitia. There were three demonstrations in Honduras organized to protest the concessions. One was organized by teacher unions and Miskito Indians, one by campesinos and one Although the contract between Stone and the Honduran government was shrouded in secrecy, activists obtained a leaked copy which revealed that mo re than 80% of Honduras could be subject to logging. The contract would have permitted Stone to cut trees anywhere outside of this area at anytime within annually of pine forests of the Mosquitia, home to the Miskito, Tawahka, Garifuna and Pesch Indians. The Indigenous inhabitants were never consulted on this matter, which could have had disastrous effects on their lives, and an environmental impact study was never conducted. by university students. Never before in Honduras has there been this kind of solidarity and consensus on an issue which has united people of all social classes to protect the environment. the next 40 years if they did not obtain sufficient pulp wood from the specified region. Stone intended to use the pulp wood for the manufacturing of paper bags, and disposable cardboard packaging. La Mosquitia covers the eastern third of Honduras and is not yet connected by roads to the highly populated inte rior. This has allowed the Miskito, Tawahka and Pesch Indians to retain their cultural and land base to a large extent. The population of the region is approximately 40,000, with the Miskito people constituting nearly 90%. Separating the Miskito Indians' coastal pine forest and the country's interi or is one of the largest surviving Central American rainforests, the home of the Tawahka Indians. Although the Tawahka obtained "provisional guarantees" for their lands in 1989, the agreement is not being enforced and they are threatened by an almost The Honduran government and the Congress were bombarded by letters and faxes from all over the world protesting the agreement. Protest letters were sent nationally by groups as diverse as the Association of Honduran Loggers, Organization of Miskito Peoples (MASTA), Community Education for Health (EDUCSA) and the Association of Honduran Biologists. In North Ame ri ca, urgent action campaigns were organized by the Rainforest Action Network, Global Response, Ancient Forest Rescue, SAIIC and the Task Force on Multinational Resource Corporations. The head of the Honduran Forestry Department (COHDEFOR), announced that "due to public and technical interest it was impossible to reach a satisfactory agreement with the Stone Container Corporation." The rejection of the concession was announced as over 3,000 people marched against Stone in the streets of Tegucigalpa. Miskito forester Jorge Salaverri stated, during his speech in front of the capitol, that this is just the first victory for the Honduran people and the environment, and it is necessary that the Vol 6 Num 3 27 �Honduras HONDURAN GROUP PROPOSES DECREE A proposal has been drawn up to create the Tawahka Biosphere Rese rv e in La Mosquitia, Eastern Hondur as , by Mosquitia Pawisa (MOPAWI), a Honduran group which advocates the demarcation of Indian territories. The proposal was made, recognizing that protecting forests and the Indigenous People who inhabit them is both important and a legal obligation of the Honduran government, and includes the following points: The goals of creating the Tawahka Biosphere Rese rv e include guaranteeing the Tawahka people the space they need to live in their traditional manner; protecting biodiversity in the central Patuca River area; stopping encroaching deforestation; protecting natural resources to promote ecotourism, scientific research, and sustainable development; and completing a continuous ecological corridor that would also include the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserv e. The Rese rve will be for the collective use of the Tawahka community and the people who now live in the area, with the goal of maintaining the traditional economy and sustainable development. The Tawahka communities will promote, pl an , and execute the 28 management of the rese rv e, through the Tawahka Indian Federation of Honduras (FITH), subject to supervision by the Executive Branch. colonists who settle in the areas after this decree takes effect. The exploitation of subsoil resources by inhabitants of the Rese rv e will be subject to The Reserve will be divided into three federal laws and must be authorized by the areas — a central natural zone, a buffer zone, government and include benefits for the and a settled cultural zone — which will be Tawahka community. If people must move in determined by the Tawahka community. Land order for this exploitation to be carried out, and natural resources in the region will be they will be compensated. used as they have been traditionally, and in the manner indicated by the Regulations for Land Archaeological sites and objects, hisUse approved by the Tawahka Congress. torical documents, and other tes timonies of Current land ownership will be respected, and the past that are found in the Rese rve will be sales will be allowed, with the condition that placed in the custody of Honduran Institute of the Tawahka community be given preference Anthropology and History, in accordance with over other prospective buyers. current laws about the defense of cultural heritage. The Institute will work in coordinaThe following activti ies will not be per- tion with the Tawahka community. mitted in the Rese rve: industrial exploitation of the lumber, pasture-intensive cattle raising, "All inhabitants of the Tawahka Bioillicit removal of fauna, and other activities sphere Reserve will have the same rights and that work against the biological conservation obligations as all other Hondurans." of the Reserv e. The Tawahka community, with the support of various governmental The government will try to gain admit. entities, will be responsible for protecting the tance for the Tawahka Biosphere Reserve to resources within the Reserve. If the Tawahka the international network of UNESCO's Man community so requests, the Honduran Armed and Biosphere program. Forces will take necessary measures to eject SAIIC Newsletter �Canada After a long struggle for economic and political rights, the Inuit people won the political rights over a region which is more than 770,000 square miles (1/5 of the Canadian land mass). The government agreed to the creation of a new political subdivision of Canada, which will carry the name of "Nunavut," meaning "Our Land" in the Inuit language. In addition, the government accepted the terms that this territory be independent of the Northwest Territories. To the 17,000 limit people living in the Great North, this agreement marks a victory after a long struggle, which began after the European explorers claimed the Arctic archipelago. In addition to political and terri to ri al control, the Inuit will receive economic advantages through this accord in the form of an indemnity of one million dollars, payable within 14 years. Experts believe that the Nunavut Territory is rich in oil, natural g as and precious metals. The Inuit will grant limited rights for the exploitation of these resources. Source: Nitanissan Bulletin. No. 24, February 1992 Vol 6 Num 3 29 �Bolivia This report was given during the March 1992 CONIC conference of the Coordinating Body in New York. Carmen Pereira, leader of the Organization of Indigenous Women ofBeni, discussed the situation in Beni following The Indigenous March for Land and Dignity to La Paz in August 1990, and the signing of the decree which recognized the territories of the communities of the area. mountain where we make achaco and plant tomatoes, rice, yuca and oranges for our daily sustenance. We have organized watch posts in the forest so the loggers will not enter but it is difficult to control. The Indigenous women of S an Ignacio together with the central organization have to go and see. We went in January and took away an eight horse power engine, two barrels of gasoline, Carmen Pereira (far left) In a meeting with the Board of Directors of the Center for indigenous People two chain saws, their boat and their wood. This wood will now The cattle ranchers a re still in the area. Francisco, the barbed wire has already benefit the community and will be sold to They a re not going to leave until the reached the edge of the village. Now ev- make a school, sanitary facili ties and government buys the lands from them erything is flattened, the ranchers knock whatever else is needed. because they have property titles. Now the over the trees. The government decree is government has to buy the land to give it there but it is not being enforced. The We women have only done this beto the Siriono people, something they logging companies also continue cutting cause, as we have said ,we do not care if we have not done yet. Where I live in S an wood. We have to travel far to pl ant, to the die in order to get what we want. The 30 SAIIC Newsletter �Indian women at the CONIC meeting New York, March, 1992 logging companies a re very abusive: They enter the communities and cut the wood in front of everyone. There was a serious problem where they killed a child, Roy Juarez. This family, although it is Indigenous, h as cattle and there was a cattle rancher who wanted to take their l and. This rancher, who is from Suc re , sent one of his servants. As they did not find the father who had gone to the ri ver, they shot and killed the six year old boy. The boy was with his little brothers, one who was three and the other who was one year old. The three year old grabbed his younger brother into his arms and ran to the mountain. From there he heard the shots and went to tell another family. When they got back the boy was dead. This happened in 1989 and there is a case which is still pending in court but nothing will come of it because this man has a lot of money to keep the lawyers quiet. For the Indigenous People there is no justice. For that reason we would like a law in Bolivia which would