9 12 1190 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/3cb9b845fa1a68d63cb7e1337ed01a0b.pdf f3e64718574e0367a664e65934c89fb9 PDF Text Text A Nineteenth-Century War in the Amazon: Indigenous Communities Caught in the Ecuador/ Peru Border Dispute by Fernando Rivera Indigenous people who live in the disputed area between Ecuador and Peru have faced severe hardship and danger during the latest conflict which erupted in January of this year. Forced to fight and caught in wars not of their own design, Indigenous communities in both Ecuador and Peru endured the death of some of their people in battle, the threat of mass starvation, illnesses, and the destruction of their environment. The recent fighting is an unfortunate continuation of border disputes which have divided the two countries since the wars of independence and is another example of the internal colonialism to which Indigenous peoples are subjected. Each country has based its territorial rights on different treatises and international legal concepts. Each has had its own reasons for waging war. Both Ecuador and Peru, however, have ignored the impact that such land disputes have had on the Indigenous peoples who live along their borders. With every war and every treatise, neither Ecuador nor Peru has been as negatively affected as these Indigenous communities. The territorial dispute between Ecuador and Peru has been one of the longest and most complicated land disputes on the continent. During colonial times, first the Viceroyalty of Peru and later the Viceroyalty of Gran Colombia administered the Amazonian provinces. In 1829, after gaining independence, Peru and Gran Colombia signed an agreement in which they did not establish borders, but agreed to respect the former colonial divisions. Since the borders in that region were never clearly defined, their demarcation became a topic of constant debate. In 1941 a war broke out between Ecuador and Peru which ended with the signing of the Río de Janeiro Protocol which sought to define the border between the two countries. In 1950, however, Ecuador declared the Protocol null and void because of what it believed to be technical differences in demarcating 78 kilometers of land along the Condor Cordillera. In 1981, another war broke out between the two countries. Some analysts believe that the ruling government of Ecuador began that war as a way to distract attention away from its economic problems. Similarly, some analysts believe that President Fujimori may have begun the current war in order to assure his re-election. Whatever the motive, it is the Indigenous communities along the Ecuador/Peru border that are the most affected when the two countries decide to go into battle. First, both countries force Indians to fight in the military. This makes neighboring communities along the border and binational communities (communities divided by the border) fight among each other. Much has been said recently about intra-ethnic wars all around the world, but little attention has been paid to the fact that Indian peoples in Ecuador and Peru have been forced to kill each other. Many of these people belong to the same ethnic or cultural groups, as in the case of the Shuar, Achuar, Aguaruna, Huambiza and Quichua Indians. Second, the toll of the war is felt primarily in Indigenous communities along the border where most of the fighting occurs. Hundreds of families have been displaced by the destruction of their homes, harvests, and cattle. Bombings occur regularly, and deadly diseases are spreading rapidly. "Indigenous communities have never had borders," says Mino Eusebio Castro, vice-president of AIDESEP (Indigenous Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon). "What is occurring is that there is a conflicting interests between two political groups striving for economic control. We have never been consulted over the creation of borders, yet who do they use when there is a conflict of this type? Who provides the food? Who gets recruited to fight on the front lines? Who gets affected by protecting the borders? It is the Indigenous people!" Luis Macas, president of CONAIE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador) reported that the war has directly affected 21 of the 400 Shuar centers (or communities) in the Ecuadorian Amazon because of their proximity to the border. Also, among the 30 Achuar centers, the centers closest to the border have been greatly affected. Furthermore, out of the 25 Quichua communities on both sides of the border (10 in Ecuador and 15 in Peru), the number of affected families reaches 800. Finally, other smaller bordering communities also suffer from the war. These include the Siona, Secoya, Cofan, and the Shiwiar communities. The total number of indians in Ecuador alone affected by this war reaches 20,000. If the conflict continues, Macas predicts the loss of more Indigenous lives, homes, and livelihoods. A recent article in the Quito daily El Comercio describes the social and economic effect of the war. According to the report, 180 Indigenous communities and approximately 3,000 families "are faced with a social, economic, and psychological crisis because there crops and animals have disappeared and their understanding of their own territory has been changed" since the fighting began. "Life is not the same. Tranquility has not returned to the selva since the ceasefire," said Luis Yampies, a leader of the Shuar community. "Many communities cannot return to their lands because they are mined. That was a defense strategy by the Ecuadorian military, but we are affected." In formal and informal declarations, Indigenous groups have denounced the violence and demanded that the governments of Ecuador and Peru stop the war. COICA (The Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin), an umbrella group that represents Indigenous organizations from the eight nation-states with territorial claims in the Amazon Basin, proposed the creation of a bi-national park which would demilitarize the conflict zone and guarantee peace for years to come. The proposal was born out of an impending need to protect the environment and the desire to re-integrate the Shuar and Achuar communities in Ecuador with their cultural counterparts in Peru- the Aguaruna and the Huambiza Indians. Another-perhaps more radical-declaration signed by members of both CONAlE and CONFENIAE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon), demands, among other things, that Ecuador be recognized as a "multinational, multicultural and multilingual country" (see sidebar (page 7) for extracts from the declaration) to guarantee the integrity and respect for Indigenous peoples. With all of these declarations, Indigenous leaders reiterate the importance that Indigenous participation should have in peace talks. They rightly point out that a meaningful and lasting peace will not be reached as long as the Indigenous peoples who live in the disputed territories continue to be ignored. Still, the governments of Ecuador and Peru are not listening. The government of Peru, for example, has proposed a plan to strengthen its borders by giving away Indigenous land to colonizers from different areas of the country. But peace will not come through the further colonization of Indigenous people. On the contrary, peace will only be achieved when Indigenous land is rightly and justly protected, and the Indigenous way of life secured. A joint declaration from AIDESEP and CONFENIAE states: "Nowadays, it is in vogue to speak of integration. However; we have lived for thousands of years in peaceful communion with our Indigenous neighbors on both sides of the border. Furthermore, borders that the white people created have divided communities like the Shuar, Quichua and Cofan. But we continue to feel as though we were part of one Indian continental nation: the ancient Abya Yala." Additional declarations and information from Indigenous organizations on this border conflict are in SAlIC's PeaceNet conference saiic.indio as well as on the Internet at: http:IIulwnaix.cc.ulwns.edu/-marc/geography/latinam/ecuador/border_main.html. 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. 9, no. 1 (Spring 1995) 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 A Nineteenth-Century War in the Amazon: Indigenous Communities Caught in the Ecuador/Peru Border Dispute Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Fernando Rivera Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 1995 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title A Nineteenth-Century War in the Amazon: Indigenous Communities Caught in the Ecuador/Peru Border Dispute Item Type Journal Article Author Fernando Rivera Volume 9 Issue 1 Pages 6-7, 38 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring, 1995 Language English Abstract Note Conflict between the Ecuadorian and Peruvian border forced indigenous peoples within the disputed territory to fight for opposing sides. Attachment Title A_Nineteenth-Century_War_in_the_Amazon.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] AIDESEP Amazon binational communities borders https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/7017645c55efae6be075884bbca2f346.pdf b390c9d9a6822f3653880f1ba7cd9849 PDF Text Text ENVIRONMENT AND DE VELOP MENT International Opposition To Parana-Paraguay Hidrovia Mounts :as endangered by tht Hidi'O\'\a P'PJ«l Indigenous people from Brszi/, Parogvay. and BoiM8 joined envfronmenUJ/ grovps and sccJal orgonltotlons from eight countries in questioning p!Dns for lltllndusltiBI wst01W9Y on the Poroguoy ond Parona Rivers which. acccrdlng to technlcQ/ experts. could droin the we<ld's ltlrpest wetland expanse. tile Pantano/ of Mato Grosso. Brazil. The meeting, ~lied "Hidi<JVf8 Paf8na.Parag~ lrnpliCts ond Alternatives · was held ot tile Lotln American Parliament in Soo Paulo, from December 8-10. lives within the hm1lS of the PanlllllOI Three lnchgenous dclcg.uo were ch~ sen to panlclpate tn the coordin,uing body which will ad1•Jne< propos.1l~ for a brood campaign to r:usc aw:H"tness and development acaion plans regarding the ParnnaParaguoy liidroVla. According 10 p.utleipants at the Hidrovia semtn.'lr, "EnvunnmtntaJ lmp:act Studies mUSt include the p.1niclpatlon of •U scaorso[sodet~.. (thc lbnksl mu.st consult with lite pubbc tn a way wluch ts open and truly portJClpatory· The lmcr-aonmcan o.