1 12 29 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/1ab6159c91592ef70d65ca4917f12b68.pdf 0ee86fdbe2406051c95835b33ce64a25 PDF Text Text ABVAVA NE JouRNAL or THE SouTH AND MESO AMERICAN INDIAN INFORMATION (ENTER (SAil() V OLUME 8. N UMBERS 1 & 2. SUMMER 19?4 PRICE $4.00 �c 0 T E T s Editorial............................................................................................................ 3 In Brief..............................................................................................................4 Perspectives on Chiapas Abya Yala. N ews Edllors: SAIIC Board of Oke<tors Coordinators: COMt:ann C:a.svo. David Tecklin Design & Uyovt; At!onso j:u·amiiSo SAIIC Staff Director: Nilo Cayuquco Offl.ce M1nage1': Oavtd T« .kiln C>evdopmcm CoordiNtor/Adminls:trator. Kimberly R~ Oevek>pment A.sshunc Ron Afegrb SAIIC Boar d Maya Identity and the Zapatista Uprising by Aroceli Burguete ...................................................................................................... 6 Nlfo Cayvqueo (Mapuche-Art:endo.a) Guillermo Ocl~do (Qu«:hu~ ·BoiM:a) Chronology of Events ................................................................................... 15 Indigenous and Campesino Peace Proposals .......................................... 12 Interview with Antonio Hernande~ Cruz of CIOAC ........................... 12 The Zapatista Project .................................................................................... 16 Chiapas is seen from Temuco: Interview with Auc:an Huilcaman by Ximena Ortuzor .................................................................................................... 18 Chiapas for the Continental Indigenous Movement ............................. 21 Self Determination and Territory or DirectorS Wan. Aldel'ete (Calchaqu;·ArgenUna) Akjandro Arnaru Atgumtdo (Qu«hV<l·Per-U) Xihulnel HU«'Q (Chlcanit'l(fi;a) C~rios M:Ubt'th (Mis.J<.ito-Nican.gu:&) Gin:a ~caldo (San Carlos ApachdChlu.ru) Subscf'iptions: Aby3 Yal:a News (ISSN 1071-3 I$2) is 3-v:tilabte for :an annUli $1 S peNon:ll m~mbco:rs.hlp. $2 S (or lndige-~VsocQ.l justic~ non-protrts, $<Kl in.st:itutions. For Canada :md Mexico ~dd $5. for ~~~ other int~rN.tional ~mbershlps.. ~dd $10. We wckome..submluions o( :al'(ioeles, l~ttcrs.. photographs -and rclev.ant lnform.ation. l.tUtr"$ :and ;a.rdctes ~y bt edited for lenzth. If you have ;KCC:SS to ~ <omp.~ttr~c $(lnd '{QUI' ~rtldeon~r andonanApplec~~b!e 3 lf2indt<fis.k. Send :til toe• UF ~ ~ckncc to: SAIIC After the Constitution: Territorial Demarcation in Colombia by Ana Cecilia Botero & Hernon Rodriguez ........................................................ 22 P.O. Box 28703 Oakland. CA 94604, USA Phone: (S 10) 834·4263 No Life without land: Interview with Teofilo Lacayo .......................... 24 Fax' (S 10) 834-4264 e-mail: saik@igc.apc.org Suicide before Eviction: The Guarani-Kaiowa of Brazil. ....................... 26 Environment and Development Closing the Darien Gap!: The Pan-American Highway's last Link by Alida Korten ................................................................,.......................................... 29 Increased Oil Development Rejected in the Amazon .......................... 30 Healt h Public Policy and Traditional Health Systems ......................................... 34 Human Rights Waye of Violence in Colombia ...................................,.............................. 36 Earthquake Devastates Paez Communities of Colombia ..................... 37 Military Represses Indigenous Protests in Ecuador .............................. 38 W e would like> to th<\nk the following individu· a Is and organizations for their g enerous :usis· tance to Abya Yala News I ~ Al:trcoo. Alberto ··nco" Al'enu, Beto Bot't~. Araccll e~,n'guete. Ad~l ~. M:ui&IU Hegge-man, Angelle~ Mendoza. M:trbn3 Mon.. Katy Null~ Adler. Eva Ops:'lhl. Glen Switkcs. G\l'illtrmo P~do. Peter R.oberuon, K:ati:\ TorreUi. Silly It Tritt Jr. St~ V.a('ese Orsanlutions: Aroerfndia (Spain), OoCip (Switterbnd). Ind~nsk Mediescnter (NOt"'o'4y), Grvpo K.an,un.anta (USA). Nork l~i:lMk Forcming (Norway). Sol y L\ln:l (Noi"W:Iy). Ralnfort$t Action Nctwotk.(USA). Publkations.: NAO RP (UC O~vl$, USA), Revista de £studios Culwrales (Bolivia), Rt'lista Multt't$ (USA). Re..,ist.l Uniw (8ollvb). Sh~n·s Drum (USA). S\ldwind Magalin (Germ.any). Than.ks to the following foundations for tht!:irgener· ous support: john 0. 3M Catherine T. M:ac Arthur foun<bdon. General SeNic~ found3-tion, P\lblic Wel&re Fourtdadon. The Tides Foundation. Nxln<btion for Deep Books Whose History!: Much Work Ahead for lndigehous Historians ....... 39 Organization and Communication...................................................40 Calendar of Events ....................................................................................4 1 News from SAIIC......................................................................................43 E<oiOi)'. SAIIC Rpresenta.tives abroad: juan Seb.ut1oin L:.ra-REGNSUEN {Norw:ay), Raf3-cl Argumedo (Gertn:arty). Alepf\dro Argumcdo & Sus.an O ' Oonell (Canada), Mareos Yoc (Gt.t.atemala). On the Covef': Com3..nd3.nte ~ Maria of the EZlN: SAIIC. 8ae~rotJnd: Peter Robtruon �EDITORIAL nj~nuary first. O uprising in Chiapas. l994, much of the world was shocked with the news of the Zapmlsta Mexico imcrnmlonally recognized as a stable. peaceful and dcmocmtic coumry. proud of its governm~nt and admired by others. fin~lly stood revealed. The uprising showed the wotld what many of us already knew: the extreme exploitation, oppression, discriminauon and misery of the close to fifteen million Indigenous people that live there. We also know that the same conditions e.~ist in the majomy of the countries on this commcm. We hope that the events in Ch~apas caLLSe to reOect not only governments but also the so<allcd national societies which have gener.:~lly remained indifferem to Indigenous demands--so that this indifference lS recognized ns complicity with inJusUce. Go,·cm· mcntsand societies in general cannot continue U> ignore Lhe clamor for jusuce being made by om· people. In Lhe meantime, Indigenous people are creating the necessary strntcgy and ideology to see more. clearly our road to liberation. and to avoid confusion in the sense t hm Indigenous aspirations are reducecl only to class or economicdemands. We w:mt to clat·ify that Indigenous demands are not just for n betlcr salary, or a piece of land, rnther they oriented towards reconstructing our commun(ties and cultures. In the last edition of Ab)-a Yala News. we noted that even though some anent ion hnd been given 10 Indigenous problems by governments, institutions, and non-governmental organi~ations, liule justice was actually achieved. Nonetheless, and despite cvcrythmg. there arc positive signs which hold out hope for a betrcr future. We can affirm that Indigenous peoples contmue to develop nnd communu::ate their objecuves and polictes with increasing clarity and unity. The International Year of lndtgcnous Peoples declared by the United Nations in 1993 created many expectations. But \\1th few cxccpuortS, and despite Lhe good intentions of some international agencies and governments such as Lhose of Norway, Canada and Australia,lmle has changed. Not only do lndtgenous demands continue to be dented. but the systematic violation of our peoples' human rights continues. Repression, murders. forced displacements and indiscriminate natuml resource exploitation arc the continuation of work begun five hundred years ago. The United Nations has now declared this the decade of Indigenous Peoples. It is likely that governments with LLSethisdeclaration todlvcnanemion from existing problems, with the usual paternalistic propaganda. The difference is that now, Indigenous peoples scrutinize government policies. We are bcncr organized and have more experien~e. The current challenge for lndigenousorgonizations Is create the necessary strategies for change and a solid continental unity. SAIIC Board of Dtrcctors Voi. 8No.l t 2 3 �IN BRIE F Indigenous Leaders Awarded Goldman Environmental Prize Indigenous Groups in Argentina Push for Rights Under New Constitution OnApril18. 1994. Luis Macas president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAl E) and Mathew Coon Come. grand chief of the Cree were awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in San Francisco, California. The prize includes a no-strings attached $60,000 grant. Macas was recognized for his role in the 1990 Levantamiento lndigena (Indigenous uprising) in Ecuador which forced the government to seriously negotiate the conditions for oil drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon. He was also praised for his role in the negotiations between CONAIE and the Ecuadorian govemmem which resulted in a sweeping settlement giving Indigenous nations title to three million hectares of rainforest in the Amazon. Coon Come has worked for decades to oppose the Quebec government's monumental plans for hydroelectric dam building in James Bay. Both these struggles put Indigenous and environmemal organizations against some or the world's most powerful forces. With these awnrds, the Goldman foundation has helped give world attention and stature to these leader's struggles. Following is Luis Mac.1s' statement at the cercmO· The fifteen Indigenous nations in Argetnina arc car');ng out a country-wide mobilization in response to the opening of a process for constitutional revision. lncligcnous groups are pressuring the national congress to finally include an article nies. arrival of wescem civilization tl1e plundering of natural resources was initiated as was the ta,~eover and destr'UCrion of our moeIter earth and the exploitation of our p<ople. This fntensivt and irralional exploitation of natural rtsmuces ca«sed not only impoverishment of Ute earth liUI has gener(l(ed poverty and the viola!ion of human rights among our t>eople in the South. nte culture ofcapitalism and avarice has forced i!Self on natur'c to achieve its goals no nuwer what the ~tcrifice. As <l reSilh, we: arc now experiendng an accelerated process of tnle globed collapse. st~ning their rights under the constitution . Indigenous orga- nizations held two assemblies regarding the issue of constitutional refonn and have drafted a proposal for rights to be included in the new constitution. The proposal's most important points were recognition that Indigenous peoples ex.isted before the creation of the National state and birth of the provinces; the recognition of the Argentinian Republicasa pluri-ethnicand pluri-cuhuralstate: the inclusion of rights to communal land ownership as well as control of all natural resources found in these lands: the right to educate their children in their own language and culture; and finally, the deletion of pan 15 of article 67oft he current <.:Onstitution whlch states lhm the govenment should •main' taina peaceful relationship with the Indians and promote their conversion to Catholicism•. After drafting these propos.1ls. rtpiXSCntatives of alithe Indigenous communities presented a declaration to the national congress to urge inclusion of these changes in the new constitution. .. .1Vitl1 tilt As inhabitancs of this planet, ft is vital and w~e111 to scop these crimes against nature mullife and worl: tort incegmteourselves wich the natuml world so as to rtdirea our p<Uit tOw(ir'd a more respectf«l and harmonious relarionship with i1. Tltt.s.: beliefs motivate us to defend our motl1tr ear·t11 and resist her des! ruction with her. Therefore it is important that wegain tille lo terrilmies which will guarmtlee !heir protection, nor only for «s, bwfor che benefit ofalllife... IVe have co oppose dtw'Uction and death with justice. sustainable developmen! and life. 4 lnnu Activists Blockade Hydro-Quebec Roads lnnu from the Coalition for Nitassinan (their traditional lands) supponed by observers set up camp on Mal' 29. blocking the access ro.•d which Hydro·Qucbec intends to use for construction of the massive Sainte-Marguerite Ill (SM Ill) hydroelectric project. Hydro-Quebec officials have rcportedlysoughtan official injunction against the blockade in ordc.r to remove the protesters. TheSM Ill project would be built in lnnuterritoryalongthe north shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. It would flood over 450 square km. and, possibly contaminate this area with the toxin methyl mercury. lnnu fear this (ontamination will render the region's fish, one of their main food sources, · �IN BRIEF uns.1fe to eat. In addition, the construction would divert tribUiaries from the Moisle river. reducing nows by up lO 42% of one of the world's most important salmon rivers. This could furtherendanger the Atlantic salmon. Reportedly, one million cubic meters of forest would also be c1earcut for the reservoir and access roads. Quebec hopes to sell power generated b)• the projects to utilities in the nonheastern US. Coalition Pour Nicassinan, 182 de l'Eglise, Mani·UConam. QC, Canada C4R4K2. Tel: 41.8·927·2102 Mapuche Exert Rights over Cultural Heritage On February 20. remains of human skeletons, pieces of Valdivian St)'le ceramics. a.nd a stone pipe were discovered at a construction site in the city of San Martin de Los Andes. Argentina. Representatives of the three Mapuche communi· lies in the region. the Curnohuinca. Vera, and Cayun. de· manded immediate return of the artifacts. stating. •\vc cannot accept any manipulation of these remains be il for scientific or other reasons. There is no doubt that these remains were found on ancestral Mapuche territory where oul:' ancestors rest and this is S3.Cred to us." The three communities, members of the Mapuche Organiza. tion ofTain Kine Cetuam held a series of public demonstrations and meetings with municipal authorities, from which they obtained a promise that the artifacts would be retumed 10 their "rightful heirs". The Mapuche remain concerned that this commitment will be kept. The discovery, also brought to light the lack of legislation (or protection of such ani facts. The Mapuche representatives n(){ed that protection oftheircullural heritage was the "most fundamental human right' of their people. First Restitution of Indigenous Remains in Argentina One hundred and six years after his death, the remains of the 19th century hero of Indian resistance, Cacique lnacayal, will be moved from the Museum of La Plata in the province of Buenos Aires, to the community ofTecka in Chubul . This is the first such restitution in Argemina. which recognizes that Voi.8No.l &2 the rights of the Indigenous communities precede scientific interest in these remains. lnacayallived his last days in the capital city, where he was brought with his family by the researcher FranciS<::o Moreno to Uve on his estate of•Paseo del Bosque'. On September 24, 1888 the chief died of sadness. Continental Indigenous Foundation Formed Indigenous leaders from throughout the continent came to Oakland, California on. April 16 for the founding meeting of the first foundation fonned and led by Indigenous people from South and Cemral America. SAIIC hosted this meeting for the Ab)•a Yala Fund during which the various leaders decided the foundation's strategies and goals. The foundation aims to ftmd projects developed by lndig· enouscommunities in South and Ccml'al America and Mexico. Areas of interest will be territory. environment, trainjng, selfdevelopment, women's issues. health, education. organizing. scholarships. and exchanges between Indigenous peoples. Anotherofthc foundation's goals will be to support I raining in lmen1ational communicalion. for example the improvement of communities' access to other foundations. The Abya \'ala fund ;'liso plans administrative training and assistance in elaboration of gram propos.,ls. The meeting pa.nicipams noted that it is time that the Indigenous communities have direct access to foundations and other fonns of financial and technical support for their development efforts aimed at improvi1\g living conditions. In addition they observed that hundreds of non-indigenous intermediary groups have been receiving funds to work with indigenous people or in the name of indigenous people, and that man}' of these fund have been wasted in administration. Intermediaries have at times also imposcd their political conditions on Indigenous communities. or have not been responsive to the communities' own interests. The Abya Yala Fund currently has an office in Oakland, Califor· nia. and aims to fom• regional offices in Central and South America, The fund is sponsored by the Tides Foundation umil it obtains legal stalliS. Donations are,.., deductible, and compu1ers. f.-.x machines. primers and other office equipment are grea.tly needed. Abya l'ala Fund c/o Tides Foundation 1388 Sutcer St, J9rh Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109. 5 �CHtAPAS: MAYA IDENTITY AND THE ZAPATISTA UPRISING "In Chiopos. the own~rs of tht fincos trtoltht Indians worst thon they trtottheir onimols. Chiopos is on~ grtot finco in which we lnd•ons ore less tmportont thon the cows. Test•mony of o Mayo reptestntotr~ to the Notional congress in 1992 by Araceti Burguete Cal y Mayor he VIISI lllOJOriiY or the bpotista N.ulonrolllberauon Arm)'(EZLN) nghtCI'$ 11re lndtgcnous Maya To;olnbnl, Tzchnl . Tzotzil and Chole !"'OJ>It•ln addition 10 n smaller number of me;,u:os and other ethnic groups. TI>tlf demands ore dwcrs<. osctllatmg betwt<'n tho!.e rat~d by the m·olution2rycbs.- ommcd mo\'~mentsof Central Amcnca, clu.tc \lt>ucan amp<SIDO T (~t)demands.2ndthecl.aunsbetng made by the lnd•gcnous tnO\-.,mem. The EZLI' ha, also tncorpor2tcd m:o il.s po>nton>a "'de =R• of demands rdat• mg 10 tit< urb.tn mO\·cment's struggles, the polott<:.ll p;1rttcs, •nd to the demands for democracy ''Otced by Mcxtcan society In gcncr•tl, Is thos an Indigenous rebellion or an Indigcnous uprl•lng whh cam!"'Sino demands l is this the hegmmng or a Mexi· C.10 Cl\11 W,lf (or m'U,Oila) democracy oris 1 u a local struAAic to change the medit\'3] structures of Chtapul Is thiS the bst duptcr of the Central Amcncan classb>scd moluuons or 1011 the r.,... chapiU CJoop;:s.""""""" Ar«<h a.tpct<" • -.cCij' tZNl IANvul tZNl •cwolfdl 1-.ltpt'llloll W..l'r"JJIr'• fr""' (f!PI). ...,...._for tt.< 6 of the modem lndtgcnou• 'lndtamst" revoluuonsl The rc<ent h•story of Chint>as can help cxpl.oln the nppmemly exclusive nnnue of these questions. The 7~1patlstn tcbelllon Is embedded in the histone nnd j\Co)<mphtc S!"'cificiues of Chtapo> Titc c•n be dl\1dcd 11110 fourdt>tlnct rtj\"'"' the fir-t.mcorporatc.thedcn-.clypopulatcd htghlands and the nc" 1) colonlUd bordtr zone; the ttntr.>l rtp<>n "hteh h.u only been popubtcd b)· fiiCl.lll"" ••nee ~ 19th Cmtury. the eoutal rtli'OncolonlUd tn thts Ccntu')· by n\C>Itzotmmtgrants:and the Soconu,.;o r<lloon ""h tiS old colonl31 sculcmems Th~ ••~ have few relauons wnh e•ch oth<r They are sustamed by d1ITcrent ctonomlc ::~cuvities. parually due 10 the ab.encc. until the 1970's, of ronds nnd communication. The conOict developed in the highland and border orca 1he highlands arc the ancestr.>lt<mtOI)' of the rtbdhon's pnn· ctpol actors. the· M•>·• Tzotztl. Tzclw. TO)Olabal•nd {hole pcopl<s The bordcrrtg~<>n. "htehmdudesthe Lacandon r:11nfore<~. h.urtcci\<'CI "a>tsol m•gnnt lndW>S from the htghlandso>crtht last JOyears h 110" CONI IIUte:> the r<gtonaJ 2nd soml ba.ic of th< l.lpatl>U army. ""'< Chiapas and Guat. mala: e shared identitie s The ong~rul \1 )Jtcmtory """!rag· mentcd dunng tht f,>m\Jllon of the colomal tUliOru,, Into rt\c Mt~lt:.tn Sl~ltS­ Chi:lpas, Tabosco, Yucnt.m, Qumtana Roo.and Cam(lechc· m ~ddt lion to Gun· temala and lld1 Ounng the wlom.tl tc. period. Chtapns bdongcd ll> $pam's Guatemalan C.1ptnlnt)' Ci<•nrral Its so· cia!. economic, ruhur•l • .tnd pnllucal structures "ere dchncd on thl> pcnod. and have pcr>l>trd 111 comrmpontf)' Chiopas "'''hout rrwluti<>NII)' change.. Ch12p3S was annc'cd b)· the \le>lcan R<:pubbcm 182-t astht rtsultof a plcbosotc m ,.hoch only lad•OO> (those of mix<:d Europcon and lrt<ltgc~ mcouy) --bcmg tit< onI)' cw:cn' "ho could �read and write--voted. Despite annexation to Mexico. Chiapas continued to be in~egrate:d with Guatemala. Even toda)'. iiS geogmphy, its language. e"en hs commerce rail within the limits or Guatemala. ln· migrmion or Guatemalans looking for work has also lxen common. Until the 1970's. there was no direct ro3d connecting Chiapas to the non hem pltt of Mexico. Thus, the state capital of Tuxtla Gutitrrez was located 1,000 km by road from Mexico City. An important aspect of highland Chiapan society which dearly identifies it with Guatemalan societ)' is that of identity. Indians were given a ke)' role in the construction of the Mexican state, but only as dead Indians. living Indians in comrast were denied. In Voi.8No.l &2 this way. a nation;;tl model was con . . structed based on the notion of a glorious Indian past and a hon>ogencous, that is. mestizo, (mixed ancestry) present. Guatemalan ideology differs substantially. There, people who are biologically mestizo assume themselves descendants of the criollos referring 10 themselves as ladinosand as the people of reason . In opposition obviously ore those lacking reason, the Indians. Chi apas in contrast to the rest of Mexico echoes the Guatemalan notion of identity. The ladinos negate racial mixing entirely and have org•nized society according to racial divisions~ thereby guaranteeing racial discrimination and turning the devaluing of Indigenous people into a dail)' act. Not the first indigenous uprising Indian people have paid an extremely high price to maintain their identity. Indian relxllions, though nearly always fnostrmed. have been as much a constant of Chiapas' history as has the ex-ploitation and oppression which followed the conquest. In 1532,the Maya rose against the Spanish. Followingtheirdefeat many heroically threw themselves from a cliff knownasCat)ondc!Sumi<lero. In 1712, followingseveml localuprisings.the Indigenous people throughout the highlands relxlled again: this time grouped around an apparition ofthe Virgin Mary. They declared the htdigenous headquarters of Cancuc as their capital and rejected Ciudad Real (now San Cristobal de las Casas), along with its civil and 7 �PERSP ECTI VES ON(H IAPAS several Indigenous revolts. The federal government responded in 1849 with a Jaw outlawing forced and uncompen· sated labor. This law ended the semifeudal custom of debt peonage. under which an indigenous or campesina (am· ii}'OCCupiesa portion of land in a finca in exchange for unpaid work: a situation which convened them imo the landlord's property and made securing their own land impossible. This legislation provoked an armed upnsing led b)' the landlords. who succeeded m overturn~ ing the law two years later. Debt (>tOn~ age was progressively e:Hminated in the rest of Mexico followi ng the revolution of 1910. In Chiapas, however, several hundred Indigenous people continue, even today. to work as indebted peons on the large plantations. just as the counter-reform gripped Chiapas in the 19th century, the state'' landlords also won the 20th century's counter-revolution. In 1910, Mexico was convulsed with the first social revo~ lution of the 20th century, its chat>gcs weren't felt itl Chiapas. One of the first actions of the re.volutiontuy government was to begi11 agraria11 reforms that respollded to the expectations of the millions of campesinos who had panici· pated in the re,·olution. President Venustiano Carranza scm his officials to the republic's different states in order to Many lapatista Comnw>nders and fighters, induding Comandante AM Maria, are women. ecclesiasticamhoritics. Finallyinl714. to ensure practicall)' free labor for their a powerful army from Guatemala anni· plantations. hila ted the rebels who had taken refuge in Ocosingo. The tremendous miser)' A state the revolution passed by which resulted from this defeat, followed l3bor relations are detem1ined by by lossoflandsand frequent famines led ethnic oppression maintained by politito further rebellions in 1864 and 1867 cians and ladino plantation owners. by Tzotzilcs attempting to reclaim their During Mexico's r.rst period of Libsovcreigntyuan imem which was again el':ll refonns in the 19th century. landrepressed. Since then. the state'scriollos holding families headed the counterand ladinos have perfected their control rcfonn. New privalization laws and colom·er the Indigenous population in order nization of Maya lerritories had caused 8 implement this reform. In 1914. General jesus Agustin Castro arrived in Chiapas as govemor and initiated land distribution and effons at protecting worker's rights. The land Q \vners immediately rose in arms declaring themselves against Venustiano Carranza. Their re· bellion coincided with the revohs in the counti')'S Nonhern and Central regions led b)' Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata . Histol)•'s paradox is that the Chiapan landowners declared themselves Villistas and Zapatistas, in order to ally with these armies. Thus, the first Zapatistas in Chiapas were counter·revolutionarics. The coumer~re"olutionarics' threatened secession from the Union, and the fedel':ll government was forced to negotiate. At this time, they conceded that Abya Yala News �PERS PECTIVES ON(H IAPAS Chiapas would always be governed by members of the Familia Chiapaneca··as the local criollos were known--and also that privately held land would not be exprop•iated. Since then, the Chiapan elite have invoked the specter of seces· sion and the defense of state sovereignty to avoid intervention b)• the national government. The cost has been too high. The revolution's institutions which are ubiquitous in the rest of Mexico. never arrived in Chiapas. Thus the continuity of Chiapas' similarity to Guatemala re· mained unbroken. Likewise, the lnsti· tutional Revolutionary Party's (PRJ) which has ruled Mexico since the revolu· tion only recent!)• installed itself in Chiapas. Its peasant and worker organi· zations which ha,·e coopted social movements in the rest of Mexico only arrived in Chiapas in the 1970's, and still have liule presence. The Lacandon rainforest: cradle of rebellion Due to its regressive agrarian po1ic)' most of the state's arable land was con· cetnrated in a few hands by J9qQ. Ac· cording to population censuses, more than half was owned by 2.6% of the population. just nine landlords ac· coumed for 630.532 hectares. In con· trast the average size of Indigenous and C;"tmpesino farms was under two heeLares. At the same time, a significant proportion of the state corresponded to 'National U.nds", that is forest areas susceptible to colonization. Population growth and the exhaustion of the ances· tral Indigenous territories. government support for forest colonization. the dis· ever is characterized by steep slopes and oil. Nonetheless, the majority of com· extreme!)' poor soils underlain by calcar· munities lack electricity as well as a'!)' of cousrock. These soils retaillwater poorly; the other benefits yielded by their rc· making agriculture very difficult. The sources region's physical harshness further sharp· Chiapas has the second highest proened social discontent. portion ofindigenous inhabitants (28%) The Indigenous colonists adapted 10 of all the Mexican states, three quarters life in the forest only after profound of whom live in dispersed l'ural seulc· cultural, political and ideological mems. It also has the highest infant changes. They left parents and grand· mortality and illiteracy rates, percentage parents behind and remodeled their iden- of citizens with inconles less Lhan two tity around the central desire to obtain minimum salaries (about $250), and out· land. In order to survive new and difn . . standing petitions for land. just under cult conditions half of the state's and the land· families live in "Is this the last chapter of the Central owners unre· houses with din letaing violence. American class-based revolutions or noors. a statistic the colonists is it the first chapter of the modem closely related to formed political children's disease Indigenous "lndianist" revolutions?" or productive orrates. A study preganizations. pared by the insti· These strengthened their nascent tute for European·l<ltin American Stud· campesino identity, subst itutingfor their ies reponed the following: 'Chiapas has communal (Indian) identity. The the lowest levels of electricity in the rainforest's new colonists and their young country (66.7%). 0nly58%ofthehouses descendants are the protogonists of the have running \vater when the nalional conflict in Chiapas. The four municipal average is 79%...The. state's population centers taken by the Zapalistas: San is only 4% of the nation. but constitutes Cristobal. L'5 Margaritas. Ocosingo and 25% of all the disputes between Altamirano were all poims of departure campesinos and landlords in the coun· from the jungle, specificall)' from U.s try. disputes which often are violem!l Cm)adas. The uprising's detonators Chiat>as' economic structuresarearchaic; plantations for export of coffee, carda· mom, extensive livestock grazing and logging--with· out value added processing. placement resulting from constmction According to official stat is· of hydroelectric dams, the advent of oil tics, Chiapas holds the un· exploitation, soil deterioration, political enviable position of being and religious persecution and violence between 1960 and 1980 led to accelcr· ated colonization of the U.candon. The population grew from 5,000 to 300,000 inhabitants in those years. Thousands of Indigenous families from the highlands needing a piece of land to work took refuge in the forest . principally in the region of U.s Cm)adas. This region howVoi. 8No. l &2 Mexico's poorest state. Ninety-four of its Ill mu· nicipalities are considered highly marginal. The paradox is that Chiapas is also a rich state. In the last 10 years, it has held the third and fourth place respectively in the production of gas and 9 �PERSPECTIVES ON C HIAPAS In a good will gesture, the EZlN inaugurated peace talks by releasing ex-governor ~bsalon Castellanos, held since the u prising's second day. Castellanos a nd his family own a significant portion of Chiapas' la nd and wealth. The EZlN and Indigenous organizations demand his trial for crimes committed during his administration, a period w idely seen as the state's most repressive in modern history. OUI of the total population of close to 2,000,000. about 1.130,000 are •economically active• that is, 55.4% of the population receive-s no income. While Chiapas occupies Rrst place in the country for social marginal h)'. this is further aC(:entuated in the conflict re· gions. Illiteracy for those over 15 years old in Chiapas is close to 30%, in the Indigenous municipalities it is nearly conclude that lands are totall)' distribtned and that there are no large landholdings. others provide contrary opinions. According to leaders of the opposition, Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the last census showed that 2.8%of the estates in thestate have more than I . 000 hectares each; while 40.75% have less than I 0 hectares each. According to this source. five large properties twice that. In Altamirano 51% of the concentrate 36,000 hectares. Thiny population over 15 years old is illiterate, percent of the nation's petitions for land in Las Margaritas 48%, In Ocosingo 47% arc concen!Tated in Chiapas, totaling while in San Cristobal24% and Comit~n approximauily 134,000 petitioners. 23%. The Indigenous people living in These petitioners saw their hopes for this region are the most marginal of the receiving land dashed with reform of marginal. article 27 of the constitution in january of 1992. In addition to land, productive reLand ownership and Article 27 sourcesarealsoconcentrated. The probThe virtual lack of an agrarian refom> in Chiapas, as explained before, is di- lem of inequ.