protect the Indigenous women and men. For further information contact: Carmen Pereira Central de Pueblos Indigenas del Beni Casilla 58 Trinidad, Bolivia Tel: 591 464575 Alicia Canaviri Coordinadora de Mujeres Indígenas de Sud y Centro America Av. Burgaleta Pasaje Callacoque 1947 Villa Copacabana La Paz, Bolivia Tel : 591 2 3121043 or 591 2 30478 Wara Alderete PO Box 28703 Oakland, CA 94604 Tel : 51 0 834 4263 Fax: 51 0 834 4264 The Organization of Indigenous Women of Beni is a member of the Coordinating Body of Indigenous Women of Central and South America, which is a communication and support network, by which Indigenous women c an publicize and share our work, our problems and achievements. We also hold activities to promote the organization and participation of our sisters on a continental level. I Vol 6 Num 3 31 �500 YEARS OF I NDIAN RESISTANCE EVENTS International Seminar of Indigenous Women The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) will sponsor an International Seminar of Indigenous Women of the Americas on June 28-30, 1992 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.This meeting will serve as a tribute to Indian women, and to support the right to life, territory, culture and political participation of indigenous people. The seminar will be held in preparation for the WILPF XXV International Congress which will be held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on July 1-6 and will culminate in the signing of a "Peace and Justice Treaty among the Women of the Americas." The WILPF is an international organization which seeks to unite women all over the world in an effort to work towards peace and human rights. For more information contact Peggy Lara, WILPF, Casilla 5040, Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Telephone: 011-591-3-329838, Fax: 011-591-3-329888 or WILPF 1213 Race St., Philadelphia, PA 19107-1691, USA; Telephone: (215) 563-7110 Fax: (215) 864-2002 32 SAIIC Newsletter �WALK ACROSS AMERICA FOR MOTHER EARTH (Ohio, USA) Walk Across America is a nine month event in solidarity and support of indigenous peoples' 500 years of struggle for their cultures and lands. The Walk is one of many events aimed at changing the destructive and environmentally disastrous course of this country. The walk began on January 31, 1992 at the United Nations in New York City. The walk will continue the 3,000 mile journey, ending at the Nuclear Test Site on Western Shoshone Land on October 12, 1992 with a massive non-violent demonstration. The marchers will be passing through Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Columbus Ohio, Indianapolis Indiana, St. Louis Missouri, Leavenworth Kansas, Col orado Springs Colorado, Albuquerque N e w Mexico, Big Mountain Arizona, Havasupai Land Arizona, and Las Vegas Nevada. The entire route, once indigenous peoples land, is now littered with the broken promises of 378 treaties signed by the US government. Native Vol 6 Num 3 speakers, demonstrations, and workshops are planned along the route to bring attention to these struggles. Between 150 and 300 participants are currently walking. Everyone is invited to walk with the group for a day, a week, or the whole way. For those unable to participate in this way, consider supporting another walker or contributing funds for an indigenous speaker, equipment, or medical assistance. For more information about contributions, more specific routes, including local contacts, call (800) 466-9255 or write: Walk Across America, 1066 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43201 Other 1992 activities include: • Spiritual Gathering at Big Mountain, Arizona, USA, June, 1992. • In October of 1992, there will be the Second Continental Conference: 500 Years of Indian Resistance in Panama For more information contact SAIIC or the following: Kunas United for Mother Earth Apartado Postal 536, Panama 1, PANAMA Phone: 507-638-879, Fax: 507-273-525 Frente Independiente de Pueblos Indios (FIPI) Apdo 28145, Mexico DF, MEXICO Tonantzin Land Institute PO Box 40182 , Albuquerque, NM 87916 Phone: (505) 766-9930 Fax: (505) 766-9931 33 �Indigenous Leaders Sign París D eclaration Indigenous leaders meeting at the December 1991 NGO conference "The Roots of the Future" in Paris signed a declaration demanding that governments and international organizations guarantee the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and control over their natural resources. The declaration rejects the celebration of the "Quincentennial of the Discovery of America" and states that"the l l th of October,1492 was the last day of freedom for the Indigenous Peoples of Ame rica". The signers also demand the right of Indigenous Peoples to participate in the UN Conference on Environment and Development to be held in June in Brazil. The Indigenous leaders wish to present an alternative modal for sustainable development based on the traditional harmonious relationship between Indians and the environment. They reject the western development Letter from the Indigenous Delegates present at the Palace of Nations in Geneve Switzerland, to the Pope. Geneva, August 1, 1991 Chief of State of the Vatican Pope John Paul II Rome, Italy The indigenous delegates present at the Palace of Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, in debate regarding the Universal Declaration of the rights of indigenous people, convened by the "Working Group of Indigenous People" of the United Nations, hereby present and declare: In view of the declaration on May 3, 4. 1493, of the Papal Bull INTER CETERA, b) which territories of indigenous people are con ceded to Spain and Portugal, without taking into account the mate ri al or spiritual rights of the indigenous people in case of ABYA-YALA (America) and other parts of the world; In defense of the sacred rights of the indig enous people, and in promotion of human dig nity and harmony that should reign among hu. manity on this pl anet, For all these purposes: 1)we demand from the vatican state a de nunciation of the unilateral treaty Pope Alejandro 34 modal based on a market economy which only benefits the powerful and which is responsible for the destruction of the environment through over exploitation of natural resources. The following is the introduction to the declaration: We, the Indigenous Peoples of the world have been constructing, since the ancestral times, a culture, civilization, history and a view of the world which have permitted us to co-exist harmoniously with nature. This normal process was interrupted in America in 1492 VI, as being contrary to the Universal Human Rights of Peoples. 2)whereas the year 1993 completes 500 years of a supposed spiritual conquest without clear rectification of this universal injustice, allowing the nation-states that have benefited from the inherintance of Pope Alejandro VI to continue programmes of genocide and ethnocide, denying the indigenous people the recuperation of a harmony based on reciprocal human respect, we demand that the Papal Bull of May 3, 4, 1493 INTER CETERA be annulled. 3)we direct John Paul II to accede to universal concepts of justice including the spiritual and mate ri al rights of indigenous peoples, in furthereance of life, harmony of human beings with our Sacred Mother, and the spiritual peace of the Great Creator in accord with the cosmovision of each one of our indigenous peoples, free from all oppression. Thus we proclaim in the name of Human Dignity, in harmony with our Mother Nature and in the Spirit of Truth. Signed, the indigenous delegates, and organizations. by the European invasion of the continent and has meant genocide, the negation of our culture, the violation of our human rights, racial discrimination, the usurpation of our natural resources and the occupation of our territories and sacred places. Currently the Indigenous Peoples find themselves very affected by the necessity created by the economic and cultural system imposed by the great powers and governments. At the same time we have contributed to the "development", sacrificing our peoples and resources without receiving any compensation. For a copy of the full text send $3 to SAIIC. SAIIC Newsletter �Indian People Criticize Earth Summit (Panama, Ecuador) Indigenous Peoples do not expect a significant reduction in the rate of destruction of the environment after the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) to be held in Rio de J aneiro in June, and demand that their voices be heard at that conference. most progressive and Indian-friendly,"said CONAIE president Luis Mac as . For the Confederation of Indigenous People of Ecuador (CONAIE), the nature of the pre-UNCED negotiations held so far seem to point to the meeting being "great theater, with few conc re te results". He criticized governments and NGOs for giving little importance to the "human aspects of conservation" during preparatory discussions for the Earth Summit. "We have seen governments and environmentalists from both North and South get deeply involved in discussions on biodiversity and technology, but without speaking about us (Indians), who have conserved the Earth for millennia,"Macas said. Oswaldo de Leon Kantule, a youth leader of the Kuna People of Panama, said that he is opposed to the conference. He charges that it only provides a forum for governmental and non-governmental organizations and leaves out the native populations who are "the true defenders of Mother Earth." Delegates from the Ecuador ethnic conference had attended the Pre-UNCED negotiations which began in Kenya in August 1990 and ended last March in New York. For Macas, those who took part in the discussions "forgot the Indian tribes, who for centuries have lived in the forests and the high plateau of America." De Leon insisted that the UN summit officially recognize Indian groups as the true environmental protectors and give them a forum from which to voice their demands after five centuries of exploitation, death and extermination. He said Indigenous groups throughout the world