-..,lopment lbnk and Unttl'<l N:ouons De-~lopmtnt Progrrunme •rc coordmatlng economoc >nd cnglnecnng feosibtlity S~ud­ IOS. and an en\1ronm<nU11 impact ~ rmnt (ElA) for tht Htdrovia project. Conferene< delegates olso pointed out that the. Paragun)~n go\'ernnlcnt h:;a.s already indicated u ,..;u request bids from engineering companies tO explode rock outcroppings nt the b.uc of the Pantanal, which could lu1't irrtverslblc environ· mtnl3.1 impacts. NGO delegates at the S.1o Paulo n~«ting warned "If \\'Ork btgtns on pons of the projeCt b<fo"' the Environmtnttllmpnct Assessment is compkted ... dte E1A "'" hal-. no ,·,tlue. • by Glenn Switkes 0 rg.1nl:otions gathered in Sao Poolo womcd that construcnon or tht Hfdmia could climm>te lite P:mt2113l~ oblhty to hold "''"" dunng tht r:uny season. ause dls:Nrous llooding downslrc:~m, >nd threaten tht sun"-.! of n.1u'"' ~pits ond 01htr commun.ti<:s hvmg along the "'"'r ond itS tribumries. lndtgcnous ~pies nrt also concerned tht projeCt would hann populnuons or ftSh. birds. and wildlife, on which natl\·e commtmiues depend for $lll'Vh'tll. They also for.set incrtascd lond conflictS resulting from speculmory land buying. nnd a flow or mlgmms to tht arto in sc:m:h of jobs. Supponers of tht project claim that opentng tht upper ~hes of lite Pnmguay Rtver to ~-goong ,-es.sefs an sm-.. as tht "backbone' of South Amtnan «»nomic tntcgrauon ,._,than the new Southern Cone Common M>rk<t. Mtrrosur Some lu'"' gone so bras to P"'· doct • series of watetw>)'S that will hnk the Parnguay wtth the J\m.1ZOn and Onnoco. lndtgcnO\tS ~pie lllkang pan in the meeting sounded n warning based upon thetr cxp<:ritnces w1th other lnrgc-scak development projects. Vitor J\urnp<: Bakairi cited in>JXICts from Polonorocste. o World Bank road building projea. which he s.1ld "'tort ap;1n our communilies. People lOSt thtlr lond and mO\'td to the periphery of the citl<s. Many or our womt:n b«an~ prostktutt"S. \Ve don\ want tlut to h>ppen •sa•n." G!atn S"'tllu> coordtMlts d>t lotlllUIIi<lo!al Rmrs Nco.'llrk) HidMld C<tmp<ltgn. Vol8No.4 Bias Fedcnco Garctol, of the ~era! Coonhnmng Body or the l'llcom.1)'0 Basin of Pnr:lgu>)' S>ld th>t tht COUts< of tht Pilcomayo Rl\"tr \\';IS :s.hem:l m a nunntr smubr lO th>l pl.'nncd for tht l'>rogua): ·we don\ rt:member onymorc how II "':IS before. when the Pllcomoyo was the source of our hfe. !Wn doesro' come anymort. It's Impossible to cuhwate food. We had an cnonnOU$ L1ke, Lag11na Escabnte Cuellar, where <here was nlways rtSh: According tO Federico Gan:~1. the river project dosed ofT the river's tributaries. drying up the lake. Valtntin Mutlxt Guajt. the Sccrttary for Economy and Development of the Ccntr:J.I of Indigenous Ptoples of the Bolivian Orient< (0008), exp,.,...d tht r\011\'e poop!ts' dctenn•natoo to be tnvoh'td •n the discussion >nd dc~c J't&'rdmg the PfOJ«l- '\Vho ore we? A"'"" bke buk .,,. mals 1111htn the lores~l MOSt o( our peoplt lil'e along tht m-.rs. We thought de\-.lopmcnt was pnnletpatOry. equ.'l But. we see it is not. This development wtll sef\'e tht needs of how n"'nyl" Mann Guarnnl, of the K.1guateca Association, and Mn~~Cos Tcrtna, of the Allliancc of Indigenous Peoples of the Southern Cone, dtclartd their intention to disseminate infonn:uion on potential impncts of the 11idt'O\'tllto oatil'< communittes. Other rtp~ntftlwcs included Terena, Guamm, Bororo, Knlngang. and Partci people from Mlllo Grosso and M:no Grosso do Sui, Bnzd, as wdl :as Atlton Krcnak from the lndogenous Research Ccntu Adduion31 popuJ.utons identirl«< ''Y"""'· Ch.1m.1COCO, Tobo· mclude tht Maskoy, Angatte, P>t Tall)ten. and lite Guato, s popubuon ne~r extinction whiCh For marc tr.formaiJMC tr.t<ntcllt<ltlal RMt> Naworl<, 18'17 Bcrkdey ll'cly.ll<rkdey 01 9i 703. J\ n:port 'Consldcring tht HtdrO\fa" is availabl< forS 12 lnd;genouslea<ler Mana VitO< Guarani (right) adres.ses the meeting on Hidtovia 29 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 8, no. 4 (Winter 1994) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource International Opposition To Parana-Paraguay Hidrovia Mounts Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Glenn Switkes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title International Opposition To Parana-Paraguay Hidrovia Mounts Item Type Journal Article Author Glenn Switkes Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 29 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter 1994 Language English Abstract Note Indigenous groups from Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia and environmental organizations gathered in Sao Paulo to discuss the potential environmental ramifications of the proposed industrial waterway on the Paraguay and Parana Rivers. Attachment Title International_opposition_to_parana_paraguay_hidrovia_mounts.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Conservation Hidrovia waterway Paraguay River Parana River https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/376369e9c13eb1c09a92de5c8dcc811f.pdf beb1190f48133fc690232bdb8a669e14 PDF Text Text BR AZIL "Um Jeito de Ve-IQs:"• Old and New Representations of Indian Peoples in Brazil by G/lton Mendes his brief :miclc does not seek to trent " new set or informative. facts on Indigenous peoples in Brazil. nor even to undenake an exhaustive onalys•s of unknown aspects of the sodol hves of lndtgenous people. Nor do I rep~nt the \'Otce and poh· llcs of lndl3n people. I wish to problemati=e two ospects that I consider tmpona.nt; one, the politiCil suatcgies adopt.ed by lndtgenous orgamza<ions to confront the new challenges In contemporary Bm:il. the Other. • brief frame of the actual economic rtalities by which they are nffecttd. T Background There ex1sts In llmzU. approximately 200 Indigenous peoples and e.1ch pre· sents a set of p;lrtlculnrities with respect to its customs. L1nguage, and sod<>-polit· ical SIY\Icturcs. They vary In population; The maJOrity are munericnlly small sod· eties (almost :llwa)'$ COI\Sldered. indr.idually. to have been more populous m the jXISI). reduced to a few hundred or at times hardly • few doun pen;ons. The at'C35 they inhabit v.ll')' m stu and. in some cases. have already been officially demarcated. The v.1SI majority, hov.-ever. rem.1in barely deUneated and many more hllve nOt even been identified or recognized by the federnl government. This means that Indigenous peoples in Bmz\1 live In <-onstnnt lnse<-urity in relation to one of the mOSt essential resources thllt they h.we ahva)'$ possessed; the land! Gillem MMdts is an agronomist in Mato Grosso, Brazil. He has worked cxl<nsivdy "'lh tht Enaw<nc·Nawc and rcantly compltttd a two-month tnremsktp "itlt SAIIC. Indian peoples Inhabit cm;ronments where they have nlwnys existed in singular ways. set!tng and interpreting the world in wa)'$ that an: spectOc to each. They have CS~abllshed a very intimate and COntinuous re.lntion with their surroundin&-. which lt'.1ds us (or should lead us} to qutSitOn the rational. dichotomous. ond genenc vision of mankind ond ruuurc. d1:lrnctCnSIIC of 'Western socoety•: on one side humankind and itS lntereSIS, on the o<her. n>~urc, stnUc, rt\'taling itself through phenomena... Indigenous peoples are seen and represented In a fom1 that is almost always ne~ive, both in the elnbomtion of dis· courses-which nre n1so pmclicc5-{l5 i_ n people's consciousness. as a consequence of the fonner. State policies ne.1rly alwnys fall with· in 1he realm of '\,-etfare." envisioning nati\'e communities as dependent on their protection and intti:uives. From this point of ,;ew. Indian people are seen as in a proc:= or prog~ve lntegrauon into nauonal socl<:ty, components of a claimed -unitary n.>~ion." The chun:h ,.;s;on. like that of many non-gO\..,m· mentol org.1nlzations (NG0s). is 001100 distom from this continuous provision of welfare nnd protection. :ll'vays in a way that fulfills its own interests. All this would tend towards another level of representnuon: the intemali%3tion of the national society~ cultuml values by native peoples theonsel\'f:S, often taking on the role of the •prote<:ted," subject to state politics and programs and actions originating from civil and religious enlillts. Yet ohis in no way impltes thm lndlm peoples do not consider themseh·es tndl\iduals belonging to a different society New Strategies of Organization? With completely different cultural realities from nationnl society and with low population numbtrs. Indigenous peoples in Braztl nrc foct-d with huge adversities in the realm of nnuonal poli· tics. For this ICilSOn, thnt they ha'" COn· mntly refonnulated tht fom\S of 1\lSistanee and stTllt•g•es to ,.,lonu thcor rights. theor mtei'CSIS.. theor demands. Here. 1t lS now l"lC«$531)' co mentton the fight againSI the revision of Decree 22191. whi<h reguloted the process of demarmtion of lndtgenous nnd 01hcr special lands. Presently. the stgnmg of Decree 1.77!> by president Fernando Henrique C:trdoso has unleashed a new national mobilization. 1 x:rhaps the largest ever, of entities devoted to the Indigenous c:ausc. This mobili:~'lion is calling for the revocation of this Decree. itself a fundamentally altered version of its predecessor as far os the secunty of lndian lmds are concerned. This SJtua· tion shows a C3p;lCity for pohncal catal· }-sis. including one wnh "mtcmanonal effectS." It is necessary to draw Bll<ntlon to one of the most relevant ospect.s of the Bmzilian reality which Is the conduct of many organizmions working In suppon of Indigenous peoples. These, in general, have taken on the role of mobilization and dissennnatlon of lnfomlmion on communities that are "dis.1dvantaged" in rdntion to the st:otc nnd distant from the urixln eemers nnd the political decisions. and those with limited contact 'vith national society. In many cases. these organizations imegrotc themselves thus creating a third coalition phase in which lndig<nous and non-lndtgcnous combme for a Stngle cause Md l'tpresentation. �BRAZIL Til.. cthmc dwet:Suy of lndion peoples m Bmal hos pert.lps been one of the mam fliClors for the generation of reststancc •mn::tll\"e:S because it has produced a dm-ct r<lauon of multiple loc:~l forces c-•pable or mobalizlng, internally and amcnsavcly as well, each panic-ular socacty. On tho other t.lnd. it's also 1mponant to note th:l1 the new stnue· gies adopted have been similar to those used by the different social groups of national socict)'· Stmtcgics that, often, result m imcrnnl conOlcts and difficulues, and arc capable of clashing with the more trndiuonal expressions or the different natwc societies (sec Interview with jacar J~ dc Souza). A Brief layout of t he Economic Relations If cultuml dwersuy as reflected in the search for new possibilities for politacal organizauon of Indigenous people. an the eonfrommion ngJ~inst the interests of grou1>s or pet:SOns belonging to national society, the ~me i.s true leodmg Into the lntenor. supponed by federal intthuvu (along with scandalous conupuon). ~ c-ut thi'O<lgh tens or thowands of males of Cores~ and savanna. wathout the sllghltst prcocc-upauon for the dcstruC'lion they email. both for native peoples :md,their environment. In the end, nntuml rcsour<:es have been WMted, p.1nlcularly timber. and massive deforcstmlon hns followed the installation of rum! induStries. Many Indigenous groups. in the face of this stampede, were removed from trodiuonol orcas where natuml resources abounded and relocated in rcgaons completely unknown to lhem or alrtady dmlncd of thc same t J in the economic arena. Each panacular society presents a different history or economic rclotions with surro1mding societies. At the same time that some lndagcnous peoples ore cng.