~lity corresponds not only rectly rtlated to the socio·e<:onomic and to the concentration of propeny but also political problems are at the root of the 10 a discriminaLOry sysunn which sharp~ January first explosion. The land distri- ens the exclusion and oppression of Inbution which occurred was realized prln~ digenous people and reproduces exploicipally on National lands, and resulted tation. from the struggles of the Indigenous people and campesinos without land. The 1970's: explosion of Rather than resolve petitions for grant- campesino organizations ing ejidos or restitution of communal Stntggle for land in Chiapas has allands. the government has responded to ways been a radical process subject to demands for land by promoting coloni- violence from landlords. The federal zation of ncar wastelands. There is no consensus on the current quantities within each type of land ownership in the state. Some investigations 10 Indigenous peuuoners for land were given no choice but to opt for the ejido Conn or ownership. In this Wa)'. Indigenous people panicipating in the stntggle for land assumed a campesinista con· sciousness through which they demanded land to work rather than the autonomous terri~ories which were stolen during the European invasion. This campesino-class consciousness has homogenized the struggle of the Indigenous people of Chiapas. The figure of Emiliano Zapata has been continuous!)' ilwokcd to suppon land struggles, whereas the indigenous stntggles for recovery of Indian govern- mem were forgotten with the oral history of the tmditionallndian communi- ties. An organizational landmark In October of 1974, the state's first Indigenous Encounter was hosted by Bishop Samuel Ruiz. This event marked the beginning of the campesino and In- digenous mobilizations in the region. At this event Indigenous people reflected on their common problems and began to organize. This proce-ss was accelerated with the arrival in these years of several political organizations with different ideologkaltendencies. go"ernment's general agrarian re£onn One of the first to arrive was the policy emphasized the ejido form of ten· Central of Independent Agricultural ure (individual and sub-divided) in det- Workers and Campesinos (CIOAC), a riment to trnditional communal tenure. national campesino organization affili· Abya Yala News �PERSPECTIVES ON (HIAPAS atcd with the commumst p:~ny and inspm:d b)•the progr:unofEmdlllnOZap:lta hs members <stabli$hed thc~lvos in lndtgcnous communmes and worked for l~nd rdonn and to org;~nizt agricultural day-laborers attached through systems of peonage to the flncas. A S«ond lmponant movements in the count ry'sagmrlnn stntggle since 1979 was the N:uional Coordination Plan de A)•ai:~(CNPA). hsprofoundlyagrarianist and anti-partisan program was also de· nved from the program of Emiliano Zapata. hsmost imponamexpressionin Chiapas has been the Emihano Zapa12 C.ampcsmo Ot'ff'nlz:ltton (OCEZ). Both or thCaOO\'COrf'lntZOIIOOSSUffered from brutal represston camcd out b)' local death squads and S«ttrit)' forecs in the 1970's and 1980's Also dunng these years, young a®·· ists, mostly cconomtes Students and ad· herents to Maotst plulosophy arrived from the country's non hem region becoming known as l..os Norte~os. They had both rtsour<;esnnd enthusiasm. They teamed Indigenous languages and organized. In contrast to CIOAC and OCEZ. this group did no• omphasize land struggles, but rather the formation of ejido unions (coopemnves) to enhance productive actlvttlts. Current!)'. man)· of these ex·acnvlstS hold htgh offices in Salinas de Gonan's government. A slgnific•nt nuntherofthc members of these \-arious org;~mmnons ha\1! pre· sumabl)' joined the r:1nks of the EZU>!. Campesinista and lndianist organizations The formation of Indigenous organi· zations that nssumc a humanitarian ban~ ncr is tl recent nctlvity th:n has not been able to establish itself significantly in the consciousncssofthe Indigenous peoples. The C.1mpcstna and lap:1tist.1 tradition has until now subjug.1ttd lndianist elrons. Among the Indigenous organizations formed tn the rt"ttnt years, are the Organozanon of Indigenous Doctors and the Coordinator of Maya Org;~nizations Strugglingforuhernttort(COLPUMALI)· Vol8No.l &2 -member of the Independent Indian dudes m p:~rt: I) modtfleauon of the Peoples Front (FIPI). The majority of relation bet"un the State and thelndtg· these org;ont:ations \\Cre formed by In- enous peoples which imphcs consutu· digenous actl\1stS that had experiences tional recogniuon or thctr nght 10 self. tn the camllCStna dctcrmtnatton: 2) rec· struggle, but 1hirty percent of !he nation's ogmuon of ttrntorial rights of the lndig· whom in A r.:.ctnt petitions for land are concentrated cnous people of the process or rc· indiani.t.1tion (no in Chiapas...These petitioners saw coumry and o r more than 7 years their hopes for receiving land Chiapas and estnbllshold) have begun mcm or plurl-ethnic dashed with reform of article 27 ..: Indigenous t'egions to base their where the different claims nnd urg."l· nization in thetr Indian identity. These Indigenous identities and mestizos claims still have hulc \\"Ctght in Chiapas. would live under equal conduions: 3) Ftrst bec:tuse 11 is • young movement, modificlllOn or nationalllW$10 guaranbut also bec:tusc 11 has nOt had the inter· tee the p:~rtldp.1tfon of lndtgenous repnational economic support that other resentation m the leg1sbtavt. execunw: movements ha\·t ruch·rd Sorne mem- and judicial branches of government at bers of these org;~ntz.1uons nlso joined the federal and Slate level. the ranks or tht Zap.1tisto anny. The differences between the It is imponant to note as well. thot Campcstni$talndtgcnousmo'·emcntand even as the EZLN was nourished by the the lndi:3nist lndtgtnous movement nre movements mentioned above, the great clear. The Zap.11istodcmandsnrise from majortty of the activists and organiza· both thes.: traditions which follow the tions in the state decided not to actively campesinista line. but :u lhC snme tinle. panicipate in the armed uprising. Even identify in the lndianist demands possi· so. they have noted on several occasions bilities for ending coloniAl oppr~ssion. that they share the s.1nte struggle. After This most recent lnthg,cnous upristhe upnsing, tht.sc org;tni::ations fom1ed ing in Chiapas has gtven new atr 10 the themseh..,stntothe State Indigenous and Indigenous movement in Mexico. A new Campcslno Counc:il ofChi> pas (CEOIC). feeling has nooded the rnilltons or lndi· in an attempt to rorm 3 common front to ans of Me.'<ico who have Strengthened defend the mterests of the Indigenous their struggle through processes or uni· organlz:luonsond campcsmos in the con· ftca~ion. Nc,-enhelcss. the mOSI impor· text ofthe negotillions thot were opened tam thing IS the hope that It hos brought between the go,·cmmcnt and the EZI..N. tothelndigcnousmovemcnt worldwide. There nrc se,•cml lmponant dilfer- The S)•np:~th)• wluch the EZLN pro· e.nces between the programs of the voktd in the world ~hows that the IndigCampcsinista and lndianist organiz.1- enous struggles have reason and justicc tions. The campeslnlto organizations on their side. A report presemcd to the European demand: I) land distribution nnd nlodir.cation of orticle 27 tocontlnuc with the Parliament on the topic of Chlapas by agrarian rclom~; 2) cheap and appropri- the Institute for Europenn·l.atin Ameriate credit lor agricultural production: 3) can Rclationsemphasizcdthnt'Thcconroods, health care, cducauon, housing nict shows that the increasing aggresand other services; 4) support in the Si\"encss of the Indigenous communtties productl\"e process, installauon of ogre- in latin America will lead to urmed conindustry and 5) gu.tmntees of indtvidual nicts. if the gro\\1118 consciousness of human nghts. Indians as subjects Wllh rights, is not The lndillnlst org.1nlzat!on's program. followed b)• tncrtased go,emmemal cawhose proposal is he:~ded by FIPI in- pacity to satisfy their necessules.' " 11 �P ERSPECTIVES ON (HIAPAS Indigenous and Campesino Organizations Unite to Present Peace Proposals Peace will come when everyrhing that hos bten confiscated and stolen from the people has been returned, especially in regord to land. because the legitimate and authentic owners of the land ore the compesinos ond Indigenous people. ---Working commision, Store Indigenous ond Compesino Council of Chiopos tx thou,1ttd lndtgenous people and campt•IIW> arc occupytng the publtc plw tn Ch~:~pas' capital Clt)' of Tuxtl1 Guu~rr": as thtS m.t)?Zinc fiX> to press. The OCX'Up:atton btgln when 10.000 membtr.. of the :.tate lndt!)!J10US and Campcstno Counctl of Churw (CEO IC) m.trchedon the captt:al;a, ponofanation-w'lde mobthz.auon C311cd •Zapota \'1\c" The)· •rc S«lang resolution of tl~tr dcnunds for tcmtol")·, autonom)· bnd reform, and acttptancc of the CEOIC peace pion The lndepcndcntlndtan Pcoplt's From reponssomc advance> tn negOtt:tltOns w1th the government However, but ncgotlauon> on hum.1n nghiS guarantee> temaln unresolved. Indigenous org.1nlz.1tlons ~·gn no ngreemcms wuhout sccunngthe release of all those people who hnvc hccn unjustly oncl.trbhmrily arrested in the state. S ""II OnI)' ten dnys after the first shots wtre fired, every tnnjor lnclinn organiz.1· tlon mctln S.1n CnS1ob.1l de las Casas to foml··alcmg with non-Indigenous campcstno org.mtzattons--thc Indigenous and Campestno St~te Council or Chtapa$ (CI:OIC). The Indigenous organtutlons Jn: ,, mlnonty in the tumultuOU\ Jnd frag1le coabtion Howc,-cr. they arc current!)· the m~ acll\ c and (l'O" crfully \'OC2l faction. Although the Zap:aust:as' positions ha'-e btcn mtntm.tlln relauon to Spcc1ftcall) lndtan concnns. lnd.i~ org.mt.rauon• throuf)lout tbt "Jtc of Chupa, have ukcn ad,oantage of the polttte~l 'J»CC opcntd b)· the janual")· rcbtlhon tO unnc forttS and are dC\-elopmg thctr own ahemall\-e peace 1>ropoo;:~ls. These proposals have spcctal relevance sin«' the Mex•can government ~grtcd that a prerequisite toncgouauon> wns thnt there would be no return to the pre-rebellion si.tuation in the state. Whether CEOIC will taken seal at the negotiating table with the go"crnmcnt and Z.1patistas rcmnlns unclear. CI'OIC hns endorsed mos1of 1he EZLN's demands, Itt addition m their janu:tl")' II . 14 mceung, the council called for consmmi<>ttal reform to enable a new relauonship btlween Indigenous jl<'Oplc' and the Mcxtcan state Thts would bt based in the reorgantz.auon of tcrntOl")' :as well as polmc.ll rc-.tru<tunng. CEOIC proposes the .rcauon of autonomous plun~thntc rcgJons wluch would shtlt (l'O"Cr fwm the >Ute and the fcder:auon to lndtgenous peoples' in the Slate A<1u:al j:t(>gr:apluc rcg~ons ha'-e not h«n drawn Actualterritort:ll dernucmon 1> the next challenge 12 (~~ii)Mt. Antonio Hernandez Cruz Maya Tojolabal and Secretary G e neral of the CIOAC Hernonda is o founding m~m~ of th~ Stot~ lndig~nous and Compesino Council of Chiopos. He spoke with SAIIC in Son Cristobal de los Cosos regarding the Indigenous movement in Chiopos, government repression ond tht CEOIC's work. Following the uprising, Hernandez wos omong the hundreds of lndionsdetolncdond tortured by the military. Can you teU me what happened tO you when you were dciJtncd b)· the mthtary. what dtd the) "<OlSC' )'OU ofl -We were dcuu~d on )anll:ll")' 5 until2:00pmthcfo1kmlngd:ay .• They accused us of bctng the Zapoustas' political leader> The)· took us from the car"~ were ndtng m. put hoods o--er our heads and lied them \'Cl}' nghtly around our necks We "-ere hke this for 24 hours. I hen 1he)• mtw·og~tcd us he.wily,uylng to for~:c us to say that we sympathized or were nctive 111 the Zapatistaamly. When wcs.1id no,thC)' hit us. I rccetvcd blows In the s1omnch. chest. back. and hcJd, about 20 hard blo-•'S. Did )'OU denounc:e thts OCX'Urrtncd -To~ n:auon:al:and tntenutton:al press. to the tde"SJon, butte!C\'151011 doesn' repon an) lhtng The press �P ERSP ECTIV ES ON CH lAPAS didn't report everything that o<:curred. days in the attempt to establish a com- begun to understand liu le by linje as I have publicly denounced the deten- prehensive plan for Indigenous people's we talk. As the)' become more aware, tion in meetings but the only thing rights, We need constitutional refoml the)' are surprised that we are not infewhich rernains is the message, no ac· 'where a whole new chapter establishes rior, bm that we have our own capations have been taken . After being various aniclcs that speak of Indian bilities. our own culture and our own freed , I vomited blood for two days, people's concrete rights. identily. Now we are organizing at the because the beatings were severe. The level of both campesino and indighoods they ptu on us had ground chili enous. under the principle of mutual pepperandoureyeswerestinging. The Identity and Alliances respect. The intellectuals, the students. powder would fall in our C)•es with the the allies. are all surprised that we are slightest movcmcnlS, and also we were Do the peoples in Chiapas speak their more than they imagined. tied up. own languages or have they stopped When you raised demands for selfspeaking them? Do you think torture has become -Many people have stopped speak- governance and autonom)', did )'Ott common? ing them, be~-ause they think that their encounter an)' type of resistance to -What was donetous was humani- language is inferior to the other these ideas? wrian compared to wlm they did to societ)•'s. They have been raised to -There are still man)' problems with othercompar)eros. People are tonured believe this way. There are moments the process we are undertaking. With simply because they do not speak Span· when we are dominated. and then we the appearance of the EZLN. we need ish very well , and do not understand SlOJ> speaking our language. to accelerate this process even more. orders they are given. From lhe maxiAt the same time, there are problems mum security cdl where they held Is this still occurring or are there now with Protestant sects in the communius,you could hear the beatings and processes to recover these languages? ties: with caciques who impose their continuous screams. -Now, there is more awareness of way of life on our communities. These our identity. Many people now--even are the problems and difficulties that In addition to being repressive, is the those that are not lndians--callthe.m- are present in the Indigenous commumilitary fe>1rful of what could happen sclvcs Indian peoples. The conscious- nities. with the Zapatista revolt? ness of the indigenous people is much -Absolutely. When they had us in greater than two or three years ago, Do most of these sects negate indigthe jail-cell... We noticed that even now with this situation, il'saccelerated enous peoples' righlS to self-goverlhough we were tied up, they came to even more. nance? look for us in groups of seven or ten -Yes, the Catholic Church has taken people and would point their guns at \Vhy do you think the struggle in on a new understanding with the indigus. They were afraid of the people they Chiapasappears more like acampcsino enous communities and has proposed were holding. I imagine that if we were rather than an Indian struggle? that we be recognized by the Constitufighting in thejungle and armed that it ·Definitively because of the nega- tion. On the other hand, although the)• would be more difficult for them. tion of Indigenous culture. We are have not openly stated it, the other Regarding the past evenlS , we do discounted and in discounting us they religions are, in practice. trying 10 tO· not know if this lconflictl can be re- say that we are backward, infelior to tally exterminate us as peoples. solved or not. We as organizations the other society. For this reason. have taken the initiative; in order to many brothers refuse tO tell the truth Have the Maya preserved theirspiritucome to an understanding wilh na- that they are Indian. That is why the alily, or has it become mixed with tional society, thel'e will have to be struggle is known more as a campesino Catholicism? profound reforms to establish a new movement and we are seen as -There is a mix, but the Maya relirelationship between the indigenous campesinos: nothing more than gion is present. Our elders tell us that communities, society as a whole and campesinos. our great ruler the Sun is one of the the govemment. great gods on this earth, and that our What is occurring with the supposed mother is the earth, that is how we What type of refonns does the State progressive allies' How do they see understand everything. The Mayan Council have in mind' you' calendar is also kno"" a linle but is no -We have been advancing these past -Welltherearemanyalliesthat have longer used in the Ma)'an religion ... Voi. 8No. I &2 13 �P ERSP ECTJY.E ON 5 CH lAPAS Land and Rebellion What percentage of mdtgenous people h.wc land m Chiapas. Do they ha'-e enough? -It's difficult in concrete tenns to give you a number of people that have land and those thm don'1. Approximate!)• 60% hnvc land. and the other 40% arc still peons working for landowners. Oo they have enough land to live on? -Those who have been awarded land [in agrarian rcfomts) have an a,·erage of fi,"C: hectares per person. These bnds howe,·er are m the mountains and of poor quahty. while the bottom lands are held by landlords ... How have the landlords displaced the Indigenous people from their lands? Was it before or after the revolution in Chiapns1 -Here in Chlapas we have been or· ganizing the revolution since independent organizations like ours started in 1979. that dates back 20-30 years. At that time. indigenous people began to recover the lands that were ours. We began what the government calls 'land in\'nsions•, but we were onl)• recover· ing lands which were ours. The years 1979 and 1980. until 1985 were some or the most dtfficult for us. because the government dtSploccd us from our lands. They disoppearcd people: killed our lenders. in short. the government carried out much repression against the communities. bcc.~use we had begun to recover lands which were taken from us b)' the landlords. This primarily occurred in the North. cases such asthoseofSimojovcl. Huichipan. Bochil and Nuevo Pueblo. especially acute due to the policies ap- Zapatistas ~nd the mthtnry? plied by the governors of Chiapas. ·Many times these problems are natural because manycommunitiesare In regard to the January flrst uprising. go,·emed by lndtgenous and non-In· dtd it surprise you? digenous caciques who ~ccuse people ·There were some signs. but I be· or being Zapatistas even if the)' aren't. lievc that the Zapatistos knew how to The municipal presidentS. and theca· prepare this movement verydiseretcly. ciques have ~'ken advantage or the because they didn't give much infor· moment to try and cxtemtinate our mation.they didn't give ~oncretc num- companions in the communities that bers. In our organization we have said are forging n new path for national that we don't accept. m this time, the democracy. armed struggle. Nonetheless many of our brothers felt that there was no other wny. that the anger had become Larger Contacts too great. that Is why the Zapatista anny appeared. Do you have contact as an indig· eno115 orgamzauon at the notional The Zapatist.1 commumc:ations do not and international levels? talk much about indigenous rights. As -We hove CIOAC at the national indigenous people, what poinLSdo you level , and at the in ternational level have in oommon with the Zapatistas? we arc pnrticip~tlng In events held -We believe that thcad,'l!nces made by the international lndion moveby the ZapatlSt:l.S are part of the pro· ment. paruculnrly CON IC. !><>sal. Wearecompletingtheproposal's political and ideological parts for new Do you feel that Indigenous contirestructuring of territories and the na- nental unity is Important? tional political structure. -Definitely. the Indigenous imerna· tiona I network is p.1rt of the struggle. It Do you think that the Zapatistas will is our support and protection. That is the case with this wllr 111 Chiap.'IS. These accept thtS? -!think they will. The)•are making mo,·ements are ncct$$3ry. 't demands for these proposols seriously and wtll make them part of their pro· gram. Is the change to Article 27. eliminating community property. negative for indigenous people? · It Is completely negative. In the end it is the weapon that will dest roy our people: because it is a wa)• of dividing us Into pieces. families or in· dividuals. because the lands will be privatized. in the ejidos everyone will have their parcel, with title to their When did the aggression against the propeny. and the collective life of the Mayan people begin. it Isn't new is it? commumty will be destroyed. -Dellnucly not. we ha,·e been suppressed in a thousand ways. We have Ha,·e )'OU ronstdered the problems that bttn brutally repressed. like any ani- ha,·e been cre;>tcd in the communities mal, formanyycors. Some periods were as a result of the closhes between the 14 ~YalaNews �P ERSPECTIVES ON C HIAPAS Chronology of Events Since the January I Uprising WruiCI()! l 1991. The Z:lpatista Nntlonal Liberation Anny (EZLN) forced Its way Into Mexico's political and military arena. and focused not just Mexrco's. but much of the world's auemton on the southern state of Chtnp.1S. In the tori) hours of the morning o( Oeccmbu 31.the EZL>'I dt'idtd tts anny tnto fi,< columns and rn Hoordltuttd 3Ction took control of aU major towns m Chup.b wnh the exception of the stat< capualTUXIb Gutierrez. The EZI.N stormod ojatl tnAltamiranoand ltbtr>ted 160 pnsontrs. most of whont wrr< Indians accused of llle~llond takeovers. cutting trees Mthout prmtits and other such crimes by 1=1 authoritits-·known res•onally as caciques. Front a captured radio station tn Ocosingo.the EZLN denounetd thecon0i<1 WliS caused by governmental repressron. corrupdon and Indigenous peoples' miserable li\ing eondutons From the bakony of the municip.1l bwlding in San Cristob-11 deb, Casas the Zapaus"ts rt':ld therr now famous deeb.ration of w1r encompassmg the fringe of the highlands a11d much oft he l.acandon foreSI fanuarj' 13. The government and EZLN agmd to a cease-fire. Followmg the cease fire. the ~ovemment's death toll counted 35 soldters .md 75 Zapattstas. lnde~dent sources put the nutn!xrat wello,-er200. Q\-er20,000peoplc mostlyToJOiabal llnd T:ttltollndians ha'-e also Red thetr Vlllages and are living m make.~htft refugee camps in lion Cristobal and other towns Wnuarv JJ .. J4. Indian and campesino orgamzntions in Chiapas corried out an unprecedented mob!llznuon in San Cristobal. Fh·c hundred and twenty delegmes from 280 lndogenous and campesmo organl%11tlons m thesta\< ofChiapas met to propose rosolutionsto the oonOict The dde~tes called for :mend to hum3n nghts abuses. a tOIJl cease fire. r«:ogJlition of the EZI.N as •lxlhgerent pany :mel ntgottattons to resoh-e the conOtct. They then \'Oied 10 form • State lanugo- 2 The EZL'I rttrtattd from lion Cri$tobal··the second Council ol lndrgenous and CamptS'tno Organu:anons of Chiapas largr:11 city rn Ot.rapas. Thc)•a!soO\'ttT.uu m3JOr mlluary bast in the (CEOIO. rutte and c:a!Tttd off tons ol cxplos11•ts and ammunition. The ad oil nt5t r:IUOn Of Carlos Salinas de Gorul ri denounced the Zap.1US13S fanumy 16·22. The State Coun<tl met for the first time to try and funherde\·elop their proposals for Ouap.1S. CONIC dele~tes from as forergners and outlaws. Non h. South ~nd C<ntrnl America panlcipated as mvited observers Wpunrv 3. The Mexican amly eoumcmnncked by land and air. in this meeting. Eight thousmtd soldiers were deployed In the Brst few days while the alr force bombed presumed Z.apatista pos11tons. lanuar)! 21 Mexkangovemm<nt negotiator Manutl Cam3choSolb .evemllndigtnous ,;!!ages. and even a group of Tzeltal g•rls acknowkdgtd tlw •we must ask forgh-eness from indigenousgroups and eommunuies lor all the sufftnng they hove undergone.···• and a press vehrcle. $13t<m<nt mdrca.ting m-.,;ol ol the \ltXlCall go.-emmtnt's tarlt<r /qOI!al)' j. The EZL'< abandontd the htghbnd towns. retrtaung to denunttauon of the Zapatist.as IS outbws. b.1ses m the l.acandon forest. SAne recetvod a call from lndrgenous actl\1stS 1nS.nCnst<>OOiv.11h the news thatthealr force w:ISbombmg lanuaO' 25. Prcsrdem liolrnas met wuh 42 rtpresentoU\"eSOfCEOIC Indian oommunuies, as well as ktdnappmg and ~illing civilians m the atpltal cuyoi1'U.\1la Guuerrez ~le was met with fiery speeches accused of supponlng the Zapntlstas. The SAIIC office launched a demundlng a definitive end to the repre;siQn. and ajust solution to campargn to denounce thes<: hum•n rights violatio> and apply th~ eonOI<t. ts pressure o11the Mexican regime. Human rights organizations all over the world began effons to ha.lt the repr~lon. fcbnuuy 6-8. Indian and campe.slno orgmizntions seized four The Coordinanng CommiSSion of lndrgenous N•tionsand Orga· town halls and held protests In at least a dozen other commu· nwnons of the Contioou (CONIC) through the coordinating office nltles to demand the remo,..Jol corrupt local (PRJ) authoriues. tn l'atUtn2 btl>:ldcas~ th<st t.\'tnts throughout the continent and deetdtd to send delegates to Chiapas m sohdanty \\ith the lnd.12n f'tbDIQQ' 21. With Bishop Samuel Ruructmgasmediatorthc. populouon. EZLN ond Mextcan go,·enunem, represented by ex-mayor of MeXIco Ctty Manuel Camacho Solls.lxgan negotiations in the tanual)' 6. The military sealed off the town of San Cristobal de las Ouhcdml of San Cristobill . Cas.1s nnd all the Other zones of conOict. preventing movement of jot>mallsts, humnn rightS monitors a11d IQC<ll civilians alike. M;ta:b l . The government and cZI.N announced an end to the first round of talks. The govcntmem announced its peace lgou«r)! 8. Reacting tointertutional outcry •ga•nst the anny repres- proposal which the EZLN promised tO present to their base sron tn Chupas. Ptesident Salinas proposed a cease fire. peace commumties for a final de<:islon ncgotlanons :mel a (eondttiOIUI) gtner:al omnesty1or those im'Oh'ed rn theconOICt. The EZL'I rtmarned tn<ontrolofaswathoft<mtory <Continued on page 42l Voi.8No.l82 15 �PERSPECTIV ES ON (HIAPAS Democracy, an E.nd to Discrimination and Regional Development: THE lAPA TISTA NATION LIBERATIONARMY PROPOSALS AL he extent to which the Zapatista onny h:ts been able to communi c:ue itS positions and observauons to the nauonal :md international press Is unprecedented in the recent h1SIOI)' of 1..1\un American anned uprisings. On June I 0, 10 a rejection of the go,·emment"s peace proposal the EZLN 1ssucd a "Second L1candon Declaration" (the Rrst being the January I delcar:uion of war). In addition to rciterotlng old demands for national democracy. the EZLN proposed a new T conslilutionnl convet"'lion. • .. .We address our brothers and sisters in different non-governmental organiz:uions. in peasant and indigenous organmulons. workers in the cities and in the counti)'Sidc.teachers and students. housewives ond squatters, anIStsand mtellectunls, membersofindependcnt pohucal panu:s, Mexicans. We call rou all to 3 nauonal d~alogue with the theme of democracy, freedom and justice. For thlsreru;on, we put forward the following invitntion to a National Democmtic Convcmlon ... we call for a sovereign ondrevolutionary National Ocmocmtic Convent ion to createa tran· sit ion govcmmem and a new national law, a new constitution that will guarantee the lcg.1l futnllmem of the people's will. This soverctgn revolutionary convention \\11l be n.11ional in that all st:ues of the federation "~ll be represented. It '"ll be plumI m theser~Sethat all patrioucsectorswill be represented. It Will be dcmocntuc in the W3)' in whtch n wtll make decisions by na16 tiona! consultations. The convention "~II be pre51dcd over, freely and voluntarily by cn1llans. prestigious public figures. regardless of thetr poliucal affiliation. race,rehglon,sexorage. The convention will be launched b)' local, state and reg1onal commmees in every ejido, seulemem. school and factory. These committees Mil be charged with collecting the people's proposals for the new consmuuon and demands to be carried out by n new government following the convention. The convention should demand free and democratiC eleCtions nndshould fight for the people's will to be respected. The EZLN w11l recognize the Nauonnl Dc:mocmucConventionasthe authenuc rcpresent.11ive of the interestS of the Mextcan people m their transnion to democracy. The EZI..!.'I is now tO be found throughout the nauonalterntory and IS m a position to offer itself to the Mex1c.'n people as an amt)' to guammee that the people's will is canird out. Fort he first meeting of the Nntlona l Democratic Convemion,the EZLN offers as a meeting-place a Zapatista settlement with all of the rcsotn•ces to be found there.. ." Apart from the fatrly geneml comuni EZLN St:tted ItS positions rnostspccificaUy in the1r now fnmous 34 point peace proposal last March. fhlS proposal included dcmandsformuonaldemocmcy, regional economic development and in general. the abobuon of d~SCnnunatOI')' auitudes. poliCies and go'-emment rept1!SSion. The foiiO\-.ng IS a bst of central demands in each of these catej,'Ones. Political Change 1. We demand free and democrauc elections wnh equal rights and obligauofiS for all pohucal org:tmzations conu:ndmg for power, true libeny to choose one or another proposal and respect for the majority's "111 Democracy tSa fundamental right of all Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Without democmcy there can be no Iibert)'. justice or dtgnity and \\1thout dignity there is nothing. 2. To ensure free and trulydcmocrauc elections it is ncccs.o;.1ry for the Federal Execuuve and occupantSof state offices who reacheclthetr positions of power through electoral fraud to resign. Thclnitlesdonotcome from majomy consensus but mther are the result of usurpauon. Consequently, 11 will be necess.•ry for a tranSitional government to be fonncd. 3. The recognition of the EZu'-1 as a belligerent force. 4. A new pact between federation members to do away with centralization and ollow regions, indigenouscommunlticsand municipalities to govern themselves with political, economic and cuhuml autonomy. 5. Genernl elecnons m the state of Chtap.'\Sand the legal recognition of all the state's political forces. Regional Development 6. It IS of the utmOSttmponance that all Chiapan communmes recel\·e Abya Yala News �P ERSPECTIVES ON ( HIAPAS a) Chtldborth clinics with gyn~colo­ gists: b) Child-care facilities in all communities: Membol$ of tho EZlN general command ot press conference in San Cristobal do 1M C&os electricity nnd that a certain perdependent radio station th.•t IS directed and opemted by mdigcnous cemagcofthe t:Lxeseamed from the commerc~alizallon of Chtapan pe· people. troleum be applied to mdus11ial, 11. We demand tha1 housmg be buolt in all rural communities m Mexico, agrocuhuml, commercJal and social :md pro,~ded with necessary serinfrastructure projects for the benvices such as: light, running water. efit of nll Cltiapanecos. roads. sewage systems, telephones. 7. The revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement signed with public transportation, etc. And also the l)nitcd States and Canada. Inus that we be granted the benents of the city such as tclcvboons, sto,·es. present form it does not take Into rdrigerators, washmgm<tchines,etc. account the indigenous populauon Furthermore, 11 represents a death ll.We demand an end lO illiteracy in md1genous commumues. For thiS sentence ix'cause it docs not mwe need better elementary and seccludr any labor qualifications what• soever. ondary schools'" our communities 8. Article27 oftheMagnaCanashould which provide free materials and have teachers with unovcrsity derespect the originalspirit ofEmlllano Z.1pata: bnd is for the indigenous grees who arc at the seo·vice of the people and peasants who work it, pCO!>Ie and not just defending the wcahh)•. not for lmifwulisws {large landowners), In addition, the proposal calls for 9. We demand that the go\'ernmcnt jobs with fair salaries for all, cancellabutld hospitals in the capotals of tion of htgh-imcrest debts held by the all municopalities whtch are poor, an end to hunger and go\'cmcquopped with spectahzed doc- ment supported eoopemtl\·es stores in tors and sufficient medicme to at- each community. and access to free tend to all patients and rum! clln· markets without intem>ediarics. This ics in smaller communities with ' Indigenous Women's Petition• was tminlng and fair salaries for health also included: representatives. 