would present to the Rio summit a report showing how the Indians view the universe and demanding that all economic activity in areas inhabited by Indians be administrated by the Indigenous groups themselves. Indigenous groups say official documents to be signed at the Rio meeting would hardly stop the current rate of environmental destruction in the region. "It will be a grand spectacle where each government will want to appear the Vol 6 Num 3 Powerful countries must increase their economic aid, but at the same time, change their paternalistic and imperialistic outlook on he south," said Macas. He blamed the market society and the capitalist model for 75 percent of environmental deterioration in the world. Vianor Pe re z, Kuna activist, described as "contradictory", the fact that Latin American governments wholeheartedly back the conference and at the same time, approve of the cutting down of the Amazonian forest. Every year, close to 200,000 acres of forest re se rv es a re destroyed, territory which for centuries h as provided food and shelter to the Indian population. "A fundamental issue that the conference must discuss is the Indians' right to use their own l and," said Kuna leader de Leon. "If some kind of agreement is not reached, the Indigenous people of Latin America will only be left with the air they breathe and the little land that surrounds them now." "We indigenous people of Brazil don't expect much from that conference," said Ailton Krenack, the Coordinator of the Union of Indian nations in Brazil. "Because the governments who will particip ate have made the decision a long time ago about their environmental police. It is really ; list a show." Source: Inter Press Service and SAIIC 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. 6, No. 3, Spring & Summer 1992 Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring and Summer 1992 Zotero Abstract Note Entire issue Issue 3 Language English Pages 1-35 Publication Title SAIIC Newsletter Volume 6 http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/da151cfe8a29ff844619be1d34b810a6.pdf 6f891760a8710e8f4ec06d943c5cafbd PDF Text Text ORGANIZATION AND Expanding Indigenous Journalism in· Central America ndigenous leaders met in E1 S.1h'11dor from NO\'. 11 -13 for the second Centro! Amencan plnnnmg meeting for the lntcrn:lllon:ll Indigenous Decade. According 10 the I PS news service, represcntnuves focused on plans to boost lnd1an news mcdlo 1n the region. N1cnmguan l ndl~enous leader Mirna Cunnlngh.'\n po1 nted 10 • pilot project bemg camw OUI In N1camgua with md1o and the p~ wh1ch could be ben<flctnl for 1he d.-·elopment of lnd1genous med1a m Ccntml Amenca. She ln(ormrd IPS th.'ll the tr;umng of lndtgenous )oumahsts and professionals ·IS alread)' happemng m the regton. ah hough 01 modest levels." and added that the upgmdmg o( CXIStiOg programs is bcmg sought. ;\dnnn Esquino L1sco. head of the N•uonal Indigenous Association, stated that they were thinking of stnrtlng an lnd1 gcnous mdio station, although they lacked lnfomtatlon on the current situa· tlon R1goberta Menchu. who W:J.S also pr<S<nt at the m<eung, pledgtd the suppon of the Vicente Mcnchu Foundation m undcnnkmg a study of the oaual situotoon and needs of lnd1genous communmos In Guatemala, Hondur3S. N1caroguo Jnd the southern Mexican state of Ch1>p.1S. COMMUNICATION of trust "'sponslbiliues h tstoblished a Zunl on 1ssucs conct'ming n:uu~l resources. S1gnifl(llmly. the pbn uses Zuni religto\IS ond cuhuml valuos :J.S the b:J.Sis for decision-moktng. This approach to development has pro\•isions to provide Imming of Zunis already brought a 8"'"t deal of success to fall profes.~ional positions. the build- to the project and to Zuni. The project ing of gcogmph1c lnformauon systems. now cmploys60 lll:oplc. 59 of which are ond elabomtlon of n resource develop- Zuni. lmplernc.nuuion o( lhe pktn 1$ 1n its first yblr and watershed rehabilitament pion. Intellectual Property R~ghts is one of lion has already begun. Tmd1tional agothe pLOJ«ts prmctpal concerns. 2um are culture IS molong a comeback and trndl· in the process of deflmng for themselves uon>l technolog)' lor ci'0$1on control IS what Zum tmellectu>l proptny IS and being tncorpomt<d mto the rthabohta· what t)'pt of "pLOt<ctton" they would non \\rork. lnd1gcnous communuzes hkr to sec for thts proptrt)CTrodutoml tntemauon.tlly have shown amerest in seeds, for exnmple. need to be plotect· the ptOJCClS appro.1Ch to communuyed. but cnnnot be used-¢,-en by b:J.Sed development ZunlS-for commerdol purposes. $.1cred sues. religtous ani(:~cts. trodiuonal an Tribal Sovereignty: Back to the styles. l:mgungc. religtous ceremonies. Future? songs. and medicimd plants nre other his symposiUm on the rights ond status of Indigenous people was types Of "property" COnSidered for pro· tection . sponsored by 1he St. Thomas University. A related yet sepamte Issue is that its Hun10n Rights Institute, its law of cultural preservntlon. Many of school. and the Oklahoma Cuy Zunt5. tradhaons have endured the pas• Umverslty Notlve Amerlcon Legal 500 years. Zum contmue to pracuce Rcsoun:e Center. It took place m ~hami, rchgoous and cultuml tmdiuons that Flonda on Dec I and 2 The conference. ongmatcd thous.mds of years >go. The addressed issues or lod1311 culture and past 50 yc.• rs. howe\'tr. have brought sptritu>hty "" well M cbiOIS of tnlxtl about ropld chongcs In dcmograph1cs 50\'treignt)' and cnucal IS>Ues of fcdcral and hfestylt. The Conserv:mon project lndL1n law. ond was designed 10 Crt.lte a holds that much of I he do mage 10 Zuni launchmg pad for ongoing research and lands "'suhcd from the breaking of ana.lysos. Zuni Conservation Project traduional forms of land manngcmcnt. The conference fcaturcd • broad Pushes Sustainable and know~ that traditional methods array of subject m~ner ond expen Development are much more sustnlnnble, and strh·es speakers from Bmzll to Alnskn. Papers he Zuni Tnbe loc~ned in wesHcn- 10 mcorpomtc and rtjuvenme the use from the conference and highlights of tml New Mexico fomted the Zuni of traditional technologies and prac- the discussions will be published in a Conscrvntlon Pl\)jcct in 199 1 to serve as lices into nnturnl resource use plan· special Spring 1995 issue of the Sr. th~ir dcl):'rCmem of n:uurnl resources. ning. Thomas l.aw Re••fcw. The Zuni communuy has approximately By the end of 1993. the Zuni 9,000 pe-ople. In 1990, p.15Sag< of the Conse"•auon Pro.JC(t completed a plan For mot< lnformattoto: the Zuni Conservauon Act enabled of acuon fe>< sustaonablc development Pnlf"'-"'' Slrtfru:d ll'f<»tt<r. Clwlr. Sutnng l>unchlng of 1hc project The Act was -the Zuno ~rce o.:,·elopment Plan. Commlll« Tribal Sowr<~g~~ly S)Oijli>Wm. J>35$d to cnd Ol.'lny >~rs of litiW~tion This pbn follows the forn~11 of the UN'S S<. ThDrnM UnM"'IJI S<looal cf l.a"' >g>lnst the US Go\'cmment for damage Ag.onda 21 doeumem. tn se1ung gu1dc- 16-ICO N IV J2nd "'~ Mwmt, fl<>nd<J JJOSi. to Zum l•ncb ond f10m mismanag.omem hnes. goals. and .lCioon obJCcti\'CS for Td; (lOS) 62J.2JOS, FGX. (lOS) 62J-2.J90 I T 16 Sl7 moUton trust fund to set up a system of bnd management to rehobilit;ue nnd conserve Zums land and natu.ml resources. Also Included In the Act ore T � 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. 8, no. 4 (Winter 1994) 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 Zuni Conservation Project Pushes Sustainable Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Zuni Conservation Project Pushes Sustainable Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 36 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter 1994 Language English Abstract Note An indigenous tribe in New Mexico is implementing a sustainable development plan that draws from the tribe's traditional forms of land management. Attachment Title Zuni_conservation_project.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Agriculture Intellectual Property Rights sustainability Zuni Conservation Act http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/7d21adf1ab7b77f7d41b3286b2166c45.pdf 7df5bd1f72f7675c1dc71a3a35855847 PDF Text Text • We Are Involved 1n a joint Struggle Interview With Carmen lrnamberna undreds of Indigenous rcp~ntatwes gathered In Gene•"• m june of 1994 10 discuss nnd comment on the Draft Dcclar.uion of Indigenous Rights being prcJ>Jrcd by the UN Working GI'Oup on lndtgcnous Peoples. There, we lme"oewed C.1nnen lrnamberna, Prcsidem of the l'ederauon of Indigenous People ond O>mpesinos of lmb.1bura (fiCI). one of the largtst hoghland Indian organl%3uons m Ecwdor. on the draft dedar.ulon and her expc~nces 3S a \\'Ort13n leader H zauon. our own politics. our own foznls of economic devel· opmr:m . 1'here are differences between lndi~enous People on the best wny to express our rights. Some argue for '"free·dcter· mlnmlon.· others ror '"autonomy... Autonomy implies the expansion, the development lof rights]. under already established norms and structures. W11h free.<feterrninnuon. we are peuuonang the dtre<:t recogmuon of our nghtS-that go..emments recogntze us for who we an: These differences m<rcly tndtcate that the different peoples we rcpn:sem confront dtf· fcrent problems. have different >truggles. and diff~rent expenences. And so for some, the dedarn11on or autonomy ts suffictent. 6ut fo r those who arc t ruly in >truggle fo r free deterrmnl).uon. nutonomy is not suffic:1Cill. V.1 hcre there is n'uch discl'lmlnation, it will not protect us. We lof Ecuador! at'C argumg for free-detenninatlon, not simply autonomy. My position has aiW3)'S been 1h.11 1f we are not recognized in this Arc you >3tisfied wi th what has occurred here 31 the UN or do you think that lhe aspirations of l ndigcnous Peoples arc not being heMd? Well, I cn.mot e"actly s.1y sousfted Out 11 seems to me that the initiatives proposed here "'" Important so that " "'h ume the governmentS increasmgly open up the barriers 10 the recognlllon that we Indigenous peoples have rightS. This sp.1ee here in the UN Working Group IS impoTWlt for manner then we cannOt say tlut thl$ is our law-t.hat o£ tht outlming a program whteh the Indigenous Peoples can then lndtgenous Peoples. Rather. It Is • UN bw decbred tn the use. But I bel•.