~ged m antense rommcrti:ll tmde, there are others tt.lt t.l'-c t.ld minimal contact "vnh ttn)' m~ke:t. Bel''-'ttn these two txucmes. there are those who arc eng;Jged an scasoml commercial tmde. Th.. decade of thc 1970s deeply marked the h\·es of Indigenous people an Bmztl m that. through the elaborauon of gigantic "development" projects and an the "interest of national security." the authorhminn state staked out a policy of occupying the Amazon . This opened two bloody wounds: the violem contact wnh peoples previously isolated. leading to partial or total e:xtemli· nation. nnd the IrresiStible incentive for milhons of persons to migrate \vith aim to sculc the "terms in.1bitadns" of the rcsouras. Thas t.ls resulted an untold hardship, :IS evidenced by the high rate of suicide tXJsttnt m groups like til.. Guamni-Kolowa Mony other peoples continue to suffer the consequences or these largescale projectS (doms, umber extmction. mines. roads, fnctories, fisheries. ngro· industries, etc.) estnblishcd around or even inside their territories. For many. Lhe only option left open is sc<lSOnal labor outSide or their indigenous arc•. selling their labor for ranches or in regional markets ot derisory rates. or migrntion to chaos. where they live in conditions of extreme poveny. Amazon. Diverse ev:lluations made of the ~lundrtds of panacular undenakang.s m til.. Amazon t.lvc followed ond Indigenous Sllll3110n tn Brll%11 a.rc pracconnnue <o follow the maJOr roads tically urommous an tt.lt these trends Vol. 10 NO -:-f t.lve m.1de tlung.s much worse: destroying tmduion:tl forms o( production, st.lrpcning "dependence· on outside aid. and !coding to environmental collapse. in thas context, today, perhaps more then ever. the question of Indigenous peoples' relation to the mnrkct (the genemlion of income, the management of natuml resources. nnd the mainte· nancc or 311 imcgml. mtional, balanced liJe in relation to the environment) ls more complex 1han ever. Contemporary Initiatives In the field of the indigenous economy have followed the trend of ancreascd sm.~ll-scale projects. Governmental programs (M imposed by mtemotional finance banks) ha,·e encoumge<! undertakings bclongmg LO the category of "SUS!ainable development" proJectS lndagenous organizauons themselves and suppon organizauons arc anell ned to favor economic activities tluu lncrcmcm production within l11digcnous areas: O<'tivilies Lhat seck to add value to products destined for specific markets; activities centered around the rntionaliz:nion and exploration or determined natural resources for a greater p.•rtlcipation of native communities In the production and organlz.11ion of work for commerce. The positive side or these decisions cannot be dtnied. just os the results art noL gnmdiosc and tmmedt3le. Time is being bought to be able, more cle:arly and dcodedl)\ 10 find CXI5lS tt.lt 3re proper and "mdependcnt." On the other t.lnd, one musl also lnquare if Lhis doesn\ COOSltlUtC a new politiCOll stmteg)• utilized by nationol society. geared lO\\'llrds itS own CC'Onomic imcrcsts, aiming at the incorporation or new markets. especially those held as "alternative." In the end. one must Onnlly nsk, to wt.lt extent these Initiatives constitme de fa.ao something new, or are they leading Indigenous people, once ag;Jin, into "modern· and sophisticated schemes of economic explouotion. 17 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 1 (Spring 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Um Jeito de Ve-los:" Old and New Representations of Indian Peoples in Brazil Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gllton Mendes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 1996 Language A language of the resource English, Spanish English Zotero Title "Um Jeito de Ve-los:" Old and New Representations of Indian Peoples in Brazil Item Type Journal Article Author Gllton Mendes Volume 10 Issue 1 Pages 16-17 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring 1996 Language English Abstract Note Indigenous organizations confront the new challenges in contemporary Brazil the and a brief frame of the actual economic realities by which they are affected are discussed Attachment Title Pages from Abyayala_v10_n1_p16-17.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Brazil Indigenous Politics Non-Governmental organizations https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/93955106c601e328473b04cf3cc0805d.pdf 11d59f8c8b0ca9f8b8daefb32e293e6f PDF Text Text Eco - Jus r 1cE T o protest the World Bank's Pro-Mining Conference last May, the Latin American Project of Minewatch (UK) and Acci6n Ecol6gica (Ecuador) organized a parallel conference in Quito. The alternative conference attracted more than sixty participants from Indigenous communities and NGOs in nine countries (Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica , Panama, Nicaragua , Chile, Brazil and Ecuador). Due to its regional importance, the event was discussed on television and in national newspapers of several of the participating countries, thus contributing to the general debate on mining. According to many delegates, the benefits of mining have yet to appear. "It may sound quaint to say that communities don't want the type of "modern" development that mining brings, but its consequences for us are often literally a matter of the life or death of the community" said Luis Robelino of Ecuador. "Why basins of the Huallaga, Mantero and Alto Mararl.on rivers due to mining. He also revealed to the audience strategies usecl, by the multi-nationals in order to avoid discussing the 'fesult of environmental studies, as well as their policy of securing exclusive access to rivers through the acquisition of large extensions of land. As a result , communities have seen their rivers confiscated , with drinking water rationed to every other day during the summer months and to only a few hours a day in the winter. Gladys Marquez, from the Peruvian organization LABOR, spoke about their long battle against the Southern Peru Corporation. The air in the city of Ilo is highly polluted and each day several spells of heavy mist are experienced, causing breathing difficulties among the population and forcing them to remain indoors until the fog disperses. Levels of S02 in the air are 30 times the guidelines established by the WHO. In addition, arsenic and lead levels exceed those found in the Tacoma smelter of the company in Washington State , an indication that the corporation applies different environmental standards in different countries. The effect of these air pollutants is not restricted to Ilo alone. A video shown demonstrated that as the air travels it affects an extension of approximately 30 thousand hectares, the smog being responsible in 1995 for destroying about 4 thousand hectares destined for agriculture use. The Parallel Conference on Mining and the Community It is worth mentioning that the World Bank conference included the participation of Mr. Hans Flury, a spokesman for the corporation. In his speech he did not address any of the environmental problems for which the Southern Peru Corporation is responsible. Ecuador: Carlos Zorilla spoke in defense of the Cotacachi-Cayapas ecological forest reserve (Ecuador's last remaining coastal rainforest) ,which is affected by the mining activity around the buffer zones, leading to further invasion of land and deforestation of thousands of hectares of pristine woods. Local delegates from this area spoke of their frustration over the past five years , due to the refusal of by Glevys Rondon THi s ARTICLE ALso APPEARED IN THE MINEWATcH su LLETIN : HIG HER vAL uEs Bishimetals to provide the Indigenous community with the requested environmental study Despite the should we accept something that is imposed on us by institu- absence of a management plan for the activities , the company tions like the World Bank, on behalf of a system which benefits has built a 9km road through primary forest , and dug various only rich people in the north and in the large cities of the south, holes near the Junin river, which two years later were gushing and which wastes the materials it uses and destroys the com- 300 liters of water per minute. As no environmental managemunities and land from which they are extracted?" he added. ment or contingency plans were ever formulated , the community is unable to hold the company responsible for the damages. During the parallel event, Indigenous and NGO delegates Shortly after the conference ended, local inhabitants organized discussed what they felt to be the true cost of mining and their several pacific actions with the aim of confiscating the equipown real needs. Amongst other topics , representatives were ment and occupying the installations of the company briefed on the role of the World Bank in the new impetus, to· open up mining in Latin America, and the strategies used by Brazil: Marina Kahn, from the Instituto Socio Ambiental corporations to win over or to divide communities. Several case spoke about the implications of the privatization of the state studies were presented from mining operations in various coun- mining company Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) . The Indigenous tries of the region. Among the most striking were: communities will be affected as the company previously