10. That indigenous people be guaran- We, Indigenous peasant women, deteed the right to information on mand the immediate solution 10 our lac:~!. regional. state. national and urgent needs which ha,·e long been internationalle,<els through an In- ignored by the go\'emmcnt Voi.8No. 1 &2 c) Sufficient food for all children in ruralcommunlttcs including: milk. corn nour. rtcc. corn, soy. oil. beans. cheese , eggs. sugar, soup. oats etc: d) Fully-equipped popular kitchens for children on the communities: e) Community gnnding mills and tortilla presses depending on 1he number of ramilies in each community: 0 Poultry. r:obbit, sheep and pig farms: g) We dem:1nd projects for baked goods: h) ArtiSan workshops well equipped "ith m.•chlncry lnd primary matertals. i) Markets m which to sell our crafts at fa1r prices: j) Technical tramlng schools for women: k) Preschools and maternal schools: I) Adequate mcansoftmnsponation. Discrimination and Repression The propos.•! also called for an end to discrimtnauon of all kinds. respect for digntty of Indigenous cultures and languages, and bilingual education in the schools. Fmally, 1hc EZLN demanded that federal security forces be baned from entering their communities. rcforn1 of the state penal code to pem1it free political expression, release of pohtical and poor prisoners •who are being held unjustly in Me.'<ican jails". and Ml end to expulsions of dissidents from lndtgenous communities. tmponantl)', lhC)' also called for "pohucal trta!s• for former state officials Patrocinto Gonzalez Blanco Garrido. Absalon Castellanos Dominguez and f:lmar Setzer M.--all accused of abuse of power, corruption and more serious crimes such as murder while in office. The EZLN propos.• I stales that all accords should be enforced b)' a Nauonnl Commission for Peace with Justice and Dignity. ..., 17 �P ERSP ECTIVES O N ( HIAPAS c -=:......:..._ :. .i:. . : h. p :._::_::...:::... a S_____:_::_::_ se...:...:..;_.....:...:...;;..:..:__ as--=--:. en from a=-=1= . Te m u c 0: Interview with Aucan Huilcaman Consejo de Todas Las Tierras in Chile. In theCityofTcmuco in the heortof Mopuchc onccstrol territory. the Consejo deTodos los T ierros (All LondsCouncil} mcets onceo year. Their international Werken (messenger). Auc6n Huilcomon is charged with making known the denunciations, agreements and projects from the Mopuche Tribunal. He is also responsible for relations with other Indigenous peoples of the continent. He is27years old and in hisfourth yeoroflowschool at theAutonomous UniversityofTemuco. he was also a congressionol condidotc in lost Decembers elections. but didn't achieve a scot in the House. In the following interview he spoke regarding the situation in Chiopos. of the Mopuchc in Chile, ond the continental Indian movement. by X ena O im rtuzar* How do the Mapuche evaluate what happened in Chiapas this past january? -There are ''arious points related to thiS action. Per.;onally, and in genernl, I celebrate the Zapatista's cournge. declsh·cness and organizational capacit)' which pcrrniued them to prepare their uprising without being detected by the Mexican intelligence apparatus. That is remarkable. In addition, the Mapu· chc support all Indigenous peoples' struggles in defense of their legitimate rights. I observe though. a huge split between the discourse and ideology of the contlnentallndigenous movement and whattheZapatistasare proposing. In one of their points. they demand, 'More land for the Indigenous people.' TI1is Is good. but insufficient. Even if they give more lands. these will continue to be just fragments of the larger landscape. The fundamental lnclig· enous problem in a.ll of America is that of territory. When the state distributes parcels of land. they remain under its sovereignty. The central demand 18 should be territory. where indigenous rights have clear legitimacy. You cannot attack the real problems of the Indigenous people of the comment if you do not approach thiS ISSue. manner wah being human, and with our own nature. Our concept ion Is that the territory IS a physical space where the Mapuche people should have control. plannmg power and autonomy to e.xercise free self-determination. Land and Territory I understand that one of the Mapuche's principal struggles in these moments is precisely fo1 territory. · -That's1ight. That has meant charges against us for 'Illicit association' . and ' failure before the Jaw, morality and good customs• which affects 144 of us. We could go to jatl, but this will not stop our dwsion to recover what belongs to us. What is the conceptual difference between land and territory? -Land is an individual concept relating a person to a specific place-person-propcny. whcre:tS the concept of territory is collective and refers to a group of people With a ponion of collective land. Fonhe tnd1genous people, the concept of temtory holds dements of identity. of culture of a form of organization. I can give you an e.xample: with us. the Mapuche. many of the trees that surround us have names like the names of our children. And when the huinca -·white person cuts the trees, clearing the natl•e forest, we feel that our Identity has been cut off. Territory is connected In a substantial And you miSS this conceptual element in the Z.•patista proposal. -From what I know, yes. I sec also that they ask for Salinas de Gonari tO resign. I believe that he could resign and that wouldn't solve the problem for Indigenous people in Mexico. In my opinion, this is a weakness in the proposal. because the basic question is Abya Yala News �P ERSPECTIVES ON C HIAPAS not of changing the president but of changing the nature of the St.1te, in order to achieve transfo...-ru~tion thnt restrains the State's absolute dommion O\'Cr the Indigenous people which Is e:<emsed ng:unst their Mil. In the ZapatiSt.1 proclamations I don't sec a questiomngoft he st mcture ofthe State. Another point that seems curious to me is that the highest visible lender Is a 11 :sub-commander• ...\Vhcn we mcel in our Tribunal there is no pres•dent. or secretary or treasurer of the Mapuchc community, rather we have n Lonko. Mnchi--original authorities_ These positions bring together the in· sututtot>.11 stntcture and the JUridoc concept of the community. the lndogenous people, but rather the form in which this was implemented. If we travel through the province or Arauco we encounter bare.ly five Mapuche communities. The rest are villages close to cities. They applied colonial thinking. Historically, the Council of the Indies--which was an organization designed to organize the Indians according 10 the dominant concepts--it recogmzed the Indigenous people's right to organize in mumcipalities and gave them a structure for this. With the agr:lrian refom1, the Mapuche were oblignted to live in villas on lands awarded in a determined place. malongthlsa population center that breaks with the concept of individual-land that represents a human collectivity. In this aspect, I see in the Zapatistas a ronccptual weakness. has holes in the area or Indigenous rightS. They propose the need for justace which is impossible while the rightsoHndigenous people in Chiapns to decide their own future is not reonstat~d. And this happens by reinslating lerrit01')' and changong 1hc struc- What do rou nttnbute this to? -I don't exactly lo1ow. I believe that lurc of the State. I also sec that the)' the Indigenous peoples in Mexico have sufficient institutional Structure and they should have employed this in Chiapas. I am certain that the Mapuche would never hnve a sub-commander in a simtlar Situation. We could ha\'e a Toquo, an ongmal authorit)'. but never a copy. nn assimilation. I want to clanfy that I don't intend to take away from what the ZapatiSlas have done. buttt's my duty to say that I detect a cutain strange influence on And you Ond this important... the Indigenous people in these circum-DcOnitely, yes. It is not a question stances. of form. While you don't rclnstmc your own forms of organization as a What is the basis for your statement? weapon to oppose the forms or ideo· -For the last sbc years, we ha,·e met logical domination that the State om· periodoc:Uiy \\1lh lndogenous leaders poses. you are fighting wuh your of Mexico,! know all of them. The last oppressor's weapons and they are not Aucan Huilcaman addressing the UN time. I was in Oax:~ca last October. ours by Mture. World Conference on Human Rights They assume that t he)• are ethnic groups and don't '~ndocate their existence as How would you c"plain this situatton held in Vienna during June. 1993 peoples or nations. Ideological domiin the case of Chiapas? -As a certain amount of mental colo· propose the need for n agrarian reform nation has entered into their minds nization. No one can fail to recognize law which is a concept distorted from and language. In Me"ico, the Indian the effort. the courage and the deci- the essence of an indigenous commu- walks in the streets like a dominated siveness or the Zap:nistas that rose up nity. In Chile there was an agrarian being. despite being pan of the majorin Chtapas. But I reiterate that in m)' reform and we don't questoon the ity, biologically speaking. They are not judgement the proposal that we know amount of lands that were returned to conscious of who they are. This is Vo4.8No.l & 2 19 �P ERSPECT IVES O N (HI A PAS explained by the fact that Mexico's government has implememed the most policies of assimilation against Indigenous people. Already in 1942 in the government of Lazaro Cardenas it was said, "We have tO Mexicanize the Indians, and not to lndianize Mexico.". And they worked on the Indians with that purpose. Maybe the roots of the problem lie in the Conquest. .. -Without doubt, the Spanish crown had a strong influence on the Indigenous people that inhabited the territory that is now the Stale of Mexico. Today they are disarticulated, they cannot decipher their own writing. and this blocks their ability to reach. once again, their own scientific explru1alion of life,. The Indigenous trunk was cut and they are still in the process of reassembling themselves. While this process is incomplete, the consciousness. the commitmem of being Indigenous will cominue to fail, despite being the majority. Self-understanding as a person What does it mean to be cotnmiued tO being an Indigenous person> ·It is not a specific contmiunent or political belief but rather a way of understanding yourself as a person . A good example of this is that in Mexico. there have been two Indian presidents: Benito juArez and Porforio Dfaz who governed for many years. Nevenheless, this did not mean any advantage for the Indians of Mexico. To be Indian in biological or racial tenus doesn't mean anything if the kind of commitment 1 was speaking about doesn't exist. Will Chiapas set an important precedent in the Indigenous struggle? With what resp<mse? -Without doubt. But it's important -Ourconceptsare very well received, but there has been unevenness in the not to let out of our sight that this level of who deals with the subject that precedent and its lessons are imporstops at the level of leaders. Further- tant for both parties: Indigenous more, lhe communities of Mexico have peoples and States. An example of this been very controlled. If one visits an is that the forst constitutional and juIndigenous community, you ftncl that ridic recognitions of Indigenous people it has a plaza. it has its musical bands arose in Nicaragua during the that is, everything is organized as the Sandinista Revolution when the IndigCouncil of the Indies would have it. enous people rebelled against the The Romano-Spanish concept of orga- Sandinista government and began the nization is palpable i.n the communi- armed struggle which was erroneously ty'S Structures, which seem more like called counter-revolutionary. The govthose of a city. I'm speaking of an ernment decided to recognize them, ideological concept , applied through and it happened that other States took external st.ructures, and contradictions similar measures. These were re-ac- arise such that Indians end up being commodations, small legal rectifications ... Legally functional for the States, Mexicans. bm not for the Indigenous people ... And this doesn't occur with the MapuThings change so that everything reches> -I would say it occurs less. l will mains the same? -Exactly. The State makes legal give you an example: we hear and we read about Emi.liano Zapata. If we modifications in order tO insure the don't have prior knowledge we don't maintenance of its institutional domiknow that he was Indigenous, because nation. as happens with Benito juarez and J'orfirio Diaz. despite being Indians. Is there a message you would like to they have Spanish names. We have convey? -Indigenous movements are the ones struggled to conserve our Mapuche names and we have accomplished that which will give a new face to America with very few exceptions. The great in terms of justice, democracy, ar1d majority oft he Mapuche conserve their liberty--which today are onl)' a dream original last names. and for us, that for us. Thus. its fundamental that constitutes an important elemem of every political and social movement in our identity. Meanwhile in Mexico America takes into account this elemany times, Indians only recognize ment which "~II define relations Statethemselves inside themselves--and people and Indigenous nation. Bemany limes. not even there. Here, our cause today, it is not Marxism that puts last name identifies us as Mapuches, the State at risk. but the lndigenousand in consequence, not as Chileans. OJiginalorganizations. The State knows this. and takes its precautions. Every social and or political organization that fights for human rights must know that Chiapas a Landmark the indigenous people should prevail TofirtiSIIthefotmhanrtual scssiort ofthe and contribute tO the construction of a In the meeting with Indigenous leaders Malntelte Toibunal, Huilcmnan gave a true inst itutionalit)'with our own charof Mexico which )'OU alluded to, did speech in Tcmuco.lnfinishinghesaid, "To acter and based on our own particuyou raise these observations? tlte brothers in Chiat>as,fmward with rite lalities. ~ -All of them. slrl<ggle for land tmd liberty." "RL'!lril\1tdin!X"tln>mP>m:<?,Modro.Aprilll,l994· 20 N>ya Yala News �PERSPECTIVES ON (HIAPAS What is the Significance of the Chiapas Uprising · for the Continental Indigenous Movement? AMALIA DIXON, Miskito ,Yapti Tasba , Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua First, to be sincere. on the Atlamic Coast we are very isolated from all international news, and even local news hardly makes it to the interior. In PuertoCabeza we only have one radio station. We have heard very lillie information on the situation in Chiapas. But as Indigenous people we understand that this situation is pan of the Indigenous reality. The people of Chiapas had been suppressed by the ideas of others. and it was too much. We as a people say enough. We area people with many valuable experiences, and we want to participate in the decisions. It is also time that we make our situations known to the world, and stop living as devalued citizens within the national societies. Chiapas was one of these situations. From this perspective. we are clear in our solidarity with the people's struggle in Chiapas. ATENCIO LOPEZ, secretary, Kunas Unidos por Napguana The struggle of Indigenous peoples ... has always been obscured by non Indigenous political groups. especially by guerrilla movements that have swept it under their ideological class struggle. No colonizing ideology has served the liberation of Indigenous people. Christianity had to take root in Abya Yala by blood and fire. then the supposed •caudillos" kept Indigenous people as slaves in their haciendas while they proclaimed themsekcs "liberatOrs of America•. Then liberalism. and now neo-liberalism continues by profiting from our misery. selling lands to transnational corporations and landlords. That is why for us the armed uprising of our brothers in Chiapas was not a surprise nor by chance. h was the explosion of repressed feelings, an explosion ofa culture denied for more than five hundred years. Some nation, among the forty million voices, had to shaHer the silence and move against capitalism and modernization which day by day confronts us with greater indifference. JEANNETTE ARMSTRONG, Okanagan Nation, Director of the En'owkin International School of Writing in British Colombia Canada. In my view the most significant issue arising is that the governments of Canada and the USA which so publicly espouse the principles of democracy worldwide, are in a partnership with a government which has a long history of perpetrating terrorism, armed oppression, and e.'l>loitation of peoples and natural resources. It is a government which has used and continues to use political and military violence as weapons of repression to maintain a S)'Stem of elitism. A system which has and continues today to perpetuate racialgenocidal policies and practices against Indigenous peoples. The North American Free Trade Agreement between the USA. Canada and Mexico can only heighten the necessity for stronger measures of control to protect the vested interest of the elite classes of all three countries. Perhaps most apparent is that . as long as the "conflict" is portrayed as a "dornestic" crisis, Lhcn those two governments who are complicit in such serious human rights violations, can continue to maintain a pretence of innocence. The responsibility falls then on those who espouse true democratic principles, to expose the blood on the hands of thcsego,•emmentsand the multinational corporations that they play hand maiden to. Voi.8No. l &2 21 �SELF DETERMINATION AND TERRITORY After the Constitution: Indigenous Proposals for Territorial Demarcation in Colombia T Colombian constitution granted all indigenous territories /ego/ status os ·rerritorio/ he Entities" within the republic. T Indigenous movement's triumph during the constitutional he convention is particularly important since it makes Colombia the first country to have recognized oil indigenous communities territorial rights, rather than selectively granting rights to certain peoples. b Ana Cecma Betancourt and Heman Rodriguez y .th82differentethnicgroups iving within its national boundaries. Colombia is second only to Brazil in terms of ethnic diversity in South America. As a result. we in Colombia have learned tO respect differences. while working together to defend our ancient cultures. ancestral tenitories. and autonomy. This history explains. to a certain extent, why the Organization ofColombian Indigenous Nations (ON IC>. and the Colombian Indigenous Authorities (AICO), representing 40 d ifferent local and regional organizations. were the only nonpartisan groups represented in the Constitutional Assen1bly of 199 I. Acting as spokespeople, Lorenzo Muelasof AICO. Francisco Rojas Biny of ON IC. and Alfonso Pena Chepe of the now demobilized anned indigenous movement, Manuel Quintfn Lame. ensured that the Magna Carta protect the rights and aspirations of the various ethnic groups in Columbia, including the natives of San Andr~s Archipelago. and African-Americancommunities. W: Although the Constitmion has established legal norms for establishing territories, pressure to speed up the secondary legislative procedures has led to continued exclusion of indigenous communities from the political process. Agreements reached at the Constitutional Assembly are thus being disregarded . Constitutional History The political constitution of 1991 defines Indigenous Lands under Art ide 286 as Territorial Entities with the s.1me political and administrative jurisdiction as depan ments and municipalitie-s. This pem1its indigenous communities autonomy to define their own development strategies and be governed by their own authorities who will have authority to administer public resources including local and national taxes. The Constitution left the actual d istribution ofterritorial entities as well as definition of their responsibilities to a piece of follow-up legislation called the O rganic Law for Territorial Demarcation. This law would also regulate the settlement of disputes beAna Cecflia Betancoun and Hernan tween the National Government and Rodrrguez are members of ONIC's press the Territorial Entities. det>atlmenl. lnd igenous organizations published 22 their proposals for the Organic Law two years after the Constitution was ratified. This proposal was developed through consensus and focused on three general considerations: a) As products of the national consti· nuion the i_ digc,nous territories n shall not be subject to decisions made at the congressional level. b) Indigenous Territories will be those areas currently held by indigenous communities with boundaries defined by traditionalsocial. economic, and cultural activities, regardless of whelher the communities have re· ccived prior legal title. c) The Organic Law should be designed with a certain margin for change as the territo1'ics' actual boundariesaredra,v11 by future legislation. Delimiting Territories As a result of 500 years of colonial domination and genocide, many communities have been fragmented, or severely reduced in size. To allow for the variation among communities. there should be no minimum size limitations either for populations or areas in establishing territories. Problems ma)'• however, arise if many smaJ 1territories Abya Yala News �SElf DETERMI NATION AND T ERRITORY whtch do nOittnifycommunities,v;thin brood adminiSir.tm-e rcgtons are ere· ated. In panacular, dil'isiOns between communtues could increase. lndigtnoliSorg:muationshavemade a series of propos.1ls addressing these issues. Fil">t,thc establishment oherri· toricsshould be bn.sed on m least one of two criterion: a) a geographic unit consisting or a continuous region in which communities conduct their social, economic, and cultuml activities: b) an ethnic unit belongtng to a cuitum! complex in which the majority or the population is indigenous, in a region that is not geographically conunuous. &ocondly.the indtgenousorg,anizations suggest that territories link their administrati\'C structures to those of the dcpanmcnts. Admmistrative decentmhzauon should be enhanced when combined wnh links to governmental bodies. such as departments, capable of providing institutionalsuppon, with· out threatening their autonom)'· We propose the following steps when es~1blishtng a territory: a) Interdepartmental Territorial Enti· ties should be forn>ed: b) Ncgotiattons to establish a direct relauonshtp wnh one of the depanments or the central government should begm after n period, not 10 exceed l'ive )'Cars, In which new adrmnistrntive structures are con· solidatcd. c) Indigenous communities should begin the process of establishing territorial boundaries and administrmil·c functions by submining an application and n preliminary proposal. d) The proposal should be evaluated through an in-depth study carried out byanimcrdisdplinnrytask force includingindigcnousorganiz.~tions. e) The Information collected will be used to submit a formal proposal to the Territorial Regulatory Agency, accordmg to Antde 329 of the New Constitullon. 0 The final dcciston will be made by the national government and repreVoi.8N0.1 &2 sentatil'tS of the tndtg\'ttOliS organizations. as outlined un· dcrtheConslt· lutlon. Indigenous 6r011ps of Colombia Government Response The Colombian administrn· tion prese nted congress with a proposal for the new Organic L.1w for territorial de· marcauon m 1992. The proposition however. violated guidelines established under the Nc'v Constillltion by failingtoconstdcr Indigenous - organization's proposals. Addi· tionally, it neglected man)• territorial entitles. Asaresult,thcad· ·~-·- --~-- . -· ministration was forced to retract tts proposal. "In September of 1993. the administration presented congress with a new proposal. but this one •lso f.1iled to ad· dress the Indigenous prot>oSal. The Future of the Territories In addition to the difficulties of reaching an agreement ,v;lh the government on the proposed Organic law. this law which should be organic (pro· viding original and basic structure to legislation). Is not. Instead. the government proposed instead a step by step process. A series of legislation which would shape the territories func· tions has already been approved or is lxing considered. A law defining distribution of responsibilities and resources in relation to the municipalitieswasappro'"cdtn 1993. Allhes:tme time, the National Fees Fund, National Environmental System nnd projeCts regulating the national plnnmng S)'S· lem and Departmental regulation are all awaiting approl'al. All of these will del'ine the role of the state's administ rari,·estructuresdiffercmly. In this way, the go,·ernment proposes that the territories Organic law should conform to preexisting laws, when 1he opposite should occur. We hope that the proposals made by the indigenous people will Slimn· late a more open debate nnd promote more democratic and representative forms of governmem. This new government should reflect the Interests of its diverse population and pem>it the introduction of alternative models of dcl'Clopmem. Nonetheless. we h:tve a long way to go before this becomes a reality. Indigenous org,anizations effons to construct soltd poliucal Strut· tures wlll dctermtne the future of our earlier achic,·ements..., 23 �SELF D ETERMINATION AND T ERRI TORY Interview with Teofilo Lacayo Garifuna leader of the Honduran Northcoast organization lseri Lidawamari (New Dawn). Garifuna in the North coast region have carried out a constant struggle to recover co nfiscated land s T he Garifuna live in 46 coastal communities in Northern Hon duras, an area shared b)• Pech and Misquito peoples as well as ladino colonists. They draw their history back to a mixing of Caribbean islanders and escaped West African slaves, both of whom were displaced through British colonization efforts. lseri Udawamari is afftliated with CAH DEA (the NGO working with all the different lndig· enous groups in Honduras). The Garifuna traditional!)' lived from fishing and ctiltivatingyucca from Sarah England conducted this intetview in April, 1994 as part of graduate research in artthropology at the University of C<tlifomia, Davis. 24 which they makeereba (cassava bread). Man)' Garifuna communities lost the majorit)' of their productive lands after the construction of roads through their regions--most households in these communities depend on reminances from relatives in the US for survival. Communities near the Mosquito coast are now also facing the loss of their lands. The Honduran government is currently pushing for massive tourist development on the entire Nonh Coast which would displace Garifuna cultivators and force them to take jobs as low-paid workers in the tourist industry. lseri Udawamari was founded in the community of limon both to recover communal land claimed by ladino landlordsand to increase Garifuna agricul- tural production and encourage economic autonomy. They are also struggling lO prevent the takeover or their beaches b)' a powerful Honduran investor who plans to build a tourist resort there. What problems have the Garifuna experienced following the land invasions? ·Traditionally, the Garifuna lived in their communities and respected the limits of each others' lands. If a neigh· bor said, •from here to that coconut palm is mine•, then no one else would enter where that man was working. They would say to the neighbor: 'from the.re to there you can take'. On the other hand, you can observe now 1hat concrete and wire fences are being N>ya Yala News �SELF DETERMINATION AND T ERRITORY 'The mother earth, withinthe philosophy of lseri Lidawamari. should not be sold. it should remain so that the generations that follow us have the space to be able to develop themselves." raised in this community. Those did not exist here before. Those belong to cultures copied from the city, copied from idiOS)mcrasies external to the Garifuna. Of course, now we are also affected b)' this problem because ev· erybody is puuing up concrete or wire fences. The same is happening in the countryside. Before, we didn't put up even one thread of wire. Now everyone has to put up wire because otherwise they will be encroached on. We were confident in those years in de -facto land ownership, and not in legal rights, so we never demanded titles. Now it is the same situation. Noweveryonewhogoesacquiringtheir piece of land also has the idea of putting up fencing because the)•know that without fencing it will be encroached on. Now also the people are procuring titles in ordeno prevent problems with the ladinos who are invading our communiLy. This invasion began in the 1970s. It was gradual. nevertheless, it has intensified because those who were already here announced in other regions that there were great expanses of land, and that they were empty. People have come exclusively to make ntoney off the land. I know families who have come, marked great extensions of land and are now enriching themselves selling it. The Gari fun a today, seeing this situation are also concerned with acquiring large areas of land to keep for their children. In general we don't have the inclination to sell land. What one has, Voi.8No. t &2 one thinks of for one'schildren. Which is very different from the people who come from far way to take great extensions of land, and then at some time return to live in the cities. We don't think like that. und is owned so that it can be worked and so that your children can work. What is the major land problem that Limon is confronting? -The problem that the community of Limon is confroming right now is that the fonner mayor shortsightedly sold 100 hectares of land, only a few kilometers from here in Farallones , for 4,000 lempiras to the largest capitalist in Honduras. This man (Miguel Facussi) is now building a tourist resort in Farallones. Not only is he building there, he's also enclosing the beach which has been free for passage. Near there we have the lagoon ofSalado. and Farallones serves as an area of absorption for Salado. Once the forest of Farallones has been cut down, we run the risk that Salado will dry up, and this would be a serious problen.> because Salado gives us food: in the sense that we fish there, we get sea food, we trap some animals, and we also farm at Salado. Are there laws in Honduras that pro· teet the lands of ethnic groups' -The past administration emiued an order in the national congress. This document covered the situation that was occurring in the municipalities of Limon, Tela, Trujillo, and in the com- munityoflriona, in which the congress asked that the region's mayors not sell the ethnic groups lands, and in the cases where there were alread)• colonists in these areas, that the state itself ought to clean up the situation--that is recover the lands for the ethnic groups. Bmthey have not done this yet. Possibly there has been a lack of pressure on them from the communities. What is lseri Lidawamari's philosophy is relation to the land? -I don't doubt that there are people who have taken up this idea of marketing the earth. But in the case of lseri Udawamari it would be out of the quest ion for our members to sell the lands. The mother earth, within the philosophyoflseri Lidawamari ,should not be sold, it should remain so that the generations that follow us' have the space to be able to develop themselves. The cooperative "~II be marketing products, but at the communal level. For us, the land's products should be marketed. not the land itself. These ideas that I'm telling you are the orientation of lseri Lidawamari because while I live, there will never be one inch ofland sold "~thin this territOI)'that weare recovering.I would be the first to condemn such an action because I am convinced that it would not benefit the people who are worki.ng for development. How 'viii people live from the air? We know well that in any pan of the world, if there is no land, there is no life. We need theeanh for its ecology ,for the 'vild animals, for everything. So, we should not sell the land.-,. 