-·e th:u nothmg will change through this alone. pr~nct of lndtgcnous Peoples. Our only guamntec " the force of our peoples. Regardless of how many laws ore appro..ed. tf our commu- To conclude. could you say something about your posinltie~ don't struggle. there are no gua<Jntees. Clearly the law tion. Y are the only female president o f an Indigenous ou will be • lcgalmstrumem , but Its use depends solely on our federa tion in Ecuador. Whm enabled tha.t and what chalstrength. A s lew of laws protecting our human rights already lenges do yQu face? exist. but when and where have they truly been applied ? This is what everyone asks me. :md I really don't have a \Vhcn hnvc: we been protected under them? Rarel}r. if ever. clear re>ponse. Since <he mceptlon of FICI, for the twenty arc luws on paper complied wnh. More often the ime.rests of years thJt 11 has existed. !here h.~ ne•·er been a woman as thost In power rule. So, regardless of how marvelous our president There h.'tS been female p3ruclpntion and leaderprogram here m the Worlung Group ts, 11 will nt\'er bear >lttp. but thiS has always been •n <he role of S«mary of fruu unless w~ guarantee: it Women-not the pn:siden<:): not. even as head of one of the olher dep.utmcnts. So. lhtS ttme there W:IS a mtr.telc. llow do you feel about the drnft d cclamtion, where d oes FlCI s tond in this regard' How have the: men in the orgtmi:Qtion responded to you. Some J>tOplc believe that, because a universal decla· d<) you reel t hat t hey doub t your capacity? Well. that depends on how you proceed in the work. rntion of human rights already exists. that this adequately covers all of humanity. llut actu.1lly. Indigenous People are not S<)me may have doubts, but In gcnerni, I h:we the total sup· taken adequotcly into account under existing laws. I believe port of my colleagues. If they don't >up port me. I Sl)' th:u lhey that lndtgenous People need to be nddress.:d spocific.tlly. arc not. obeying the desires of the provt!I(Oe. For I was not because we arc different. We h.1•e our own forms of org.1ni- elected b)· JUSI one community but by the provmctal congress. JO ~Yala 1\'aos �WO MAtl To date. I have not had any problems, but rather the support and respect of all the members. \Vhat aboul women'S organiz·ing within the FlCI? Are there groups that work specifically on women's issues? Our form of struggle docs not stop " ;th specific objectives for women. I believe thot this is something imposed by colo· nialism-that women arc to fight for their rights separately. and that men then organize for the men. I don\ agree with this. I believe that we are involved in a joint Struggle where men. women, and children participate. But we can have specific activities as women within this snuggle and there can be specific problems between the genders. after all. machismo still exisls. But what we, as women, are trying to promote is that everyone is respec-ted as an equal. And that everyone understands that women are capable of assuming any responsibility. 'IA'e, as Indigenous people and a$ women ne.ed to have direct relations between our peoples where limita~ions are not imposed. where our spaces are not limited. As women. we need to understand that we are capable of taking any responsibility-that we can move forward. Throughout the world , we heard about d\e Indigenous uprising lruajune that dnew much of lhe country into tur· moil until the Ecuadorian government agreed to negotiate with Indigenous organizations. \Vhat caused the uprising? The central issue was the new agrnrian law. Over the past few years. the National llgrarian Coordinating Body organized by CON/liE held assemblies and workshops in communities to debate agrarian reform. This popular analysis Cltlminated in the "L.1w for Integrated Agriculture", which we presented to the National Congress a year ago. Yet. this proposal was never discussed by congress. In May of this year. the executi\•e branch submitted its own agrarian la\v, FoUo,-.ring our vigor· ous protest, congress rejected this law, but then turned around and approved a virtually identical bill of the dominant conservative party-the Social Democrats. The nationai "Mobilization for Life• erupted from the political and unconsl..ituti6naltnanipulation or this law that direct~ ly affects the live.• of Indigenous people and small fanners in Ecuador. The mobilization began on June 13 and lasted more than eight da)os. It resulted in many deaths. three disappearances. and 540 injured. \Vho was responsible for this violence? Throughout the Mobilization for Life, the government never accepted our proposal for open dialogue. Instead, President Duron's solution was to declare a State of Emergency. In this way, he began to milit~rize target communities. \Vhcn the nlilitary and police were authorized to intervene. the killing began. The deaths and injuries were the product of the govcmment's state of emergency. Vol. 8 No. 4 So. what's the current situation wilh the agrari3n law? Well , the law was approved. But finally, after so n)any deaths, the Tribunal of Constitutional Guarontees declared the law unconstitutional. At the same time. however, the President and the Social Democtats appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. Thus the law was still in force despite the fact that a high-level institution of the s:une state declared it to be unconstitutional. \~'e. of the Agraian Coordinating Body. have appealed to the Supreme Court that it too declare the law unconstitutional. At the same time, a commission was established to re£onn the 1aw. The commission comprised representatives of the: Catholic church . Indigenous organizations, agribusiness and ranching, the national congress. the Social Democrat Party. Ministry of 1\gricuhure, and the President of the Republic himself. Decisions of the commission are simpl)' recommendations. howe\• and mtast still be approved by congress er. where the conservative Social Democrats :trc 1hc majority. ls the government showing good will in relation to Indigenous demands now? 1 there were good will, the government would have acted r before all the violence. We don't believe the re is good will. Rather, the commission 'vas constituted because of the Indigenous movementS demands and the intervention of international organiu.tions. That is why we have dialogue. Still, this is not a dialogue where decisive resolmions can be made. Rather, it is a dialogue similar to that occurring here in the Working Group. Carmen lrnamberna·s organization FICI represems thousands o f Ind igenous people in the Ecuadorian highland s, like these women from Otavato province. 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. 8, no. 4 (Winter 1994) 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 We Are Involved in a Joint Struggle: Interview With Carmen Irnamberna Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title We Are Involved in a Joint Struggle: Interview With Carmen Irnamberna Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 30-31 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter 1994 Language English Abstract Note Abya Yala News interviews Carmen Irnamberna, President of the Federation of Indigenous People and Campesinos of Imbabura, on challenges, issues, and possible repercussions of the Draft Declaration of Indigenous Rights being prepared by the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples. Attachment Title We_are_involved_in_a_joint_struggle.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] FICI Human Rights UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/0cbf9c0e9e62055028489b82ced8e624.pdf 2f994b26b83ffa990d5154782a93a883 PDF Text Text PERSPECTIVES ON B IODIVERSITY AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY The Human Genome Diversity Project: Implications for Indigenous Peoples We reported on the Human Genome Diversity Project in Abya Yala 's Dec. 1994 issue. Indigenous opposition to the project has been growing since that time. and the project has yet to respond ade· quately to fundamental ethical problems such as those raised in this article. By Debra Harry he HUinan Genome Diversity Project (HGD Project) proposes to collect blood and 1issue so1m · pies from hundreds of different Indigenous groups worldwide for T gcnc1ic swdy. On the assumption 1hat these groups are headed for extinction, sc-ientists :ue rushing to gather DNA somples before they disoppe•r. Then, Issues of Concern HGO Project sciemists claim to be searching ror answers to questions about human evolution. However, Indigenous peoples already possess strong beliefs and knowledge regarding their creation and hiStories: funhemlore. this is not a ptiotity concern for Indigenous people. The HGD Projects assumptions that the they say. ;u least the human genetic diversity will be prcser:vcd in gene banks as "'immortalized cell lines." BUl why the tremendous interest in sa\ring the genes of Indigenous people •nd not the people themselves? Who rc311y populations will be "discovered" and sdemilkally •answered" is insuhing to groups who already ha\'Cstrong cuhural beliefs regording their origins. What will be the ilnpact or a scientific theory stands to benefit from this endeavor? of evolution and migration that is ami· What •rc the dangers and long-term implications of biotechnology and genetic engineering? These are ques· tions Indigenous people must ask them· selves tn order w protect their interests in lite face or such a mysterious and well-funded cffon. thetical to an ln<ligenous groups com· mon beliefs? Will these new theories be used to challenge aboriginal territorial cl•ims, or rights to l•nd? Debra Harry is a Paitde Indian from Ntmda, USA. Sl1e is n:scarchirtg ISS!