contributed up to US $26 million annually to the local budget. The Peru: Miguel Palacino , spokesman for the "Frente de fate of the some 17,000 Indigenous people who live within the Defensa Ecol6gico de las Comunidades Campesinas y Pueblos forest region may also depend on the goodwill of the new ownde la Zona Alto Andina" referred to the contamination of the ers. Thirteen Indigenous groups distributed in 24 reserves could Quito, Ecuador May 7th-9th I 997 + Vol. 10 No. 3 15 �Eco - J u s rac E be affected by the C.1rnjas Projw. The reje<t the neo-libernl model of the ·free pressures to '"develop· resources could market', which serves Lhe. imerests of a herald major consequences ror these globa1 minority whose: objective is the communities as well as the biodiversity of indi.scrimmatc consumption of rtSOtlrtCS and which is bringing the mitliOl'\S of the l'<gion. · people surplus to the system to the edge Chile: Urb.1no Alfaro, a diver from a of ex-tinction ... States the declaration. small fishing village in the region of Antofagasta. discussed the impact of the The delegates also promised to carry Minerra Es<:01\dida Ltd, whose acdvilies om wide-ranging educational campaigns ha\'C led tO comamination of the fish and on indh-i.dual and collective rights. and to shellftsh they depend on for their living. strengthen the coordination of the strug· The company boasts that it produces 80 glc againSt mining at the local, national thous.1od tons of copper per year, ttsing and regional level. the mOSt advanced technolog)' in the world. In h1s exposition, he added lh~n the company fttds to expl~i.n that no other was willing to :\cccpt the plam CO\lOll')l due to the enonnous environmental con· se-quences. ·rhe treatment of the ore mvolves dischatging into the sea highl)' toxic chemicals. which among other problcn'ls have raised the temperature of the waters and produced dcfonmties, especially in prawns. The problems do not circumscribe themsclv~s to the sea. The company transports these toxins right through the town in ordinary trucks which have h~d no modification. The viltagers greatest rear is that in the event or a brake faihu·e or cr:\sh, these chcm1cals will esc."tpc, contaminating the air. soil and even causing an explosion. Again, at the World Bank Conference the comp.--my's representative concentrated on the economic benefits, highlighting that the production of "La Escondida" represents 6% of the total exported by the country. Ftmhcnnore, as there are plans for incre-asing production. Chile will become a world leader in the producuon of copper. Resolution : Towards the end of the conference the ddegates prepared a state· rnent which v.ras read out to the press during a speech in the Congl'<ss Press Office. The document, known as the "Dcdaraci6n de Quno", rcje<;tS ..mining activity in latin America and the pernicious role of the \Vorld Bank in promot· mg. and financing mining in the r.::g:1on". Delegates asscned "the right of lndigenous people and communities to continue their ham1onlous ways of life and decide their own destiny". Nor were delegates in agreement with the 6:mk's macro·economic poh~>~ "'\V~ 16 Their demands can be summarized as urging national govemmems to prioritize quality of life, food, security and environmcnt:'tl prestrvation above anything else., thC)' requested that alternath•es to mining should be sought and that aU mining development monC)' be channeled to other sectors of the economy managed by communities. World Bank Conference: Delegates from Latin Amcrie<~n NGOs attending the: \Vorld a'lnk Conference expressed their reservations about the event in a letter addressed to the President of the B.·mk, which was read · out during their speeches in the final panel. understanding of the unpact or numng at the local level. To be more precise. they stated in the lener that out of the 40 delegates to the \Vorld Bank Con(erence there was j\ISt one Indigenous person. and he w~ from canada and reflected in his spee<:h cxa>encnces far removed frorn those of laun Americans. In addition, rcprescmatives from L<uin America had been unable: to auend the workshop "Processes used during consuhauon"' on the 7th of May due to the absence of a Spanish-Engli'h tmnshnor. This unfonunate example of how liule the organizers had thought about the needs of delegates from the rt":gion happened not just on<;c. On two more ex<:asions and due to the same problem , Spamsh-speaking delegates were left without :my option but to abarldon the diSC\ISSions. As a result, they expressed doubts about the value of the consu.hation process msugated by the B nk, concluding that their partidpiltion . a wns mcrdy token. This is in marked contrast to a promise of "'lncan~ngful" panic~ lpation made by the Bank in a leucr addressed to the l....'\tin America Project. dated April 18th. ~ 11tt outhtN now works (CJ tht Lorin Ameri<o Minjng !Mnitoril>g frogtomme {wu.if/ I I 3 Hig~/and ,d., 8tomley, Kenl, Eng/end, m 4AA. Tti:OI81·280107. (·moil: <glevys@ul<l"'eb.demon.<o.Uh> UPDATE: During the debace many fa~ and Indigenous people spoke about e Mir wishes to •see• rite real extenc of environmental deceriorarion c open-pic har mining has produced in Peru. by far one of rhe v~t cas presented during e che conference. As a follow up to chis requescThe Latin suongly·worded letter was used by the delegates to express their di53greement with the orgttnizatlon of the event and the conclusiot\S reached dunng discussions. Reading. from a lencr prepared b)" the group. Hector Huenas Gonzalez ( a Kuna from Pan,ma) <:ommunic~ncd the .. groupS diS(lppointmcnt at the absence of a significant number of NGOs and commtmtty delegates. They felt the confer· encc had not been able to reach an A America Mining Monicoring Program (LAMMP) and Accion Ecologica are ~ntfy organizing an incemac ional exchange crip berween farmers and Indigenous people from E cuador and Peru. It isthe inrenrion of the group co >is in Peru the communiries of Cerro it de Pasco, Oroya and the ciry of 1/o and ro offer inlerflaCional wppon co c hese communities. 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. 11, no. 1 (Spring 1998) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Parallel Conference on Mining and the Community Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gloves Rondon Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title The Parallel Conference on Mining and the Community Item Type Journal Article Author Gloves Rondon Language English English Abstract Note More than 60 participants from Indigenous communities and NGOs in nine countries contributed to a general debate on mining. The representatives spoke on the true costs of mining, and the needs of those they represented. Issue 1 Volume 11 Publication Title Abya Yala News mining Parallel Conference https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/da01a85f671d9229834010ee1703bdff.pdf cecc27b6750119523278d6f49aa323cf PDF Text Text ENV I RONMEN .:._ _ __ T • • ous people r forest ng local communities, ps and non-governmental off against a major I n a bid to prote<t their livchhoods. the Indigenous communities of the PilOn Lajas lndigenotl.S Territory and Biosphere Reserve in Bolivia's northern Bcni department have united against one of the areaS biggest logging companies. The Chimane. Mosttcne and Tacana peoples have joined forces with the Rurrenabaque municipal gov· cmmem and Veterinarians \Vithout Borders (VSF), a French NGO which oversees administration of Pi16n lajas. to ban the Berna logging compa1\y from the reserve. 24 A'<Yta Yala News �ENVIRONMENT ..\Ve want the :tuthoritie-s to throw out 1hc logging companies. so 1hey leave 1he lCrrilOl')' for good : said Bern~n SolO. "THE SUCCESS cuhure secretary or OR FAILURE OF San luis Chico. Berna, however, has THE PILON a legal concession issued by former LA)AS AREA, Presidcm Gonzalo DESIGNATED AS SAnchez de Loz..'lda AN INDIGENOUS (1993·1997). and TERRITORY AND ahhougluhc compa· ny has not resumed BIOSPHERE RESERVE IN 1991, DEPENDS ON WHETHER OR NOT THE LOGGING INDUSTRY IS CONTROllED" logging in the area, 1he baule is far from over. Berna$ logging contract does not expire umil 2011. "The success or fail· ure of 1he Pil6n L'ljas area, designated as an Indigenous territory and biosphere rescnre in 1991. derxmds on whether or not the logging indusuy is controlled," s..<tid Daniel Robinson, national coordinator of VSF. Bolivia$ forest reserves are considered among the worldS richest, \\i lh more 1han 2.500 species of 1rees. The coalition against Berna s.c1.y that the company, along with hoards o£ inde· pendem loggers. is steadily deforesting 1hc supposedly pro1ec1ed area. ' They are tearing out various timber SJ>Ccics. 1nain· ly mahogan)', and selling them for excellent prices; Soto said. In addition , ~vlosetene representative Macario Canare said. "For every mahogany trunk they take om , they cut down 70 more trees geuing to it." logging also 1hrea1ens Ira· ditional hunting grounds on which Indigenous communi· ties depend for their livelihood. '"The loggers hunt animals in 1he jungle for food. and 1he sound of their machines scares many more away... Canare said. lov.red. The law givts Indigenous people the exdusive right to tase foreSt resources on commur~al land in territory reserved for Indigenous groups. Protected art.as indude more than 9.5 million hectares, while Indigenous areas amount to about 1 million hectarts. In comrasl. more than 21 million hectares have been granted il'l foresiTy concessions (NA jul)' 18. 