25 �Suicide Before Eviction Guarani·Kaiowa family in Mato Grosso do Sut wait along a road aossing the tand rhat was theirs An entire community of Guoroni-Koiowo people in Moto Grosso do Sui, Brazil, threaten co commit collective suicide if o Federal courc's order to expel them from their ancestral lands is carried out. This May, Marta Vitor Guarani, president of the Koguoteco Association for Displaced Indians travelled to che US to make the situation ofher people known co the international community. tt H owlongwillwehavetowait for the Brazilian justice system to give us rights to our land>' questioned Mana Vitor Guarani at a press conference in San Francisco. Over 11,000 lndigcnou,;; people including Guamni-Kaiowa. Nandeva and M'bya have lost their lands in the state to invasions by ranchers supported by sympathetic courts and police forces. Indigenous lands in the state have halved over the last decade, now total- 26 ling less than 25,000 hectares. ' It is always the ranchers who win in the courts, while Indians end up without any respect for our land rights. But Indians are like plants, how can we live without our soil, without our land.' asked Vitor Guarani. She notes that landless Indians are left nothing but misery. "Over seven thousand Indians are working in the charcoal factories and inthesugarcaneproccssingplants. They live in a state of slavery. This is the integration that white society offers us. But we Indians, the first owners of this land. c.1nnot accept this humiliating and inhuman integration ." Land Expulsions and M ass Suicide The Guarani. Vitor says, •are the poorest people, the most abandoned people in Brazil.' In their desperation, many, especially youths, have turned to suicide. Indian organizations claim Abya Yala News �SELF DETERMINATION A N D TERRITORY that approximately 300 people have committed suicide over the last ten years. The Brazilian government's own estimate puts the number at I l l between the years of 1986-1993. Mana's community, Poste lndigena Dorados. has seen the greatest concentration of lndigeno\tS suicides in the country. One-hundred and six GuaraniKaiowa families from the community of jaguapire in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sui are threatening collective suicide if a Federal court's order to expel them from their lands is carried out. Marta states, ' The area has already been demarcated and legalized. but with no guarantees, and this could be the fourth time, that the Indigenous people of jaguapire are expelled, which would be very serious. because the mothers have decided that they will give poison to the children and later kill themselves !rather than be moved I." At the end of last year the community ofjaguapire sent a leneno FUNAI (the Brazilian agency [or Indian affairs) affinning that the)' had chosen to die rat her than be evicted. A federal coun postponed the community's eviction out of consideration for these circumstances, but the coun's final decision is still pending. In 1992, the community's 2,089 hectare area was declared a permanent Guarani-Kaiowa possession by the Brazilian minister of justice. It's demarcation was confirmed by the 'President of the Republic. Nonetheless, under Brazil's peculiar system for titling land to Indian communities, anyone else wishing to present counter claims is given a lengthy period and multiple opportunities to do so. Legal challenges filed at any time in the process can be pursued for many years, even after lands are demarcated and ratified as Indigenous possessions. lnjaguapireand elsewhere, this has meant Indian loss ofpre,iouslydemarcated lands. Indigenous communities must prove \vith physical evidence that the)• have the longest record of inhabitation for contested lands. In the case of jaguapire, evidence shows that the Guarani-Kaiowa have been burying Vol.8No. l &2 their dead on these lands for at least 90 years, while the rancher claiming the lands arrived only ten years ago. In many cases however~ evidence is more difficultto find. joumalist Rippernotes. ' ranchers are accustomed to run their tractors over the cemeteries to obliterate any sign that there were Indian people there. • Despite being the most populous Indigenous people in Brazil. the Guarani now subsist on the smallest pieces of Indian land in the country, and are submitted to the most brutal social and economic conditions. Thegiam region of forest and savannah once used by the Guarani for hunting. fishing and agriculture has been subdivided and reduced to degraded pasmreby wealthy landowners. often with the help of State subsidies. Land ownership in Mato Grosso do Sui is arguably the most concentrated on earth, with 1% of the population owning 70% of all lands. The Guarani are divided into three groups: the Nandeva, Kaiow~ and M'bya, and live throughout Southern Brazil from the state of Espirito ~anto to Rio Grande do Sui. H& wever. the vast majority live in Mato Grosso do Sui. Pressures on the Guarani lands have imensified as their territories lie within the area of the govemmem's Parana-Paraguay project which has caused real estate speculation in the region. Although the case of jaguapire is one of the most serious, eleven other Guarani communities have also been evicted or are threatened with eviction, and await court decisions as to their fate. lnthecommunityofLimon Verde, Mana points out, 'people are living under tentS wit houtthe conditions necessary to live while theyawaitthejudge's decision. More than 200 families are there, and they are going through a lot of misery. We can see in their faces since we are Guarani people that they are very sad, extremely sad.' According to the Brazilian lndianist Missionary Council (CIMI) another Guarani·Kaiowa community living in Marta Vitor Guarani and a companion mourn at her community's cemetery for youths who have killed themselves pfloto: J.R. Rlptl(t/ lmagens da twa 27 �SELF D ETERMINAT ION ~~ D ..!-!:.~R I...!.O.!!.!..__ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ A N!.!::~T E R ~ T~ RY central wc>tern Mato Grosso do )ul has rcoccup1ed thetr lands In the pre· \'iously demarcated 2.745 acre Takuaryty/lvyku3rusu Indian i\rca They have bttn cvtcted St.~ umes from thiS temtory About 300 Guarani· Ka1owa burned a bndge pro-.d1ng road access to the contested .uea Ranch<!rs accuse them of bummg a house and school as well, OO..'C\'t'r CIMI notes these "ere burned b)· 1 non·lndt.tn settkr 1n an anempt to pr<)\·e>U m1h· 121")' acuon ag;>lnsl the lnd1.1n~ \hh· 121")' pobcc ha\'t' occupted the area. although cla1mmg ncutraht)· m the confllCI. they ha\·c nearl)• ah'a).. acted aga1ns1 lnd1gcnous peopk Resistance and Repression The Kaguateca Assocta110n lor DIS· placed lnd1ans unucs all Indigenous groups m the state to reclaim lands of the dispossessed and prc,·cnt lunhcr evicuons. EleventhouSI\nd Indigenous people tll'c displaced In Moto Grosso do Sui. 9,000 of these arc Gunmnl, while the rest belong to othc1· smnllrr peoples. A grc(lt problem lnclng those who would return to their lands, Is the gap between plantlng:md harvest times, since they nrc starting with no reserves. Kaguatcca issolicltlngfood &up port lor these communities to help them live until the first harvest . Currently three different communlucs with a total of 220 people are prcpanng to reoccup)' lands they were prevtously forced to abandon. Mar12 founded the Kaguatcca ·~ oat tOn lor diSplaced lnd1ans foll0\\1ng the assassmauon of her unck \brcal Tupa y de SoiWI In 1983. • h1ghl) respected lncltgcnous leader knuwn as 1M •poet ""h hps of honC')·' lor hiS (>0\\'tr \\1lh bnguag~ ThiS was one of themanyhundredsollndlgcCIOUSkad· ersassassuuted for leSI>ltng bnd 1n\'a• sions. Accordtng to Vnor. 'In 8r.u1l, the murder of lnd1.1ns doc<-n't shock anpnore. not the pohttCUns. nor the gO\-emment. not' tho! cmh•n poputa. tion. • Although several assass1n.1110ns ha\'t been '"''csug;ated, not one re· suited m the k1llcr's com•cuon until last }-ear when the aSSI\SSIII of Mnrcal 28 was finally sentenced. Shortly thereafttr, local >uthorlties allowed him to flee I he reg1on The Guar:m1 fiercely resisted inva· s1on of the1r L1nds unul being owr· whelmed m the early pan of thiS cen· lUI")' 11:0\\•, nC\' pressures make resis· tan« C\·en more d1fficult. 'For the Guaram. the core of rcsisunct is reb· g10n But toch). there ore many prot· C">l3nt churches "hich come to our commumues "''h the same discourse ~ the j~u1ts "ho came dunng the 'dtsccr.el")·' of Brazil. They are killing our rehgton. k1lhngourcuhure. With· out a cultural i<lcnllt)',OUr people wander the h1ghwa)'S and the streets of the cn1es, dnnkmg. begging. and being ridiculed b)• the whue society.• stated Vuor Twt:nl)'·One Gu3rani·Kaiowa contender. At the end of last Aprtl, Lula met " "h lnd1genous leaders representing 24 orgaruzauo1ts and 36 1n· dian peoples from all owr 8raz1l. At thismeet.mg. heconf1nncd h1soppo:.1 tion to anu-lndtan constttut10<131 'rc· forms• . and promtSCd that Cblms or lnd1genous orgamzauons "ould be meL International Support Needed Now \'itor Guarant suesscs that tntema· tional support for J;ag;aupt~ IS needed now. •1a.m here to m.tke thiS dcnunc:l2· tion in 1M name of our people I already made tlus denunctatiOn tn the US Congress. m th<' \..:-:. and tn the cxherspacesthatareoptn to us. 1hope that all of Amcncan SOCiety S"'h us support tn th1s b)' sendmg leucrs to judge Pedro Rotta in San Paolo, who IS the judge who will dec1dc ••md b)• pressuring the 8raz1han govcm1nent so that the)• don't ,;olntc our consmu· tiona! tights. Betwccnt he 5 of October and last month they were to hove de· marcated all Indian lands. bttt this h:ts not happened . .., commumttcs have fonned the asscm· bly called ANTlGUASU to discuss these problems, cspcctnlly thatofland. Vitor explains, • I I one community is already lcl\nllzcd, they help the other who are > in land conflicts.• This organiza· till tlon w1 partiCipate later this month in ll formation of n Statewide assembly to represent nil Indigenous peoples of MatoG1 ·ossodo Sui. with the hope that In <Ulclltion to Marta Vltor Cuarmti am! · the lttrgcrcoalitlon will be able to more jl)(lo Ripp~r. infunnatlort 11'11< proviclecl by effectively pressure for land rights. the Nucleus for lnd1gcrwus Uil(ltts. C!Ml, and Rtlinforesl Act1on NctwurII. Positive Signs In :1 landmark decision, the Su· Your ltlltrs arc <XIrtmtly Inti'<'' prcmc Federal Court in San Paulo re· tantjorrhe Guaran1·Ktl1trw11 Plta.\C ccmly dtSmtssed a local court decision wntt judgt Pedro Rclta askmg thiiC In favor of the ranchmgcompanySauin Gunram lmtd rights be rrsp«ttd SIA to relocate the Guaramcommunity ofScteCcrTos Addmonally. theCoun E.'QllO. Sr DR PEDRO ROTTA granted a petmon b)• the Nucleus for Tribunai~Fednaldl)~ lnd1gcnous Rlghts to prohtbitonejudge Rua l.ibero llacbro. n JO. Centro In \b.to Grosso do Sui from hearing 01009.()()() Sao P:tulo,SP 8r.m1 CI>O tn\'OI\1ng the Gu:rrani. stnce C\'· bx: (55tn 3).399-1 or0496 el")· one of hiS deciSIOns ha\'t' fa,-orcd ranchmgmtercstsand resuhed tnC\ic· Plmst smd COJ"' w 110ns of thoU53nds of lndtans. Vttoc- Guaram also ncxes 'It seems Exmo. s... be hope foe-the Guarani that there DR. jean ~larcos Fentira 1f 'lula' ts elected to the presidency. J=Fednalda I \'arano~tlloG~ that there ,.,II be JUSIICC and recogrti· do Sui tion of Indian lands.' Current opinion Rua Quatorzc dejulho, n 356 polls show Workers' Part)' candidate 79004-392 Campo Grande. MS. 1uts lgnacto 'Lula' da Silva with a Brazil strong national lead over his nearest ,.,n �ENVIRONMENT & D EVELOPMENT Closing the Darien Gap? The Pan-American Highway's last Link by Alicia Korten we cc do not want the Pan·Ameri cnn High'"">' built through our homelands'. states Leopoldo Baporiso, chief of the 13.400 Embern·Wounaan peoples of Pannma's easternmost province, the Darien. He states that the highways will cause, •massiVedeforesuuion, immigration by outstdcrs. an mcrease in drug traffick· crs. 'wlence and the loss of our cui· ture'. In Octoberofl993, the Panama· man and Colombl3n go\'ernments signed agreements to begin studies that they hope will le.~d to the connection of Non h nnd South America through the Darien Gap. If this 107 kilometer stretch is built, the high,vay will run wuhout a break between Alaska and Argentina's southern tip. The Ihnen Gap is one ofthe world's most boologocally rich rainforests and n cntacal corridor between Nonh and South Americ:m ecosystems for plant and woldllfe. The area is home to roughly 40,000 inhabitants. including five distinct Indigenous nations. Afri· can-Americans, and mestizo colonists. UNESCO declared the Darien National Park. the largest in Ccm ral America. a World Heritage Site anciiJiosphere Reserve in 1981 and 1983 respectively because of its cultural and biological dt\'CfSil)'· The Colomboan and Panam:mo:m gO\'ernments are explonng three different routes--one along the Padfic Coast. one along the Atlanuc Coast, nnd one through the isthmus's middle which would pass through the border community Palo de Lctras. The Palo de Lctras route is the shortest, least costly and most favored. All routes pass through Embera. Wounaan and Kuna temtones. The Palo de Letras route cuts through the lnd~gcnous commumtaes Pururo. Paya. Cupt. Aruza nnd others as well as through the Darien National Park and the Kauos l'ark in Colombia--both of which ha,·c regtolatlons penniuing the highway's con· struction. Alido Kor1en ls 1ht a<:socim< dfrwor of 1hr Pressure to build the road comes Ctntrr for Pop•lor !.<gal Asst$wne<'s lndtg· primarily from South Amencnn gov<nodS Pll>l(ram (CEALP) rn Panama. Sl~< works ernments and industries who want nith tht lndigenoos Pai!·Am<ncan Highwav greater access to :-lonh American mar· Cc>mmi$Si0rl Voi.8No.1&2 kets. Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela are promotmg the highwa)•'sconstruc· tion most nggressh• due to a recently cly signed free trndeagreemcm. "The highway ... will lncilltatc trade of petroleum, cotton. cloth, Iron, steel, and other goods between Mexico, Colom· bia and Venezuela.' states juan Castancga, Colombta's Director of the Mirustry ol Foreogn AITatr's Latin Ameli· can Desk Extcndmg the Pan-American high· way is part of the Colombian go\'ern· ments aggressiVe development package for the region. The Pacific Plan is a complementary mega-project aimed at opening the region to multiple forms of resource exploitation (seeAbya Yala. V. 7:3&:4). The plan has gone through many revtStonssmce us imual draft in 1983, whtch stated that 'thlsextensh'e region contains ommense forest. fishing, n\'er-and sea-based mineral resources which the country reqmres immediately.• The 1992 proposal however, begins wh h discussion of sustain· able development and poverty allevia· tion and then co•ulnues \vith the previ· ous goals of oil c~ploration, mining. large scale agriculture. commercial fiSh· •ng and tounsm. Together. these projects threaten the region with mas 29 �ENVI RO N MENT & DEVELOPM ENT -- sive change--change whtch local peoples feel wtll dtspiJCe their communmes and de\'astolc the reg.on's tn\"''tOnme:nt lndtgenous people> fear the htghforests on whtch thetr way of hfe depends by factlnaung the area's coloni%Jtlon and development In December of 1993. over 500 delegates from different EmberaWounXln commumties passed a resolution s~aung thetr 'reJecllon of the Pan-American l ll&hwny'sconstruction through Indigenous termorics in PaMma' because. '1 he construction of the Pon-Amcnc;~n htghway through our temtomsv.-ouldcouse tm:por2bltdam~ to our fonest~. O\'Crs. !lora and farms upon whtch depend our brothers and sisters the amm.als and our n\'er culture The wounds caused by the recent construcuon of the PanAmenc.,n h1ghway to Ya\153 an: sttll fn:sh Thts coru~rucuon caused the wo;~y \\Ould erode the COn\'ersion o( our tcrruones into cOW pastures and llulc by little the extinction of 1he biodivrrl51y of our lands.• Six indigenous orgonlzmions in the Darien Gap have forn1ed a coalition rolled the lndtgcnous Pan-American H1ghway Commtsston (IPAHC) to g;tin a \'Olce m upeommg ncgouanons. •we arr dem.andtng our leg;tl nghts tO con>uhauon regardmg any plans the government has for our ancestral lands'. states Clasmere C.npto, IPAHCs Coordm:uor Fundmg for the 107 kilometer hnk IS not yet securrd llowe,-er,the lnt<r· Amencan De\'clopmcntll:mk(LDB)wtll loan Panama money to elaborate imual technical studtt5 and environmental impact statements. The IDB will also pro'"deColombta S I 5 million to renovate the Pan·i\mencan Highway seg· ment Medelhn-Turbo, an existing road that requires f>.Wing to suppon intcrcontincntaltmffic. The United States government w1ll likely not provide rundmg but tmy suppon the project b)· prO\'idmg techmcal assislantt. acCOI'dmg to St2te Depanment offin31s. lndtgenous peoples are dtSCOurng•ng any outstdc fundcrs from supponmg the proJeCt . .., lO .... PNCA.MA'.S I.PI'OtM,tof ~ Resolution of the Indigenous Embers Wounaan BOd Kuna peoplu of Panama at a nations/ encounter to discuss extension of the PanAmerican highway on May 8 . 1994. in the community of Comun, Comatca Embent- WounNn, Area of Cemaco. &fore 1ht nnnur.nu thrc:al ~tns.t tnc.hgcnous cuhurc our a)ngrt$St$ em n<lt ~rrwn s\k-nl We thrrd<>n: "'>>lve the follo"1ng. llej«t thr Proj«:ts th.u the l'rui;II!131\un .md Colomb~;>n Governments art d~SCUSS~nll ,.,,h•n the Good ~••!lhb<>r Commis:slon 10Open the I>;&Mn G..lp by bu•khn& the Pan-Am<rl<:&n tllgi"'"Y - f•rst • Second O.:m.and '"" onunc:d•ll< <W.penston or sll..llh hrmg unden.~n •nd th.u ...u be undenukcn hy the Pan.unono.m >nd Colomb•an )\ovtmmenL•. to open the D•ncn C.ap. which t·cll'l"ilhUI<".S our TeTMtoncs. • Third: In tht• en'"' that they continue to meet to dis<:u!>Sthe opening of the O.uien Gap. "~ dem.1nd thr pM11C1palion of indigenous NatiOn$ und<r «!ual condition>, to re:til.tt S1Ud10und 0.:•-clopmmt Pbn>•• • !'-lanonaland lntcrn.uwn.al k\-.,l.th.lt m.l)' liTCCt our ttmtonc:s. • Founh· Expand urg<ntl)· the: lndtJO:tnous Pan-Am<ncon Htghw•yCommo• .on Cl>.l.nen G>p), 10 mdudethe lollo\\111l( • A ~mber •nd ltSSISUint of the Gtm,.l CongrC»CSol tilt Embrm-Wounaan and Kuna b A member and "-~'L<tan• or Pucun>-P3)'J and tilt Oucewd • Futh. O.:m.uld ti>M the \tuluwernl Ftnanang Agcnde> >Ueh .. the ln•er·Amc:oetn C.. dope• "'"' &nk UDBl, the World lllnkandothrr> :su>pencbllcrcdttlorStudiOS and PrOJCC" tn n:buon to the: Opem"l( ,-.( the Danrn C'hlp and the paniep•llon ol the lndlgenou. ~-"'""''n•ll Pl.ut>and 0.:.-dopment ProJ«!Sth.u ",u.rrcct oortcm1ones • Sooh· Rtqu<'>l the lntemnuonal Commun•t}' and Soltd.lnt)' Grout"' tO dcn1;md that Fmanclng A~cncles and the P.mamaman and Colombian C'.ovcmmcnt' jllv< real pamctpatlon to the lndlgent>u.< N,ulons re~ing plan< lor the rcgton Caclquc Lconod.l' Valda Ku"' Gcner.Jl Cong...., a.clquc Ltopoldo B.1ponso. fntber.·Wounaan Gmeml Congre» <:actquc ll<:njnmtn Ci.>n:ta Modugandt General Congres.< Cactqll<' {,llbtno Ayala. Cacique or P:lya. For more 1nfcrmJUon cont.att Cbsmerr Carp40 IPAHC Coord1n """·Hector Hue""'· Ltgal ad'1SOr Coau$1on lndtg,mo C.armcra Pan-t\m<rican/Centn>dt Ast<l<tiCU Ltpll'opubt (CEALP) Apon.ado ro.tal 6-58(,6. E1 Dorado, Panami. Td- (50n 23 53 Sl Fax (507) 64 M 29. or. .~1103 Konen, Adv~S<>r,IPAHC/b-.t 17th St.. Apt ~. ~"" York, NY l00031fcV Fax: (212) 242-IQOI �ENVIRONMENT & D EV ELOPMENT Increased Oil Development Rejected in the Amazon Indigenous people throughoucthe Amozon ore increasingly discovering oil extraction to be one of the greotesc threats to their fond, health and culrure In Bolivio, Brozil, E cuador, Colombia, and Peru. centro/ governments ore pushing increased oil ond gos development os o solution to cheir economic problems. M axus oil company constructs new pipeUne into the forests o l the Ecuodorian Oriente ECUADOR: Indigenous Federations Take Strong Stand Against Seventh Round of Oil leasing n january 2 4 , Ecuador's presi dent fom•nlly opened a new round of oil leases, which will open five million acres of the rainforest (an area the s1 of New jersey) to 2e International oa comp.,mcs. Included l in the lands affected are the territories ofthe Huaomnt, Quichua, Cof:ln.Shuar and Ashuar peoples, the planned Sumnco and Galeras Nntional Parks. 0 Voi.8No,l &2 and vast areas of flooded forests and rainforest. That same d:~y. Ecuadorian Indigenous peoples and environmentalists responded with a pe;aceful takeover of the Mimstry of Energy and Manes.. As a result, Minister FmnciS(:o Acosta agreed to a meetmg wnh the Confederation of lndagenou> Nationalities of Ecuador. CON AIE. opening the way for discussions on the formation of a commission to design and amplcment oil monitoring policies. In March, CONAIE and the Amazon reg10nallndagcnous organiuuon. CONFENAIE both assued strongstnt~­ ments nouf)ing the Ecuadorian government and transnational oal compamcs that the Indigenous peoples in Ecuadorwould not allow the new round 31 �ENVIRONMENT & D EVE LOPMEN T "...the 150.000 Indigenous people who make up the Confederationof Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecua. dorian Amazon cannot guarantee...that oil exploration or exploitation projects in our territories will be able to proceed." of licensing to proceed. In an open letter to the Ecuadorian president, Edmundo Vargas President of CONFENAIE dedared. ' The Ecuadorian government's lack of sensitivity round of licensing. "during which time the country can evaluate the environmental and social impacts of oil devclopment. and Ecuador can implant policies for oil development which include defenseoftheenvironmem,respect for the ways of life of Indigenous peoples. and an integrated orientation of the countrywhichwillbenefitall Ecuador- the I50.000 Indigenous people who make up the Confederation of lndigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon cannot guarantee, neitheno the Ecuadorian State. nor to national or foreign investors parlicipating in the Sev· enth Oil Licencing Round, thatOil exploration or exploitation projects in our territories will be able tO proceed.~ regarding the position of the lndigncous peoples and evh·o111ncntalists of the region; the lack of a serious natural resource managment policy which addresses the present and future needs of ians." our country and particularly those of Vargas stated. "TheOirectiveCoun- htjorm<uion SU/1/)lied by CONAIE, the Indigenous nationalities of the re- cil of CONFENAL together with its CONFENAIE ami the Rainforest Action E, gion: the absence of adequate laws to member federations. has resolved that Network • control national and foreign companies; the carr)1ng out of economic projects within Indigenous territories Case against Tex aco may be heard in New York Courts b}' the government and privale comapanies without prior consulta- tion; and the lack of indigenous participation in the decisons and benefits of these projects, clearly demonstrate thatt he conditions and guarantees necessary to extend the scope of fJCtroleum activities in lhe Ecuadorian Ama:zon do nol e.x.ist.11 CONAIE supJX>ned this position adding. that they hold . ' the Ecuadorian Sta.te and pelroleum companies participating in the Seventh Oil Li- censing Round responsible for the problems we have and for damages both to those people who have lived in the Amazon for thous.~nds of years and to their environment.• Indigenous groups point out that the drilling areas up for relicensing are located in the headwaters of the Amazonian river svstem on the Eastern slope of the Andes. Therefore"">' spills and toxic dumping--which have been ubiquitouscompanions of previous oil activities in Ecuador--could potentially affect theentireAmazon region through its waterways. !3oth organizations called for a fif. teen )'tar momtorh.nn for lhe sevemh 32 n April. Federal Judge Vincent L Broderick ruled that iflncligenous people and others suing Texaco for irresponsibly discarding hazardous waste in the Ecuadoriann~in(orest can prove that decisions regarding these operations were made at Texaco heaclquaners in New York, then it would be appropriate for the case to be heard by the US federal court in New York. The case was brought b)• Siona, Secoya. Cofan, and Quichua peoples and mestizo colonists who live in the zone affected by Texaco's operations. Texaco's lawyers have asked the judge to reconsider. If the case pro· ceedsin NewYorkcourt, it will set an imporram precedent regarding rights of foreigners to bring US based multinationals to trial within the US. zation of Indigenous People of Pastaza (OPIP) and support organizations. the transnational oil company ARCOagreed to negotiate their plans foroilcxploration in the provice ofPastaza in Ecuador's Oriente. OPIP met,vithAR COonjune9. Asecond meeting should be occurring in Ecuador as this magazine goes to press. ARCO officially Slates that it has not yet made the decision to pursue exploration in the Oriente's 'Block I0'. it has nevertheless, reached seven~! preliminary agreements \vith OPIP. OPIP and ARCO agreed to establish a techical commission which ,v;u include three representatives from ARCO and from Petroecuador and six from Indigenous organizations in the region. Thiscomol.iSsion ,v;u establish the guidelines for an Evaluation of Environmental Impact for Pastaza Organizations negothe Exploratory Period, as well as tiate with ARCO select which company will complete. Under pressure from the Organi· the sllldy. I Abya Yala News �ENVIRONM ENT PERU: Oil Development brings Death andDevastation to the Marafion n April 14. UPlln Uma, Peru reported that the country's trans-Amazon pipeline had ruptured two weeks earlier. spilling crude from Occidental and Petroperu oil v.>tlls directly into the Maranon R1ver 111 the Peruvian Amazon. Pctroperu technicians stated that '10,000 barrels a day are spilling be· cause of the rupture and that the figure could Increase to 30.000'. lnd1genouscommunitlcsdependon the Marni'lon and its tributaries for fiShing. drinking water. and transportauon. Miqueas M1shart president of the Interethnic Association for the Devel opment of the Peruvian Amazon (AIDEPSEP) stated, 'The government 1Sn't '''Or.. tied about the cf. feelS of the spill on the Indian communities," and called upo n President Fujintori to 'listen 10 us, to take into account that we exlSI. to talk to the 0 ·At this very moment the Rio M non and Rio N are totally ara apo covered with oil from shore to shore and in the next several days it will reach the Amazonas River. • causes or the spill.' AIDESEP also denounced that the local and national press hnd not covered the sp1ll out of pressure from interestS worktng to secure rorctgn investment. Government Proposes lncrea,ses in Exploration and Extraction On March 30, as oil gushed from decrepit pipes into the MamMn. Peruvian President Alberto Fujhnori was present m the signing of~ natural gas exploration contract betwttn Pctroperu and Maple G:IS Corpomuon of Peru a subs1d1ary of the Dallas based Maple Resources Corporntion. Th1s contract allows rordrillingto evaluate the feasibility of gas explouation along the Auaytia river near Ucayah In the central forest reg1on. The prcv1ous week, the Pcnwlan government signed an agreement with Royal Dutch Shell for oilexplornuon m the areas of Kashiyan. S.1n Marcommunities.• tin and Mipaya. If One week prior Spilled oil spreads quickly Md discoveries are to the UPI article dovestal es rivers and flooded AIDESEPstated, in made. the company forests in the Amezon a report sent to incould land a 30 year tcmnl1onal Indigenous and environ- leas1ng contract for exploitauon 111 the mental organizations. ' At this very rcgton In all. these new contmets moment. the Rio Marnl'lon and Rio could cover areas in the regions of: Napo arc total!)' covered "~th oil from Purus. Otmisea. Aguaytiaand Pucallpa. shore tO shore and 111 1he next several The Yme. Chipibo, Conibo. Amahuaca. days it will reach the Amazonas River'. Yaminahua. Sharanahua. Matsigucnga. They noted that eight people had died Catacaibos, and Ashaninka peoples all as n result of the spill and thnt 'It is or inhabit 1hese regions, with a combmed the utmost urgency to inwsllgate the popul:ulon of approximately 27.000. Voi.8No.l &2 & D EVELOPME NT 1..css thnn three weeks after the pipe· line rupture. Pctropcru chief Miguel Celi Rivern announc..>d. at the newly opened Pa)'aC!CUAmazondrillingsite,lhatPcru's crude produaion would be increased &om 132,000 bruTcls/day to approxi· mately 300.000 barrdslday ovenhe next two )'CatS as a result of increased foreign investment. Such an increase would place Pent's production on par with Ecuador (n former OPEC mem~r), which also produces dose to 300.000 barrel</day. Approximately 80% of new extraction is proposed for the Amazon region. Thealrendydcteriorating24yt.tr old Trans-Amnzon pipeline would cany this addiuonal burden as well. AIDESEP Begins Mobilization lithe govcmmem'soil development program Is nllowed to proceed. AIDESEP foresees massive destrucuon of the cnvtronmcm and lnd1gcnous people of the Peruvian Am:u:on. To this point. the Peruvian go\'emmcm has refused tOallow Indigenous orga· nizations a role in the decision-making process. AIDESEP is planning efforts to document the current situation and mobilize an tnd1genous from in opposition 10 new drilling. Support is desperately needed for these effons. Th1s mobilization holds hope that the ln· digcnous people of Peru will be able to avoid the environmental catastrophes that have followed oil development in countries such as Ecuador. '1l Nlr mort infonnallon. ((lfi/QCI: Eusebio Armando Castro. Coordinator. AIDESEP. Programa dt Emcrgcneia Ashaninha·i\ldl:stp , A'"'- San Eugmio 981 URBsrACaralintr.1.nViaoria,Uma(l3) P'ru lnfomwlion supplied by AIDESEP and Edward llammond, graduale srudenr. Unfvmiry of Texas. 33 �H EALTH Report from The International Symposium on Public Policy and Traditional Health Systems Ottawa, Canada ndigenous people, doctors, tracli tiona! and Western researchers from the diverse traditions ofAsia. Arrica and the Americas met in Ottawa, Canada to discuss policy models ~md experiences, the revival of traditional knowledge and practice, biodiversity and imellectual property rights. I The symposium, held on March 24 at the International Development and Research Center in Ottawa, Canada (IDRC) followed a series of related meetings such as the Pan-american Health Organization (PAHO) conferenceon ' Health and Indigenous People of the Americas' held with support from the IDRCin Winnipeg, Canada in April 1993. PAl-lO's Board of Directors. made up of the Public Health ministers from every Lmin American counuy. adopted a significant resoltt· tion based on the recommendations of this conference. This resolution serves as an impor- O fferings being made to Pachamama (Mother Earth) in Jujuy, Argentina tanttool for indigenous people in each coumty when demanding the right to practice traditional medicine as well as official support for improved healthcare in our communities. The resolution approved on September 28. 1993 credined indigenous communilies' as· pi rations for control over their institu· lions and way of life, and their need to strengthen their own identity. It also recognized that indigenous communities have contributed significantly to health & nutrition of society, and the maintenance of ethnic, cultural and biological diversity. The resolution also based itself in respect for the val· ues and social, cultural, religious, and spiritual practicesofindigenous people including those which are related to the maintenance and improvement of health and the treatment of illnesses. PAHO urged member governmentS tO 34 Abya Yala News �H EALT H promote lnd1genous people's panici· pauon on all health policy affecting them; promote of pre,<enuon programs especially m reg;ml 19 the health of the indigenous people: assist m the evaluauon of the iniuauve of the Health of the lnd1gcnous PeopleoftheAmericas: and to establish an expen commission which would include Indigenous representatives and be charged with developing strategies and projects to improve Indigenous people's health care. Divergent perspectives on research policy Indigenous representatives and western researchers voiced very dilrerent perspecu,·eson r<Starch Researchers from the National Cancer ln5titute m the United States descnbed the 'Biodl\'erslty Project' in which they are isolaung chemical compounds from medicinal JllantS in the search for a cure to cancer or AIDS . Their statements were criticized by the indigenous representatives for not taking into account the true value of traditional medicine which is based on an unders~andlng thm a cure is found in all aspects of the plant--not just in an isol3ted component This western model was also cntleazed for its lack of spirituruity. m the sense that a cure is not just a btologtcnlncnon but is also a strengthening of the spmt, something which 1S not found'" a chemical substMce. lnd1genous people also voiced conVol.8 No. I & 2 cern o,·er the cxploitauon of our medicmal plnms m order to serve the interests of developed countries'and their pharmaceutical companies. This exploitation can result in environmental de>oast.,tlon as well as destroy our communities' cultural and soc•al structure through the Introduction of a mercantile system. i\ call was made for the development or research methodologies that are a) participntoty. b) sensitive to the Indigenous cosmology and respectfuloftheirtmdltional health S}'Stems c) serve the needs of the local communities rather than foreign research institutions or companies d) evaluate the cost efficiency of traditional medtctrud systems based In soCial values and spiritual traditions not just on western '"'lues. and 0 to work within cthtcal bounds where research goals and uses are clearly stated. Official Health Policies In some Asian countries such as China ancl lndin, traditional medicinal practices have been preserved as a significant component of national health policy. Rcsenrchcrsexpressed concern with respect to the integration of traditional and Western medicine, citing the negative impact official regulations may ha.