(f.S rdatrd lo IPR •nd the HGD Proj<Cl. Vol.8 No. 4 origins and/or migrations of Indigenous Medical Benefits? The often repeated claim that med· ical applications will be developed to tre•t diseases sulfered by Indigenous peoples is a complete misrepresemation of the Project. •nd scn•es to coerce the participation of subj~ts based on the false hope for medical n>ir:~cles. The Project's mandate is simply to collect. database. and maintain genetic samples Md dma, not to develop medic•! appli· C.3tions. The HGD Project will make the genelic samples available to "the pub· lie ... However, it is not clear who will have access to the data and actual genetic samples. It appears that the HGD Project will maintain an open· access policy. This me<~ns th3t once genetic ma1erials are stored in gene banks. they will be available in perpe· tuity. with minimal control. to anyone requesting access. Scientists need only demonstr:\te the validity of thei r scien· tific research in order to gain access to the samples. Medical applications are in fact likely 10 result from the eventual research. manipulation. and commercialization or the genetic materials. But they will mosl likely come in the form of pharmaceuticals or expensive genetic therapy techniques. Possible benefits ";II go only to those who can 13 �PERSPECTIVES ON BIODIVERSITY AND INTELLECTUAl PROPERTY afford the high costs of such treat · ments. The proposition that medical bene· fits will result from genetic &'tmpling is further suspect since no aspect of the project will take imo account the role that existing and historical socio-eco· nomic or environmental conditions play in the health of lndigcnoll5 com· munitics. lf an Indigenous popuhuion were interested in researching a genetic ques· tion spec,ific to their group. they would not need the HGD Project to do so. Genetic research te<:hnology and cxper· Since 1980: .. there has been a disturbing trend in US patent law that extends patent protec· tion to life forms. tise is widely available. The enticement of potential medical benefits is an empty promise which will be used to gain access to communities for the collection of samples. Commercialization. Ownership and Intellectual Property Rights The HGD Project l'l!iscs inevitable questions regarding both ownership of the genetic samples themselves and who stands to profit from the commcrcializa.. tion of products derived from the sam~ pies. The Proje<:t puts Indigenous peoples' most fundamental property-their own genes-in the hands of anyone who wants to experiment with them. In dotng so. the Project opens the door to widespread commcrci31ization and potential misuse of the samples and data. The Project will enable "bioprospectors" to stake legal claims on the natural genetic resource base of Indigenous pe:o· 14 pies. Some of those claims will strike it rich, in the fom> of profitable patents. As in the case of future medical applications. the d irect benefits from the HGD gene banks will go to those who can arTord 10 invest in research , manipulation and commercialization of the genetic data. Patent law will be the primary vehicle which enables scientists to secure exclusive rights to the genetic samples. Patent laws gl'llnt a limited propcrt)' right to the patent holder and exclude others from using the patented item for a specific period of time. usually for n 17 -yeaq>eriod. Patenting Human Genes Since 1980. when the US Supreme Coun ruled that the creation of an oil· t..1.ting microbe ls patemable. there has been a disturbing trend in US patent law that extends patent protection to life forms. Since then, the US Patent and Trademork Office ( PTO) has granted patents for newly created micro-organ .. isms, living animals. and for human tiS· sues and genes, b reaking the longstanding policy thm animate life forms were not patentable. The National Institutes of Health. and others. ha,,e secured patent rights for fl'llgmcnted gene sequences. many with unknown function and physical significance. This lrend has enabled research inslitutions and corporations to secure patents for almost 5% of the entire human genome, and has spurred a ntsh for o'vnership of the remaining 95% of the human genome. Does anyone have the right to own a life form or to commodify parts of the human body> While many debate the ethical and mol'lll implia.tions or patenting life fonns, in 1993 US Secretary of Commerce Ron Bro"" filed a patent claim on the cell line of a 26-year-<>ld Guayami woman from Panarna. Her ceH line was of interest because some Guaya.mi people carry a unique \~rus, and their antibodies may prove useful in AIDS and leukemia research. Fortunately, intetnational protest and action by the Guaymi General Congress and others led to the withdrawal of the patent claim by the US Secretary of Commerce in November 1993. Patent claims have also been filed by the Secretary of Commerce for the cell lines of Indigenous people from the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands Government has demanded withdrawal of the patent applications and repatriation of the genetic samples. citing ar1 invasiort of sovereignty, lack of informed consent. and moral grounds as the reasons for protest. In early March. Secretary Ron Bro\llfl rejected these requests. stating that .. there is no provision for considel'lltions related to the source of the cells that ma)' be the subject of a patent application." In other words, according to existing patent lav..•, the source of a genetic sam· pie is irrelevant. Indigenous people must be aware that it may be extremely difficult or impossible to recover or reparriate sam· pies of our blood, tissues. or body pans, once lhty arc remo·ved from our bodies and stored elsewhere. In 1984 john Moore filed a lawsuit claiming that his blood cells were misappropriated while he was undergoing trearmem for leuken'tia at the University of Califomia. los Angeles Medical Center. During his trealmem. Moore~ doctor developed a cell line which proved '"'luable in fighting bacteria and cancer. The UCLA Board of Regents r.led a patent claim on this cell line from which they developed commercially valuable antibacterial and cancer-fighting ph3rmaceuticals. Moore claimed that he ' v:IS emltled to share in pror.ts derived from commercial uses of Abya Ya.a News l �PERSPECTIVES ON B IODI VERSITY AND I NTELLECTUAL PROPERTY these cells ~nd any other products resulting from reseateh on any of his biological materials. In a significant l990 California Supreme Coun deci· sion. the court established that '"donors· do not have an IPR property right in the tissues removed from their body (6). genes. Sample Collection seems like sc.ience fiction to many peo- The HGD Project will seek the conscm of the individuals and populations to be sampled. Questions of what con- ple. it is a reality. Through genetic engineering, scientists are capable of reprogramming the genetic codes of living stiuncs '"infomled consem" ~md how it will be secured remain to be answered. The HGD Project has secured a gram things to meet societtd or economic goals. Transgenic experiments can rni.x pJam genome with that of animals. and human genome with that of plams or animals. The ethical and legal questions prillls· cf living organisms. C- rle technofo· c gy ma,~cs it possible tc isofatt, s-plfct. insert, rearrar1ge, r-ecombiru: aJUI mass-r·ep!Q{II~Cc placemal tissues as sources for genetic samples? How will the project be explained in the local language? Will the full scope of the project and the short· Vol. 8 No.4 about the full scope or this project and the potcmial dangers of genedc manipulation before they decide whether to participate. It is impermive that our communities become fully aware of the Projects implications and begin documenting proposed or current sample According to existing patent law. the source of a genetic sample is irrelevant. collecting. 'Vlc need to form an interna.. Nonetheless, this area remains vinually tiona! Indigenous research group to unregulated. determine the e.xtent of existing interna· tional protec,tions for human materials. While the HGD Project itself does not plan to do genetic engineering. no safeguards exist t.o prevent others from doing so with the HGD genetic s.1mples. Genetic manipulation mises serious ethical and moral concems for Indigenous peoples. for whom any vi<r lation or the natural order of life is abhorrently wrong. Scientists are genet· ically manipulating existing life fonns. altering dte course of natural evolution, and creating new life forms. Genes are living organisms which reproduce. migmte and mutate. The full implications or genetically altered life forms released imo the envirol'tmem cannot possibly be anticipated. tlal uses or the samples be fully dis- Recommendations Indigenous organizations need to closed? \\r,ll donors be fully informed of the potential for pro£hs that may be alert all Indigenous peoples to the work made from their genetic samples? of the Human Genome Organiz.atfon (the body governing the HGDP) in order \Vith ger~t: lic engineer-ing ca.lmology today. it is P"Ssiblc to manlpulatt the 'bh•e· genetic materials that raised by genetic engineering technolo- gy are nurncrous and unanswered. a.nd long·term implications and poten· Other Potential for Misuse Ml)' community education ax'ld discussiOt\ -Andrew Kimbrell, The Human 8ody Shop. 1994. Though genetic engineering still from the J.D. ~nd C .T. MacArthur Foundation (despite the expressed opposition of Native leaders) in order to develop a model protocol for the collection of genetic samples from lndigenous groups. The concept of "informed consem· rniscs m3ny unanswered questions in the minds of Indigenous peoples, such as: Who is authorized to give consent? Should consent be required only by the individual being sampled, or also include the governing body of that par· ticular tndigenous nation? C.."