1996). ''The lumber companies and indepen· dent loggers are taking away tree-s that we have title to. withOUl giving anything i11 return to the communities ... Soto said. Robinson and the Indigenous peo· pies of Pil6n L'ljas argue that local communities should a1 leas1 gel a pcrcemage of loggers' pror.lS. The Indigenous communities have created a prece· dem of resistance and some head· way has been made in defending Pil6n lajas. In 1996. VSF sued 1he !lelia Visla and El Pino logging companies for working without comracts, and they were forced to suspend operations, the first time such action had ever been 1akcn. A 1hird company. Selva Negra, lef1 the area volumaril)~ Bema. the largest comp..1ny remaining in Pil6n L1jas, is proving hard 10 dislodge. Robinson said VSF "FOR EVERY lawyers have "extensive evi· dence lha1 lhe cornpanys log· MAHOGANY ging prncticcs do not comply TRUNK THEY wilh 1he foremy law." For example, Bema has not begun TAKE OUT, THEY 1he reforeSialion program CUT DOWN 70 de1ailed in ilS original con1rac1. and its employees continue to MORE TREES hum for food, ahhough Imming is prohibited. many people want Bema to stay. Rumnabaquc, a frontier settlement on the Scni River. thrives on lite exlt'ac· lion of mahogany from Pil6n L'ljas. Mos1 or the town is built from second·rnte mahog...tny. and it is an open secret that 1he local s.'wmill culS illegally harveSled wood into commercial planks. Despite its shortcomings, the new forestry law has staned to control the flow of wood fron't the area. By allowing people to make a living from logging. but regulating the indus· try through forest inventories and extrnction plans. the area could have a S\.lStainable more future. ..People have realized that by limit· ing their output they can s1ill make good mone>~ Since the vol· umc has dropped in R\lrrenabaque, the price of lumber has almoSl doubled: Robinson said. But these small advances are threatened by large·scale. unsus· tainablc operations like llemas in Pil6n Lajas. "If l&rnal isn't thrown out, then the whole lhing will fall 1hrongh. lndeJ>endcm loggers will 'If 1hcy'rc not going to make the big guys leave the protected areas, then why should we lleavel?" Robinson said. '"'Y· Despite the obstacles, the Indigenous communities in Pil6n l.aja arc detem'tined to protect the restrve. ..ItS our right to protect our territory," C.'\nare &'tid. "lf we can't control il, and if this logging doesn't stop. we lose the fumre we are fighting for." ~ GETTING TO Bolivia's forts~ry law, passed w is everyoneS fervent hope it in 1996. allows 1he governIT." ment to lease forests to private that Berna will be thrown out, companies in 40·year conces· but tht)' are very powerful sions. providing regulations governing here,- Robinson said. The logging indussustainable forest management are fol· try is imponant to the local economy, and Vol. 11 No.1 25 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 11, no. 1 (Spring 1998) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Bolivia: Indigenous People Fight for Forest, An alliance among local communities, Indigenous groups and non-governmental organizations faces off against a major logging company. Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grant Jaime Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 1998 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Bolivia: Indigenous People Fight for Forest, An alliance among local communities, Indigenous groups and non-governmental organizations faces off against a major logging company. Item Type Journal Article Author Jaime Grant Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 24-25 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring 1998 Language English Abstract Note The Indigenous communities of the Pilon Lajas Indigenous Territory and Biosphere Reserve have challenged a large logging company, asking for their overthrow. They claim that logging causes negative environmental, health, ad social effects. Attachment Title Bolivia_Indigenous_People_fight_for_forest.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Beni Bolivia Logging Pilon Lajas Indigenous Territory and Biosphere Reserve https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/84de3b5d537a2b2b2842c88bc8cfd584.pdf 77ef859882089bfdee00d5ace4c3badf PDF Text Text Bill to Grant Ngobe-Bugle Autonomy in Panama Due to strong opposition by the Ngobe-Bugle community of Panama to the mining of their lands, the government has drawn up a bill that will grant the community autonomy over its territory. The Ngobe-Bugle people claim ownership of over 11,000 square kilometers of land in the western part of Panama. Marcelino Montezuma, a Ngobe-Bugle leader, explained that his community rejected the mining of their territory out of concern for environmental degradation. The Ngobe-Bugle people felt that without autonomy over their land, they would be powerless to regulate the mining process. “First of all, we want independence, then we will see if mining will suit us," he said. While discarding the use of violence to gain autonomy, Montezuma insisted that the Indigenous people of Panama "are losing patience." He also said that they demand to be treated with dignity and will not allow the Panamanian government to take away their ancestral lands. Information courtesy of InterPress Third World News Agency. 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. 9, no. 1 (Spring 1995) 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 Bill to Grant Ngobe-Dugle Autonomy in Panama Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource InterPress Third World News Agency Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring, 1995 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Bill to Grant Ngobe-Dugle Autonomy in Panama Item Type Journal Article Author InterPress Third World News Agency Volume 9 Issue 1 Pages 4 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring, 1995 Language English Abstract Note Strong opposition by the Ngobe-Bugle community of Panama to the mining of their lands led to the government creating a bill that will grant the community autonomy over its territory. Attachment Title Bill_to_Grant_Ngobe-Bugle_Autonomy_in_Panama.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Autonomy Montezuma Marcelino Ngobe Ngobe-Bugle Territory https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/b5f1e040d2f2bcfb1f3312ffd9327f41.pdf 6f2832659bd635b7b67eabb3ce616325 PDF Text Text Honduras: Xicaque Denounce Government Xicaque leader Julio Soto recently denounced the Honduran government’s failure to demarcate their lands and assure their survival. “We’re in a bad state. The government will not say the land is ours, and allows the wild ‘ladinos' (non-Indians) to throw us off the land our ancestors left us,” he said. The Xicaque are one of the largest Indigenous groups in Honduras, and although they have been identified by national and international authorities as victims of social oppression, nothing has been done to alleviate the problems. The Xicaque suffer from starvation, illnesses, and the slow but eventual extermination of their people by colonizers of their land. A Xicaque elder, Timoteo Calixx, believes that the genocide of his people will end when the Honduran government sends the International Labor Organization (ILO) ratification of the Indigenous People's Convention 169, which guarantees their protection. Meanwhile, the government has promised to send the ratification of Convention 169 in order to assure all Indigenous communities that it will not abandon its commitment to preserve Xicaque lives and culture. Information courtesy of lnterPress Third World News Agency. 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. 9, no. 1 (Spring 1995) 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 Honduras: Xicaque Denounce Government Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource InterPress Third World News Agency Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring, 1995 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Honduras: Xicaque Denounce Government Item Type Journal Article Author InterPress Third World News Agency Volume 9 Issue 1 Pages 4 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring, 1995 Language English Abstract Note Xicaque leader Julio Soto denounced the Honduran government's failure to demarcate their lands and assure their survival. Attachment Title Honduras_Xicaque_Denounce_Government.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] social oppression Territory Xicaque https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/da7813addbb1cf8f40e01436d061717f.pdf 2634457c63e718c34bb5dc555b5d52cd PDF Text Text _ _ _ _ _ __,'-"- l,_,__,"---'- T E R M I N A T I 0 N S E_, F 0 E A N 0 T E RRI T0 RY The Survival and Revival of Native American Languages The disappearance of Indigenous languages. although a deeply disturbing and ever accelerating trend, has received little national or international attention. Under enormous stress from a variety of sources. the Native people of this continent appear unable to halt the rapid erosion that is washing away a central strand of human identity. Not only are languages disappearing. but with them unique world-views and philosophies. The negative consequences of this loss of cultural. spiritval. and intellectual diversity will become more apparent as the spiritual and intellectual barrenness of the modern world more fully reveals itself. By Alexander Ewen and Jeffrey Wollock The Problem T he study or Native languages, anthropological linguistics. was developed under lhe ass\.tmption that Indigenous languages were doomed. hs main task has been to record languages (or posterity. This is imponant. but it is not enough. Toda)' there is glowing resolve to put a brake on this process: the Indigenous culmres and their traditions are too import~nt. For their survival, the languages must also continue. As a stuffed and mount· ed specimen can give little sense or the live animal it once was, so dry texts and even t~pcs are no substitute for living languages. These are not museum pieces. they are themselves living libraries, windows on worlds that can· not be replaced. The loss or language diver.;ity is a global trend. It has been estimated that, at current rates, the 5,500 currently living langu.,ges will be reduced in a century or two to just n few hundred.! American Indian languages have been especially hard hit. Indeed, o£ the worlds languages that are considered nearly extinct, over one quarter are Indigenous languages in the United States. At the time of Columbus, at least 300 lndigen.o us languages were being spoken in what is now the United Vol. 10 No.1 States.2 Today there are only 148 and, of those. one third have fewer than 100 fluent speakers and are consi.dered near exlinction. More ominous. 