-c on trndltionru practices; as well as the posstbthty that the Western system could dominate the other. The Chmese and lndtan go,-ernments, for example. r<moved cosmology and spmtuality from tradiuonal medicinal practice. so as to regulate or u.se these praclices at lbear convenience. Various indtgcnous rcpresemmives expressed their preference for an official position of tolerance, which would allow continuation of traditional practices \vlthout direct governmental interference or regulations. There was a general consensus thm social control over traditional practices arise in each community, as it has been for thousands or years. Despite cultural differences. spirituality seemed to be the common t hrcad uniting the mnJorltyoftmdhions. Spiritual, memal and physical well-being are integral components fused together in traditional cunng pracnces. Traditional health systerns are scten= in their own right and. 1f they arc to be understood. thiS bas1c principle must be respected. It isimperati.-e that indlgenouscommunities and organizations continue to acth·ely panicipate in this process by analyzing and influencing the policies that affect all aspects of life in our communities. ..., This article was based on ''" PAHO's 'Hwlth of Indigenous Peoples' and a reporr by jerry Bodtcktr, to whom we wish 10 express our gralfludc. To rurivt the PAHO documtnr • Hwlth of lndtg(1UJUS Pcoplt$' HSS/SlLOS-34, write to: 525 23 Strett N. W.. IVashing•on D.C. 20037. U.s.A., or the PAHO offlc.c tn your COUilll)'. 35 �HUMAN RIGHTS Wave of Violence in Colombia takes Heavy Toll on Indian Leaders he Indigenous communities of Colombia have not escaped the alam>ing levels or violence registered in this country in the last few years. Man)' Indigenous communities have suffered the aftem>ath of a lingering and irrelevant war between the army and guerrilla groups: others. have been victims of the unrelenting Struggle for land rights. The security forces generally sec Indigenous people as potential guerrilla collaboratot·s, and have directed arbitral)' detentions, tortures. disappearances and murders against them. In addition to preexisting ~,nd struggles. Indigenous errons to exercise rights under the new conslitUlion, especially admin istnuion of government funds. have drawn violem opposilion from traditional power groups. This year se'•eral cases have been added tO the already long list or crimes against the Indigenous population of Colombia. T 4 Assassination in Southern Colombia Amnesty lmemational re· pons that, the body or wellknown Indigenous leader Laureano Jnampue was found in 1he San juan River on May 6. near his home in the G«achucallndigenous reserve in the depanment of Narino. According to witnesses. he was vio· lemly removed from his home b)' heavily armed men in military uniform. His captors claimed the)' were detaining him for interrogation by the local battalion's commander. Family members were unable to obtain any infonnation regarding his whereabouts from local authorities. He was found dead a day later. h1~mpue had been threatened previ· ously because or his work to recover Indigenous lands. Senu Activists Killed in Land Struggle ''Tireless" Activist Killed in Tolima Three Senu Indigenous activists, Clemente Mendoza, On May 15. ON!Cdenounced that Yesid Bocanegra Man inez Hernando Solano and Fernando Alvarez Conde. were mur- was shot to death by gunmen in the town of Colaima. departdered during the momhs of February and March in Northern ment of Totima. Omar Mendoza vice-president of Totima's Colornbia in the communily of Aserradero. Municipality of Indigenous council also received three gunshot wounds in the Purisima. Department of Cordoba. According to local reports. auack. and remains hospitalized. Bocanegra wasdeseribed by they were engaged in attempts to recover lands or the Gran ONIC as a ' tireless fighter for our cause'. Resguardo de San Andres de Sotavento through a land title Indigenous communities throughout the country are llO\V given by the Spanish crown three cemuries ago. on alen rearing that a second major wave of violence wHI follow attempts by Indigenous communities to exercise their new constitutional rights. (See •After the Constitution" in this ONIC Leaders Assassinated for Demanding issue) "!) Compliance with the Constitution On March 26, four Senu Indigenous leaders were murdered on the outskirts of the municipality of S~n Andres de l>iformation supplied by National Indigenous Organization of Sotavento. The four were intercepted at 12 o'clock in the Colombia (ON/C). night, by unknown ~ssailants while riding in a van belonging Please send leuers urging the Colombian government to to the community. The empty bumcd van was discovered with provide adequate proua-ct,on to Indigenous leaders exer<:ismg bloodstains inside. The next day, the lifeless bodiesofl'orfirio Ayala Mendoza. Alternate Secretary of the ONIC, nominated thctr ecnstltutionru rights, that these kiUings be immediately for 1993-1997 during last September's National Indigenous investigated and that those responsible be held aceoumable to: Congress: Hector Aquiles Malo, Chief of the Gran Resguardo $thor l'rtsident< Ctsm·Gaviria T>u}Jllo, Pl~sfdentc dela Republica. de San Andres de Sotavemo; Luis Arthur Lucas, Senu leader. Palaclo de Nari~o. Santaft <k Bogot<l, Colombia. and ex-General Secretary of the ON IC from 1968 to 1990; and Fax: 011 57 l 286 7·134/287 7939. Cesar Mendoza Cruz the vehicle's driver. Indian groups see these murders as manifestations of traditional power groups With copies 10: opposition to Indigenous communities' anc1npts to exercise Ambas<adorGabrld Silva, EmbassyofColombia,2118l;;roy Pl. /--.'IV, new constitutional rights to manage t.."=tx revenue and invest- \V<l$hingwn, DC. 20008. and: ONlC. M 32395. 8og()!d, Colombia. ment for their regions. 36 Abya Yala News �U RGENT A CTIONS Emergency Support Needed! Paez People left Homeless, Injured, Orphaned by Earthquake in Southwestern Colombia ighteen Indigenous communi ties disappeared beneath tOns of mud and rock after a massive earthquake registering 6.3on the Richter scale struck. nonhem Colombia's remote Cauca region which is inhabited primarily by Indigenous people. The quake struck on June 6, with its epicenter close tO the town ofTor1bio, releasing a series of debris slides and flooding of the Paez a11d Moras rivers. The list of dead, disappeared and injured grows daily. Indigenous organizations report that govemment aid to the sun~vors has been slow and totally insufficient, and that many injured have not received treatment and that people are dyiJ1g from infection. Official calculations. acknowledge857 deaths and close to 15,000 injured, but there is no precise infom1ation on the number of '~ctims or the conditions of the survivors. A leader of the Vitaco Indigenous rcsen •c site of a major avalanche. claimed that at least half of the 4,000 Indigenous inhabitants of this locality had been buried. The National System for Prevention and Attention to Disasters announced that "given the magnitude ofthe quake' aftershocks. new rock slides could fall from the Nevado del Huila (mountains! which could cause increases in the Paez river's levels." In tum this could result in the flooding of more communities. On the 9 of June. the affected communities were again pan- E Voi.8No. l &2 ickcd by tremors with imensitics vary- diction within the disaster area. ing from 4.0 to4.8on the Richter scale. Emergency aid provided byColom· ONIC's Executive Committee bians and imernational organizations and the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRLC) is urgently has been essential in sa'~ng hundreds international aid and solidarity. In of unprotected Indigenous people's lives. However, the National Indigorder to send information regard· enous Organization of Colombia ing the possibilities for support in this state of emergency communi(ON IC) calls for individuals and agencies to take into account, not only the cate with CRIC at Fax: 928· immediate situation, but also the com233893. munities future. Of particular concern has been a campaign, promoted Donations can be set\t dil"ectly by 1><>rtions of the national press. for t O the ON!C bank account ill the adoption of Indigenous children Colombia: by people outside the region. This is an attack. on the autonomy for which InBANCO DE BOGOTA, Cuenta No. digenous communities have struggled 051-06327-9, DAMNll'TCADOS for years. Additionally, ONIC is con· INDIGENAS DEL CAUCA-ONIC. cerned with the process of resettling those who have been displaced from Or in the US, to: their land, stating. ' land isn't just a material element, but the essence of ABYA YALA FUND, their cultures". c/o Tides Foundation, Its recovery has cost many lives, as well DAMNIFICADOS b.'II)IGENAS as much pain and suffering. Now, the DEL CAUCA-Colombia, 1388 displaced people find themselves set St.rter St. lO floor, San Francisco CA gqJO!J back to step one. De.limitation of new Indigcnous reserves is urgently needed. lts also critical to urge govemmems who are supplying aid that these funds be channeled through Indigenous or· ganizations in a way that establishes a true network of solidarity with the affected communities. The Colombian government has been slow to recognize Indigenous organizations juris- �URGENT ACT IONS State of Emergency Declared in Ecuador: Reports of I 5 Indigenous Activists Killed cuadorian President SLxto Duran-Ballen declared a State of Emergency on june 21 and the following day gave the militmy sweeping powers to •restore order• throughout the country. Indigenous organizations led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) are blockading roads and demonstnning to demand the govemmem revoke the new agricultural development law. The military has surrounded CONAIE offices and are seeking arrest of the organization's leaders who are now in hiding. Increased repression is feared. The Ecuadorian government ignored repeated calls by CONAJE and popular organizations for national consultations on proposed agricultural bills. Instead it swiftly approved new legislation on j une 13. President DuranBallen claims the new law will modernize the country's agricultural sector. lndigenousorganizationscalled the law unconstitutional, stming that it will destroy their agricultural economy, threaten Indigenous systems of land tenure, and drive thousands to immigrate to city slums in search of work. Today. the country's constitutional court ruled the new law to be unconstitutional. but observers think the government may ignore this ruling. CONAIE organized a massive "Mobilization for Life' to demand the law be revoked. The mobil.ization has nearly paralyzed nine of 21 Ecuadorian provinces. This is the fourth nationwide mobilization led by CONAIE since the well-known Indian uprising in 1990. In a gesture that was both symbolic and concrete, CONAIE has stalled the now of agricultural goods to several cities. The government Stated that three year sentences would be given to those protesters who d isobe)'ed the state of emergency. CONAl E responded, "The decision of our grassroots is to remain where they are until the law is repealed. If all the dimensions of the conOict are taken into account, the imposition of a state of emergenC)' is a virtual declaration of war against the Indigenous people and the majority of the country. • E 38 Five Indigenous protesters have been killed in the highlands, and there are unconfim1cd reports that 10 people were killed by police while peacefully blocking a road to an oil well in Lago Agrio in the t\mazon. The number of those injured and detained is unknown. A radio station in Latacunga belonging to the Catholic Church was occupied and ransacked by security forces. and one of the staff detained. Protesters have been harassed and threatened for the last two weeks. and tensions are extremely high. On june 20. after two weeks of protest, the government invited Indigenous organizations to negotiations. but broke off talks the next day. Indigenous organizations demand that the agricultural law be revoked before negotiating the shape of new legislation . The government would agree only to modifying the new law. CONAIE and the environmental group Accion Ecologica point out that the new law promotes privatization of communal properties. fails to recog· nize Indigenous systems and concepts of land tenure as legitimate, and will promote agroindusuy and livestock grazingat the ex-pense of small farmers who now account for 75% of the country's agricultural production. '!J) Pleasc send lettet'S to President Duran BaUen urging the Ecuadorian governmem to negotiate a peaceful resolution to tbe conOict, tO immediately halt repression directed against CONAIE and other Indigenous groups and to respect Indigenous organizations' just demands. Sixto Duran Ballen. Prcsidente del Ecuador. Palacio Presic!encial. Carcia Moreno. 104;3, Quito-Ecuador Fax: (593-2) 580 73.5 with copies to: Luis Macas, Presidenrc CONAIE, Av. Granados 2553, Casilla 17-17-1235, Quiro-Ecua<li>r Fax: (593-2) 442271 /'Wya Yala News �BOOKS Wk4£H~MJ' Much Work Ahead for Indigenous Historians here are few texts in which indigenous voices speak for themselves. This historiography still needs to be written by both men and women of Abya Yala. Until today our histO\Y has been oral. Generally, our voices have been recorded in colonial languages, which in effect. are translations. Our own literature, should be caustic, in regard to those texts which have relegated us to being objects of study. Maybe those who objectify us forget that we can read their accounts. Here is a sample of three relevam texts: Tlte Elder Brothers: A lose South Anwican People and their· Wisdom (1990) by Alan Ereira; War of Slraclows( 1991) by Michael Brown and Eduardo Femandez; Indigenous Voices (1992) b)•Roger Mood)•. In contraposition, we can Gnd texts (e.g., Taraqu written by the A)•mara historian Carlos Mamani Condori in 1991) that have been written by indigenous people themselves. presenting a T Ntwsfrom NATIVE CALIFORNIA ''An inside view of the Califomia fndian world• A unique quarterly mapzine devoted to Indian people of California, Ntwf. /reM Natioc California contains aniclcs on social, environmental, and political issues written by Na· tivc Californians and those close to the California Indian community. As a special service, Nnosfrom Native Califomia would like w ofrcr a special rate on new subscriptions: one year (fou r issues) for $12.50 (or $22.00 outSide the U .S.). To take advantAge of this offer, send your name, mailing addre$S, phone number, and a check for$12.50 (or $22.00 in U.S. ctln'C()C)', check, or money order issued by a U.S. bank) to' News fro,. Naffvt Cnlifornia, P.O. Box 91 45, Berl<.eley, CA 94709. formoreinfom> 3tion,call(510)849-0177. Vo1.8No. l &2 different voice. Ereira's book is a good example of "colonial anguish". We do not believe that indigenous peoples' struggles can be understood until colonial attitudes are abandoned when facing indigenous cultures. In his account. Ereira •becomes' the spokesperson for the Kogi people of the Sierra of Santa Marta in Colombia. In very few pages can we hear tl1c Kogi's own voices. Instead, the author-historian basically presents his own saga which coincides with those of the Kogi. who are a living example of what Europe and the United States call 'ecological sustainability'. This book docs, however, illustrate the constant threats experienced by the Kogi. and their efforts to live ham1oniously with naLure. Michael Brown and Eduardo Fernandez's book documents the guerrilla phenomenon in f>ent, describing the Ashaninka Indigenous tribe's experiences as they struggle to win a fight that is not theirs. The heroes in this account are the guerrillas and the authors themselves. The Ashaninkas' voices arc barely heard throughout the book. The text should be considered as a history of the sixties and seventies of Pent, but not of the Ashaninkas, except as victims of the political left and right, the missionaries, the government and the armed forces. Moody's Indigenous Voices is a collection of indigenous texts. Moody takes advantage of the demands published by Indigenous leaders in the Working Group of the United Nations, and decided to compile them intO a book. Moody's project is highly questionable given that the texts printed were all produced by indigenous nations, yet there is not a single instance in the book in which the Indigenous contribmors were invited to participate in the editing process. In a world where publications are the equivalent of business cards. indigenous peoples are once again objects of the text, rather than subjects capable of articulating our own ideas. In contrast to the above texts is Mamani Condori's Taraqu, which is one of the first texts produced by an Aymara historian. He started by studying documents related to theAymara territories. In an eloquent job. Tar(J{p' presents the Aymaras' voices. who are thus the text's ultimate owners. This text shows more than ever, that it is imperative for the nation-states tO recognize the Aymara as the legimitate caretakers of their territory and halt the abuses directed against them. Mamani Condori is a member of the Andean Oral History Workshop in Chuquiyawu, Kollasuyo. in Bolivia. "~!) 39 �ORGANIZATION CONIC Preparatory Meeting in Bolivia The provisional council of the Co· ordinating Commiuee of Indigenous Nations and Organizations of the continent held its planning meeting for the upcoming continental encounter in Chuquiagu (La Paz), Bolivia from May 11-4. The Coordinating Comminee of Indigenous Women of Bolivia hosted this meeting. At CON lC's last continental encounter held at Temoaya , Mexico in 1993, participants decided to hold a consti· tutive congress in October 1994 in Guatemala, and to fonn a Provisional Council to plan this congress. Delegates from the Southem Cone,Andean region, Central and Nonh America elaborated proposed bylaws at this meeting. and have sent these along with a declaration of principles and objectives to all CONIC members. The coming congress in Guatemala was set for the I0 -14 of October and will be hosted b)' the Council of Maya organizations of Guatemala (see calender be· low). All member organizations will be anending, and may also invite up to three additional organizations from their region. Fourth Session of Mapuche Tribunai--Wallmapu Norngulamtuwum--Held in Temuco, Chile. From the 28·29 of March J994, the Mapuche organization Aukir) Wallmapu Ngulam (Consejode Todas las Tierras--All Lands Council) held their annual meeting, focusing on reforming the Chilean State and self· determination for the Mapuche. The Cotmcil issued several resolmions rejecting Chile's ' Indigenous Law• (Law # 19.2553) as serving the Chilean state, but not the Indigenous population. Many specific changes were recommended. For information : ilul>i>l \Vallmapu 40 & COMMUNICATION Ngulam--Consejo de Toe/as Las Tiemrs. based in reciprocity; solidarity and Marciflores 1326, Casilla 448, Temuco, equality; and plurinational democracy. Chile. Fori>ifonnation: CONAIE, Las Granados 2553 y 6 de Diciembre, Casi/111 17-/i1235, Quito, Ecuadol', Tel: (593-2) Indigenous News Agency 2'18930 Fax: (593-2) 44271 email begins Publishing The International Indian Press ccc@conaie.ec Agency (AlPIN) began wiring news relating to Indigenous nations and or· ganizations of the continent through the IPS network last january. Genaro Buatista , Mixtec journa li st and Natividad Gutierrez are the acting co· ordinators in Mexico City. All lndig· enous journalists are invited to submit reports to AlPIN, by fax (525) 761· 8573. The reports are published over the wire every week and arc accepted every Wednesday until 6:00pm. sub· missions should be a maximum of300 words, approximate!)• 60 lines of text. CONAIE National Congress Approves National Policy Statement From the 15·18 of December last Ashaninka Women Begin Organizing for Self-Sufficiency Many Ashaninka have been forced to Oee their homes by conOicts between the military and the Sendero Luminoso Guerilla movement. i\shaninka women are searching for solmions to the critical lack or food, clothing, and health care facing their families. Following the FirstAshaninka Summit in November-December of 1993, an ' Ashaninka Mothers' Club" was formed with the goal of carrying out projects to meet basic needs in the Cemral Forest region of Peru. According to club leader, Lucila Arce Salcedo, the traditional Ashaninka economy which WllS based on self-sufficient ag· ricuhure, hunting and fishing has been serious!)• impacted in recent years by the arrival of colonist, Sendero Luminoso activity. logging and most recently the activities of oil companies such as Shell and Mobil. The Mothers' organization is there· fore working to develop sewing and cooking industries to helpsuppon their families with cash incomes. If success· ful. this project will benefit 500 Ashaninka families. Next, they hope to begin a home for children who have been orpha11ed during the wave of violence. Arce Salcedo reports that approximate!)' 2.000 children in the communities of Provincia de Satipo. PunorOcopa, Rio Ene,and Rio Tambo are orphans in their communities liv· ing in various stages of malnutrition, sickness and poverty. year, CONAIE celebrated its fourth national congress in the town ofUni6n Base, Puyo in the Amazon Region. The Congress approved CONAIE's •Politi· cal Project' , a document which out· lines the organization's national politi· cal strategy. According to CONAIE president Luis Macas this project 'will be a guide for the construction of a more just, plurinational and pluricultual state and for the recogni· tion of the Indigenous people and the poorest secwrs of the country.' , and proposes solutions to the problems of land distribution, housing, industrial· ization, health. unemployment, segregation and discrimination. According toCONAIE, the project's proposals are based on the fundamental principalsof the Indigenous peoples, especially. an integral humanism which For infonnation or to send aid: Katia recognizes that the close relationship Torrelli. 4015 Rhoda Ave., Oalllanc/, CA between people and nature is what 94602, Tel: (510) 482·4682 Fax: (510) guarantees us life: communitaria.nism 421-4758 />bya Yala News �CALENDAR OF EvENTS tune 26-29 E Traditional Lakota Nation Summit Eagle Bute, Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, South Dakota ( 175 NE of Rapid City), USA. All nations in the Western Hemisphere are invited to auend. Rid.ard C•·ass (605) 343·3M6 O>' Raymond Uses Knife (605) 964-6685 July 4-6 Planning meeting for the Coordinating Committee of Indigenous Women of Meso and South America Indigenous women from the region are invited to attend this meeting in La Paz, Bolivia to plan for the upcoming women's continental encounter. Unfortunately, Lhere is currently no funding to help delegates allend. Comision Coordinadora de Mt<jercs lndigenas de Bolivia, Casilla 2315, La Pa;:, Bolivia .. October I0-14 CON IC General Assembly The Council of Maya Organizations of Guatemala (COMG) will host this meeting of the Coordinating Commision of Indigenous Organizations and Nations of the Continent (CON IC) in Solola. Guatemala. CONIC 'viii discuss and formally adopt the organization's principles and guidelines in t.his meeting. October 13-1 7 Seeds of Hope: Reclaiming the Forests Congress Arctic to Amazonia is coordinated a Congress to be held on community forestry in Vem10nt, USA. Organizations sev· era! dozen countries have expressed their iment tO panici· pate. This could be an opportunity to establish an intemational commnnity forestry network, within which Indigenous organizations shonld be at the forefront. Tellji>X: 591 ·2·369-963 ArclictoAmazonAlliance, PO Box 73,Stafford, VT, 05072, Tel: (802) 765-4337 luly 21-24 December 7-20 United N ations Meetings on the Decade for Indigenous people. There will be a series of meetings on the decade, lndig· enous intellectual property rights, and of the UN Work· ing Group in Geneva, Switzerland. Conwct:julian Burger, Cence>for Hum<m Rights, UN, CH 101 I First American Nations Film and Video Festival The First Continental Indigenous Film and Video Festival to be organized by Indigenous People will be held in Quito, Ecuador under the sponsorship of CONAlE. The festival will present a chance for Indigenous Olm and '~deo produc· ers 10 present their work, exchange experiences, and evalu· ate problems such as Indigenous participation in this communication form, the role of the media in the development of Indian peoples, and the establishment of national and international means of communication and coordination for film and video. Ceneve 10. Swi~erland Aueust. 8-13 Indigenous Forum 94 International conference coordinated b)•the Fourth World Association , AJnerica 501, and the Sita Saamiland Foun· dation lObe held in Ardvidsjaur, SApmi, Sweden. Confer· encewilllast five days, and be followed byaSaamicultural fair. Fourth World Association, Foreningen Fjarde Varlden, Homgatan 113, 11728Stochholm!SWED£Ntel:46-8-844915 FIIX: 46-8-845181 Voi.8No.1 &2 AlbmoMw111ela, Festival Coordinator, CONAI£,/..asGranados 2553 y 6 de Diciembre Casilla 17-1 i-1235, Quito, ewado>', Tel: (593-2) 248930 Fi>X: (593-2) 44271 e-mail: ccc@conaie.cc December 9-1 0 Summit of the Americas. Presidents from every country in the Americas will be meeting in Miami for two days. Although the agenda is still not set. sources at the White House in Washington state that Indigenous peoples' issues wi.ll definitely be discussed. especially in regard to land demarcation. This presents an opportunity for Indigenous o<ganizations to lobby each of their govemments, ro all of them arrive at the negotiating table with Indigenous dentands on their agendas. 41 �CHIAPAS CHRONOLOGY oF EvENTs <Continued from page 15) March 7. Over 70 Indigenous organizations single bullet wounds to 1he head was pub- Agua Campesino Org~mization was assas· sinated man ambush by a groupofheavil)' found in the Ocosingo market and. ac· armed men as he left his village of El cording to reports. were members of the Carmalito near Simojovel. His son was last group ofZapatistas to retreat from the also critically wounded in the auack. area. A delegation of fore nsic specialists Mariano Perez w$ a rcpresentati\'C of tht reponed 1hat this scene bore alii he signs of State Council of lndigenO\lS and an extra·judicial execution. Campesino Organizations of Chiapas. Many other represent3tives h3\'e received lanuao• 6, The Mexican anny detained 14 death thceats. including Margarito ~uiz of rnen from the lndigenouscommunhyofEI the Independent Indian People's Front. Chanal when the mayor accused them of being Zapatistas. They were beaten. tied In testill\OI'l}' before the US congress. Amby the hands and feet and t2ken first by nesty International documemcd •reports military vehicle and later by helicopter to of ttt least 9 extrajudicial exect.uions: 15 the military base of Teran in Tuxla arbitrary killings. indudingLhe killing of a Gutierrez. They were reported being tor· I 0 year old child: 3 coses o! ' dis.1ppeart\lfed by electric shock and beatings over ance• and serious concern about the pos~ the course of a week before being released. sible ""disappearance• of m least 6 others' and at least I 00 cases of torture and ill· lanuar;y 7. three Tzehal eldct'$ fron'l the treatment, including at least 2 cases of community of Morelia were tortured by possible raJ>e of women in detention. • All the am1y in the local church. while other 1hese violations were allegedly corried out men of the village were detained outside. by 1he Mexican army or police forces. In Thirty-one otherconnnunity members de- addition, 1hey conr.rmed the occurence of tained b)' the am'ly were rcponedly to r~ hundreds of arbitrary arrests. tured while in gov· cmment custody. met at a.n electoral convention in Mexico lished ~round the world . The bodies were City. :md passed n resolution criticizing the government's Chiapos peace proposal for failing to adequately address Indigenous rights under the constitution. March 21. PRl presidemial <:nndidate, Luis Donaldo Colosio. was assassinated at a campaign rally in 1'ijuani.1. The army repon· edly intensified a troop build-up in an attempt to surround EZtN positions p:trticularly in the areas of Las Margoritas. Ocosingo and Altamintno. The EZLN then suspended its consultation process, stating that it was forced to devote all resources to preparing for an auack. Throughout March. Indigenous and campesino organizations across the s~atc take over lands held by giant landowners. In comrast. the EZLN fo rbids takeovers in the region u nder their control. Ma):..i. C~n>acho Solis met with the EZLN Bishop Samuel Rub; lo discuss renew.. ing the dialogue. <tl'~d May 29- J I. The EZLN announced it had concluded consultations with base communities, and was beginning to count votes . .analyze opinions received and prepare a response. Looking for the Action? June 13. ZapatiSt3S' base communities re· jected the gove.mment's peace proposal . June 16. ManuelCamachoSolis resignedas goverment negotiator while criticizing PRJ presidential candidate Ernesto Zedillo. Bishop Samuel Ruiz also announced his resignation as mediator in the conflict. Human Rights Violations Following the l~Jnising, rhc Mexican anny. in collaboration with local caciques: and planl<l· lion owrwrs lmleashed a bntwl campaign of repression tend terror agairzst Indigenous and tampcsino orgar~izat ions a"d villages suspeaed of sympalhizing """' lht EZI..N. All hough 1he de1ails of many of1hese mrocilies may never be known. descripliOt!S of s-t:vcral CtlSes • such G-" those lisred btrow, were gather~d by Indigenous a11d lu(man r'ighrs organi_zations <1nd broadcast arountlrhc world. lanuary s 42 "Pcgf lot1'19'. 