\n consent be granted by government o!ftcials or the nation-state in which Lhe Indigenous nation is located? How will permission be obtained for collection o£ samples from the deod, or for use or fetal and reclaiming have already been taken. Indigenous people must engage in and to develop additional policies which insure the protection of our imellecLUal. cultural and biological propeny rights. Indigenous people must call for a world-wide mor3torium on the collec· tion, datab:~sing. transformation. and commercialization of cell lines and genetic materials of Indigenous peoples umil international standards and regulation are put into place which fully pro· teet the environment and the interests of Indigenous peoples. For Mort lnf()rmation Omrace Debra Harry, P. 0 . Box 72, Nixon, Nt:\'ada 89~24. 002) 574·0309 tmail: /)(bra_Narl)•@Togc:ther.org or dharry@igCAJX:.OI); jcanncut Atmstrc>ng. En'ow- in Ctnue, 257 k 8fi.UI.SWici.: Sttetl. Pt:nlteton. BC V2A l n materials by this project, or by free-lance (604) 493-7181 RAFl·Canada. (Rural Ad\'at~Ccmtm Fowtdation tncemalfonal), Suite 504-7 J Bank Sl'""· Oua..·a. Onwrio KIP 5N2. (613) 567· scientists. and to assist groups in 6880 lO pre,·ent the taking of their genetic 15 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 8, no. 4 (Winter 1994) 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 The Human Genome Diversity Project: Implications for Indigenous Peoples Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Debra Harry Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title The Human Genome Diversity Project: Implications for Indigenous Peoples Item Type Journal Article Author Debra Harry Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 13-15 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date 1994 Language English Abstract Note The Human Genome Diversity Project seeks to collect genetic information from indigenous peoples across the globe. Indigenous communities should be hesitant to comply, given the potential for misuse and exploitation. Attachment Title The_human_genome_diversity_project.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Genetics Human Genome Diversity Project Intellectual Property Rights Patent Law http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/502bc62fe0444372bfafa5ffda5ef47a.pdf 914731534b461dbc55dc9b3c5282ee1f PDF Text Text ORGANIZATION - - --=- Coalition in Support of Indigenous Peoples and Their Environment Founded lndigenous organizations. Panicipants di.scussecl1he struggle for autonomy and self.detcnnination. how to create mech· anisms to assure respect for Indigenous he Coalition in Support of Amazonian Peoples and Their rights. and how to strengthen access to decision·making on Em·lronment opened an ofric:e in government T Washington DC in Nov. 1994 to Indigenous rights. The intent of the con· impro,·e communication and coordina· ference was to develop clear definitions of autonomy and self·detemlination. tion among US-based NGOs working with Amazonian peoples. The Coalition was born from an alliance between Indigenous peoples of the Amazon and groups and individuals concerned with the fu ture of the Amazon and its peo· pies. Coalition Members suppon Indigenous territorial rights and sustain~ nblc development ahemath·es. and share the belief that people are an integral pan or the ecosystem. The Coalition will hold an annu.~l Fomm !or NGOs to meet, receive guidance !rom Indigenous leaders of the Amazon. discuss current issues, and develop politic~l action su·atcgies. Topics at next years !omm (May I O-l2 1995 in Washington. DC) will include: Free trade and De\'elopmem, Intellectual Property Rights. the Timber Industry. At present the Coalition has three working groups: U.S. Policy and Hl.lntan Rights. Defense of Territories. and Financial Resources. It is helping to coordinate a number of cmnpaigns such as the Ecuador oil campaign. In an e!fon to promote communications among interested organizations. the Coalition: distributes a monthly Am~ort Update with news from Co..1lition members. F()r mor~ inj()rm,uion, p/(6$(. ccncac1: CoalitiOIJ Coordinmo,. Melina Sel\'Cl:Ston. 1$1/ I< St. N\V Suit< 10+1, 1\~ irtgton . DC 2()()()$. Te/;(202) 637-97 I8.jax;(202)63i· 9719. emaiJ: am«Z:om:ool@fgc.apc.oJi. Self-determination Seminar in Mexico T he Second Seminar on Sclf-determi· nation in Mexico held on Jan. 20·21 was organized b)1 the Colegio de Mexico under the direction of Rudol!o Stavenhagen and hosted by Oax.1can Vol. a No.4 American Indian Satellite Network Makes History or the first time. Native.owned and F public radio stations across the country have access to regular program· ming for and about Natjvc Americans. thanks to the new t\IROS (American Indian Radio on Satellite) network. Since Oct. 31. tl1is history-making ser· ,;ce has offered a daily one-hour feed or dramas. documentaries. litcrmure, self. help programs and heritage pieces, all related to Native Americans. The AIROS network, initially funded b)• the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, is developing and establishing what will eventually be a 2+ hour distribmion system of radio pro~ grnmming by, for and about Native Americans. The AIROS feed includes a storyudling series, interviews with various Native American personalities. historical specials and a multi-pan series on breaking the C)'cle of child abuse. as well as a ' 'ariety of other specials and series. Nalivt America Calli11g will premiere at the end of February as a daily. hour-long. live call-in talk show focus· AND COMMUNICAT I ON most of whom operate on inadequate funds; says Susan Braine, AI~OS Manager. "We're working closely with the tribal stations to detem1ine program~ ming needs and to address those needs through tl1e radio programs that AIROS is able to acquire. Our goal is to encour· age and facilitate their own production of these programs. This is their network. It will be as successful and relcvnm as they. the stations, collectively make it: Braine said. AIROS also has plans to acquire ponable uplinks in order to broadcast conferences. po'"'vows. and oLhcr cui· tur:d events from reservations. This would allow tribes to share limited resources while learning from each other. For more information on the t\IROS schedule. contaCt your local public or Native.owned rndio station. Stations interested in becoming affiliated with AIROS should contact Susan Braine at 402-472·0484. Internet for Native Peoples Conference ndigenous activists !rom throughout California gathered at U.C. llerkelcy on Nov. l9 to learn new techniques and I discuss the opportunities for network· ing and alliance building on the in!or· tnation highway. Marc Uecker led a workshop using the Mosaic program to explore the Internet. This prompted both ideas and concerns about using the lmernet as a tool for funhering the causes of Indigenous peoples world wide. 01scussion that followed pointed to the ing on currem issues a.nd topics affecting demand for a larger and more in·depth conference in the future. Man)' who Native Americans. attended questtoned the use of this tech· nology !or people living on resen'l!tions and other third-world conditions who radio is the sole telecommunicmiot\S might not ll.we access to telephone lines service. AIROS directors see the net- or even electricity. work as a first-step towM<I an ambitious Ifyou have acc:t:SS lo a computer and modem. goal: building and linking stations on you mighc be inten-..ste(l in the following liscs the 250 Indian reservations in the rdatcd to Indigenous issues: Indigenous United States. greatest challenge is Knowlt:dg(. NaJive Netin obtaining Native comcm programs. Jisturv@('OP'ndl.tdu, Chiclt;, ~·fujcr 1.. ·liSt· particularly from the Native stations, proc@lmrinet.gsc.ucsb.cd!f, Rata Net. t\IROSlinks most of the 25tribal sla· tions located in Native communities in 10 states, many on reservations where ·our 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. 8, no. 4 (Winter 1994) 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 Self-determination Seminar in Mexico Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Self-determination Seminar in Mexico Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 35 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter 1994 Language English Abstract Note Indigenous groups in Mexico held a recent conference to discuss important indigenous issues including autonomy and self-determination. Attachment Title Self_determination_seminar.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Autonomy Colegio de Mexico Indigenous Rights Oaxaca Mexico self-determination http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/0091a8f0daabe283c53627b90795704b.pdf 2496f54cd005894d95ece7a4d7612491 PDF Text Text I N B R I E F_ _ ,_,_ Indian Communities Trapped by Ecuador-Peru Border Conflict ighting erupted between the Peruvian and Ecuadorian armies in a disputed Amazon border region ~long the Ccnepa Rh·er valley on jan. 26. What looked at first like an isolated border skirmish has escalated into an intense conOict F At a press conference concluding their visit. the commission announced that the govemment could St<tnd in \'io1ation of the right to life and well·being as a result of oil pollution in the Amazon. t\ final repon on the visit has yet to be released. For more info,.matwn. coruacr: with at leasl 47 dead and 94 wounded combatants. The Sierra Qub l..tgal Dtj01S< Fund. /80 Montgomery St.. Suire HOO. S<ln Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) demanded a cease fire on Jan. 3 1. stating that. "'more than 300 communities a.re located in the zone of mili· FranclS<o, CA 9410-1, (415) 627·6700. FGX: (-liS) 62i·6i40, email: scldjsj@igc.copc.org. tary connic.t, these Indigenous cornmunilies that have nol Peruvian Indian Communities File Suit Against Texaco n December 29. a class action la,vsuit \I/3S filed in feder- been auended by either the government of Peru or of Ecuador". An unknown number of Indian residents of the region have been displaced from their communities. despite calls by CONAIE for the governments to respect the lives and territo· ry of Indigenous peoples. The war is reportedly costing each side overS 10 million a day. and has heated up with bombings on each side of the border and the downing of several Peruvian planes and a helicopter. Ecuador accepted a CCtlSC· fire mediation offer from former US president Jimmy C:mer and former COSta Rica president Oscar Arias. but Pcno declined to comment on the offer. OAS Commission Investigates Ecuadorian Human Rights Violations or yem'S. Indigenous organizations in the Ecuadorian Fmassive oilh•we suffered hum-an rightsb}'violations asmultina· Amazon a resuh or dC\'Cloptnem carried US-based OUl tiona! corporations and the Ecuadorian government within their territories. The struggle to resolve these problems hit a turning point on Nov. 7 when the Org...'\nit3tion of American Sunes· spe(:ial commission on hun'la.n rights arrh•ed in Ecuador to investigate human rights abuses in that country. Although the commission framed its visit as a general investigation of the human rights situation in Ecuador. the impact of oil development on Indigenous peoples was one of O al coun in New York on behalf of 20.000 Indigenous people !hong on and around the Napo River in the nonheast Peruvian Amazon. The suit charges that mismanaged Texaco activities within Ecuador, along the upper ~ches or the Napo River, caused severe damage to the lnditms' w3y of life in Peru- damage due to the release of huge amoums of toxic chemicals. and to repeated oil spills. This case follows a ground-breaking victory by Ecuadorian Indian organizations in the spring of 1994, when a New York coun held that Texaco could be held liable in US couns for their actions in Ecuador. The Peruvian suit charges Lhat ··texaco deliberately ignored reasonable and S<lfe practices and treated the pristine Amazon roin forest ... :md its people as a toxic waste dump... lt runhcr contends that over 400 flawed well sites were built. despite Texaco's full knowledge that they would ·rcsuh in SC\'Cre spills and environmental damages. The Ecuadorian governmem estimates that Texaco spilled 16.8 million gallotlS of crude oil and oil residues in its Amazonian provinces. with an unknov.m portion winding up downriver in Peru. As recently as J992. the Peruvian Rio Napo ran black with crude that had been released upstream . Irifonnati(}l1 I'YOYid<d by Edwatd f-lmnmcml.. two topics the Commission actually in\'cstigated (the other bemg the treatment of prisoners) . Half of the Commissions delegation traveled to the Oriente region. where they met with representatives from grassroots organizations and leaders or Lhe eoran and Siona·Secora tthnic groups. Commission members were appalled at Lhe impact of Texaco oil develop· ment on the envir onment. The Commission also mt:l with a Huaorani community from the Napo region who reponed on .J>ollution and the encroachment of colonists in their territory. In addition to meeting with state authorities, the Commission consulted environmental. human rights, and Indigenous organizations. including representatives from: CONAl E. CONFENIAE. COICA. ECUARUNARI, FICI, FOIN, and OINt\E. 4 Brazilian Senate Proposes Law Threatening Land Demarcation he Brazilian Stn..1te 3pproved a bill 3imed at eventually reducing existing 1ndian Areas within frontier zones. nnd T complicating the process of rmure demarcations. 10 become law. this bill will have to be approved by the Chamber of Deputies and the President of Lhe Republic. If approved. the btl! will put the already demarcated Yanomami Indian Area. located along the Venezuelan border, at risk of being reduced. The bill threatens not only the Yanomami. but would be a blow to all Indian peoples in Brazil. It is supported by CCO· nomic groups with a \'CSted intcr~t in exploiting the natural resources within the Indian Areas. as wen as cenain sectors or Abya Ya~ 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. 8, no. 4 (Winter 1994) 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 OAS Commission Investigates Ecuadorian Human Rights Violations Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title OAS Commission Investigates Ecuadorian Human Rights Violations Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 4 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter 1994 Language English Abstract Note The Organization of American States (OAS) commences an investigation on human rights violations related to oil development on the part of US-based multinational corporations in Ecuador. Attachment Title OAS_commission_investigates.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Cofan Human Rights Napo Organization of American States Siona-Secoya http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/7017645c55efae6be075884bbca2f346.pdf b390c9d9a6822f3653880f1ba7cd9849 PDF Text Text ENVIRONMENT AND DE VELOP MENT International Opposition To Parana-Paraguay Hidrovia Mounts :as endangered by tht Hidi'O\'\a P'PJ«l Indigenous people from Brszi/, Parogvay. and BoiM8 joined envfronmenUJ/ grovps and sccJal orgonltotlons from eight countries in questioning p!Dns for lltllndusltiBI wst01W9Y on the Poroguoy ond Parona Rivers which. acccrdlng to technlcQ/ experts. could droin the we<ld's ltlrpest wetland expanse. tile Pantano/ of Mato Grosso. Brazil. The meeting, ~lied "Hidi<JVf8 Paf8na.Parag~ lrnpliCts ond Alternatives · was held ot tile Lotln American Parliament in Soo Paulo, from December 8-10. lives within the hm1lS of the PanlllllOI Three lnchgenous dclcg.uo were ch~ sen to panlclpate tn the coordin,uing body which will ad1•Jne< propos.1l~ for a brood campaign to r:usc aw:H"tness and development acaion plans regarding the ParnnaParaguoy liidroVla. According 10 p.utleipants at the Hidrovia semtn.'lr, "EnvunnmtntaJ lmp:act Studies mUSt include the p.1niclpatlon of •U scaorso[sodet~.. (thc lbnksl mu.st consult with lite pubbc tn a way wluch ts open and truly portJClpatory· The lmcr-aonmcan o.-..,lopment lbnk and Unttl'<l N:ouons De-~lopmtnt Progrrunme •rc coordmatlng economoc >nd cnglnecnng feosibtlity S~ud­ IOS. and an en\1ronm<nU11 impact ~ rmnt (ElA) for tht Htdrovia project. Conferene< delegates olso pointed out that the. Paragun)~n go\'ernnlcnt h:;a.s already indicated u ,..;u request bids from engineering companies tO explode rock outcroppings nt the b.uc of the Pantanal, which could lu1't irrtverslblc environ· mtnl3.1 impacts. NGO delegates at the S.1o Paulo n~«ting warned "If \\'Ork btgtns on pons of the projeCt b<fo"' the Environmtnttllmpnct Assessment is compkted ... dte E1A "'" hal-. no ,·,tlue. • by Glenn Switkes 0 rg.1nl:otions gathered in Sao Poolo womcd that construcnon or tht Hfdmia could climm>te lite P:mt2113l~ oblhty to hold "''"" dunng tht r:uny season. ause dls:Nrous llooding downslrc:~m, >nd threaten tht sun"-.! of n.1u'"' ~pits ond 01htr commun.ti<:s hvmg along the "'"'r ond itS tribumries. lndtgcnous ~pies nrt also concerned tht projeCt would hann populnuons or ftSh. birds. and wildlife, on which natl\·e commtmiues depend for $lll'Vh'tll. They also for.set incrtascd lond conflictS resulting from speculmory land buying. nnd a flow or mlgmms to tht arto in sc:m:h of jobs. Supponers of tht project claim that opentng tht upper ~hes of lite Pnmguay Rtver to ~-goong ,-es.sefs an sm-.. as tht "backbone' of South Amtnan «»nomic tntcgrauon ,._,than the new Southern Cone Common M>rk<t. Mtrrosur Some lu'"' gone so bras to P"'· doct • series of watetw>)'S that will hnk the Parnguay wtth the J\m.1ZOn and Onnoco. lndtgcnO\tS ~pie lllkang pan in the meeting sounded n warning based upon thetr cxp<:ritnces w1th other lnrgc-scak development projects. Vitor J\urnp<: Bakairi cited in>JXICts from Polonorocste. o World Bank road building projea. which he s.1ld "'tort ap;1n our communilies. People lOSt thtlr lond and mO\'td to the periphery of the citl<s. Many or our womt:n b«an~ prostktutt"S. \Ve don\ want tlut to h>ppen •sa•n." G!atn S"'tllu> coordtMlts d>t lotlllUIIi<lo!al Rmrs Nco.'llrk) HidMld C<tmp<ltgn. Vol8No.4 Bias Fedcnco Garctol, of the ~era! Coonhnmng Body or the l'llcom.1)'0 Basin of Pnr:lgu>)' S>ld th>t tht COUts< of tht Pilcomayo Rl\"tr \\';IS :s.hem:l m a nunntr smubr lO th>l pl.'nncd for tht l'>rogua): ·we don\ rt:member onymorc how II "':IS before. when the Pllcomoyo was the source of our hfe. !Wn doesro' come anymort. It's Impossible to cuhwate food. We had an cnonnOU$ L1ke, Lag11na Escabnte Cuellar, where <here was nlways rtSh: According tO Federico Gan:~1. the river project dosed ofT the river's tributaries. drying up the lake. Valtntin Mutlxt Guajt. the Sccrttary for Economy and Development of the Ccntr:J.I of Indigenous Ptoples of the Bolivian Orient< (0008), exp,.,...d tht r\011\'e poop!ts' dctenn•natoo to be tnvoh'td •n the discussion >nd dc~c J't&'rdmg the PfOJ«l- '\Vho ore we? A"'"" bke buk .,,. mals 1111htn the lores~l MOSt o( our peoplt lil'e along tht m-.rs. We thought de\-.lopmcnt was pnnletpatOry. equ.'l But. we see it is not. This development wtll sef\'e tht needs of how n"'nyl" Mann Guarnnl, of the K.1guateca Association, and Mn~~Cos Tcrtna, of the Allliancc of Indigenous Peoples of the Southern Cone, dtclartd their intention to disseminate infonn:uion on potential impncts of the 11idt'O\'tllto oatil'< communittes. Other rtp~ntftlwcs included Terena, Guamm, Bororo, Knlngang. and Partci people from Mlllo Grosso and M:no Grosso do Sui, Bnzd, as wdl :as Atlton Krcnak from the lndogenous Research Ccntu Adduion31 popuJ.utons identirl«< ''Y"""'· Ch.1m.1COCO, Tobo· mclude tht Maskoy, Angatte, P>t Tall)ten. and lite Guato, s popubuon ne~r extinction whiCh For marc tr.formaiJMC tr.t<ntcllt<ltlal RMt> Naworl<, 18'17 Bcrkdey ll'cly.ll<rkdey 01 9i 703. J\ n:port 'Consldcring tht HtdrO\fa" is availabl< forS 12 lnd;genouslea<ler Mana VitO< Guarani (right) adres.ses the meeting on Hidtovia 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. 8, no. 4 (Winter 1994) 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 International Opposition To Parana-Paraguay Hidrovia Mounts Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Glenn Switkes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title International Opposition To Parana-Paraguay Hidrovia Mounts Item Type Journal Article Author Glenn Switkes Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 29 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter 1994 Language English Abstract Note Indigenous groups from Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia and environmental organizations gathered in Sao Paulo to discuss the potential environmental ramifications of the proposed industrial waterway on the Paraguay and Parana Rivers. Attachment Title International_opposition_to_parana_paraguay_hidrovia_mounts.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Conservation Hidrovia waterway Paraguay River Parana River http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/files/original/4410aa2f8f2888b06c4aab6c4edb1378.pdf 99d8175226e3e6b7e87f1c36217950c7 PDF Text Text ----- E~V I RO~ME~T A~D DEVELOPMENT Indigenous Peoples Unite Against Pan-American Highway by AUcia Korten and DiaUs Ehrman aders of the Kuna, Embera, Wounaan, Ngobe and Bugle peo- and o•hcr residents believe that the flood was a consequence of unprece· >les living in the Darien G~p dented deforestation in the last two region that borders Colombia and decades by loggers and cattle ranchers who have used the highw:>y to gain access to the regions resources. Pressure to complete the road has L; Panama announced thnt they would o ppose any plan to build the PanAmerican Highw:>y that did not first obtain their approval. The Indigenous Development Bank (lOB) is financing a S 1.5. million environmental impact statement for the construction or the J>an.l\merican Highwa}•S last segment. according to official documentS from the Ministries of Foreign Relations in Panama and Colombia. This financing is significant as the !DB generally funds ( IPAHC), representing over 200,000 increased in reccm months. Broad agreemem at the Summit of the Americas last December to unite the Indigenous peoples in Panama, made this dcclaralion in response to growing Americas imo a free trading zone by the year 2025, gives the highway's constmc- pressure to complete the highways impact s•atemcm. but nuher a general cnvironmcmal diagnosis of the region. lOB representatives have insisted that they would not finance such a environ .. 1nemally and culturally destructive pro.. stated Colombia$ Minister of ject. Yet. according to one well·known Transportation under the Gaviria Panamanian newspaper. Lhe lOB has Pan·J\rnerican Highway Commission Darien Gap link-which international business interests sec :lS critiC31 to fa.cili!ating trade between South and North America. Leaders unanimously agreed to reject construction of the Pan-American Highwa)·. a railroad. or any other project crossing 1heir lands until 1hesc lands have been legalized and demarcated . Indigenous people's fears regarding the environmental assessmems only if it intends to support the actual project. However, according to an I.OB reprcsen· t3tivc. the study is not an environmental tion new urgency. "The Pan·American liighwny is the only unfinished international highw:.y e\'tll though it is the most ilnportant in Lhc world ...all of hlllnanity is awaiting (itS completion)." administration, jorge Bedeck Olivella. Plans to build the road are rapidly moving into g~r. The lnter·American offered to loan funds of $29 million to finance the project. The World Bank is also funding an envitonmental impact highwayS negative impacts were reinfo rced by catastrophic Oooding in Nov. 1994 which destroyed several Kuna communities situated ncar 1he P3n· American Highway, which stretches for roughly 100 miles imo the Darien Province. "The night (the Chucunaque River rose) our children had to swim to stay alh·e. the wmcr came up to the necks of the older people. t\11 our fields and many or our houses were washed away. 1 have never seen such a flood in my lifetime: explained Horacio Lopez Turino, community leader of Wala. He Alicia Kortcn is a staff mcmba of th~ Ccrucr for Popular Legal Assistance. Td: (212) 64$3139 Fax: (212) 242-1901. Olalis Ehrman is the Kuna General CouncilS reprt'srntatl\'t to lhe IPAHC. Vol. 8 No. 4 The Indigenous Panamerican Highway Comission holds meetings to organize communities throughout the Darien 27 �E WVIROWMEWT AWD 0E VElOP MEWT .aotemcnt for the povmg <>I 1he 100 mile toad 1hm already pcnctmtes the Darien. Slalcd Luis Cns!ancda. Oi rector or Plannong at the Mlnlscry ol Public Works in Puna.m.a. P3JTamanum officials State lhot 1hcsc projects are p:~n ol • flv"·ytar n.,uon-wide road·bl!oldmg program. or 1he S406 milhon bud&<ted lor the pro· gmm, the lnler-Amcrican Oe,·elopment IJ.,nk and the World Bank arc providing $220 million in loons. •No highway construCtion can take place In Panama in the next five yeors lhot dO<S not follow IDB guideli=,· staled """ lOB official. Opposation to ex1ensoon o! the high· '''a)' lS also gairung morncnturn. Diverse organi%ations mngong from 1he lntcnlnlional Union for the Constr\'ll· tion of N3turc to the Union or Pnnamaman Umlc R.mchers have writ· · t(n ~luuons oppos1ng the roodS con... strucuon. These groups orgue tho! the m;d would dC"aSUie 1he ;ueas boo!<>gJ· c:.l ond cultural d.versuy ond facililate the spre:td or hoof-and-<~nd mouth disC3SC- into Nonh America. Even in Colombia. the road's mos1 aggressive supponer. the govcmmcm-run Institute for De\'<lopmem and Na1ural Resources (INDARENA). r<commended m O.C.mber of 199'1 hal1ong the proJect due to ats potenual tmrtronmental lmplct. Arch1e Carr. on emtnem biolo· gts1 wi!h 1he New York-based Wildlife ConservaLion SocicL \VUrned "the con· y, struclion o£ a highway ocross the Darien Gap would consliiUIC an ecological en· SIS . If Oancn tS a b•olog~cnl plug. a bar· ner to • biol<>gJcol uphe"'·al thot could offec1 bo1h maJor comments m 1hc regoon. 1hcn '' achoeves gremer conservauon slgnoficance 1han nny other forest." Indigenous peoples. whose homelands and cultural subsistence are at a stoke, condnue to be marginalized from all government dlSCUSSaons. '"\\'e. ha,·e been figh1ing 10 g>m • vot~ m the dill· Iogue, b\11 the gO\.. mmcnl has blocked lndogenous panicipalion: Sla!ed Ed)• DegM%o, 1he Embem-Wounaan General Congresss IPAHC delegate. The govemmen1 hos responded 10 18 i>~Ure £rom the Indigenous org>ni%3· wuh a few Government officials Lion conccssrons. invited an lndogcnous delegate to parucopa1c m 1he February 1994 meeting of 1he Good Nctghbor Commission. 2 bm~uonal body ncgotialing all agreements between Panama and Colombio. but refused to finance 1he •rip. ·~r,1hou1 moniC's to cover expenses. we could not send our dcleg>te: explained Cacique Leopoldo Baporiso. chief of lh< Embera-Wouno:m in 1he OJnen IPAHC deleg;llcs or< now meeting Wllh P:\nomonlon govemmenl Ofndols and mululn~erol bank represcmtlllvcs 10 demand jXlrlicipation in all studies ond dcvelopmenl projects for their homelands. They ore also ~chlng ou1 10 organwulons na1ionally and unemationally who hove expressed <On~m regardtng the hogh""'Y pions wders hope 1hnt 1hrough their con1inued and with Ihe suppon or solidnri· ty org.,nlmtions. they will be able 10 innucnce the destiny or their peoples and 1hc rotn!Orc$ts of the Oanen Gop on whieh they depend. crrons. R esolution of the hldigenous Embem. Wounaon nnd Kuna peoples of Panama at the second nntional meeting to discuss Lhe construction or the 'Pnn·American Highwny on October 7·.8 L994, In the Kuna community or Plndupe, Coman-a Mndungandi. We Resolve: I) To l'e)tct the COnSirucuon of 1he Pan-Amencan Hoghwa)~ a r.ulrood or any Other project through our lands withoUI our consent. 2) To demand the legalizalion nnd demarcnuon o£ the Madungandt, Ngobe· 6ugle and Wnrgandi Comnrcns and that collecuve lond lilies be pro,oded to the Embem and Wounaan in order 10 protect 1he na10ml r<sourccs of our terri Iones. We r.:fuse to accept any pro)cc1 of 1hcse demands have n<>l been met. 3) lo broadcast nauonally .md lmemauoMtly the cxtstence of the lndtgenous Pan·Amencan Highw:>y ComnuSSton... 4) To au1horuc the Commtssoon, tn consullnuon "11h 1he tTadlttonnl aulhor· utes. 10 seek the fund$ necessary to achH:;,•e the ComnussionS obJe(U\'~S at tt national and tmcrnntionnlle\rel. ~) To demand 1hat mullilnteml finandal1nstittulons and 1he na1ionnl govern- ment give po!11C1pollon 10 1he CommoSSIOn 1n nil plans to <OnSirUCI infra· scructure through lnd1genous 1emtoncs and pnmde 1he Commission aa:ess 10 all the mfomuuon ne<:<:ss;ll)' £or ouT Congresses to dwde whether the proJect ts beneficial or nOL. 6) To reucratc our demand for ponicipouon \\11hm 1he Good Neighbor Comm•ssion composed of the governments ol Pnnama and Colombln. 8) lo sohcit supporl for the C.omnussion from Indigenous organizalions Olll· side ol Panama, solidarity groups and non·gov~rnmenlal organiZBI!ons. \Vrlttcn tn the Madungandt <Amafla, Comrnunlly of PINDUP on Ocwb<r i. 199-f. FOT """'infonr.atl<ll1 f4y ~·· Comulon lnd!scna Camtcro I'<Vl·AI!IClf<<~""­ COONAPIP. Apanaclo Postal8720S9, Zona i, P - . Tel (507) 62 16 SS I'<J.X· (507) 62 JS 66. or Htelor llucrt.,, Llgal Ad""'" Conoi,Jon lndtgcno CaN<Icro P<•Mimcricana. Ccnuv dr. A>ISI<ncla Llgal Popular (CEAIJ'). ilponaclo Postal 6·5866. 1:1 Dcradb, Panama. Tel (jOT) 64 6.5 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. 8, no. 4 (Winter 1994) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Indigenous Peoples Unite Against Pan-American Highway Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alicia Korten Dialis Ehrman Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Indigenous Peoples Unite Against Pan-American Highway Item Type Journal Article Author Alicia Korten Dialis Ehrman Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 27-28 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter 1994 Language English Abstract Note Indigenous groups voice opposition to the Pan-American Highway, a proposed infrastructure project that would facilitate trade between between North and South America due to possible environmental destruction and community displacement. Attachment Title Indigenous_peoples_unite_against_pan_american_highway.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Conservation Embera Kuna Ngobe Pan-American Highway Wounaan