32 native languages have 10 or fewer speakers and are in critical danger or becoming extincl within the next few years) The percentage of Native-language It is estimated that 80% of all Canadian and United States Indian languages are in a similar process or d)1ng out." Few national governments are doing anything effective to reverse these patterns. For example, the United States has a strong commitment to bilingual education, yet the manner in which it is speakers in the various communities taught is almost useless in preventi-ng varies enonllOUSl)< While over 350,000 Native people, or one in six. speak their language, almost three-founhs or these come from fewer thar\ a dozen Native nations or groups o£ nations. and more than a third of the Indigenous-language languages from disappearing. There are many Indian communities that have successfully resisted the glob· al trend. Some, such as the Hualapai and the Utes. have long had vigorous and effective language progmms. Recent speakers in this country are Navajo. While Indigenous languages are threatened in other countries in the Americas. nowhere is the problem as critical as in the United States. More languages are on the verge or ext.inction in this CO\IIllf)' than in the rest of the Americas COJnbined, and California More languages are on the verge of extinction in this country than in the rest of the Americas combined. and California alone has more threatened languages than any other country. alone has more threatened langttages than any other coumry. Moreover. even those languages that are not immediately threatened with ext.inction are in danger. For example, although Yakima has 3,000 spe.1ker,;, most or all o£ these are middle-aged or older. Without a comprehensive program to educate ymmg Yakimas, the language will soon suffer a massive loss of speaker.; as they begin to pass away. income from gaming and other new enterprises has made possible strong language revival progmms among the Oneidas and Menominee of Wisconsin. ln Canada, there is growing awareness or the seriousness or the issue and there have been strong commi\mcnts to lan.. guage revitalization from national Native organi.z ations such as the Assembly o£ Fir.;t Nations. 25 �SELF DETERMII'ATIOt< At<D TERR I TORY A Navajo WOill!ln elder. The N~ajo are one of the few lnd!Set!OUS cu1Mes in the United States that have retained their la119uage to thJ, day. Nc<e than one third of the Native la119uage 5Pe4kers in the US are Navajo. The Needs hard for b1llngual education on public All prchmiiUII')' fmding.> mdtcat.: schools, only to Ond tb.11 it IS tnade\Ylth N:u.ivc communiurs m tht UnHed that Nntl"e commumues tn the Umted qU3te lO stem the IO.S of speakers. Due to the L~k of re$0Un:e5 a\'allStot<> on mtenswe languas~ tc..:hms or Stntes. Canad2, and other p;trts of this reviv:tl: ond that there ore successrul hemisphere Ond the languoge rtl<nuon able to ruos.t NAdve communities, many modds of how to pro<:<<cl. M•ny ISSUe tO be OnC or thetr blg&CSI COn• or whonl RIC ~tntggling \VIlh ;\ host of Indian communities rcqutrc immtdlnte cems. The inablhty to p.15$ On the lon- other problems. l:onguage pmgr:mlS nn: n<'tl<>n. In the form of specially designed guage to the youth l' mnklng it mort us11o.tly not an <>i>lion. Most lnd1gcnous J>rogmms, if their languages ore to sur- :md more difrkult lO 1>:1<< on tradition;; people in this hemisphere have much and culture. or C\'et\ to loster the tradi- lower stundnrds of lhing than the survive. The inabtlity of the modem mmd to tional le~dersh1p necessMy to guide roundmg populntlOIIS and are often under~ouUld 1M wealth thm surrounds 11 lnd1:m communottes lnt<> the future. extremcl)r poor Many Native commu· I> every d.l)• molang 1M world n poorer The general consensus among those niues suffer pohti(';tl oppression, conpi.ICe A report ISSUed b)· the who work Wlth N;ul\.: people on theu unwd eros1on of their land bost, :md Worldwnteh lnstltute in 1992 wamed b>IX!' is that the ~ tll.ljOrit)· of Natn·e th~ demo! of their legal and cultur:ol that the consequences of C\tltun: loss communities would gladly org.mlzc or nglns • Effons to develop and provtdt an nmong tnb-•1 peoples would Include the parti<:ip;~te on lan~c reco'Cf)' prod15nppearonce of millions of plant and jects If they had the op11on. When eco- econOmiC b;ue to these Indian communmmnl spcdcs. which currcmly Hvc nomic opponuniucs prcS('nl them· nities Cllll hnve detrimental effeCls on under their protection.) One can only selves. Indian reurv(luons usually l~ng:n:\ges and, cuhurcs-.7 New economJ>Oncler the question: when the world Is begin a language rcvttahznuon pro- Ic devclopmtnt ncti,.ties such as the reduced to a single language. w11\therc gram. Many cornmum11cs, .such as the NQrth American Free Trnde Agreement be anything of value left to sayl Seneca and Ont>ndo~, h~w fought (NAFTA) c•n be expected to ha.·c a All of this indicates two th.ngs: thnt thc:rt Is> cntto1l need to be&Jn \\OOOnj: 26 �nta;.uw~ cfft-ct <>II Indian Lmgu;t.:<> on !>kX>a> "he"' •lmost 10'- or the pop- • ...., .. lncllgtlous.• Lan~ rt\1tolluuon as • com· p.u•mely ncv. clf•>rt, wnh few SU<· ._._,and m•ny f•llurco Program> arc n-qulrcd that con t.tkc onto •ccount the •f'<<lh< pohto.:.tl, <Uhuml, and <<O· n€1mK cucum,tan<t~ or N:tU\'t' .:om~ muntll<'- • hen ~~ Nathe people wllh cconorn~< 1\''<llli'Ct< often la<k the rn.tny diffcr<ru •kills needed tc> put f<>rwot<l • comprchrMovc progr.>m. M<lr<O\'t'r, cultur•l <h.tn~ IS """ so raJ>od •nd pen·~~l\t. thAt ne>> "•l~ to lml.l the mtcrc>t ,,[ >••un,t: pcoplt and c<Ju<are them nad to he de-.lopcd Tht bock of communiClhon amonll :-o;.,t>c communltlet h:as h.ndtr<d the r.... •ucc:.,.,ful m<><ltl< from ~'"Ill applocd m Othtr ""·" In,......, \\here languogc los. h•• rc"Chcd ~ cnucol lt,·d, go'·4:m"'"nt' and tn~uuuon.'\ put the emphAsis on rc~ordtng bn~· ralltcr th;on '"' rescuon~ thtm \luch mor. n-~>l'<h nc~ch to~ done M thl\ ossue to better sur<<)' nnd evol· ur11r the cum•ou •tntc of lonj~ungc retention amon11 North American lnd~.t.ns o.s well • to o«k out <uccessful ><>lull""" .. H oteet I Ooernoncl IIIH3l m '"thee global ... _ lo... ~houGh I ote of he cetcu· latoo tho numbOr of liVIng fonQuliQOI at 6,000. 2 Teetor (19761 U•VOI en OIHm<!IO Of 300 Na""" Amfonc3n ~-· It cont.oct 3 c.-. (lge4l ' ..... ,.,. 176 .... ~ .. nM!IY ··'""''·of w!IICII•9 .... .n the Uno•od s.~,·· 1n ""' - · on1y A<l•t""" dole to tl>oS number· there It no other countty w.lh mote than I 0 cni1CII1v enciM(Iera<l JM. ""'h •3 ...,.,.,.. fo, tt'ldrt 111/ttr~ndtk•,.. COftttJt.f , \fco.'l F"'t" Dl o 'lJool W ~ '-'ol4r..... JIO \\hl '>! ~r. lM~. ~"1: 10019. ~ Zl2·16S~ ,,, fcx. 2Jl. ~1J.I t- 11""110• a.c.,., •., M(•rent ree-cho<s u.M d-Hetet~l n• ct•t .. for delt'"'*"*"'Q - - • ........_ .. ••'O<"od Ot - ' f _,_ the<e 1 s - diKr_,. on the ~~gut-. The , ... of uoed on the~t on<t · ...., . _....,.. al fewer tholn · - hundred ~"""' elderly, cen be conotdorod near extonctoon. • Teeter 119761 o•t"""'" that 11411 ofel AIM•Iean lnd4n ~ WI. become ••ttonct ~ w.th .......... gene•••- or ~ (19931 cot..• Moct.-el Kreuu of tho UnM!< ..ty ol Alia... "' Footbonk1. 'For tho 187 lncl13n lnngungos 1uMvong In North Amonco OUIItdo ol M>tke Ktau" ..t•ncltee that 1•9 ol ! ' - are ~nd · Fen.. I 1993) ttateo !hot 110 of the 53 NatM> len· _ . . opokon "' Cencodo are • conaod.....,., <Jechnong or endMgored • -ker.. .,,..,.tv 5 According tO Brtocoe (1992). 'Up IO 5.000 ~ -~~ t2 ~ent of the r.ndw.. T'-Yclilfetl,_ the •est of .,._,. be<lcM.oe t'-Y M cloMf 110 .,. . . -- '" ' -·a -~t countnea duo••••t cut:~· l"he ..-port '-'<1 lll4t ~ . . .I*'P'- - · .a.o Vol 10 No.1 !l7 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 10, no. 1 (Spring 1996) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Survival and Revival of Native American Languages Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jeffrey Wollock Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 1996 Language A language of the resource English, Spanish English Zotero Title The Survival and Revival of Native American Languages Item Type Journal Article Author Alexander Ewen and Jeffrey Wollock Volume 10 Issue 1 Pages 25-27 Publication Title SAIIC Newsletter ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring 1996 Language English Abstract Note The disappearance of Indigenous languages although a deeply disturbing and ever accelerating trend has received little national or international attention. Under enormous stress from a variety of sources the Native people of the South American continent appear unable to halt the rapid erosion that is washing away a central strand of human identity. The loss of language will create negative consequences like, loss of cultural. Attachment Title abyayala_v10_n1_p25-27.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Disappearance of Native languages Indigenous languages Native Language Revival https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/7ba8590382df9a99c60e9436c78f45f5.pdf fd1d6c2682d8f97f9b6c465ad77d49d0 PDF Text Text So That We, The Ye'kuana, May Inhabit Our Land In Venezuela, the Ye'kuana nation has organized itself against a legal invasion. In 1978, the government of Venezuela, bypassing the Ye'kuana peoples, declared Duida-Murahuaca a National Park and OrinocoCasiquare a "Biospheric Reserve. Until recently, however, other than declaring both areas under Special Administration, its implementation never occurred. According to the Ye'kuana, government bureaucrats have systematically ignored their historical presence and territorial rights make decisions on their behalf. by Jose Felix Turon Transcribed b y Simeon Jimenez Turon I have come to Caracas for the first time in my life because our land is being threatened. Where I live, along the source of the Cunucunuma Rivet; I have heardrumors of invasions of lands close to us and of future plans to invade other lands in the area. Therefore, I, having always lived along the source of the Cunucunuma River, have come Caracas to write about the historical bases of our territorial rights. I will speak about the real owner of the land and about the origins of the land. This is how Wanadi gave us a piece of the Amazonian territory. The Origins of Our Land S/he who made the earth is called Wanasedume. There was no earth In the beginning Wanadi (or Wanasedume) created the earth so that we, the Ye'kuanans, may inhabit it, care for it, feed off it, manage its resources, and so that we may die there. Wanadi said, "Take care of the land. It belongs to you; do not destroy it ." That is how the land became ours. The owner of the material necessary to make the earth was Mane'uda. With his material Wanasedume created the earth. He made it inhabitable. That is how the earth was created. In the Beginning Wanasedume realized that people on earth had nothing to eat. S/he brought the yucca from the heavens, being the only one who knew where in the heavens it was. S/he first planted it in Roraima, so that everyone there could have food