1Wr<l fo«tl"'iil< t.. iMtaJfii< ol lot~ it<-~ ol aD: c1.vt1 !Oill ooii:d trt~'--'"''ital,.,d!M' - bic Ab,l$oill ~ ""' CiJio9o Sdlcd olItt SUBSCRIBE TOORY! A photo of fh•e corpses with f>JJya Yala News �SAIIC News from SAIIC. he Indigenous movemem has grown immensely over the last decade. and the problems facing Indigenous people are as diverse and pressing as ever. In acknowledgment of lndigcnouspeoples'shiflingpolitical,economic and ecological realities, our informalion dissemination and networking activities have focused on supponing Indigenous organizing for territorial, environmental and human rights. We have also been busy improving our internal organizational srructurestOenable us to use limited resources most efficiently. Being located in the US puts us in the privileged position to effectively distribute information. offer technical s upport and act as a communication link for lndigenousorganiuuiOllS. We do not try in anyway todefineorshape the decisions of Indigcnous communities because that power legitimately corresponds to the people's grassl'OOts organizations. Our role is to give those organizations and conununitiesa voice here in the US and internationally. T Since January I this year. we have turned much a ttention to the situation in Chiapas. Mexico. The peoples of this region. which was bypassed b)' the first Zapatista revolution of 1917. may finally have the possibility tO shape their own destin)'. Outsiders have ahva}<S sought to impose their priorities on the Maya of Chiapas. Now Indigenous peopksare fighting to take their destiny into their own hands. SAilC offers s upport lO the many lnd,igenous organizations in the state engaged in this struggle, as well as to thestatewidccouncil they have formed with campes\no organizations. Through networ\<ing. publishing information, and makitlg our voices heard at events, confe<ences and meet- ings across the world . we are working to advocate for Indigenous peoples on other important issues as well. Board voi.8No.l &2 member Alejandro Argu.medo has ac- honored to have Mapuche elder Jose tively pursued refonns in the Interna- Luis Huilcaman here for a shon time in tional Biodiversity Convention. Wara November. The Ford Foundation recently reAlderete also on the SAIIC board . is active in work relating tO lndigenous poned that less than 1110 of 1 percent peoples' health care and respect for offoundat ion assets go to Native Ameritraditional S)'Stcms of healing. Board C.1nflndigenous programs. This report member Guillermo Delgado continues has helped shape efforts to increase our to participate in the development and base of support among individuals and organizing efforts of AlPIN. the first institutions as both donors and as subImemational Associ at ion of Indigenous scribers to this quarterly journal. SupPress. With theassistanceofthe lndiansk pOrt from the General Service FoundaMediasente•· in Oslo. SAIIC has been tion has allowed us to spend concerted providing fresh news on Indian issues ime and auention on our organiza· to support organizations in Europe. tiona! needs and plan for funtre work. SAIIC is pleased to have been able to In the process, we have spent a considhelp build the Abya Yala Fund. and tO erable amount of time ex'J)anding and have hosted its founding meeting (see streamlining our computerized data' Abya Yala Fund formed' in this issue). base. Two public awareness campaigns SAIIC's Visitors & Exchange pro- arc planned for this year. one targeting gram continues to coordinate or other- individuals and one targeting foundawise assist in visits and speaking tours tions. One of SAIIC's goals is "To by Indigenous representatives. Most communicate the Indigenous perspecrecent!}'· Araceli Burguete, research co- tive to policy and funding institutions ordinator for the Independent Indian whose work affects Indigenous people.• People's Front of Mexico, made a tre- We have therefore designed a mailing mendous impact during her California to foundations designed to raise their tour educating the public about the awareness of indigenous issues. conflict in Chiapas from the perspec- thel'eby. hopefully increasing the tiveof Indigenous organizations work· amount of support that goes to lndiging there. \Ne were also fortunate to enousorganizations. \Vewant to thank share in coordinating a joint solidarity all of you who have hung in there with tOur of Indigenous leaders Leonardo us throughout the years, despite the. at Viteri and Hector Villamil from Pastaza times, sporadic nature of our conur1u· Ecuador, as well as three representa- nications. It has been hard for us to tives of COLPUMALI··the regional focus in the midst of so many pressing Maya organization in Chiapas. jorge issues facing our brothers and s isters in Matamoros. Miskiro sociologist from the South. We, however have never Nicaragua presented information on forgotten OUI'SUpponers in the North. the situation on theAtlantic Coast here. We are very grateful to the individuals Last year, Rosa Jalja from the Coordi- and fonndations that have supported nating Commission of Ind igenous us, including: john D. and Catherine Women in Bolivia and Atencio Lopez. T. MacArthur Foundation, Foundation Secretat)' of the Kuna Nation, pro- for Deep Ecolog)'. Public Welfare Foun· vided inspiration.and advice at SAIIC's dation, The Tides Foundation, Public Board Retreat il.l Mountain Wolf. Cali- Media Center, Victoria Ward , JeffrC)' fomia and gave presentalions,tlnough- Bronfman, Maya Miller, Rosa Alegria out the country. Finally, we were and BillyTrice,jr. MuchlsimasGracias 4l �Items Available from SAIIC Daughtersof Abya Yala Testimonies of Indian women or· ganl.zing throughout the Conti· nem. Statements from.grassroots Indian women leaders from South and MesoAmerica. Includes reS()· lutionsfrom lndigenous,vomen's Video: Rebuilding Our Communities Indigenous leaders from Cemral and South America di«:uss the 500-yearscampaign, which began as an Indian response to the Quincentenary celebration and has developed as an ongoing dialogue among indigenous activists. Produced by SAtiC. $18 + $1.75 shipping. meetings. a directory of Indian women's orgttniza.tions and key contacts, information on Indian women's projects, and poems by Indian women . Forty-eight pages with beautiful black and white photographs. Printed on recycled paper. $6 + S t .50 shipping. An updated, bound edition is also available for SS + $1.50 shipping. Video: ASkirt Full of Butterflies 15 minutes. A love poem to the 1slhmus Zapou~c women of southern Oaxaca. Mexico. by ftlmmakers Ellen Osbome and Maureen Gosling. For every purchase made, a second copy will be sent to an Indigenous women's organization as a gift. $19.95 + $3 shipping. Video: Columbus Didn't Discover Us Amazonia: Voices from the Rainforest ·- A resource and acdon guide wilh a comprehensive listing of imemationa1 rainforest and Amazonian Indian organizatiions sponsored by SAIIC and the lmcmational Rivers Network. and published by Rainforest Action Network and Amazonia Film Project. 1990. Available in Spanish or English for $4.50 + Sl. 75 shipping. 1992 International Directory & Resource Guide An annotated dil:cctory of over 600 intemation. l organiza· a Native people's perspectives on the ColumbusQuincemennial based on the footage of the J 990 Quito Conference. 24 tions that participated in 500 Years of Resistance projects. Includes declarations from Indigenous conferences and orga- minutes. A co-production of SAIIC. CONAl E. ONIC and Turning Tide Productions. Available in Spanish or English for S19.95 + $1.75 for shipping & handling. nizations and information on curriculum resources, speakers burc.aus. computer networks. audio-visual resources and prim resources. $5 + $1.75 shipping. South and Mes o American Indian Information Center (SAIIC) PO Box 28703, Oakland, CA 94604 Non-profit Orga.nizalion 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, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 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 Vol. 8, Nos 1&2 Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Zotero Abstract Note Entire Issue Issue 1&2 Language English Pages 1-44 Publication Title Abya Yala News Volume 8 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/05b430babe62dc4f54c62ed17b032e5d.pdf 7ebf33a6797a8926e6930c81337b6642 PDF Text Text IN unsafe to eat. In addition. the construction would diven tributaries from the Moisle river, reducing Oows by up to 42% of one oft he world's most important salmon rivers. This could further endanger the Atlantic salmon. Reportedly. one million cubic meters of forest would also be clearcut for the reservoir and access roads. Quebec hopes to sell power generated b)• the projects to utilities in the nonheastem US. B RI EF the rights of the Indigenous communities precede scientific interest in these remains. lnacayallived his last days in the capital city, where he was brought with his family by the researcher Francisco Moreno to live on his esl3.te of•Pase:o del Bosque' . On September 24. 1888 the chief died of sadness. Coalition Pour Nitassirum, 182 de l'Eglise, Mani-Utenam, QC, Canada C4R4K2, Tel: 418-927-2102 Continental Indigenous Foundation Formed Mapuche Exert Rights over Cultural Heritage Indigenous leaders from throughout the continent came to Oakland, California on April 16 for the founding meeting of the first foundation formed and led by lndJgenous people from South and Central America. SAIIC hosted this meeting fort he Abya Yala Fund during which the various leaders decided the foundation's strategies and goals. The foundation aims to fund projects developed by lndig- On Febn•ary 20. remains of human skeletOns, pieces of Valdivian St)•le ceramics. and a stone pipe were discovered at a construction site in the city of San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina. Representatives of the three Mapuche communities in the region. the Curruhuinca. Vera, and Cayun, demanded immediate return of the ani facts. stating, •we cannot accept any manipulation of these remains be it for scientific or other reasons. There is no doubt that these remains we re found on ancestral Mapuche territory where our ancestors rest and this is S3cred to us! The three communities. members of the Mapuche Organization ofTain Kine Getuam held a series of public demonstrations and meetings with municipal authorities, from which they ob· tained a promise that the artifacts would be retumed to their "rightful heirs". The Mapuche remain concerned that this commitment " "" be kept. The discovery. also brought to light the lack of legislation for protection of such artifacts. The Mapuche enouscommunities in South and Central America and Mexico. Areas of interest will be territory. environment, training. selfdevelopment. women's issues. health, education. organizing. scholarships. and exchanges between Indigenous peoples. Another of the foundation's goals will be to support training in international communication. for example the improvement of communities' access to other foundations. The Abya Yala Fund also plans administrative training and assistance in elaboration of grant propos.1ls. The meeting participants noted that it is time that the Indigenous communities have direct access to foundations and other fonns of financial and technical support for their development effonsaimed at improving living conditions. In addition they observed that hundreds or non-indigenous intermediary groups have been receiving funds to work with representatives noted that protection oftheircultural heritage was indigenous people or in the name of indigenous people, and the 'most fundamental human right' of their people. that many of these fund have been wasted in administration. Intermediaries have at tirncs also imposed their political conditions on Indigenous connnunities. or have not been responsive to the communities' own interests. First Restitution of Indigenous Remains in Argentina One hundred and six years after his death, the remains of the 19th century hero of Indian resistance. Cacique lnacayal. will be moved from the Museum of La Plata in the province of Buenos Aires, to the community ofTecka in Chubut . This is the first such restitution in Argentina. which recognizes that Voi.8No.l &2 The Ab)'ll Yala Fund currently has an office in Oakland, Californ~1. and aims to fom1 regional offices in Central and South America. The fund is sponsored by the Tides Foundation until it obtains legal status. Donations are ta.' deductible. and computers. fax machines, printers and other office equipment are greatly needed. Abya Yala Fund c/o Tides Foundation 1388 Sutter St, 19th Floor, San Francisco. CA 94109. 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, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 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 First Restitution of Indigenous Remains in Argentina Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SAIIC Board of Directors Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title First Restitution of Indigenous Remains in Argentina Item Type Journal Article Author SAIIC Board of Directors Volume 8 Issue 1&2 Pages 5 Publication Title Abya Yala News Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note The remains of important indigenous leader Cacique Inacayal were given back to the Tecka community, acknowledging indigenous rights over scientific interests. Attachment Title abya yala p5.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Cacique Inacayal Chubut Tecka https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/479eb3cab2cfcf79161d58c5c3ee404c.pdf 0561d5153e9558f337ebd13d034f2914 PDF Text Text P ERSPECTIVES ON C HIAPAS Chronology of Events Since the January I Uprising WruiCI()! l 1991. The Z:lpatista Nntlonal Liberation Anny (EZLN) forced Its way Into Mexico's political and military arena. and focused not just Mexrco's. but much of the world's auemton on the southern state of Chtnp.1S. In the tori) hours of the morning o( Oeccmbu 31.the EZL>'I dt'idtd tts anny tnto fi,< columns and rn Hoordltuttd 3Ction took control of aU major towns m Chup.b wnh the exception of the stat< capualTUXIb Gutierrez. The EZI.N stormod ojatl tnAltamiranoand ltbtr>ted 160 pnsontrs. most of whont wrr< Indians accused of llle~llond takeovers. cutting trees Mthout prmtits and other such crimes by 1=1 authoritits-·known res•onally as caciques. Front a captured radio station tn Ocosingo.the EZLN denounetd thecon0i<1 WliS caused by governmental repressron. corrupdon and Indigenous peoples' miserable li\ing eondutons From the bakony of the municip.1l bwlding in San Cristob-11 deb, Casas the Zapaus"ts rt':ld therr now famous deeb.ration of w1r encompassmg the fringe of the highlands a11d much oft he l.acandon foreSI fanuarj' 13. The government and EZLN agmd to a cease-fire. Followmg the cease fire. the ~ovemment's death toll counted 35 soldters .md 75 Zapattstas. lnde~dent sources put the nutn!xrat wello,-er200. Q\-er20,000peoplc mostlyToJOiabal llnd T:ttltollndians ha'-e also Red thetr Vlllages and are living m make.~htft refugee camps in lion Cristobal and other towns Wnuarv JJ .. J4. Indian and campesino orgamzntions in Chiapas corried out an unprecedented mob!llznuon in San Cristobal. Fh·c hundred and twenty delegmes from 280 lndogenous and campesmo organl%11tlons m thesta\< ofChiapas met to propose rosolutionsto the oonOict The dde~tes called for :mend to hum3n nghts abuses. a tOIJl cease fire. r«:ogJlition of the EZI.N as •lxlhgerent pany :mel ntgottattons to resoh-e the conOtct. They then \'Oied 10 form • State lanugo- 2 The EZL'I rttrtattd from lion Cri$tobal··the second Council ol lndrgenous and CamptS'tno Organu:anons of Chiapas largr:11 city rn Ot.rapas. Thc)•a!soO\'ttT.uu m3JOr mlluary bast in the (CEOIO. rutte and c:a!Tttd off tons ol cxplos11•ts and ammunition. The ad oil nt5t r:IUOn Of Carlos Salinas de Gorul ri denounced the Zap.1US13S fanumy 16·22. The State Coun<tl met for the first time to try and funherde\·elop their proposals for Ouap.1S. CONIC dele~tes from as forergners and outlaws. Non h. South ~nd C<ntrnl America panlcipated as mvited observers Wpunrv 3. The Mexican amly eoumcmnncked by land and air. in this meeting. Eight thousmtd soldiers were deployed In the Brst few days while the alr force bombed presumed Z.apatista pos11tons. lanuar)! 21 Mexkangovemm<nt negotiator Manutl Cam3choSolb .evemllndigtnous ,;!!ages. and even a group of Tzeltal g•rls acknowkdgtd tlw •we must ask forgh-eness from indigenousgroups and eommunuies lor all the sufftnng they hove undergone.···• and a press vehrcle. $13t<m<nt mdrca.ting m-.,;ol ol the \ltXlCall go.-emmtnt's tarlt<r /qOI!al)' j. The EZL'< abandontd the htghbnd towns. retrtaung to denunttauon of the Zapatist.as IS outbws. b.1ses m the l.acandon forest. SAne recetvod a call from lndrgenous actl\1stS 1nS.nCnst<>OOiv.11h the news thatthealr force w:ISbombmg lanuaO' 25. Prcsrdem liolrnas met wuh 42 rtpresentoU\"eSOfCEOIC Indian oommunuies, as well as ktdnappmg and ~illing civilians m the atpltal cuyoi1'U.\1la Guuerrez ~le was met with fiery speeches accused of supponlng the Zapntlstas. The SAIIC office launched a demundlng a definitive end to the repre;siQn. and ajust solution to campargn to denounce thes<: hum•n rights violatio> and apply th~ eonOI<t. ts pressure o11the Mexican regime. Human rights organizations all over the world began effons to ha.lt the repr~lon. fcbnuuy 6-8. Indian and campe.slno orgmizntions seized four The Coordinanng CommiSSion of lndrgenous N•tionsand Orga· town halls and held protests In at least a dozen other commu· nwnons of the Contioou (CONIC) through the coordinating office nltles to demand the remo,..Jol corrupt local (PRJ) authoriues. tn l'atUtn2 btl>:ldcas~ th<st t.\'tnts throughout the continent and deetdtd to send delegates to Chiapas m sohdanty \\ith the lnd.12n f'tbDIQQ' 21. With Bishop Samuel Ruructmgasmediatorthc. populouon. EZLN ond Mextcan go,·enunem, represented by ex-mayor of MeXIco Ctty Manuel Camacho Solls.lxgan negotiations in the tanual)' 6. The military sealed off the town of San Cristobal de las Ouhcdml of San Cristobill . Cas.1s nnd all the Other zones of conOict. preventing movement of jot>mallsts, humnn rightS monitors a11d IQC<ll civilians alike. M;ta:b l . The government and cZI.N announced an end to the first round of talks. The govcntmem announced its peace lgou«r)! 8. Reacting tointertutional outcry •ga•nst the anny repres- proposal which the EZLN promised tO present to their base sron tn Chupas. Ptesident Salinas proposed a cease fire. peace commumties for a final de<:islon ncgotlanons :mel a (eondttiOIUI) gtner:al omnesty1or those im'Oh'ed rn theconOICt. The EZL'I rtmarned tn<ontrolofaswathoft<mtory <Continued on page 42l Voi.8No.l82 15 �CHIAPAS CHRONOLOGY oF EvENTs <Continued from page 15) March 7. Over 70 Indigenous organizations single bullet wounds to 1he head was pub- Agua Campesino Org~mization was assas· sinated man ambush by a groupofheavil)' found in the Ocosingo market and. ac· armed men as he left his village of El cording to reports. were members of the Carmalito near Simojovel. His son was last group ofZapatistas to retreat from the also critically wounded in the auack. area. A delegation of fore nsic specialists Mariano Perez w$ a rcpresentati\'C of tht reponed 1hat this scene bore alii he signs of State Council of lndigenO\lS and an extra·judicial execution. Campesino Organizations of Chiapas. Many other represent3tives h3\'e received lanuao• 6, The Mexican anny detained 14 death thceats. including Margarito ~uiz of rnen from the lndigenouscommunhyofEI the Independent Indian People's Front. Chanal when the mayor accused them of being Zapatistas. They were beaten. tied In testill\OI'l}' before the US congress. Amby the hands and feet and t2ken first by nesty International documemcd •reports military vehicle and later by helicopter to of ttt least 9 extrajudicial exect.uions: 15 the military base of Teran in Tuxla arbitrary killings. indudingLhe killing of a Gutierrez. They were reported being tor· I 0 year old child: 3 coses o! ' dis.1ppeart\lfed by electric shock and beatings over ance• and serious concern about the pos~ the course of a week before being released. sible ""disappearance• of m least 6 others' and at least I 00 cases of torture and ill· lanuar;y 7. three Tzehal eldct'$ fron'l the treatment, including at least 2 cases of community of Morelia were tortured by possible raJ>e of women in detention. • All the am1y in the local church. while other 1hese violations were allegedly corried out men of the village were detained outside. by 1he Mexican army or police forces. In Thirty-one otherconnnunity members de- addition, 1hey conr.rmed the occurence of tained b)' the am'ly were rcponedly to r~ hundreds of arbitrary arrests. tured while in gov· cmment custody. met at a.n electoral convention in Mexico lished ~round the world . The bodies were City. :md passed n resolution criticizing the government's Chiapos peace proposal for failing to adequately address Indigenous rights under the constitution. March 21. PRl presidemial <:nndidate, Luis Donaldo Colosio. was assassinated at a campaign rally in 1'ijuani.1. The army repon· edly intensified a troop build-up in an attempt to surround EZtN positions p:trticularly in the areas of Las Margoritas. Ocosingo and Altamintno. The EZLN then suspended its consultation process, stating that it was forced to devote all resources to preparing for an auack. Throughout March. Indigenous and campesino organizations across the s~atc take over lands held by giant landowners. In comrast. the EZLN fo rbids takeovers in the region u nder their control. Ma):..i. C~n>acho Solis met with the EZLN Bishop Samuel Rub; lo discuss renew.. ing the dialogue. <tl'~d May 29- J I. The EZLN announced it had concluded consultations with base communities, and was beginning to count votes . .analyze opinions received and prepare a response. Looking for the Action? June 13. ZapatiSt3S' base communities re· jected the gove.mment's peace proposal . June 16. ManuelCamachoSolis resignedas goverment negotiator while criticizing PRJ presidential candidate Ernesto Zedillo. Bishop Samuel Ruiz also announced his resignation as mediator in the conflict. Human Rights Violations Following the l~Jnising, rhc Mexican anny. in collaboration with local caciques: and planl<l· lion owrwrs lmleashed a bntwl campaign of repression tend terror agairzst Indigenous and tampcsino orgar~izat ions a"d villages suspeaed of sympalhizing """' lht EZI..N. All hough 1he de1ails of many of1hese mrocilies may never be known. descripliOt!S of s-t:vcral CtlSes • such G-" those lisred btrow, were gather~d by Indigenous a11d lu(man r'ighrs organi_zations <1nd broadcast arountlrhc world. lanuary s 42 "Pcgf lot1'19'. 1Wr<l fo«tl"'iil< t.. iMtaJfii< ol lot~ it<-~ ol aD: c1.vt1 !Oill ooii:d trt~'--'"''ital,.,d!M' - bic Ab,l$oill ~ ""' CiJio9o Sdlcd olItt SUBSCRIBE TOORY! A photo of fh•e corpses with f>JJya 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, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 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 Chronology of Events Since the January 1 Uprising Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SAIIC Board of Directors Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Chronology of Events Since the January 1 Uprising Item Type Journal Article Author SAIIC Board of Directors Volume 8 Issue 1&2 Pages 15,42 Publication Title Abya Yala News Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note Timeline of events in the Zapatista uprising January 1, 1994 to June 16, 1994 and human rights related to the uprising by the Mexican army. Attachment Title abya yala p15,42.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Chiapas Human Rights Violations Zapatista Uprising https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/15a562dd4f594697242813caed533d73.pdf f203c0dc20e3fa784747ff151637d881 PDF Text Text EDITORIAL n january first, 1994, much of the world was shocked with the news of the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas. Mexico internationally recognized as a stable. peaceful and democmtic country, proud of its government and admired by others. finally stood revealed. The uprising showed the world what many of us already knew: the extreme exploitation, oppression, discrimin:uion and misery of the close to fifteen million Indigenous people that live there. We also know that the same conditions exist in the maJonty of the countries on this comment. We hope that the eventS in Chtapas cause to renect not only governmentS but also the so-c~lled national societies which ha,·e generall>• remained indifferent to lndtgenous demands--so that this indifference is recogmzed as complicit)' with injustice. GovernmentS and societies ill general cannot commuc to ignore the clamor for justice being made by our people. In the meantime. Indigenous people are creating the necessary strateg)' and ideology to see more clearly our road to liberation . and to avoid confusion in the sense that Indigenous aspirations are reduced only 10 cia~ or economic demands. We want to clarify that Indigenous demands arc not just for a bcuer salary, or a piece of land, rather they oriented towards reconstructing our communities and cultures. In the last edition of Abya Yala News. we noted that even though some anent ion had been given to Indigenous problems by governments, institutions, and non-governmental organizations. little justice was actuallr achieved. Nonetheless, and despite everything. there are positive signs which hold out hope for a beuer future. We can affirm that Indigenous peoples continue to develop and communicate their objectives and policies wuh increasing clarit)' and unity. The International Year of Indigenous Peoples declared by the United Nations m 1993 created many expectations. But with few exccpuons, and despite the good intcnuons of some international agencies and go"ernments such as those of Norway, Canada and Australia,linle has changed. Not onl)•do Indigenous demands continue to be demcd. but the S)>Stematic violation of our peoples' human rights continues. Repression, murders. forced displacements and indiscriminate natural resource exploitation are the continuation of work begun five hundred years t~go. The United Nations has now declared this the decade of Indigenous Peoples. It is likely that governments with use this declaration todivett anent ion from existing problems, with the usual paternalistic propaganda. The difference is that now, Indigenous peoples scrutinize government policies. We are beuer organized and have more experien~e. The current challenge for Indigenous organizations is create the necessary strategies for change and a solid continental unity. O SAIIC Board of Darcctors Vol. 6 No. 1 &. 2 3 � 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, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 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 Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SAIIC Board of Directors Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Editorial Item Type Journal Article Author SAIIC Board of Directors Volume 8 Issue 1&2 Pages 3 Publication Title Abya Yala News Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note The Zapatista uprising in Chiapas unveiled México’s corruption to the world. Along with the UN’s declaration that 1993 be the International Year of Indigenous Peoples, this event brought light to the power and organization within indigenous communities throughout the world. Attachment Title abya yala p3.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Indigenous Organizing International Year of Indigenous Peoples https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/b6971d95a794158df5f2bc1080c154d5.pdf 124bd5a7404aec4b605aded70247c631 PDF Text Text IN BRIEF Indigenous Leaders Awarded Goldman Environmental Prize Indigenous Groups in Argentina Push for Rights Under New Constitution On April IS, 1994. Luis Macas president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAl E) and Mathew Coon Come. grand chief of the Cree were awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in San Francisco, California. The prize includes a no-strings attached $60,000 grant. Macas was recognized for his role in the 1990 Le''llntamiento lndigena (Indigenous uprising) in Ecuador which forced the government to seriously negotiate the conditions for oil drill- The fifteen Indigenous nations in Argentina are ean;ing out a country-wide mobilization in response to the opening of ing in the Ecuadorian Amazon. He was also praised for his role in the negotiations between CONAIE and the Ecuadorian government which resu1ted in a sweeping settlement giving Indigenous nations title to three million hectares of rainforest in the Amazon. Coon Come has worked fordeeades to oppose the Quebec government's monumental plans for hydroelectric dam building in James Bay. Both these struggles put Indigenous and environmental organizations against some or the world's most powerful forces. With these a"'llrds, the Goldman foundation has helped give world attention and Stature to these leader's struggles. Following is Luis Macas' statement at the ceremo· nies. a process for constitutional revision. Indigenous groups are pressuring the national congress to finally include an article stating their rights under the constitution. Indigenous organizations held two assemblies regarding the issue of constitutional refom1 and have drafted a proposal for rights to be included in the new constitution. The proposal's most important points were recognition that Indigenous peoples existed before the creation of the National state and birth of the provinces; the recognition of the Argentinian Republic asa pluri-ethnic and pluri-cultural state; the inclusion of rights to communal land ownership as well as control of all natural resources found in these lands: the right to educate their children in their own language and culture~ and finally, the deletion of pan 15 of article 67 of the current constitution which states that the govenment should •main· tain a peaceful relationship with the lndiansand promote their conversion to Catholidsm•. After drafting these proposals. representatives of all the Indig- enous communities presented a declaration to the national con· gress to urge inclusion of these changes in the new constitution. ...1Virl1 the arrival of western civilization the plundering of natural rtsourGes was init'iatcd as ·was the taheove:r and destmclion of our mother earth and the exploitation of our people. This imcnsive and irrational exploitation of nmural resources ca11sed nor only impoverishment of the earth but has generated poverry and the violation of human rights among our 1>tople in the South. The culture ofcapitalism and avarice has forced itself on nature to achieve its goals no matter what the sacrifice. As a result, we an: 110w experiencing an accelerated process of true global collapse. As inhabitants of this planer, it is viral and urgem to stop these crimes against nature and life and worh tore huegrate ourselves with the natural world so as to redirec.rour path toward a more respectful and harmonious relationship wirh it. These beliefs motivate us to defend ourmotherea,.th and resist hcrdcstntction with her. Therefore it is important that we gain title to territories which will gtwrantee their proteaion, not only for us, but for the benefit of all life... We have to oppose destruction and death with justice. s11stainable development and life. 4 lnnu Activists Blockade Hydro-Quebec Roads lnnu from the Coalition for Nitassinan (their traditional lands) supported by observers set up camp on Ma)' 29. blocking the access ro.~d which Hydro-Quebec intends to use for construction of the massive Sainte-Marguerite Ill (SM Ill) hydroelectric project. Hydro-Quebec officials have reportedly sought an official injunction against the blockade in order to remove the protesters. The SM Ill project would be built in lnnu territory along the nonh shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. It would flood over 450 square km. and, possibly contaminate this area with the toxin methyl mercury. lnnu fear this contamination will render the region's fish, one of their main food sources. · 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, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 1994) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Indigenous Groups in Argentina Push for Rights Under New Constitution Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SAIIC Board of Directors Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English Zotero Title Indigenous Groups in Argentina Push for Rights Under New Constitution Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 1&2 Pages 4 Publication Title Abya Yala News Date Summer 1994 Abstract Note Indigenous groups in Argentina pressed the congress for the acknowledgement of their rights under a changing constitution. Attachment Title abya yala p4.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Language English Argentine Constitution Indigenous Rights https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/d40888bb31c55adf6f03f8d5642247b3.pdf 399e8738333cbed2be8355f827cf14af PDF Text Text IN BRIE F Indigenous Leaders Awarded Goldman Environmental Prize Indigenous Groups in Argentina Push for Rights Under New Constitution OnApril18. 