1 12 21 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/feb21190ca04d109ada15c83f30b93da.pdf e3c347c93d91cf5efd63597340caeff4 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. 3 (40).pdf PDF Text Text 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 Vol. 8, No. 3 (Fall 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 Back Cover Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Back Cover Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (40).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Pages 40 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/6d0eeccf3dc69cd423ed903f2ef9fb3c.pdf 464e16415b5a9e5233b2239593033956 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. 3 (16-18).pdf PDF Text Text 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 � 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. 3 (Fall 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 Barbados III: On Democracy and Diversity Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Barbados III: On Democracy and Diversity Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (16-18).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Author Stefano Varese Abstract Note The Barbados group has released another statement calling for the effective integration of indigenous into political processes, which needs to be done in a way that recognizes their differences from capitalist democratic systems. Pages 16-18 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/f8994083a27704d45771b082177cad03.pdf 553ae061fe77985555adbd00f69074d8 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. 3 (38).pdf PDF Text Text 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 � 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. 3 (Fall 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 Calendar of Events Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Calendar of Events Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (38).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Pages 38 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/73a02993b34d406ee640794e848fd666.pdf 594be08d0515ca67fb58bce7d2b8622a 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. 3 (2).pdf PDF Text Text 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~ � 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. 3 (Fall 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 Contents Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Contents Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (2).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Pages 2 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/75f3fbdda881acaae6a5375225b99a99.pdf fe427d4cd7a174074e43dc3c809bd4e6 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. 3 (1).pdf 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 _ _ __,___ _ � 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. 3 (Fall 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 Cover Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Cover Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (1).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Pages 1 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/cd3dc8d41868475e3d65abbd4d602f6f.pdf d829c305042291b5902abce3eecab6c8 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. 3 (35-37).pdf PDF Text Text 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. � 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. 3 (Fall 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 Drug Trafficking and Strip Searches Place Wayu Women in Peril Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Drug Trafficking and Strip Searches Place Wayu Women in Peril Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (35-37).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Abstract Note Wayu women are being placed in danger by the mandatory strip searches in the Guajira Peninsula, which were instituted to combat the drug trade. Also dsicusses upcoming events. Pages 35-37 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/d24de26312e82d03d0fab8fbb5f8a07d.pdf 6d900f7f9e8f9ad7af45ac35f59b0e16 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. 3 (3).pdf PDF Text Text E D I TO R IAL The so-called "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 begin with the western invasion. and which has just completed its 502nd year, still continues as more threats loom over the horizon. International agreements such as the North American Fr« Trade 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. SAIIC Board of Directors Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 8, No. 3 (Fall 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 Editorial Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Editorial Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (3).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Abstract Note As economic policies imposed on indigenous communities by the Western bloc and regional nation states limit freedoms, indigenous communities have taken to the election process to try and affect change. Pages 3 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/fdc4af357b8f8ed80425b665c9b85d55.pdf df27265f25cbba46ec13fcb78d6d2286 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. 3 (6-8).pdf PDF Text Text 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 � 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. 3 (Fall 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 Elections in Mexico: Indigenous Suffrage Under Protest Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Elections in Mexico: Indigenous Suffrage Under Protest Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (6-8).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Author Araceli Burguete Cal y Mayor Abstract Note Indigenous rights promised in the new Mexican Constitution of 1992 have not been executed. In light of this, nearly 100 indigenous communities have met to discuss electoral strategy in an attempt to affect political change. Pages 6-8 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/bda350934a2e1a51f50bf2575bfc9a78.pdf 0d80fd3398d87eb8d2e7331633e87c0a 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. 3 (4-5).pdf PDF Text Text 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 � 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. 3 (Fall 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 In Brief Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title In Brief Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (4-5).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Abstract Note Coca growers march on La Paz, Argentinian constitution recognizes indigenous rights, indigenous people left out of settlement between Texaco and Ecuadorian government, Paraguay-Parana waterway threatens wetlands, and Venezuelan indigenous communities seek constitutional rights. Pages 4-5 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/6eaf1f54e17671cc16f3c0cca66fc1be.pdf 843d0083cb8b8e4e582aa14194351983 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. 3 (10-13).pdf PDF Text Text 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 � 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. 3 (Fall 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 Maya Movement at the Political Crossroads (Guatemala) Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Maya Movement at the Political Crossroads (Guatemala) Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (10-13).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Author Estuardo Zapeta Abstract Note Maya communities in Guatemala have been growing in political strength over the past decade. Although they have a lot of work ahead to affect change and achieve representation, if changes in political discourse occur, the indigenous peoples of Guatemala may achieve political voice. Pages 10-13 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/9054d1672ccf8d27047acc1316bbc377.pdf 7096c81fb2043b636aa71584550bfa7d 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. 3 (39).pdf PDF Text Text 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 � 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. 3 (Fall 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 News from SAIIC Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title News from SAIIC Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (39).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Abstract Note Ongoing events and projects in SAIIC Pages 39 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/50e3c1c96dff48baa2ab3d8a64934678.pdf 72d11d93be5b5fbc1d93984f7b70431e 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. 3 (24-26).pdf PDF Text Text 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 � 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. 3 (Fall 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 Organizing from Oaxaca to California: Interview with Rufino Dominguez Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Organizing from Oaxaca to California: Interview with Rufino Dominguez Item Type Newspaper Article Attachment Title Vol. 8, no. 3 (24-26).pdf Issue 3 Language English Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 Author Rufino Dominguez Abstract Note Rufino Dominguez discusses the Organization of Exploited and Oppressed Peoples and its origins in Oaxaca and its role in fighting for indigenous rights in Baja California. Pages 24-26