to eat. Wanasedume then realized that the Ye'kuanans, in their place of origin (Kamasoinaa, north of the Cutinamo River), had no food. Where she first brought the yucca, Maarawakajaina, it did not grow.S/he then took it to the Cunucunuma River where it grew for 24 hours until it reached the skies. Therefore, we, the Ye'kuanans, consider as our land the territory that begins at the Cutinamo River, as well as the Cunucunuma, the Ventari, and the Manapaire River. Wanadi gave the yucca to Kamasenadu. She was the owner of all food. Therefore, it is only the women, as the mothers or guardians of agriculture, who cultivate the earth. Wanadi planted the yucca in the yard of a house that belonged to a man by the name of Tudumashaka. Many fruits were born from the trunk of that yucca tree. The fruits were like rocks. The tree grew so big that no more yucca could be planted; people only ate the yucca that feU from the tree. Seeds and rain also fell. No longer able to grow upward, the tree grew sideways. Then the rock-hard fruits fell dangerously. Tudunadu, son of Tudumashaka, died picking up fruit to eat. Some told Kamasenadu that people were dying, urging her to find a solution soon. Kamasenadu agreed, granting permission to cut down the tree. The chief of the felling was Yakawiyena. He visited neighboring villages and asked Waimene, a chief with workers, to help him. They worked one day and night but the trunk did not fall, one of its branches being hooked to the sky. Kamasenadu was present at the felling to collect branches. Kamasenadu sent Wayuni (the moose) and Majadaku (the tiger) allnthe way to Mudumununa to bring water back to the place of the felling. There, a number of other chiefs were now also waiting. Seeing that the trunk was not sent falling, Kamasenadu sent Wadajaniyu to discover what was happening with the trunk above. Wadajaniyu returned, saying that he had no teeth and could not cut the branch hooked to the sky. Then, Kamasenadu sent Kadio (the squirrel), who was like people, advising her to stand on top of the trunk so that she could come down the same way she went up while the branches fell off. Kadio was able to grab a fruit and save it in her mouth before chopping the branch with her teeth. The tree fell and the squirrel came down with it. Ever since then, the trunk of the tree is called Madawkajujo. Kadio fell to her death at the foot of the tree in Tudumashaka's yard. The fall was so violent, her eyes welled up. This is why the squirrel's eyes are welled up. Kamasenadu quickly revived the squinel by blowing on her. When the tree fell, Wayuni and Majadaku were not present and therefore did not get fruit from the tree. The main branch fell toward chief Padamo. Majadaku, angry, threatened to eat people if he could not eat yucca. Wayuni, not having heard Majadaku very well, said that they would eat the leaves. Majadaku then said that he too would settle for leaves. Kadio, after her revival, sat on the trunk with the fruit hidden inside her cheeks. She mocked Majadaku for not getting any yucca. Soon their insults turned to fighting. They placed bets on who could kill whom. The winner would take the fruit as a prize. Majadaku jumped from trunk to trunk. Kadio lay Majadaku a trap. She placed a loose rock on his path. Majadaku stepped on it and fell. All of those involved in cutting down the tree became animals: Majadaku (the tiger), Wayuni (the moose), Kadio (the squirrel), Wadajaniyu (the "tuqueque"), Nukoyame (the woodpecker), and Dakono (the "tara larga"). The food which Wanadi gave to us was meant for the Ye'kuanans. All those who nowadays eat cassava took notice of where the branches of the tree of life fell, taking stems and sprouts from the branches. Some did not know how to properly cultivate yucca. The land surrounding the Autana River and the hills along its headwaters, and the land surrounding the Cutinamo, Padamo, Cunucunuma, the Ventuari rivers are apt for the cultivation of yucca. The lower regions (for example, the savannas of the Ayacucho Port, of the Esmeralda, or even the lands north of the Orinoco River) are not. This is the story of the beginnings of the domestication of yucca and other foods native to the Orinoco and the Amazon region-foods that all of us, peoples of the Amazon, eat today. Second Demarcation: Present-Day Boundaries of the Ye'kuana Communities We, the Ye'kuanans, have lost a great deal of the land which Kujuyani left us as his sacred legacy. We must defend this sacred legacy in the same way other religious groups demand respect for their churches or places of worship. On our land, we, the Ye'kuanans, should not permit others to indiscriminately and disrespectfully frequent our sacred sites - as is the case in Madawaka, Duida, Autana, parts of Piaora, and in the Pemon region of Roraima. During the months of March, April, and May, 1993, we the Ye'kuana coommunities of Culebra, Akanafia, Esmeralda, Tookishanamana, Watamo, Modeshijaina, and Huachamakare, met and agreed to establish our communities’ boundaries and to demand state recognition of those boundaries. Based on our people’s collected memory - embodied or condensed in the historical wisdom of Jose Felix Turon - six communities were able to demarcate their lands according to the teachings of the story of origins. Thus, our occupation of the lands we now reclaim dates back centuries. Our occupational rights precede the Europeans’ arrival and the founding of the Venezuelan State. Some national constitutions of Latin America have acknowledges these rights, including Brazil (1988), Colombia (1991), and Paraguay (1992). No declaration is more transcendental or powerful than our peaceful, productive, and conservationist occupation of the land that Wanadi and Kuyujani left in our custody. In this age of"preservation" and "sustainable management," it is imperative that the Venezuelan government respect our rights. Granting us legal rights to the lands we have occupied for centuries would not only be just and right, but also a guarantee for their "sustainable management." We fear there could come a time when we will not be allowed to live off the land. We do not want that moment to arrive, since our lands are food, shelter, our life, and religion. To deny us our land would be to amputate our soul and our supreme reason for living. Based on an excerpt from Esperando a Kuyujani by Simeon Jimenez and Abel Perozo (Eds) San Pedro de Lo Altos, Venezuela, 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. 9, no. 1 (Spring 1995) 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 So That We, The Ye'Kuana, May Inhabit Our Land Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource José Félix Turón Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring, 1995 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title So That We, The Ye'Kuana, May Inhabit Our Land Item Type Journal Article Author José Félix Turón Volume 9 Issue 1 Pages 16-17 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Spring, 1995 Language English Abstract Note In 1978, the government of Venezuela, bypassing the Ye'Kuana peoples, declared Duida-Murahuaca a National Park and Orinoco-Casiquare a "Biospheric Reserve." According to the Ye'Kuana, government bureaucrats have systematically ignored their historical presence and territorial rights make decisions on their behalf. Attachment Title So_That_We_The_Ye'kuana_May_Inhabit_Our_Land.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] boundaries Cunucunuma River self-determination Territory Ye'kuanan yucca https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/9b01789f9a687ad47a755f9265b8cba9.pdf 3f0ca5de7f9b640c472e208a84b5f936 PDF Text Text La Pachamama - Artful Resistance {Argentina) One fonn of resistance and organization in the Calchaqul valley is based on the production of crafts. The Supply Cooperative for Regional Artesans, '1.a Pachamama;' has as its objective the !WOgnition of the technical and economic value of artesanry. Our craft cooperrztive u.zs fonned in 1986. At that time we didn't know anything about what it meant to fonn a cooperrztive, we simply felt it necessary to join together. In reality, we already were working together. Our sJwp had existed for more than 15 years, and people used to rome together here in order to display thdr products. When we began tlllking about fonning a cooperrzlive, the objective u.zs to turn artesanry into a means ofmaking a living. There are many artesans wha cannot work because the necessary materiJlls don't exist. We try to preserve what is autochthonous to our region. All of the artesans are local, from neighboring areas. Our artesanry consists primarily of weavings, but we also work with baskets made of "simbol" and "poleo" (local plants), and wood and leather, and there are also severrzl potters. We use traditional techruques and naturrzl dyes. All kinds ofweavings are made: tapestries, ponchos, blankets, "puyos" (ponchos woven with thick wool), carpets, pullauers, stoclOngs and shawls. W"'""" w«ving a Calchoqlli shawl. This legacy of our ancestors is something that we don't want to lose. They didn't know ofsyntlrdic dyes. They wove with the materials they had at hand, and this is what we want to preserve. Natural dyes are very consistent and chellper too. Locally, we are der>eloping a plan to supply the materials needed for the creation of our crafts. We have bought mw materials, wool, and looms. We have 42 members. We have grown considerrzbly. The main problem right now is commercialization, because we still don't have a market. At the present lime weare only selling locally. What we would like to be able to do is, for example, to go to expositions, to go to other areas in order to sell our things. (Josefa Balderrama, President; Rumaldo Olivar, Secretary) If you would like to support *La PochomomoM Cooperative by purchasing Orle$0nry, inviting its members to on exposition, offering training or consulting in marketing techniques you con contact: Cooperative Pochomomo Ruta 307 Km 118, Amaicho del Valle 4137 Tucum6n, Argentino Two children in El Paso, Argentina. SAJIC Ploolo EL PASO ISSUES PLEA FOR ASSISTANCE (Argentino) The surviyol of the Colchoqui community of El Po$0 is seriously threatened by a lock of water. Community members hove requested financial help in order to construct o well which would supply various communities of the oreo. The cost is $25,000. If you hove information about possible finonciol sources, please contact: Lucio Pachoo/Froncisco Choile Comunidad de El Paso, Fuerle Quemado 4141 Catamarca, Argentino Vol6 Nos 1&2 7 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 6, nos. 1&amp;2 (spring/summer 1991) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource La Pachamama - Artful resistance Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Josefa Balderrama Rumaldo Olivar Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1991 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title La Pachamama - Artful resistance Item Type Journal Article Author Josefa Balderrama Rumaldo Olivar Volume 6 Issue 1&2 Pages 7 Publication Title Abya Yala News ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1991 Language English Abstract Note An appeal for support from local Indians and their art as a way to preserve a dying culture. Attachment Title La_Pachamama-Artful_Resistance.