1994. Luis Macas president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAl E) and Mathew Coon Come. grand chief of the Cree were awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in San Francisco, California. The prize includes a no-strings attached $60,000 grant. Macas was recognized for his role in the 1990 Levantamiento lndigena (Indigenous uprising) in Ecuador which forced the government to seriously negotiate the conditions for oil drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon. He was also praised for his role in the negotiations between CONAIE and the Ecuadorian govemmem which resulted in a sweeping settlement giving Indigenous nations title to three million hectares of rainforest in the Amazon. Coon Come has worked for decades to oppose the Quebec government's monumental plans for hydroelectric dam building in James Bay. Both these struggles put Indigenous and environmemal organizations against some or the world's most powerful forces. With these awnrds, the Goldman foundation has helped give world attention and stature to these leader's struggles. Following is Luis Mac.1s' statement at the cercmO· The fifteen Indigenous nations in Argetnina arc car');ng out a country-wide mobilization in response to the opening of a process for constitutional revision. lncligcnous groups are pressuring the national congress to finally include an article nies. arrival of wescem civilization tl1e plundering of natural resources was initiated as was the ta,~eover and destr'UCrion of our moeIter earth and the exploitation of our p<ople. This fntensivt and irralional exploitation of natural rtsmuces ca«sed not only impoverishment of Ute earth liUI has gener(l(ed poverty and the viola!ion of human rights among our t>eople in the South. nte culture ofcapitalism and avarice has forced i!Self on natur'c to achieve its goals no nuwer what the ~tcrifice. As <l reSilh, we: arc now experiendng an accelerated process of tnle globed collapse. st~ning their rights under the constitution . Indigenous orga- nizations held two assemblies regarding the issue of constitutional refonn and have drafted a proposal for rights to be included in the new constitution. The proposal's most important points were recognition that Indigenous peoples ex.isted before the creation of the National state and birth of the provinces; the recognition of the Argentinian Republicasa pluri-ethnicand pluri-cuhuralstate: the inclusion of rights to communal land ownership as well as control of all natural resources found in these lands: the right to educate their children in their own language and culture; and finally, the deletion of pan 15 of article 67oft he current <.:Onstitution whlch states lhm the govenment should •main' taina peaceful relationship with the Indians and promote their conversion to Catholicism•. After drafting these propos.1ls. rtpiXSCntatives of alithe Indigenous communities presented a declaration to the national congress to urge inclusion of these changes in the new constitution. .. .1Vitl1 tilt As inhabitancs of this planet, ft is vital and w~e111 to scop these crimes against nature mullife and worl: tort incegmteourselves wich the natuml world so as to rtdirea our p<Uit tOw(ir'd a more respectf«l and harmonious relarionship with i1. Tltt.s.: beliefs motivate us to defend our motl1tr ear·t11 and resist her des! ruction with her. Therefore it is important that wegain tille lo terrilmies which will guarmtlee !heir protection, nor only for «s, bwfor che benefit ofalllife... IVe have co oppose dtw'Uction and death with justice. sustainable developmen! and life. 4 lnnu Activists Blockade Hydro-Quebec Roads lnnu from the Coalition for Nitassinan (their traditional lands) supponed by observers set up camp on Mal' 29. blocking the access ro.•d which Hydro·Qucbec intends to use for construction of the massive Sainte-Marguerite Ill (SM Ill) hydroelectric project. Hydro-Quebec officials have rcportedlysoughtan official injunction against the blockade in ordc.r to remove the protesters. TheSM Ill project would be built in lnnuterritoryalongthe north shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. It would flood over 450 square km. and, possibly contaminate this area with the toxin methyl mercury. lnnu fear this (ontamination will render the region's fish, one of their main food sources, · �IN BRIEF uns.1fe to eat. In addition, the construction would divert tribUiaries from the Moisle river. reducing nows by up lO 42% of one of the world's most important salmon rivers. This could furtherendanger the Atlantic salmon. Reportedly, one million cubic meters of forest would also be c1earcut for the reservoir and access roads. Quebec hopes to sell power generated b)• the projects to utilities in the nonheastern US. Coalition Pour Nicassinan, 182 de l'Eglise, Mani·UConam. QC, Canada C4R4K2. Tel: 41.8·927·2102 Mapuche Exert Rights over Cultural Heritage On February 20. remains of human skeletons, pieces of Valdivian St)'le ceramics. a.nd a stone pipe were discovered at a construction site in the city of San Martin de Los Andes. Argentina. Representatives of the three Mapuche communi· lies in the region. the Curnohuinca. Vera, and Cayun. de· manded immediate return of the artifacts. stating. •\vc cannot accept any manipulation of these remains be il for scientific or other reasons. There is no doubt that these remains were found on ancestral Mapuche territory where oul:' ancestors rest and this is S3.Cred to us." The three communities, members of the Mapuche Organiza. tion ofTain Kine Cetuam held a series of public demonstrations and meetings with municipal authorities, from which they obtained a promise that the artifacts would be retumed 10 their "rightful heirs". The Mapuche remain concerned that this commitment will be kept. The discovery, also brought to light the lack of legislation (or protection of such ani facts. The Mapuche representatives n(){ed that protection oftheircullural heritage was the "most fundamental human right' of their people. First Restitution of Indigenous Remains in Argentina One hundred and six years after his death, the remains of the 19th century hero of Indian resistance, Cacique lnacayal, will be moved from the Museum of La Plata in the province of Buenos Aires, to the community ofTecka in Chubul . This is the first such restitution in Argemina. which recognizes that Voi.8No.l &2 the rights of the Indigenous communities precede scientific interest in these remains. lnacayallived his last days in the capital city, where he was brought with his family by the researcher FranciS<::o Moreno to Uve on his estate of•Paseo del Bosque'. On September 24, 1888 the chief died of sadness. Continental Indigenous Foundation Formed Indigenous leaders from throughout the continent came to Oakland, California on. April 16 for the founding meeting of the first foundation fonned and led by Indigenous people from South and Cemral America. SAIIC hosted this meeting for the Ab)•a Yala Fund during which the various leaders decided the foundation's strategies and goals. The foundation aims to ftmd projects developed by lndig· enouscommunities in South and Ccml'al America and Mexico. Areas of interest will be territory. environment, trainjng, selfdevelopment, women's issues. health, education. organizing. scholarships. and exchanges between Indigenous peoples. Anotherofthc foundation's goals will be to support I raining in lmen1ational communicalion. for example the improvement of communities' access to other foundations. The Abya \'ala fund ;'liso plans administrative training and assistance in elaboration of gram propos.,ls. The meeting pa.nicipams noted that it is time that the Indigenous communities have direct access to foundations and other fonns of financial and technical support for their development efforts aimed at improvi1\g living conditions. In addition they observed that hundreds of non-indigenous intermediary groups have been receiving funds to work with indigenous people or in the name of indigenous people, and that man}' of these fund have been wasted in administration. Intermediaries have at times also imposcd their political conditions on Indigenous communities. or have not been responsive to the communities' own interests. The Abya Yala Fund currently has an office in Oakland, Califor· nia. and aims to fom• regional offices in Central and South America, The fund is sponsored by the Tides Foundation umil it obtains legal stalliS. Donations are,.., deductible, and compu1ers. f.-.x machines. primers and other office equipment are grea.tly needed. Abya l'ala Fund c/o Tides Foundation 1388 Sutcer St, J9rh Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109. 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, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 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 Innu Activists Blockade Hydro-Quebec Roads Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SAIIC Board of Directors Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Innu Activists Blockade Hydro-Quebec Roads Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 1&2 Pages 4-5 Publication Title Abya Yala News Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note Indigenous people block the construction of a hydroelectric project on their lands that could contaminate water sources and food supply. Attachment Title abya yala p4-5.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Hydroelectric protest Innu land rights Sainte-Mauregrite III https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/4078730a1c2d1d90e11de45ffbc63df1.pdf 7ebf33a6797a8926e6930c81337b6642 PDF Text Text IN unsafe to eat. In addition. the construction would diven tributaries from the Moisle river, reducing Oows by up to 42% of one oft he world's most important salmon rivers. This could further endanger the Atlantic salmon. Reportedly. one million cubic meters of forest would also be clearcut for the reservoir and access roads. Quebec hopes to sell power generated b)• the projects to utilities in the nonheastem US. B RI EF the rights of the Indigenous communities precede scientific interest in these remains. lnacayallived his last days in the capital city, where he was brought with his family by the researcher Francisco Moreno to live on his esl3.te of•Pase:o del Bosque' . On September 24. 1888 the chief died of sadness. Coalition Pour Nitassirum, 182 de l'Eglise, Mani-Utenam, QC, Canada C4R4K2, Tel: 418-927-2102 Continental Indigenous Foundation Formed Mapuche Exert Rights over Cultural Heritage Indigenous leaders from throughout the continent came to Oakland, California on April 16 for the founding meeting of the first foundation formed and led by lndJgenous people from South and Central America. SAIIC hosted this meeting fort he Abya Yala Fund during which the various leaders decided the foundation's strategies and goals. The foundation aims to fund projects developed by lndig- On Febn•ary 20. remains of human skeletOns, pieces of Valdivian St)•le ceramics. and a stone pipe were discovered at a construction site in the city of San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina. Representatives of the three Mapuche communities in the region. the Curruhuinca. Vera, and Cayun, demanded immediate return of the ani facts. stating, •we cannot accept any manipulation of these remains be it for scientific or other reasons. There is no doubt that these remains we re found on ancestral Mapuche territory where our ancestors rest and this is S3cred to us! The three communities. members of the Mapuche Organization ofTain Kine Getuam held a series of public demonstrations and meetings with municipal authorities, from which they ob· tained a promise that the artifacts would be retumed to their "rightful heirs". The Mapuche remain concerned that this commitment " "" be kept. The discovery. also brought to light the lack of legislation for protection of such artifacts. The Mapuche enouscommunities in South and Central America and Mexico. Areas of interest will be territory. environment, training. selfdevelopment. women's issues. health, education. organizing. scholarships. and exchanges between Indigenous peoples. Another of the foundation's goals will be to support training in international communication. for example the improvement of communities' access to other foundations. The Abya Yala Fund also plans administrative training and assistance in elaboration of grant propos.1ls. The meeting participants noted that it is time that the Indigenous communities have direct access to foundations and other fonns of financial and technical support for their development effonsaimed at improving living conditions. In addition they observed that hundreds or non-indigenous intermediary groups have been receiving funds to work with representatives noted that protection oftheircultural heritage was indigenous people or in the name of indigenous people, and the 'most fundamental human right' of their people. that many of these fund have been wasted in administration. Intermediaries have at tirncs also imposed their political conditions on Indigenous connnunities. or have not been responsive to the communities' own interests. First Restitution of Indigenous Remains in Argentina One hundred and six years after his death, the remains of the 19th century hero of Indian resistance. Cacique lnacayal. will be moved from the Museum of La Plata in the province of Buenos Aires, to the community ofTecka in Chubut . This is the first such restitution in Argentina. which recognizes that Voi.8No.l &2 The Ab)'ll Yala Fund currently has an office in Oakland, Californ~1. and aims to fom1 regional offices in Central and South America. The fund is sponsored by the Tides Foundation until it obtains legal status. Donations are ta.' deductible. and computers. fax machines, printers and other office equipment are greatly needed. Abya Yala Fund c/o Tides Foundation 1388 Sutter St, 19th Floor, San Francisco. CA 94109. 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, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 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 Continental Indigenous Foundation Formed Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SAIIC Board of Directors Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Continental Indigenous Foundation Formed Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 1&2 Pages 5 Publication Title Abya Yala News Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note Indigenous leaders met to discuss development issues and ways to fund projects dedicated to solving them. Attachment Title abya yala p5.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Indigenous Conference saiic Tides Foundation https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/94c6fd85f9ec56ee658fe517c43eb9e3.pdf 740362d6f548f0d2ffde4b912085ada6 PDF Text Text PERSPECTIV ES ON (HIAPAS Democracy, an E.nd to Discrimination and Regional Development: THE lAPA TISTA NATION LIBERATIONARMY PROPOSALS AL he extent to which the Zapatista onny h:ts been able to communi c:ue itS positions and observauons to the nauonal :md international press Is unprecedented in the recent h1SIOI)' of 1..1\un American anned uprisings. On June I 0, 10 a rejection of the go,·emment"s peace proposal the EZLN 1ssucd a "Second L1candon Declaration" (the Rrst being the January I delcar:uion of war). In addition to rciterotlng old demands for national democracy. the EZLN proposed a new T conslilutionnl convet"'lion. • .. .We address our brothers and sisters in different non-governmental organiz:uions. in peasant and indigenous organmulons. workers in the cities and in the counti)'Sidc.teachers and students. housewives ond squatters, anIStsand mtellectunls, membersofindependcnt pohucal panu:s, Mexicans. We call rou all to 3 nauonal d~alogue with the theme of democracy, freedom and justice. For thlsreru;on, we put forward the following invitntion to a National Democmtic Convcmlon ... we call for a sovereign ondrevolutionary National Ocmocmtic Convent ion to createa tran· sit ion govcmmem and a new national law, a new constitution that will guarantee the lcg.1l futnllmem of the people's will. This soverctgn revolutionary convention \\11l be n.11ional in that all st:ues of the federation "~ll be represented. It '"ll be plumI m theser~Sethat all patrioucsectorswill be represented. It Will be dcmocntuc in the W3)' in whtch n wtll make decisions by na16 tiona! consultations. The convention "~II be pre51dcd over, freely and voluntarily by cn1llans. prestigious public figures. regardless of thetr poliucal affiliation. race,rehglon,sexorage. The convention will be launched b)' local, state and reg1onal commmees in every ejido, seulemem. school and factory. These committees Mil be charged with collecting the people's proposals for the new consmuuon and demands to be carried out by n new government following the convention. The convention should demand free and democratiC eleCtions nndshould fight for the people's will to be respected. The EZLN w11l recognize the Nauonnl Dc:mocmucConventionasthe authenuc rcpresent.11ive of the interestS of the Mextcan people m their transnion to democracy. The EZI..!.'I is now tO be found throughout the nauonalterntory and IS m a position to offer itself to the Mex1c.'n people as an amt)' to guammee that the people's will is canird out. Fort he first meeting of the Nntlona l Democratic Convemion,the EZLN offers as a meeting-place a Zapatista settlement with all of the rcsotn•ces to be found there.. ." Apart from the fatrly geneml comuni EZLN St:tted ItS positions rnostspccificaUy in the1r now fnmous 34 point peace proposal last March. fhlS proposal included dcmandsformuonaldemocmcy, regional economic development and in general. the abobuon of d~SCnnunatOI')' auitudes. poliCies and go'-emment rept1!SSion. The foiiO\-.ng IS a bst of central demands in each of these catej,'Ones. Political Change 1. We demand free and democrauc elections wnh equal rights and obligauofiS for all pohucal org:tmzations conu:ndmg for power, true libeny to choose one or another proposal and respect for the majority's "111 Democracy tSa fundamental right of all Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Without democmcy there can be no Iibert)'. justice or dtgnity and \\1thout dignity there is nothing. 2. To ensure free and trulydcmocrauc elections it is ncccs.o;.1ry for the Federal Execuuve and occupantSof state offices who reacheclthetr positions of power through electoral fraud to resign. Thclnitlesdonotcome from majomy consensus but mther are the result of usurpauon. Consequently, 11 will be necess.•ry for a tranSitional government to be fonncd. 3. The recognition of the EZu'-1 as a belligerent force. 4. A new pact between federation members to do away with centralization and ollow regions, indigenouscommunlticsand municipalities to govern themselves with political, economic and cuhuml autonomy. 5. Genernl elecnons m the state of Chtap.'\Sand the legal recognition of all the state's political forces. Regional Development 6. It IS of the utmOSttmponance that all Chiapan communmes recel\·e Abya Yala News �P ERSPECTIVES ON ( HIAPAS a) Chtldborth clinics with gyn~colo­ gists: b) Child-care facilities in all communities: Membol$ of tho EZlN general command ot press conference in San Cristobal do 1M C&os electricity nnd that a certain perdependent radio station th.•t IS directed and opemted by mdigcnous cemagcofthe t:Lxeseamed from the commerc~alizallon of Chtapan pe· people. troleum be applied to mdus11ial, 11. We demand tha1 housmg be buolt in all rural communities m Mexico, agrocuhuml, commercJal and social :md pro,~ded with necessary serinfrastructure projects for the benvices such as: light, running water. efit of nll Cltiapanecos. roads. sewage systems, telephones. 7. The revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement signed with public transportation, etc. And also the l)nitcd States and Canada. Inus that we be granted the benents of the city such as tclcvboons, sto,·es. present form it does not take Into rdrigerators, washmgm<tchines,etc. account the indigenous populauon Furthermore, 11 represents a death ll.We demand an end lO illiteracy in md1genous commumues. For thiS sentence ix'cause it docs not mwe need better elementary and seccludr any labor qualifications what• soever. ondary schools'" our communities 8. Article27 oftheMagnaCanashould which provide free materials and have teachers with unovcrsity derespect the originalspirit ofEmlllano Z.1pata: bnd is for the indigenous grees who arc at the seo·vice of the people and peasants who work it, pCO!>Ie and not just defending the wcahh)•. not for lmifwulisws {large landowners), In addition, the proposal calls for 9. We demand that the go\'ernmcnt jobs with fair salaries for all, cancellabutld hospitals in the capotals of tion of htgh-imcrest debts held by the all municopalities whtch are poor, an end to hunger and go\'cmcquopped with spectahzed doc- ment supported eoopemtl\·es stores in tors and sufficient medicme to at- each community. and access to free tend to all patients and rum! clln· markets without intem>ediarics. This ics in smaller communities with ' Indigenous Women's Petition• was tminlng and fair salaries for health also included: representatives. 10. That indigenous people be guaran- We, Indigenous peasant women, deteed the right to information on mand the immediate solution 10 our lac:~!. regional. state. national and urgent needs which ha,·e long been internationalle,<els through an In- ignored by the go\'emmcnt Voi.8No. 1 &2 c) Sufficient food for all children in ruralcommunlttcs including: milk. corn nour. rtcc. corn, soy. oil. beans. cheese , eggs. sugar, soup. oats etc: d) Fully-equipped popular kitchens for children on the communities: e) Community gnnding mills and tortilla presses depending on 1he number of ramilies in each community: 0 Poultry. r:obbit, sheep and pig farms: g) We dem:1nd projects for baked goods: h) ArtiSan workshops well equipped "ith m.•chlncry lnd primary matertals. i) Markets m which to sell our crafts at fa1r prices: j) Technical tramlng schools for women: k) Preschools and maternal schools: I) Adequate mcansoftmnsponation. Discrimination and Repression The propos.•! also called for an end to discrimtnauon of all kinds. respect for digntty of Indigenous cultures and languages, and bilingual education in the schools. Fmally, 1hc EZLN demanded that federal security forces be baned from entering their communities. rcforn1 of the state penal code to pem1it free political expression, release of pohtical and poor prisoners •who are being held unjustly in Me.'<ican jails". and Ml end to expulsions of dissidents from lndtgenous communities. tmponantl)', lhC)' also called for "pohucal trta!s• for former state officials Patrocinto Gonzalez Blanco Garrido. Absalon Castellanos Dominguez and f:lmar Setzer M.--all accused of abuse of power, corruption and more serious crimes such as murder while in office. The EZLN propos.• I stales that all accords should be enforced b)' a Nauonnl Commission for Peace with Justice and Dignity. ..., 17 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 8, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 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 Democracy, an End to Discrimination and Regional Development: The Zapatista National Liberation Army Proposals Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource EZLN Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Democracy, an End to Discrimination and Regional Development: The Zapatista National Liberation Army Proposals Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 1&2 Pages 16-17 Publication Title Abya Yala News Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note The EZLN list of demands for Political Change, Regional Demands, Women's Projects, and an end to discrimination and repression Attachment Title abya yala p16-17.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] political change regional development Second Lacandon Declaration Zapatista Demands https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/565cc80d001602d7a9b72e1b2288d927.pdf 7ebf33a6797a8926e6930c81337b6642 PDF Text Text IN unsafe to eat. In addition. the construction would diven tributaries from the Moisle river, reducing Oows by up to 42% of one oft he world's most important salmon rivers. This could further endanger the Atlantic salmon. Reportedly. one million cubic meters of forest would also be clearcut for the reservoir and access roads. Quebec hopes to sell power generated b)• the projects to utilities in the nonheastem US. B RI EF the rights of the Indigenous communities precede scientific interest in these remains. lnacayallived his last days in the capital city, where he was brought with his family by the researcher Francisco Moreno to live on his esl3.te of•Pase:o del Bosque' . On September 24. 1888 the chief died of sadness. Coalition Pour Nitassirum, 182 de l'Eglise, Mani-Utenam, QC, Canada C4R4K2, Tel: 418-927-2102 Continental Indigenous Foundation Formed Mapuche Exert Rights over Cultural Heritage Indigenous leaders from throughout the continent came to Oakland, California on April 16 for the founding meeting of the first foundation formed and led by lndJgenous people from South and Central America. SAIIC hosted this meeting fort he Abya Yala Fund during which the various leaders decided the foundation's strategies and goals. The foundation aims to fund projects developed by lndig- On Febn•ary 20. remains of human skeletOns, pieces of Valdivian St)•le ceramics. and a stone pipe were discovered at a construction site in the city of San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina. Representatives of the three Mapuche communities in the region. the Curruhuinca. Vera, and Cayun, demanded immediate return of the ani facts. stating, •we cannot accept any manipulation of these remains be it for scientific or other reasons. There is no doubt that these remains we re found on ancestral Mapuche territory where our ancestors rest and this is S3cred to us! The three communities. members of the Mapuche Organization ofTain Kine Getuam held a series of public demonstrations and meetings with municipal authorities, from which they ob· tained a promise that the artifacts would be retumed to their "rightful heirs". The Mapuche remain concerned that this commitment " "" be kept. The discovery. also brought to light the lack of legislation for protection of such artifacts. The Mapuche enouscommunities in South and Central America and Mexico. Areas of interest will be territory. environment, training. selfdevelopment. women's issues. health, education. organizing. scholarships. and exchanges between Indigenous peoples. Another of the foundation's goals will be to support training in international communication. for example the improvement of communities' access to other foundations. The Abya Yala Fund also plans administrative training and assistance in elaboration of grant propos.1ls. The meeting participants noted that it is time that the Indigenous communities have direct access to foundations and other fonns of financial and technical support for their development effonsaimed at improving living conditions. In addition they observed that hundreds or non-indigenous intermediary groups have been receiving funds to work with representatives noted that protection oftheircultural heritage was indigenous people or in the name of indigenous people, and the 'most fundamental human right' of their people. that many of these fund have been wasted in administration. Intermediaries have at tirncs also imposed their political conditions on Indigenous connnunities. or have not been responsive to the communities' own interests. First Restitution of Indigenous Remains in Argentina One hundred and six years after his death, the remains of the 19th century hero of Indian resistance. Cacique lnacayal. will be moved from the Museum of La Plata in the province of Buenos Aires, to the community ofTecka in Chubut . This is the first such restitution in Argentina. which recognizes that Voi.8No.l &2 The Ab)'ll Yala Fund currently has an office in Oakland, Californ~1. and aims to fom1 regional offices in Central and South America. The fund is sponsored by the Tides Foundation until it obtains legal status. Donations are ta.' deductible. and computers. fax machines, printers and other office equipment are greatly needed. Abya Yala Fund c/o Tides Foundation 1388 Sutter St, 19th Floor, San Francisco. CA 94109. 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, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 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 Mapuche Exert Rights over Cultural Heritage Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SAIIC Board of Directors Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Mapuche Exert Rights over Cultural Heritage Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 1&2 Pages 5 Publication Title Abya Yala News Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note Mapuche fight to protect their cultural heritage when artifacts were found in San Martin de los Andes, Argentina. Attachment Title abya yala p5.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Cultural Heritage Sacred Artifacts San Martin de los Andes https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/086a51019e0888c1e33eb767d8df3d97.pdf 0b362e01dc28a40c56c9e6452df96800 PDF Text Text P ERS PECTIVES ON ( HIAPAS Indigenous and Campesino Organizations Unite to Present Peace Proposals Peace will come when everything that has been confiscated and stolen from the people has been returned, especially in regard to fond, because the legitimate and authentic owners of the fond ore the compesinos ond Indigenous people. ---Working commision, State Indigenous and Compesino Council of Chiopos thousand Indigenous people and campesinos are occupymg the pubhc plaza in Chiapas' capital city of Tuxtla Guuerrez as this magazme goes 10 press. The occupation began when I0,000 members of the Stole Indigenous and Campesino Counc1l of Ch1apas (CEOIC) marched on the capualas pan of a nation-wide mob1hzallon called 'Zapata V1vc'. They are seeking resolution of the~r demands for tern tory, autonomy land refonn, and acceptance of the CEOIC peace plan. The Independent Indian People's Front repons some ad,·ances in negouauons with the government. Howe,-er, but negotiations on human rights guarantees remoin unresolved . Indigenous organiz.11ions will sign no agreements wuhout securing the release of all those people who hove been unjustly and arbitrarily arrested in the state. S IX Only ten days after the first shots were fired, every major Indian organization mel in San Cristobal de Las Casas to form--along with non-Indigenous campesino organizations--the Indigenous and Campesino Stole Council of Chiapas (CEOIC). The Indigenous organizations arc a minority in the tumultuous ond fragile coahtion However. they are currently the most acuve and powerfully vocal faction. Although the Zapatistas' positions have been mtmmal m relauon to spec1ficall)• lnd•an concerns, Indigenous organiz.1uons throughout the state of Cluapas have taken advantage ofthe pohucal space opened by the january rebelhon to unite forces and are developmg their own alternative peace proposals. These proposals have special relevancesmce the Mexican government agreed that a prerequisite to negotiations was that there would be no return 10 the pre-rebellion situation in the state. Whether CEOIC will toke a scat at the negotiating table with the governmentond Zapatistas remains unclear. CEOIC has endorsed most of the EZLN's demands. in addition m their jonuary 11 -14 meeting, the council called for constitutional reform to enable a new relationship between Indigenous peoples ond the Mexican stale. This would be based in the reorganization of terntory as well as polillcal restructuring. CEOIC proposes the creauon of autonomous plun-ethmc reg.ons which would shift power from the state and the federntion 10 lnd1genous peoples' in the state. Actual geogrnphic regions have not been drnwn. Actual territorial demarcauon IS the next challenge 12 ,~~i(/4. Antonio Hernandez Cruz M aya Tojolabal and Secretary General of the CIOAC Hernandez is o founding member of the State Indigenous and Compesino Council of Chiopos. He spoke with SAIIC in Son Cristobol de los Casas regarding the Indigenous movement in Chiopos, government repression ond the CEOIC's work. Following the uprising, Hernandez was among the hundredsof lndionsdetoinedond tortured by the military. Can you tell me what hoppened to you when you were detamed by the military. what d1d they occuse you of? -We were detamed on january 5 until 2:00pm the follo\\ong day ... The)' accused us ofbemg the Zapatistas' political leaders... They took us from the car we were ridmg in, put hoods O\'er our heads and tied them ''ery tightly around our necks. We were like this for 24 hours. Then they interrogated us heavily, trying to force us 1 say that 0 we sympathized or were active in the Zapatista am1y. When we said no.they hit us. 1received blows in the stomach. chest. back, and head. about 20 hard blows. Did you denounce thrs occurrence? -To the nauonal and mternational press, to the teleVlston. but ttle'l<ision doesn't repon anything. The press Pbya 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, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 1994) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Indigenous and Campesino Organizations Unite to Present Peace Proposals Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SAIIC Board of Directors Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Indigenous and Campesino Organizations Unite to Present Peace Proposals Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 1&2 Pages 12 Publication Title Abya Yala News Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note Answering the call for nation-wide mobilization in Mexico following the Zapatista uprising, the State Indigenous and Campesino Council of Chiapas (CEOIC) marched to and occupied the public plaza in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas demanding territory, autonomy, land reform, and acceptance of a peace plan. Attachment Title abya yala p12.