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Argentina art Calchaqui La Pachamama https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/cadc4c93fd50eb9d56ff7fb381abc124.pdf 7eea006c42feabcf9cec30479a6ab5a4 PDF Text Text VIOLENCE A GAINST INDIGENOUS P EOPLES n August 18-19 1993, lhe village of forces have plagued !he nation's inhabitantsMazamari in lheprovinceofSatipo, In the rainforest regions, since 1992 alone, located in the cenlr31 rainforest re- there have been 1,491 indigenous victims. According to the local people, some of gion of Peru, was anacked by 150 guerrillas belonging to the revolutionary lhe attackers of the augustiS-19 massacre Maoist group Sendero Luminoso (Shining were young Ashartinka rebels. Sendero will Path). The massacre resulled in the death and often plant Indigenous rebels within the vilbru!al mutilation of 87 Ashaninkas, about a lages and instigate the Armed Forces' violence against them to prove the government's lhird of which were women and cbildren. During lhe early morning hours, a band hypocrisyandbetrayaloflndigenouspooples. ofSendero guerrillas came disguised in tradiAbout 700 familes have been severely tional Ashaninka garb affected by the terror, abandoning their demanding weapons. lands, villages, and Whcntbevillagersdid their way of life. Due not comply with their demands,thebru!al atto lhe rapid changes wrought by the invatacks began. sion of both Sendero This has been the worst attack on the guerrillas and the PeAshaniokas since lhc ruvian Armed Forces, capture of Sendero traditional waysof life Luminoso's leader, have been severely Abimacl Guzman. disrupced,causingexThis massacre is just tremcly unstable livoneofthemanygenoing conditions. The cidal actions system· The massacre left more 1han 200 orphans continuous threat of aticaUy conducted against the Indigenous Scndero's terrorism has forced Ashaniokas commurtities that refusetosubmittoSendcro's and other Indigenous communities of Peru's Maoist 'doctrine of a "Revolution for tbc Ccnlr31 Jungle to oonccntrate aU their enerPoople". Due to the Ashaniokas' resistance, gies and human resources toward self-<lethey have been targeted and persecuted. fense. Throughout Peru, violence and terror on the In response to the unwananted violence part of Sendero Lumiooso and the Armed and brutality, lhe Indigenous peoples of the O 30 IN PERU: Ccnlr31 region are actively engaged in oommunity organizing and creating al.liances with Indigenous organizations. The First CongressoflheAshaninkalndigenousPeoples of the Peruvian Amazon will be held from November29to0ecember3, 1993, inSatipo, Peru. Other lndigneousorganizations,such as CECONSEC, ANAP, and FECONACA, as well as representatives from oonccmed public and private institutions will also be attending. . \. <: T I () :--.1 There is an immediate need for relief funds for the 200 Ashan.ioka orphans and widows as a result of the massacre in tbc Mazamari village. CECONSEC is also in need of economic aid to continue supporting the organization of the First Congress of Indigenous Peoples of the Central rainforest region of Peru. For more information on bow you can help, please contact: Kalia Arya 4015 Rhoda Ave. Oakland, CA 94602 Tel: 510-482-4682 FAX: 51(}.421-4758 or SAUC A b y a Yal a N e ws � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 7, nos. 3-4 (Fall/Winter 1993) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Ashaninka Massacre Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Katia Arya Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall and Winter 1993 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title The Ashaninka Massacre Item Type Journal Article Author Katia Arya Volume 7 Issue 3,4 Pages 30 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Fall and Winter 1993 Language English Abstract Note A Peruvian Ashaninka village, Mazamari, was attacked on August 18-19, 1993 by 150 Sendero guerrillas. 87 villagers were murdered. Attachment Title The_Ashaninka_Massacre.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Ashaninka guerrillas Indigenous Peoples Mazamari Peru Sendero Luminoso https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/81fc68a3dc5fffb6d437025f38547f0c.pdf 7647e0e0551d6b7a6199a55b5fe29b47 PDF Text Text AN URGENT PLEA FROM THE SURUi (Brazil) The Surul Indian people of Rond6nia, conflicts and marry aiSU41/Us among both colonists and Indians, we sucatded in expelling the colonists from our resm>es without represented by the Metareili Organization of the Surul lndigmous People, sent SAJJC the following comuniqu~ to publicize their current situation. govmrmental support. Weare... located at ki/Qmeter 50 in the municipality of Cacoal and live on our traditional lands in six villages. Our population is esli11U1ted to be 511 and we/rave been in coniACI with the national sodety for over 20 ytt~rsand have adApted marryofthecustoms of thissodety. The majority of us wtar western clothes, know the value of mmuy, and 1!111 foods that are different from our traditional did. In 1978, the Suruf lands were invaded by colonists. After marry CurrenJiy, weare collt%med about S«Urity. The Surufs of Rond6nia are suffering marry thrl!llts and tvtn murders. Rtctnlly a Suruf Indian was killed by gunmen hired by ranchers who had invaded the indigenous rescve of the Zor6Indians (The Surufs allied themselves with the Zor61ndians in order to expel the colonizing ranchers). The Surufs of Rondonia have suffered much persecution at the hands of the ranchers, politicians and policeoftheMunici· polity of Caecal. The government has not taken a single measure regarding these persecutions. Ml!llnwhile, the Surufs live with dangerandanxidy,ftrJring moremasstU:Ttsas long as there is no justice. Jm 'rrrrW....-~~. Suicides Plague the Guarani-Kaiowa (Brazil) Suidde, almost unheard of among Indians in the past, Is a disturbing new phenomenon among the Guarani-Kaiowa people in Brazil's western state of Mato Grosso do Sui. Early this year Maura Ramirez, a 15 yearold, hung herself from a tree on the reservation. Her sister, Helena, one year older, had done the same a few months earlier. Since last year, 25 Guarani-Kaiowa have committed suidde and 37 others have attempted it according to statistics from FUNAI (the government's National indian Institute). Anthropologists blame this on the loss of land and OJitural identity in the face of an invasion by ranche!s and farmetS. More than half of the traditional lands claimed by the Guarani-Kaiowas have been settled by outsiders. "What we are seeing is a 01lture in agony, pleading for help/ said anthropologist Maria Aparecida de Costa Pereira, who recently completed a study of the tribe. Violence and disease have dedmated Indian people since Pedro Alvares Cabral and the Portuguese arrived In Brazil in the 16th century. A native population estimated at 5 million in 1500 has been reduced to 220,000 today. The 7200 Guarani-Kaiowa who live on an 8,000 acre reservation have been experiencing increasing pressures In the past few years. Currently the land they have is not enough to sustain their subsistenoe farming. Judges are hostile to indigmousclaims, and readily accept white landowners' property deeds, which are often obtained fraudulcnUy. Ambrosio, a Guarani-Kaiowa leader asks: "What documents do they want from us beyond our nesh and blood? We were born here, as were our mothers, 24 fathers and grandparents, who are buried on this land." The current situation makes the young men leave In search of work as migrant farmers, to cut sugar cane for one of the alcohol distilleries that dot the region, or to migrate to the cities. Sin<:e eligible mates are scarce many Guarani-Kaiowa young women seek work in Dourados, a city of 80,000 near the reservation. Many of them work as maids or prostitutes, only to be rejected after returning to their people. Many of those who have committed suidde did so shortly aftes- returning to the reservation from outside work- or while drunk. Some Guarani-Kaiowa are abandoning traditional faiths and joining Pentecostal sects in the area. Eduardo Leao, an offidai with the Roman Catholic-linl<ed Indig· enous Missionary Council (CJMI), claims that the GuaraniKaiowa believe that they will go to their father's house after they die, where they will be able to live in the traditional manner. "So suicide is not a negation of life but a way of prolonging it." FUNAI officials say they cannot legally set aside more land for the Guarani-Kaiowa, but leao criticizes the government for ignoring the constitutional guarantees of protection for indigmous lands and cultures. "Defending the tribe doesn't require anything extraordinary, but simply obeying the law.lf the federal government doesn't do something soon, theGuarani-Kaiowa are going to disappear." Soomot: S.• Frvr<isa> ~.by KDt Silomi<Vc SAIIC Newsletter � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 6, nos. 1&amp;2 (spring/summer 1991) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Suicides Plague the Guarani-Kaiowa Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ken Silverstein Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1991 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Suicides Plague the Guarani-Kaiowa Item Type Journal Article Author Ken Silverstein Volume 6 Issue 1,2 Pages 24 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Summer 1991 Language English Abstract Note Suicide rates climb in Indian communities. Attachment Title abyayala_v06n01_02_p024.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Brazil Guarani Kaiowa suicide