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] indigenous peace plan State Indigenous and Campesino Council of Chiapas Tuxtla Gutierrez Chiapas Zapatista Vive https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/8d828f7daa7d4fb6031a7de701238f3e.pdf 124bd5a7404aec4b605aded70247c631 PDF Text Text IN BRIEF Indigenous Leaders Awarded Goldman Environmental Prize Indigenous Groups in Argentina Push for Rights Under New Constitution On April IS, 1994. Luis Macas president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAl E) and Mathew Coon Come. grand chief of the Cree were awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in San Francisco, California. The prize includes a no-strings attached $60,000 grant. Macas was recognized for his role in the 1990 Le''llntamiento lndigena (Indigenous uprising) in Ecuador which forced the government to seriously negotiate the conditions for oil drill- The fifteen Indigenous nations in Argentina are ean;ing out a country-wide mobilization in response to the opening of ing in the Ecuadorian Amazon. He was also praised for his role in the negotiations between CONAIE and the Ecuadorian government which resu1ted in a sweeping settlement giving Indigenous nations title to three million hectares of rainforest in the Amazon. Coon Come has worked fordeeades to oppose the Quebec government's monumental plans for hydroelectric dam building in James Bay. Both these struggles put Indigenous and environmental organizations against some or the world's most powerful forces. With these a"'llrds, the Goldman foundation has helped give world attention and Stature to these leader's struggles. Following is Luis Macas' statement at the ceremo· nies. a process for constitutional revision. Indigenous groups are pressuring the national congress to finally include an article stating their rights under the constitution. Indigenous organizations held two assemblies regarding the issue of constitutional refom1 and have drafted a proposal for rights to be included in the new constitution. The proposal's most important points were recognition that Indigenous peoples existed before the creation of the National state and birth of the provinces; the recognition of the Argentinian Republic asa pluri-ethnic and pluri-cultural state; the inclusion of rights to communal land ownership as well as control of all natural resources found in these lands: the right to educate their children in their own language and culture~ and finally, the deletion of pan 15 of article 67 of the current constitution which states that the govenment should •main· tain a peaceful relationship with the lndiansand promote their conversion to Catholidsm•. After drafting these proposals. representatives of all the Indig- enous communities presented a declaration to the national con· gress to urge inclusion of these changes in the new constitution. ...1Virl1 the arrival of western civilization the plundering of natural rtsourGes was init'iatcd as ·was the taheove:r and destmclion of our mother earth and the exploitation of our people. This imcnsive and irrational exploitation of nmural resources ca11sed nor only impoverishment of the earth but has generated poverry and the violation of human rights among our 1>tople in the South. The culture ofcapitalism and avarice has forced itself on nature to achieve its goals no matter what the sacrifice. As a result, we an: 110w experiencing an accelerated process of true global collapse. As inhabitants of this planer, it is viral and urgem to stop these crimes against nature and life and worh tore huegrate ourselves with the natural world so as to redirec.rour path toward a more respectful and harmonious relationship wirh it. These beliefs motivate us to defend ourmotherea,.th and resist hcrdcstntction with her. Therefore it is important that we gain title to territories which will gtwrantee their proteaion, not only for us, but for the benefit of all life... We have to oppose destruction and death with justice. s11stainable development and life. 4 lnnu Activists Blockade Hydro-Quebec Roads lnnu from the Coalition for Nitassinan (their traditional lands) supported by observers set up camp on Ma)' 29. blocking the access ro.~d which Hydro-Quebec intends to use for construction of the massive Sainte-Marguerite Ill (SM Ill) hydroelectric project. Hydro-Quebec officials have reportedly sought an official injunction against the blockade in order to remove the protesters. The SM Ill project would be built in lnnu territory along the nonh shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. It would flood over 450 square km. and, possibly contaminate this area with the toxin methyl mercury. lnnu fear this contamination will render the region's fish, one of their main food sources. · 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, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 1994) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Indigenous Leaders Awarded Goldman Environmental Prize Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SAIIC Board of Directors Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Indigenous Leaders Awarded Goldman Environmental Prize Item Type Journal Article Author SAIIC Board of Directors Volume 8 Issue 1,2 Pages 4 Publication Title Abya Yala News Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note Luis Macas of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities in Ecuador and Matthew Coon Come of the Cree received the Goldman foundation Environmental Award grant. Macas’ acceptance speech pointed to the need for environmental protection against exploitation and extraction at the hands of non-native people. Attachment Title abya yala p4.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Environmental Protection Goldman Foundation https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/27ad61d2d1c2f36eb77cab7243a1f4c9.pdf 6dd234026d375c43567d3093093741da PDF Text Text CHtAPAS: MAYA IDENTITY AND THE ZAPATISTA UPRISING "In Chiopos. the own~rs of tht fincos trtoltht Indians worst thon they trtottheir onimols. Chiopos is on~ grtot finco in which we lnd•ons ore less tmportont thon the cows. Test•mony of o Mayo reptestntotr~ to the Notional congress in 1992 by Araceti Burguete Cal y Mayor he VIISI lllOJOriiY or the bpotista N.ulonrolllberauon Arm)'(EZLN) nghtCI'$ 11re lndtgcnous Maya To;olnbnl, Tzchnl . Tzotzil and Chole !"'OJ>It•ln addition 10 n smaller number of me;,u:os and other ethnic groups. TI>tlf demands ore dwcrs<. osctllatmg betwt<'n tho!.e rat~d by the m·olution2rycbs.- ommcd mo\'~mentsof Central Amcnca, clu.tc \lt>ucan amp<SIDO T (~t)demands.2ndthecl.aunsbetng made by the lnd•gcnous tnO\-.,mem. The EZLI' ha, also tncorpor2tcd m:o il.s po>nton>a "'de =R• of demands rdat• mg 10 tit< urb.tn mO\·cment's struggles, the polott<:.ll p;1rttcs, •nd to the demands for democracy ''Otced by Mcxtcan society In gcncr•tl, Is thos an Indigenous rebellion or an Indigcnous uprl•lng whh cam!"'Sino demands l is this the hegmmng or a Mexi· C.10 Cl\11 W,lf (or m'U,Oila) democracy oris 1 u a local struAAic to change the medit\'3] structures of Chtapul Is thiS the bst duptcr of the Central Amcncan classb>scd moluuons or 1011 the r.,... chapiU CJoop;:s.""""""" Ar«<h a.tpct<" • -.cCij' tZNl IANvul tZNl •cwolfdl 1-.ltpt'llloll W..l'r"JJIr'• fr""' (f!PI). ...,...._for tt.< 6 of the modem lndtgcnou• 'lndtamst" revoluuonsl The rc<ent h•story of Chint>as can help cxpl.oln the nppmemly exclusive nnnue of these questions. The 7~1patlstn tcbelllon Is embedded in the histone nnd j\Co)<mphtc S!"'cificiues of Chtapo> Titc c•n be dl\1dcd 11110 fourdt>tlnct rtj\"'"' the fir-t.mcorporatc.thedcn-.clypopulatcd htghlands and the nc" 1) colonlUd bordtr zone; the ttntr.>l rtp<>n "hteh h.u only been popubtcd b)· fiiCl.lll"" ••nee ~ 19th Cmtury. the eoutal rtli'OncolonlUd tn thts Ccntu')· by n\C>Itzotmmtgrants:and the Soconu,.;o r<lloon ""h tiS old colonl31 sculcmems Th~ ••~ have few relauons wnh e•ch oth<r They are sustamed by d1ITcrent ctonomlc ::~cuvities. parually due 10 the ab.encc. until the 1970's, of ronds nnd communication. The conOict developed in the highland and border orca 1he highlands arc the ancestr.>lt<mtOI)' of the rtbdhon's pnn· ctpol actors. the· M•>·• Tzotztl. Tzclw. TO)Olabal•nd {hole pcopl<s The bordcrrtg~<>n. "htehmdudesthe Lacandon r:11nfore<~. h.urtcci\<'CI "a>tsol m•gnnt lndW>S from the htghlandso>crtht last JOyears h 110" CONI IIUte:> the r<gtonaJ 2nd soml ba.ic of th< l.lpatl>U army. ""'< Chiapas and Guat. mala: e shared identitie s The ong~rul \1 )Jtcmtory """!rag· mentcd dunng tht f,>m\Jllon of the colomal tUliOru,, Into rt\c Mt~lt:.tn Sl~ltS­ Chi:lpas, Tabosco, Yucnt.m, Qumtana Roo.and Cam(lechc· m ~ddt lion to Gun· temala and lld1 Ounng the wlom.tl tc. period. Chtapns bdongcd ll> $pam's Guatemalan C.1ptnlnt)' Ci<•nrral Its so· cia!. economic, ruhur•l • .tnd pnllucal structures "ere dchncd on thl> pcnod. and have pcr>l>trd 111 comrmpontf)' Chiopas "'''hout rrwluti<>NII)' change.. Ch12p3S was annc'cd b)· the \le>lcan R<:pubbcm 182-t astht rtsultof a plcbosotc m ,.hoch only lad•OO> (those of mix<:d Europcon and lrt<ltgc~ mcouy) --bcmg tit< onI)' cw:cn' "ho could �read and write--voted. Despite annexation to Mexico. Chiapas continued to be in~egrate:d with Guatemala. Even toda)'. iiS geogmphy, its language. e"en hs commerce rail within the limits or Guatemala. ln· migrmion or Guatemalans looking for work has also lxen common. Until the 1970's. there was no direct ro3d connecting Chiapas to the non hem pltt of Mexico. Thus, the state capital of Tuxtla Gutitrrez was located 1,000 km by road from Mexico City. An important aspect of highland Chiapan society which dearly identifies it with Guatemalan societ)' is that of identity. Indians were given a ke)' role in the construction of the Mexican state, but only as dead Indians. living Indians in comrast were denied. In Voi.8No.l &2 this way. a nation;;tl model was con . . structed based on the notion of a glorious Indian past and a hon>ogencous, that is. mestizo, (mixed ancestry) present. Guatemalan ideology differs substantially. There, people who are biologically mestizo assume themselves descendants of the criollos referring 10 themselves as ladinosand as the people of reason . In opposition obviously ore those lacking reason, the Indians. Chi apas in contrast to the rest of Mexico echoes the Guatemalan notion of identity. The ladinos negate racial mixing entirely and have org•nized society according to racial divisions~ thereby guaranteeing racial discrimination and turning the devaluing of Indigenous people into a dail)' act. Not the first indigenous uprising Indian people have paid an extremely high price to maintain their identity. Indian relxllions, though nearly always fnostrmed. have been as much a constant of Chiapas' history as has the ex-ploitation and oppression which followed the conquest. In 1532,the Maya rose against the Spanish. Followingtheirdefeat many heroically threw themselves from a cliff knownasCat)ondc!Sumi<lero. In 1712, followingseveml localuprisings.the Indigenous people throughout the highlands relxlled again: this time grouped around an apparition ofthe Virgin Mary. They declared the htdigenous headquarters of Cancuc as their capital and rejected Ciudad Real (now San Cristobal de las Casas), along with its civil and 7 �PERSP ECTI VES ON(H IAPAS several Indigenous revolts. The federal government responded in 1849 with a Jaw outlawing forced and uncompen· sated labor. This law ended the semifeudal custom of debt peonage. under which an indigenous or campesina (am· ii}'OCCupiesa portion of land in a finca in exchange for unpaid work: a situation which convened them imo the landlord's property and made securing their own land impossible. This legislation provoked an armed upnsing led b)' the landlords. who succeeded m overturn~ ing the law two years later. Debt (>tOn~ age was progressively e:Hminated in the rest of Mexico followi ng the revolution of 1910. In Chiapas, however, several hundred Indigenous people continue, even today. to work as indebted peons on the large plantations. just as the counter-reform gripped Chiapas in the 19th century, the state'' landlords also won the 20th century's counter-revolution. In 1910, Mexico was convulsed with the first social revo~ lution of the 20th century, its chat>gcs weren't felt itl Chiapas. One of the first actions of the re.volutiontuy government was to begi11 agraria11 reforms that respollded to the expectations of the millions of campesinos who had panici· pated in the re,·olution. President Venustiano Carranza scm his officials to the republic's different states in order to Many lapatista Comnw>nders and fighters, induding Comandante AM Maria, are women. ecclesiasticamhoritics. Finallyinl714. to ensure practicall)' free labor for their a powerful army from Guatemala anni· plantations. hila ted the rebels who had taken refuge in Ocosingo. The tremendous miser)' A state the revolution passed by which resulted from this defeat, followed l3bor relations are detem1ined by by lossoflandsand frequent famines led ethnic oppression maintained by politito further rebellions in 1864 and 1867 cians and ladino plantation owners. by Tzotzilcs attempting to reclaim their During Mexico's r.rst period of Libsovcreigntyuan imem which was again el':ll refonns in the 19th century. landrepressed. Since then. the state'scriollos holding families headed the counterand ladinos have perfected their control rcfonn. New privalization laws and colom·er the Indigenous population in order nization of Maya lerritories had caused 8 implement this reform. In 1914. General jesus Agustin Castro arrived in Chiapas as govemor and initiated land distribution and effons at protecting worker's rights. The land Q \vners immediately rose in arms declaring themselves against Venustiano Carranza. Their re· bellion coincided with the revohs in the counti')'S Nonhern and Central regions led b)' Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata . Histol)•'s paradox is that the Chiapan landowners declared themselves Villistas and Zapatistas, in order to ally with these armies. Thus, the first Zapatistas in Chiapas were counter·revolutionarics. The coumer~re"olutionarics' threatened secession from the Union, and the fedel':ll government was forced to negotiate. At this time, they conceded that Abya Yala News �PERS PECTIVES ON(H IAPAS Chiapas would always be governed by members of the Familia Chiapaneca··as the local criollos were known--and also that privately held land would not be exprop•iated. Since then, the Chiapan elite have invoked the specter of seces· sion and the defense of state sovereignty to avoid intervention b)• the national government. The cost has been too high. The revolution's institutions which are ubiquitous in the rest of Mexico. never arrived in Chiapas. Thus the continuity of Chiapas' similarity to Guatemala re· mained unbroken. Likewise, the lnsti· tutional Revolutionary Party's (PRJ) which has ruled Mexico since the revolu· tion only recent!)• installed itself in Chiapas. Its peasant and worker organi· zations which ha,·e coopted social movements in the rest of Mexico only arrived in Chiapas in the 1970's, and still have liule presence. The Lacandon rainforest: cradle of rebellion Due to its regressive agrarian po1ic)' most of the state's arable land was con· cetnrated in a few hands by J9qQ. Ac· cording to population censuses, more than half was owned by 2.6% of the population. just nine landlords ac· coumed for 630.532 hectares. In con· trast the average size of Indigenous and C;"tmpesino farms was under two heeLares. At the same time, a significant proportion of the state corresponded to 'National U.nds", that is forest areas susceptible to colonization. Population growth and the exhaustion of the ances· tral Indigenous territories. government support for forest colonization. the dis· ever is characterized by steep slopes and oil. Nonetheless, the majority of com· extreme!)' poor soils underlain by calcar· munities lack electricity as well as a'!)' of cousrock. These soils retaillwater poorly; the other benefits yielded by their rc· making agriculture very difficult. The sources region's physical harshness further sharp· Chiapas has the second highest proened social discontent. portion ofindigenous inhabitants (28%) The Indigenous colonists adapted 10 of all the Mexican states, three quarters life in the forest only after profound of whom live in dispersed l'ural seulc· cultural, political and ideological mems. It also has the highest infant changes. They left parents and grand· mortality and illiteracy rates, percentage parents behind and remodeled their iden- of citizens with inconles less Lhan two tity around the central desire to obtain minimum salaries (about $250), and out· land. In order to survive new and difn . . standing petitions for land. just under cult conditions half of the state's and the land· families live in "Is this the last chapter of the Central owners unre· houses with din letaing violence. American class-based revolutions or noors. a statistic the colonists is it the first chapter of the modem closely related to formed political children's disease Indigenous "lndianist" revolutions?" or productive orrates. A study preganizations. pared by the insti· These strengthened their nascent tute for European·l<ltin American Stud· campesino identity, subst itutingfor their ies reponed the following: 'Chiapas has communal (Indian) identity. The the lowest levels of electricity in the rainforest's new colonists and their young country (66.7%). 0nly58%ofthehouses descendants are the protogonists of the have running \vater when the nalional conflict in Chiapas. The four municipal average is 79%...The. state's population centers taken by the Zapalistas: San is only 4% of the nation. but constitutes Cristobal. L'5 Margaritas. Ocosingo and 25% of all the disputes between Altamirano were all poims of departure campesinos and landlords in the coun· from the jungle, specificall)' from U.s try. disputes which often are violem!l Cm)adas. The uprising's detonators Chiat>as' economic structuresarearchaic; plantations for export of coffee, carda· mom, extensive livestock grazing and logging--with· out value added processing. placement resulting from constmction According to official stat is· of hydroelectric dams, the advent of oil tics, Chiapas holds the un· exploitation, soil deterioration, political enviable position of being and religious persecution and violence between 1960 and 1980 led to accelcr· ated colonization of the U.candon. The population grew from 5,000 to 300,000 inhabitants in those years. Thousands of Indigenous families from the highlands needing a piece of land to work took refuge in the forest . principally in the region of U.s Cm)adas. This region howVoi. 8No. l &2 Mexico's poorest state. Ninety-four of its Ill mu· nicipalities are considered highly marginal. The paradox is that Chiapas is also a rich state. In the last 10 years, it has held the third and fourth place respectively in the production of gas and 9 �PERSPECTIVES ON C HIAPAS In a good will gesture, the EZlN inaugurated peace talks by releasing ex-governor ~bsalon Castellanos, held since the u prising's second day. Castellanos a nd his family own a significant portion of Chiapas' la nd and wealth. The EZlN and Indigenous organizations demand his trial for crimes committed during his administration, a period w idely seen as the state's most repressive in modern history. OUI of the total population of close to 2,000,000. about 1.130,000 are •economically active• that is, 55.4% of the population receive-s no income. While Chiapas occupies Rrst place in the country for social marginal h)'. this is further aC(:entuated in the conflict re· gions. Illiteracy for those over 15 years old in Chiapas is close to 30%, in the Indigenous municipalities it is nearly conclude that lands are totall)' distribtned and that there are no large landholdings. others provide contrary opinions. According to leaders of the opposition, Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the last census showed that 2.8%of the estates in thestate have more than I . 000 hectares each; while 40.75% have less than I 0 hectares each. According to this source. five large properties twice that. In Altamirano 51% of the concentrate 36,000 hectares. Thiny population over 15 years old is illiterate, percent of the nation's petitions for land in Las Margaritas 48%, In Ocosingo 47% arc concen!Tated in Chiapas, totaling while in San Cristobal24% and Comit~n approximauily 134,000 petitioners. 23%. The Indigenous people living in These petitioners saw their hopes for this region are the most marginal of the receiving land dashed with reform of marginal. article 27 of the constitution in january of 1992. In addition to land, productive reLand ownership and Article 27 sourcesarealsoconcentrated. The probThe virtual lack of an agrarian refom> in Chiapas, as explained before, is di- lem of inequ.~lity corresponds not only rectly rtlated to the socio·e<:onomic and to the concentration of propeny but also political problems are at the root of the 10 a discriminaLOry sysunn which sharp~ January first explosion. The land distri- ens the exclusion and oppression of Inbution which occurred was realized prln~ digenous people and reproduces exploicipally on National lands, and resulted tation. from the struggles of the Indigenous people and campesinos without land. The 1970's: explosion of Rather than resolve petitions for grant- campesino organizations ing ejidos or restitution of communal Stntggle for land in Chiapas has allands. the government has responded to ways been a radical process subject to demands for land by promoting coloni- violence from landlords. The federal zation of ncar wastelands. There is no consensus on the current quantities within each type of land ownership in the state. Some investigations 10 Indigenous peuuoners for land were given no choice but to opt for the ejido Conn or ownership. In this Wa)'. Indigenous people panicipating in the stntggle for land assumed a campesinista con· sciousness through which they demanded land to work rather than the autonomous terri~ories which were stolen during the European invasion. This campesino-class consciousness has homogenized the struggle of the Indigenous people of Chiapas. The figure of Emiliano Zapata has been continuous!)' ilwokcd to suppon land struggles, whereas the indigenous stntggles for recovery of Indian govern- mem were forgotten with the oral history of the tmditionallndian communi- ties. An organizational landmark In October of 1974, the state's first Indigenous Encounter was hosted by Bishop Samuel Ruiz. This event marked the beginning of the campesino and In- digenous mobilizations in the region. At this event Indigenous people reflected on their common problems and began to organize. This proce-ss was accelerated with the arrival in these years of several political organizations with different ideologkaltendencies. go"ernment's general agrarian re£onn One of the first to arrive was the policy emphasized the ejido form of ten· Central of Independent Agricultural ure (individual and sub-divided) in det- Workers and Campesinos (CIOAC), a riment to trnditional communal tenure. national campesino organization affili· Abya Yala News �PERSPECTIVES ON (HIAPAS atcd with the commumst p:~ny and inspm:d b)•the progr:unofEmdlllnOZap:lta hs members <stabli$hed thc~lvos in lndtgcnous communmes and worked for l~nd rdonn and to org;~nizt agricultural day-laborers attached through systems of peonage to the flncas. A S«ond lmponant movements in the count ry'sagmrlnn stntggle since 1979 was the N:uional Coordination Plan de A)•ai:~(CNPA). hsprofoundlyagrarianist and anti-partisan program was also de· nved from the program of Emiliano Zapata. hsmost imponamexpressionin Chiapas has been the Emihano Zapa12 C.ampcsmo Ot'ff'nlz:ltton (OCEZ). Both or thCaOO\'COrf'lntZOIIOOSSUffered from brutal represston camcd out b)' local death squads and S«ttrit)' forecs in the 1970's and 1980's Also dunng these years, young a®·· ists, mostly cconomtes Students and ad· herents to Maotst plulosophy arrived from the country's non hem region becoming known as l..os Norte~os. They had both rtsour<;esnnd enthusiasm. They teamed Indigenous languages and organized. In contrast to CIOAC and OCEZ. this group did no• omphasize land struggles, but rather the formation of ejido unions (coopemnves) to enhance productive actlvttlts. Current!)'. man)· of these ex·acnvlstS hold htgh offices in Salinas de Gonan's government. A slgnific•nt nuntherofthc members of these \-arious org;~mmnons ha\1! pre· sumabl)' joined the r:1nks of the EZU>!. Campesinista and lndianist organizations The formation of Indigenous organi· zations that nssumc a humanitarian ban~ ncr is tl recent nctlvity th:n has not been able to establish itself significantly in the consciousncssofthe Indigenous peoples. The C.1mpcstna and lap:1tist.1 tradition has until now subjug.1ttd lndianist elrons. Among the Indigenous organizations formed tn the rt"ttnt years, are the Organozanon of Indigenous Doctors and the Coordinator of Maya Org;~nizations Strugglingforuhernttort(COLPUMALI)· Vol8No.l &2 -member of the Independent Indian dudes m p:~rt: I) modtfleauon of the Peoples Front (FIPI). The majority of relation bet"un the State and thelndtg· these org;ont:ations \\Cre formed by In- enous peoples which imphcs consutu· digenous actl\1stS that had experiences tional recogniuon or thctr nght 10 self. tn the camllCStna dctcrmtnatton: 2) rec· struggle, but 1hirty percent of !he nation's ogmuon of ttrntorial rights of the lndig· whom in A r.:.ctnt petitions for land are concentrated cnous people of the process or rc· indiani.t.1tion (no in Chiapas...These petitioners saw coumry and o r more than 7 years their hopes for receiving land Chiapas and estnbllshold) have begun mcm or plurl-ethnic dashed with reform of article 27 ..: Indigenous t'egions to base their where the different claims nnd urg."l· nization in thetr Indian identity. These Indigenous identities and mestizos claims still have hulc \\"Ctght in Chiapas. would live under equal conduions: 3) Ftrst bec:tuse 11 is • young movement, modificlllOn or nationalllW$10 guaranbut also bec:tusc 11 has nOt had the inter· tee the p:~rtldp.1tfon of lndtgenous repnational economic support that other resentation m the leg1sbtavt. execunw: movements ha\·t ruch·rd Sorne mem- and judicial branches of government at bers of these org;~ntz.1uons nlso joined the federal and Slate level. the ranks or tht Zap.1tisto anny. The differences between the It is imponant to note as well. thot Campcstni$talndtgcnousmo'·emcntand even as the EZLN was nourished by the the lndi:3nist lndtgtnous movement nre movements mentioned above, the great clear. The Zap.11istodcmandsnrise from majortty of the activists and organiza· both thes.: traditions which follow the tions in the state decided not to actively campesinista line. but :u lhC snme tinle. panicipate in the armed uprising. Even identify in the lndianist demands possi· so. they have noted on several occasions bilities for ending coloniAl oppr~ssion. that they share the s.1nte struggle. After This most recent lnthg,cnous upristhe upnsing, tht.sc org;tni::ations fom1ed ing in Chiapas has gtven new atr 10 the themseh..,stntothe State Indigenous and Indigenous movement in Mexico. A new Campcslno Counc:il ofChi> pas (CEOIC). feeling has nooded the rnilltons or lndi· in an attempt to rorm 3 common front to ans of Me.'<ico who have Strengthened defend the mterests of the Indigenous their struggle through processes or uni· organlz:luonsond campcsmos in the con· ftca~ion. Nc,-enhelcss. the mOSI impor· text ofthe negotillions thot were opened tam thing IS the hope that It hos brought between the go,·cmmcnt and the EZI..N. tothelndigcnousmovemcnt worldwide. There nrc se,•cml lmponant dilfer- The S)•np:~th)• wluch the EZLN pro· e.nces between the programs of the voktd in the world ~hows that the IndigCampcsinista and lndianist organiz.1- enous struggles have reason and justicc tions. The campeslnlto organizations on their side. A report presemcd to the European demand: I) land distribution nnd nlodir.cation of orticle 27 tocontlnuc with the Parliament on the topic of Chlapas by agrarian rclom~; 2) cheap and appropri- the Institute for Europenn·l.atin Ameriate credit lor agricultural production: 3) can Rclationsemphasizcdthnt'Thcconroods, health care, cducauon, housing nict shows that the increasing aggresand other services; 4) support in the Si\"encss of the Indigenous communtties productl\"e process, installauon of ogre- in latin America will lead to urmed conindustry and 5) gu.tmntees of indtvidual nicts. if the gro\\1118 consciousness of human nghts. Indians as subjects Wllh rights, is not The lndillnlst org.1nlzat!on's program. followed b)• tncrtased go,emmemal cawhose proposal is he:~ded by FIPI in- pacity to satisfy their necessules.' " 11 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 8, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 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 Chiapas: Maya Identity and the Zapatista Uprising Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Araceli Burguete Cal y Mayor Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Chiapas: Maya Identity and the Zapatista Uprising Item Type Journal Article Author Araceli Burguete Cal y Mayor Volume 8 Issue 1,2 Pages 6-11 Publication Title Abya Yala Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note Zapatista Army of National Liberation rose up in Chiapas highlighting Indigenous rights and issues including the lauding of Indigenous culture and leaders in the past while ignoring the problems facing current indigenous populations and marginalizing indigenous identities. This latest uprising comes in a long line of rebellions. After the 1910 Revolution much of Mexico received lands apportioned by the new constitution but Chiapas was largely left with medieval power structures. Organizing in the Lacandon rainforest spread throughout the state sparking an indigenous led rebellion. Attachment Title abya yala p6-11.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Chiapas EZLN Indigenous Uprising Lacandon rainforst Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN)