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| Mandato Nahuacalco: Resistance - Rebellion - Regeneration |
Based on these aforementioned reflections, the organizations united
in the First Continental Gathering of Indigenous Peoples reaffirm:
1. Our emphatic rejection of the Quincentennial celebration, and the
firm promise that we will turn that date into an occasion to strengthen
our process of continental unity and struggle towards our liberation.
2. Ratify our resolute political project of self-determination and
conquest of our autonomy, In the framework of nation states, under a new
popular order, respecting the appellation which each People determines
for their struggle and project.
3. Affirm our decision to defend our culture, education, and religion as
fundamental to our Identity as Peoples, reclaiming and maintaining our
own forms of spiritual life and communal coexistence, In an Intimate
relationship with our Mother Earth.
4. We reject the manipulation of organizations which are linked to the
dominant sectors of society and have no Indigenous representation, who
usurp our name for (their own) Imperialist interests. At the same time,
we affirm our choice to strengthen our own organizations, without
excluding or Isolating ourselves from other popular struggles.
5. We recognize the Important role that Indigenous women play In the
struggles of our Peoples. We understand the necessity to expand women's
participation In our organizations and we reaffirm that It Is one
struggle, men and women together, in our liberation process, and a key
question in our political practices.
6. We Indigenous Peoples consider It vital to defend and conserve our
natural resources, which right now are being attacked by transnational
corporations. We are convinced that this defense will be realized if it
Is Indigenous Peoples who administer and control the territories where
we live, according to our own principles of organization and communal
life.
7. We oppose national judicial structures which are the result of the
process of colonization and neo-colonization. We seek a New Social Order
that embraces our traditional exercise of Common Law, an expression of
our culture and forms of organization. We demand that we be recognized
as Peoples under International Law, and that this recognition be
incorporated into the respective Nation States.
8. We denounce the victimization of Indigenous Peoples through violence
and persecution, which constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights.
We demand respect for our right to life, to land, to free organization
and expression of our culture. At the same time we demand the release of
our leaders who are held as political prisoners, an end to repression,
and restitution for the harms caused us.
Women's Commission
1. As women we particularly Identify with
our Mother Earth. We recognize that the Earth Is life. We must respect
ourselves as women so Identified. This Mother Earth Is the only one that
we have: we must respect her, care for her, love her. In every country
people are destroying and violating our Mother Earth. She Is dying, so
we, the people are dying. We take our responsibility seriously. We
defend the Earth.
2. The Invasion of a non-indigenous value system has negatively changed
the relationship between women and men In the home, and the role of
women in our communities and nations. We have all been victims of this
oppressive system, of western vices, of addictions, of the violence of a
system that Is anti-life. We recognize that our primary responsibility
is to re-establish our Indigenous identity in order to unite as women
and men in a new way. To lose our identity is to lose the equilibrium of
nature, In which there has always been a balance between the masculine
and the feminine.
We must reclaim our traditional values, our Indigenous ways of
organizing ourselves, of conducting ourselves as communities. Before the
arrival of western values, women occupied half of the cosmos. In order
to re-establish balance in our homes and in order to realize the
self-determination and liberation of our oppressed peoples, women and
men must participate equally In accordance with the traditional values
of our Indigenous Nations. At this time, compañeros y compañeras, we
must work together In order to establish balance in this conference.
3. The churches must respect our religions as we respect theirs. We have
the right to practice our native beliefs, to have our sacred sites and
our sacred objects. Instead of celebrating the 500 years in 1992, the
churches should ask our forgiveness and observe our time of mourning and
pain. We must have the right under law to our religious ceremonies In
accordance with our Indigenous beliefs. We must protect our sacred sites
and our sacred burial grounds.
4. Militarism is anti-life, anti-Earth, anti-women. Militarism Is the
destruction of our ancestral culture, the destruction of our way of
thinking and acting. We stand against military recruitment which robs us
of our sons and brothers and turns them Into bullets In the hands of
the oppressor. When they return to their homes, they no longer know how
to live with respect and in community. We have the right to live in
freedom, in peace, without military Intervention, without war.
5. We recognize that in isolation, we cannot achieve the goals of our
struggle. Within the oppressor's system we are alienated as Indigenous
Nations, as women. We suffer from a lack of information. The mass media
does not effectively communicate our needs and objectives. The mass
media distorts and deletes our truth. For example, very few of us were
aware of the Indigenous uprising here In Ecuador prior to coming to this
Gathering.
We conclude that it is necessary to establish an effective communication
and support network and to coordinate among the Indigenous women's
organizations of the Abya Yala.
6. We agree that as Indigenous women of this hemisphere we will
participate in a coordinated manner In the different activities opposed
to the so-called discovery of America, declaring a day of mourning for
Indigenous Peoples.
7. From here on, we will actively participate In the national and
international tribunals, In order to guarantee the representation of
Indigenous women. We no longer accept the intermediary role of
"Intellectuals" who use us as objects of folklore.
8. We are very concerned, and have discussed In detail In our
commission, the lack of training, education and health resources for
women. We know that the first step in resolving these grave problems Is
to reclaim our traditional values, our spirituality, our culture. The
fundamental base of this is to respect the Earth and all living beings
of the cosmos.
Here In this gathering we are laying out the basics. The real work
begins when we return to our communities and our organizations. We work
together for our own development, one which reflects our values as well
as our needs: organizational training, an end to Illiteracy, eradication
of addictions such as alcoholism and drug addiction, rescue and
development of our traditional medicines without throwing away the
technology developed for the good of humanity, and rescue and
development of our own agricultural and nutritional systems.
9. To live according to our Indigenous values is to assume
responsibility for the well-being and the harmony of all, putting an end
to poverty and Inequality. We need all people, each person has their
place, the old and the young. We must support the widows, the orphans,
the single mothers, and the elders, as has been the way of our peoples.
10. As women and as Indigenous Peoples, we feel a connection to the
Earth. In order to bring closure to this gathering In balance with the
Earth we must be here at her breast, where we have our sacred fire. The
Women's Commission proposes to the Plenary that we not return to the
National Congress and that we decide, as a gathering of people, to
finish here the cycle we have begun.
Self-Determination Commission
We, the Indian Peoples have
specific characteristics which set us apart from the internationally
recognized, dominant societies. We struggle against the dominant systems
that oppress and exploit us. We find It necessary to forge alliances
with popular organizations which are willing to fight against these same
oppressive forces.
On Self-determination
We
Indigenous Peoples make our own rules to love and respect each other.
These notions do not have to necessarily coincide with those of the
academicians. Each Indigenous nationality has the right to adopt the
rules that would be best adapted to their political struggle in their
respective countries. We have achieved common laws that have been
accepted by the United Nations and the Organization of American States
where it has been recognized that all peoples have the right to
self-determination.
Our peoples share grave problems with other popular sectors of the
population, such as poverty, discrimination, oppression, exploitation
and marginalization. All of this Is due to the neo-colonial domination
of the dominant classes in each country. Because of this, we think that
the alliances between Indigenous Peoples and other popular sectors are
imperative. However, these same alliances must fortify and affirm
Indigenous Peoples identities. In order to achieve this, all parties
must be egalitarian and respective of each other's differences.
Political Project
Self-determination Is an
inalienably right of Indigenous Peoples. To achieve autonomy and
self-determination, we have been and will continue struggling within
our countries. Autonomy means the right to control our lands, including
the management of natural resources under and above ground, as well as
control over our airspace.
By the same token, autonomy (or sovereignty, in the case of North
American Indian Peoples) implies the defense and the conservation of
nature, of Pachamama (Mother Earth) of Abya Yala [the American
Continent], of the equilibrium of the ecosystem and the conservation of
life.
Autonomy for Indigenous Peoples also means control over the businesses
and processes out of which we democratically create our own governments
(self-governments).
We urgently demand, and we will fight for, the modification of the
constitutions In each American country, In order to establish In clear
form, the rights to self-determination of Indigenous peoples In regard
to Judicial, political, economic, cultural and social matters.
We are convinced that our goal of self determination will be achieved
only after the rejection of the capitalist system and the elimination of
all forms of sociocultural oppression and economic exploitation. Our
struggle Is geared toward the construction of a new society,
pluralistic, democratic and based on popular power.
Duties
The Self Determination and Political Committee recommends the adoption of the following commitments:
1) Encourage reflection and debate around the issue of
self-determination and clarify in concrete form, what this means for
Indian Nations, considering their specific realities In their respective
countries,
2) Promote a communication and coordination network to strengthen
relations between peoples and to give continuity to the resolutions and
commitments previously taken,
3) Promote the struggle for the official recognition of our ancestral
lands, so that we can manage them In accordance to our traditions,
4) Promote International solidarity in the struggles of our brothers and sisters,
5) Promote unity of action with those popular sectors that favor the
achievements and historical objectives of Indian peoples and of those
other sectors oppressed and exploited in our countries,
6) We propose to convert the commemoration of these 500 years of
oppression into a process of reflection which will help In realizing our
liberation.
Observations
- Class and ethnicity are not contradictory, the important matter is our self-affirmation as Native Nations.
- Inclusion of African-American people Is a must: they, like Indian
people, are oppressed and possess specific cultural characteristics.
- Each Indian Nation must choose Its own terminology to best
self-define Itself within the peculiarities particular to Its' country.
- We proclaim solidarity with the struggle of all Indigenous Peoples
of the continent, independently from the terms they choose to define
themselves, as well as solidarity with the liberation struggles of all
oppressed popular sectors.
- It is of primary importance for the advancement of our struggle to
understand who are our enemies and who are our allies. Since we can't
fight alone, It Is Important to develop a struggle inclusive of all
oppressed sectors.
- We must understand that oppression and exploitation are also
actualized at the international thus It Is necessary to define a
political line of our own countries outside existing international
alignments.
- To define our struggle as nationalities does not mean that we
exclude other popular sectors, it only signifies the ratification of our
reality as Nations.
- All oppressed sectors are fighting against the system, yet each has
its own approach and imprint, that is to say, its own Identity and
culture.
From
our point of view, 1492 marked the beginning of the Invasion of our
peoples by European empires. Colonization and the installation of an
exploitative, oppressive regime were the consequences of these
invasions. However, ~ resistance movement and Indigenous offensive also
emerged In an effort to repudiate the occupation, pillage and
elimination of entire peoples. Neither the invasion, nor the regime has
come to an end. Both continue to affect not only Indigenous Peoples, but
all the societies within the nations. Thus, the resistance and the
struggle of our peoples for freedom continues.
Resolutions
1. The work of the Continental Campaign of 500 Years of
Indigenous Resistance should continue to be directed at the rank and
file of the organizations in order to strengthen our Continental
Campaign of 500 Years of Indigenous and Popular Resistance. National
committees will be formed with the participation of the popular sectors,
thereby promoting communication, coordination and joint activities at a
regional and continental level.
2. A communication network must be established in order to present all
the proposals put forth with respect to the 500 year celebration.
3. Alliances with other sectors should be founded on the principal of
mutual respect. We will further our struggle based on our Identity as
Indigenous Peoples, and on our history, in order to transform the
realities in our respective countries.
4. In order for our cultures to flourish, we believe It is important to
establish cultural exchanges between the youth and elders of the entire
continent.
5. We resolve to struggle against the current policies of modernization,
privatization and total subordination to U.S., European, Israeli and
Japanese imperialism embraced by the governments of our countries. These
policies have meant a loss of land and natural resources to Indian
People. Multinational corporations have converted our people into
workers, exploited by both industrial and large-scale agricultural
enterprises.
6. We resolve that the struggle for Agrarian Reform in our countries
also be for the recovery of our communal lands which have guaranteed our
lifestyle.
7. We resolve that the struggle for our rights (to land, education,
healthcare, etc...) will take place within the framework of our own
political project, thereby permitting an organized struggle that
contributes to the transformation of the dominant society and the
building of an alternative power.
8. In an effort to decolonize our peoples, we are struggling for
bilingual, intercultural education for the entire continent. Priority
should be given to education of Indian People by Indian People.
9. We resolve to support and coordinate both, the efforts to hold a
Tribunal of the Peoples, designed to process and fudge the 500 years of
invasion, and the church meeting known as the "Popular Santo Domingo."
Both encourage coordination with other sectors interested in organizing a
meeting with broader representation In the future.
10. We demand that In 1992, the United Nations declare the right to
self-determination of all Indigenous Peoples. For this to occur, it will
be necessary to organize popular support pressuring the governments, as
well as to seek out international alliances with other popular sectors
and progressive governments.
11. The delegates from the U.S. propose that they will pressure the
president candidates during 1992 to take into account the problematic
of Indian People in North America, and attempt to influence the
decisions of the North American government with respect to it's
International policies affecting Indigenous Peoples.
12. As a policy of Indigenous Peoples, it is necessary to establish
mutual relationships with the states and official international
organizations in order to achieve an international block pressuring for
political space and for negotiations.
13. If Spain is willing to pay for the damages caused by the invasion,
we demand that these funds be channeled toward plans and projects which
we have developed, which we administer and which are used to satisfy the
needs of our peoples. We need to organize a workshop focusing on
drafting policies with respect to indemnification.
14. We resolve to encourage activities which break the conditions
limiting our full development within the present national limitations,
such as the recovery of land, etc...
15. We demand the immediate removal of all North Americans in Panama;
that the U.S. government stop financing the war in El Salvador, as well
as against the free and sovereign people of Nicaragua, Cuba and other
peoples and countries in America. We condemn the U.S. for it's
continuous interventions.
16. We demand an immediate end to the repression in our countries with
respect to human rights abuses and the right to organize ourselves
Independently of the government and political parties.
17. We demand the demilitarization of our communities, people and
countries, as well as an end to conscription. We demand that the portion
of the budget allocated for arms be designated for meeting the needs of
our peoples.
18. We rejects the payment of the foreign debt by our countries and
demand indemnification for the genocide, massacres and pillage of our
peoples. However, it Is also necessary to define proposals and loins
strategies in an earnest move not to pay the debt.
19. North American Indigenous Peoples request the solidarity of all
peoples to end the exploitation of the minerals used In the U.S. to
manufacture arms.
20. We express our solidarity with the African-American people who have
been the victims of a process of destruction Initiated by the European
invasion. We call upon them to join us In our struggles, based on the
mutual respect and unity of all oppressed and exploited peoples of this
continent.
Observations
- Our campaign ought to Include joint
proposals and activities of both an immediate and a long-term
character. Our strategy is anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, and
anti-imperialist. We are striving for the full recovery of our peoples
and nations. For this reason, we are opposed to all forms of oppression
and denial of our existence. Our goal is to promote activities in each
country and throughout the continent which combat this oppression and
denial.
- We denounce the visit of the King of Spain to Chile and the
Intergovernmental meetings between Spain and Chile In support of the
Quincentennial celebrations.
- We will direct a campaign against the transnational corporations and their policies of plundering Indian lands.
- We denounce militarization as a means of strangling our societies,
above all, at a time when our America has become a warehouse for
nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
- We reject organizations and institutions which usufruct the name of
Indian people In order to promote projects which are not in our
interests.
- We support actions to recover our legitimate rights and which
reflect the combative direction of our campaign, such as the Indigenous
Uprising In Ecuador.
- We will develop an Intense campaign directed at the national and
International media which will inform people of our existence and our
true situation.
Just
as a plant needs the earth, water, air, sun and fertilization for its
integral development, culture is a whole which needs all aspects
necessary for lives of dignity. Education is the exchange of knowledge
and cultural values that are in constant harmony with nature and
humanity.
Over the past 500 years we have suffered deeply from an education and a
religion of European origin which have devalued the age-old knowledge of
the nationalities of Abya-Yala [the American Continent]
This European education only serves to expose us to processes of
acculturation, subjugation and individualism. We refer to this as
"banking education."
Religion Is the weapon which was used to humiliate us, dominate our
people, and plunder our wealth. In the process, our own true religion
and spiritual practices were disregarded and devalued. We want to affirm
our spirituality, and accept all those who wish to share our spiritual
form of life, given that this is the authentic alternative for Indian
Peoples. We will continue struggling until we achieve the complete
realization and recovery of our spirituality.
Western religions have found some things in common with our mysticism
and religion, given that in our daily lives we fulfill all of the cosmic
universal principles of a healthy, balanced and just life which has a
harmonious relationship with the energy of Mother Earth, in other words,
with the micro and macrocosm.
In spite of this, it is important to remember that several
non-indigenous people have committed themselves to our cause and have
offered their lives for the liberty of our nations. These include
Bartolomé de las Casas, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Leonidas Proano, and
others.
At the present time there are several religious clergy who are committed
to our struggle. However, this does not mean that the institution
supports our demands. We have seen clearly that the church has two
faces, one belonging to the poor and the other to the rich. In most
recent times the church has been losing control and strength. For this
reason, it has been trying to recover control and influence by opting
more for the poor. This Is something we are understandably wary of.
1. All institutions which have sacred objects, manuscripts, and the
remnants of ancestral valuables belonging to American Indians should
return these to our Indigenous spiritual leaders and organizations.
2. The creation of national museums to promote awareness of our peoples. These should be controlled by Indigenous Peoples.
3. That the autonomy and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples are recognized and respected.
4. That bilingual, intercultural education be officially recognized In the constitutions of all countries of the Continent.
5. That Indigenous organizations have access to the research undertaken by different national and International institutions.
6. That all Indigenous Peoples be allowed to freely participate in their
ceremonies, that they have access to their sacred sites, and that they
have the right to use sacred plants.
8. We demand the immediate withdrawal of the Summer Institute of Linguistics from our communities and territories.
9. To do a follow-up and evaluation of the proposals which are being put
forth in order to present them to the UN and obtain their support for
our petitions.
10. To carry out a campaign to teach literacy to our Indigenous Peoples in our own languages.
11. To establish a university for Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala and to ensure that it is controlled by our own peoples.
12. That a network of communication be developed in our countries to enrich our cultural and spiritual life.
13. That a project be developed to create institutes and scholarships for the training of Indigenous People in each country.
14. That the philosophical names, concepts and dress/costumes of our Indigenous Peoples not be used to exploit us.
15. That any research about Indigenous Peoples be undertaken only with
the approval and collaboration of the community Involved. A copy of
the research done should be left with the appropriate organization.
16. That existing Indigenous institutes work towards strengthening the
health, social security, economic situation, and spirituality of our
Indigenous Peoples.
17. That the teaching of Indigenous spirituality, languages, traditions, knowledge and customs be included in our education.
18. Instead of whites, mestizos or others to writing about and
distorting our perspectives, and selling magazines, books and newspapers
about us to other communities, there should be writers and reporters
from our own Indigenous communities present at all meetings and
conferences of Indigenous Peoples.
19. Promote exchange of experiences from different countries.
20. That history be written by our own Indigenous Peoples.
Comments
- That the content of our education be based on indigenous philosophy and our cosmovislon.
- That there be structure and continuity in pre-school, primary and secondary education.
- To demand the creation of bilingual vocational schools to train Indigenous teachers.
- To demand [access to] popular channels of communication to spread
knowledge of our cultures among Indigenous Peoples and Nations.
- We not only demand the withdrawal of the Summer Linguistics
Institute and other organisms that embrace cultural norms which are
foreign to our communities, but that the movable goods and property that
these groups have appropriated should be handed over to our communities
and used for our benefit and service.
- To call on all ministries of education in every country of the
Continent to include In their educational activities, specific
references to dates which are significant to Indian Peoples.
- That every organization present at the Quito Conference make the
necessary efforts to ensure that Indian peoples have unrestricted access
to means of communications.
- We demand that national governments and international organisms
respect the use of coca leaf, peyote and other sacred plants. These are
essential elements of the culture, medicine, and spirituality of
Indigenous Peoples.
- It must be clarified that coca is completely distinct from cocaine,
which is a product of the decadence and corruption of Western society.
The war against drug-trafficking should not be used as a pretext for the
repression of Indigenous Peoples.
- That bilingual education be extended to the mestizo population, and
that the teaching of English be replaced with the teaching of
autochthonous languages, given the fact that one of the reasons why
bilingual education is rendering our own languages obsolete is due to
the failure to educate the mestizo population in these languages.
- That our education become a source of strength for our culture,
rather than as a source of destruction which has been the case for the
last 500 years.
- That as Indigenous Peoples we do not become the objects of research,
and that we evaluate what intellectuals and research centers are
doing. We should train ourselves to become the primary researchers of
our own culture.
- That the 12th of October be declared a day of mourning and
destruction of our cultures rather than a "Dia de la Raza" or day of
discovery.
- To reaffirm the value/importance of our Indian heroes as defenders of our struggles for freedom.
The
situation of Indigenous Peoples Is subject to national policies which
serve the economic Interests of foreign powers, (who In turn] promote
national governments which benefit a small minority. In order to remain
in power, these governments utilize diverse economic, political and
ideological Instruments - education, religion, the media, and different
"development" projects which do not harmonize with the reality of the
people. In this context, the situation of Indigenous Peoples differs in
each country, as there are different degrees of organization and
acculturation. In some countries, within the process of consolidating
their demands through various Indigenous organizations, people have been
unable to establish coordinating bodies which focus on movement-
building. This Is because within their organizations, governmental
parties, leftist parties, and Individual Interests have a predominating
Influence and in many cases do not contribute to movement- building
among Indigenous organizations.
As Indigenous Peoples, we must strengthen our own organizations and must
take a clear position on our roles within our movement, without
Isolating ourselves from the rest of the population that live in a
similar situation of poverty, hunger, and repression. However, each
organization should maintain Its autonomy. We are Indigenous Peoples. We
must defend our rights, but we must not forget the global reality in
which we exist.
Over the past 500 years individual state policies have sought to
annihilate Indigenous movements and forms of organization through
various repressive and subtle methods which are still befog used. For
example, the massacres In Guatemala, the creation of parallel
organizations managed by governments, the establishment of small
economic projects which are linked to small groups of families, which
divide and conquer the traditional community and undermine the national
and regional organizations.
This commission briefly evaluated the existence of such international
organizations as the South American Indian Council (CISA) and the World
Council of Indigenous Peoples (CMPI or WCIP) and concurred that these
are structures which have served to divide Indigenous organizations of
each country, acting much more in the service of Individual Interests.
In order to respond to the Quincentennial celebrations being promoted by
the governments of Europe, the United States and the Latin American and
Carribean nations, it Is absolutely necessary that Indigenous and
popular organizations participate, rejecting these celebrations, and
establishing alternative forms which represent our true history.
Conclusions and Proposals
1.
Recognizing the Internal difficulties and the different level of
organization (within each country) we consider It to be Important that
In each country, space Is created for reflection, where we can examine
our tasks and functions and elaborate proposals for unity among
different Indigenous organizations and positions and aim towards
International solidarity of Indigenous struggles.
2. In order to attain our rights, Indigenous organizations must define a
political project which confronts state policies; within this project,
the reality of each country should be taken into account, as well as the
need for a joint response with other popular sectors.
3. In order to strengthen our organizations, It Is absolutely necessary
to empower our leaders and community base - where the work of the
organization Is constantly reviewed and which allows for renewal and or
change of leadership. The objective would be to set up a closer
relationship between organizations, their base and leadership, In order
to avoid fragmentation.
4. In order to achieve the fortification of inter-continental
coordination it is essential that we consolidate grassroots work in each
country. Such coordination should not depend solely upon Individual
interest but must answer to the people who provide its sustenance.
5. it Is important to find opportunities for political debate about our
Peoples and organizations, seeking coordination In concrete actions.
There should be a functioning means of communication among us, with one
country assuming the responsibility of centralizing and distributing
information.
6. It Is necessary to name a coordinating commission, responsible for
organizing our next Encuentro prior to 1992. It Is of fundamental
importance to promote the realization of regional and national meetings
In which other popular sectors participate, with an eye towards
consolidating our work for the 500th anniversary.
7. The Indigenous organizations of Abya Yala should confront together
the 500th anniversary, planning coordinated actions and reclaiming
significant dates such as October 12th. As a coordinating mechanism we
propose recognizing and carrying out the resolutions on the 500th
anniversary passed during the Continental Gathering of Indigenous and
Campesino Organizations which took place In Colombia on October 7-12,
1989.
8. As an initials concrete action, CONAIE should assume the
responsibility for distributing the 11st of addresses of participating
organizations In this Encuentro, In order to facilitate networking. it
Is also very Important that each country make up a list of all
Indigenous organizations, large and small, of all Ideological
persuasions, so we may have a clearer vision of the situation of the
Indigenous movement in the Americas.
Observations
- It is necessary that Indigenous
Peoples recuperate our ancestral forms of organization, and not imitate
Western organizational models which do not correspond to our reality.
- It is important to establish effective systems for coordination as
we call for Indigenous organizations to participate In the different
gatherings, congresses, and meetings, with the objective of following up
and carrying out the resolutions.
- International organizations such as CMPI and CISA must be examined:
if they are going to reap benefits in the name of Indigenous Peoples,
then they must respond to our Interests. At the same time, we must
identify those national and international organizations which are truly
representative of us.
- It is urgent that we denounce and disclaim the shadow organizations
created by governments In order to divide legitimate Indigenous
organizations.
Territory and Natural Resources Commission
Our Cosmic Vision
Our conception of land Is sustained by our understanding
of that which Is human and that which Is nature as well as of the
inter-relationship between them both. Our organizational, political,
economic and production forms, In fact, all the elements that form our
cultures, are rooted In, and oriented by, communitarianism. Out of this,
we believe that the ownership of the land should be collective. Out of
this, we cultivate It In community and we distribute its fruits among
the community. And out of this, we believe In solidarity and thus, our
children are of the community.
It is this value of the communitarian from which we understand the
meaning of that which Is human and the possibility of each and every one
of us to achieve a harmonious life, that which sustains our concept of
territory and our persistence in maintaining lives of solidarity. Thus,
to live fraternally means also to live with other beings, that Is to
say, with all of nature.
We don't consider ourselves the owners of the land. It Is our Mother,
not a piece of merchandise. It Is an Integral part of our life. It Is
our past, present, and future. We believe that this definition of the
interaction between humans and the environment Is not only valid for our
communities but for all Indo-American peoples.
We believe that this form of life is an option, an alternative, a light
for the peoples of the world oppressed by a system sustained by the
domination of people by people, by the domination of nature, a system
where the individual is supreme, where the peoples' rights are mere
declarations inconsistent with practice, and where people are denied the
right to exist with their own cultures, and are denied their rights to
self-determination and autonomy.
For the capitalist system, diversity, the collective, solidarity,
autonomy and self-determination only signify obstacles to the exercise
of imposition, exploitation and domination.
In light of these reflections, we want to look at the history of our
peoples with respect to territory. History has tried to obscure the
Invaders, depreciate and deny our cultures, treat them as backwards and
archaic to Justify the invasion, the genocide, and the permanent ongoing
pillage during 500 years and deny their historic responsibility.
The domination of our peoples has been the constant that the dominant
system has used for five centuries to maintain Itself, embodied first In
the Europeans, then In the Creole or descendent of the European and
finally In the United States and Japan In collaboration with
Latin-American governments.
Thus, the lands of our continent are Inhabited by thousands of peoples
who saw their development truncated by the arrival of Europeans. The
greed and voracity of the Invaders denied that we are human beings to
legitimize the ethnocide and genocide subjected upon our peoples. To
them, we were lust another part of nature available to be dominated.
For this reason, we affirm that our territories do not have owners. We
do not legitimize the invasions, the expropriation and robbery of the
natural resources in the name of God by European invaders.
I. Our Current Situation
In the decline of the 20th century, often called the
apogee of "civilization," while technological advances have surpassed
all calculations, the problem of humanity have not been solved, much
less an understanding and resolution of the problems of Indian peoples.
The so-called powers that boasted of their development have deepened the
level of Inequality, ambition, crisis, ecological destruction and had
put the equilibrium of the planet In serious danger. Now, of these two
antagonistic models that have existed In Imbalance, It Is the alternate
position of the Indian Peoples that rises vigorously with Its historic
responsibility, product of Its clear cosmic vision and harmonious
co-existence with all of nature.
Our dally experience tells us that we still suffer active and profound
problems that demand urgent solution. Among those which correspond to
territory, natural resources and ecology, we analyze the following:
A. Territory and Natural Resources
Persistent problems are:
- The irrational management and use of the surface, subsurface,
and river and groundwater basins generating, as a consequence, the
destruction of our ecosystem.
- The use of our traditional technology In the exploration of the land
and natural resources of our peoples has been trampled on and Invaded
by the machinery of capitalist technology, a reality which leads to the
total destruction of our cosmovision and our treatment of Nature. In
addition, It has led to the sterilization of our ecosystem.
- The equilibrium and dynamic of life within our territories has been
destroyed by the voracious exploitation of the resources and the
utilization of different chemical elements that not only poison the
subsoil, but also humankind and all living befogs.
- The tenacious Introduction of monocultivation, the squandering of
our rich and varied production and traditional foods, the depredation of
our mangrove swamps and Jungles has provoked the introduction of
changes in alimentary systems that bring about a growing malnutrition
and destruction of our peoples.
B. Governmental territory and policies
Persistent problems are:
- The ignorance of governments about our culture has brought
about ethnocidal policies Imposed on our peoples, attempting to
exterminate and destroy our traditional practices of the management of
our territories. Thus, they have created and still create laws that
affect us without consulting with us.
- They bureaucraticize and refuse to deliver property titles.
- They create national parks and reserves as a sophisticated form of robbing our territory.
- They give large concessions of land to oil and other transnational
companies which foster the pillage and permanent deterioration of the
ecosystem and finance neocolonialism.
- They permit the creation of military zones of so-called "national security."
- They impose models of economic development, foreign to our cultures
and necessities based on monoculture which forces us to produce what
interests the international monopolies.
- They dictate laws of Agrarian Reform and colonization imposed by imperialism.
- They feel the weight of a heavy foreign debt contracted by the
oppressors of our peoples who generate an ever-deepening dependency
demonstrating to us that the lender powers are accomplices In the
destruction of our lives.
- They respond to our struggle for our legitimate rights with
repression, forced removals from our recuperated territories and control
of free Indian movement.
C. Sovereignty and self-determination
- We endure a disrespect of our Identity and forms of self
government. The division of our own organizational practices proliferate
and parallel organizations are formed to weaken our capacity to
mobilize and determine our own futures.
- The proliferation of sects such as the Summer Institute of
Linguistics (SIL), Nine Tribes, Wings of Assistance and other
denominations that are part of the same chain of oppression strike
against our sovereignty.
- Also the individualization and fragmentation of the land destroys our communal existence.
- There exists a persistent manipulation and utilization of certain
Indigenous leaders, converting them into tormentors (executioners) of
their own brothers and sisters.
- Our sovereignty Is also sustained through the spiritual relationship
with our Mother Earth which we recognize as the place of union with the
Supreme Creator and source of life. From this point, we are prepared to
fight until the end Including giving up our lives because we feel that
our Mother Earth Is worth more than our lives. This feeling Is also
associated with the negation of our thousand year historic memory and
the Impossibility of recuperating our sacred monuments, living
testimonies of our ancestral history.
D. Human and Popular Rights
- Our rights as Indigenous Peoples have been violated with the
political history of pillage and aggression on our territories which
bring with it the loss of Identity. International accords of universal
and popular rights have been trampled, forcing massive migrations to
urban centers where, before finding protection, the immigrants are
exposed to misery, racism, salaries of hunger and begging.
- Within this context, we present the organized struggle for the
defense and recuperation of our territory as the only alternative whose
recent and living example Is the latest Ecuadorian Indigenous uprising.
- Another form of violation of our rights is the indiscriminate
penetration of tourism which traffics with our culture and presents our
people as exotica and Items of curiosity and diversion.
- Social such as prostitution, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc., produce the moral degeneration of our peoples.
- In the presence of these realities, we issue a call for continental
solidarity as Indian peoples and we stand firm until we re-establish
our legitimate territories and are able to practice our self-government
and determine our own futures.
II. Mandate of the Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala
A. We declare the inviolability of our ancestral territories and we demand respect for our sovereignty and self-determination.
B. We are determined to continue to encourage programs of drawing up our
own boundaries to the traditional territories of our Indigenous Peoples
in global and communal form. These territories are interconnected with
neighboring nationalities on the regional and continental level.
C. We will work toward the expansion of our Indigenous territories that
have insufficient space and, at the same time, we will undertake actions
to recuperate our stolen lands with our own organized struggle.
D. We oppose all intervention and militarization In our Indigenous
territories on the part of the state, and the creations of military
zones on International borders, as in North Caye (In the borders of
Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and Peru,) which preclude Interaction
between our brother peoples.
E. In Indigenous territories, we will undertake plans of Reconcentration
of Indigenous Peoples to create new communities which will permit us to
control the integrity of our Indigenous territories against the advance
of colonialization and the proliferation of lumber, agro-industry, drug
and mining businesses.
F. We oppose the creation of new national parks and reserves by the
government which are forms of legitimizing the then of our territory,
and we demand the coadministration by the state and Indigenous
organizations of the reserves and parks already created. We will
Implement an ecological, educational and consciousness raising tourism
that give the same chance to all social groups.
G. With respect to strategic and non-renewable resources such as oil and
uranium, the state may not negotiate in a isolated manner with a small
local organization, but must consult and coordinate with the principal
organization of our Indigenous Peoples, applying national laws and
International agreements. Contrarily, if this does not happen In this
way, these agreements will be considered Invalid and non-existent by our
peoples.
H. We Issue an urgent call to our Indian Peoples to take on again and
fortify our position of communal lands or territories, to promote unity
through concrete strategies with a network of intercommunication and
solidarity that eliminates borders and limits of any kind.
I. Because of the profound respect we have for our Mother Earth, and
because we are not part of fratricidal wars alien to our culture, we
declare our territories zones of peace In the case of wars and
International conflicts.
J. We demand that national governments suspend indefinitely, the
authorization of permits to exploit renewable and non-renewable natural
resources on our Indian territories.
K. We will encourage alternative programs of social development that
guarantee the sovereignty, autonomy, unity, cultural and ecological
integrity of our peoples.
L. We will develop our own economic policies, based on the harmonic
utilization of our natural resources, oriented primarily toward the
betterment of our peoples and that will permit us to achieve shared
ownership giving an alternative to the New International Economic Order.
M. We demand that governments and churches vacate and return our
territories as an act of reparation for the 500 years of genocide and
ethnocide, and we demand the repatriation and return of our cultural
wealth, pillaged and profaned by Europeans.
N. We do not recognize and we oppose the Agrarian Reform laws, imposed
on our people and which correspond to the Interests of the dominant and
oppressor classes of our continent.
O. We are determined to fight energetically, all governmental attempts to create parallel organizations.
P. The land and Indigenous Peoples are Inseparable. Land Is life and
cannot be bought or sold. It is our responsibility to take care of the
earth according to our tradition to guarantee our future.
Q. With respect to religious sects, such as the Summer Institute of
Linguistics (SIL), Nine Tribes, Wings of Assistance and others that are
found operating within our Indian territories, we declare that if there
Is no political will on the part of the respective government for their
expulsion, It will be our own Indian organizations which will undertake
the battle of their expulsion, and through this, recuperate our
sovereignty, shared partnerships and self-determination through raising
the consciousness of trapped Indigenous communities, and the radical
prohibition of their entrance onto our lands.
The
document on Indigenous law was developed from the discussion of the
position document presented to the conference participants. The present
situation was analyzed as follows: That official or written laws
throughout history, as well as presently being utilized in the majority
of countries have never guaranteed the rights of Indian Peoples. These
laws were (and are) created, Imposed and controlled by the ruling
hegemonic sectors.
The case of Guatemala serves as a particularly good example. Guatemala's
constitution was developed by military personnel who were in the
process of handing over power to a civilian government. The laws are
entirely anti-insurgent, antipopular and anti-democratic. Because of
this, any efforts to attain human rights, particularly Indigenous
rights, have been violently suppressed, resulting in almost daily
massacres.
This example demonstrates how Irrelevant and Inapplicable the legal
system is to the Guatemalan military and government. Agrarian Reform
laws have been particularly abused. The Guatemalan legal system Is of no
use to the majority of the population.
The few laws favorable to Indian people In the books of some countries
were obtained through political pressure and popular demands. In spite
of the official legal systems, the administration of justice through
traditional Indigenous law has been maintained. Law In accordance with
the Indigenous Cosmovision, and relevant to our dally activities and
traditional infrastructure exists in our communities.
These rights may be seen as alternative rights, which transcend the
logic and effectiveness of official laws and historically are effective
ways of solving the problems of Indigenous Peoples.
The following document was developed in order to make some changes to existing documents on Indigenous law.
We recommend that the wording of "Customary (Consuetudinary) Law" be
changed to read "Indigenous Law" whenever It refers to Indigenous People
who are following the recommendations of the Seminar-Workshop on
Comparative Indigenous Law of America, held In Quito In May, 1990, with
the participation of Indigenous jurists from the entire continent.
Customary Law refers to the official judicial practice, be It by Indians
or by persons belonging to any other social sector, acting from custom
or oral tradition. Indigenous Law Is referred to as Customary Law by
official sectors and refers to judicial, cultural and ancestral
practices.
We demand:
- the establishment of a systematic body of Indigenous laws In
each country. Our goal being to consolidate Indigenous Law according to
how It Is practiced In communities.
- Because Indigenous People Interact with other social sectors, we
must demand that legislative diversity be evident In political
constitutions demanding that the official accept Indigenous Law as such,
thus opening up areas for the consolidation of cultural plurality and
the self-determination of people.
- In reference to Official or State Laws, we demand laws which are
favorable and Just to Indigenous Peoples and that discriminatory laws be
rewritten to meet the needs of Indian People.
- We refer here to the ratification of Agreement #169 of the
Indigenous and Tribal Peoples adopted by the International Labor
Organization whose proposals have an International scope and perspective
on the future. In this agreement some Improvements are needed, such as
those that speak of Peoples rather that populations, and a relative
recognition of our rights to lands and territories, also the right to
have bilingual and intercultural education, that our world vision be
respected, etc... That Is why Indigenous organizations must apply
pressure until said Agreement is ratified in every country.
Proposals
1. To know, codify and organize Indigenous Law. To do
this we propose that research begin to Intensify on this field at
national and international levels.
2. At the same time, we propose the creation of an organization of
professional Indigenous jurists to form an international committee of
Indigenous jurists and leaders, so that they may be In charge, guide and
organize events and initiate studies about this Important topic.
Together with said proposal, we suggest that democratic tradition be
recuperated for Indian People. This means that laws ought to be
researched, developed and approved by the members of Indigenous
communities.
3. When developing laws, terms and concepts should be understood by
everyone. Confusion and controverted interpretations should be avoided.
Thus, Indian legislation will be framed into a project against
colonization, that may reflect the language used as well as the breadth
and content of the same.
4. State laws are to be developed within a reasonable amount of time
which will bring about reforms In political constitutions, beginning
with a recognition of the pluri-national and pluri-cultural nature of
states.
5. Therefore, we must urgently DEMAND that governments and legislative
powers ratify Agreement #169 about Indigenous and Tribal Peoples adopted
by the ILO. In the same way, we must demand the acceptance of other
projects of law, especially applying to each one of the nationalities of
the different countries.
6. That a world organization be created to deal with Indigenous affairs and named International Indigenous Nations.
To accomplish these things, we must make a decision of a continental
scope to support each others struggles at an International level.
Besides, we should seek solidarity from other social sectors to obtain
the adoption of national and international laws In each of our national
countries.
Recommendations
1. To carry on permanent events, to make known and
advertise laws about Indigenous rights, and to open a debate about the
topic at local and International levels.
2. We recommend grass-roots participation In the development, discussion and recognition of Indigenous Law.
3. That the official laws about Indian People be made known so that they may be debated openly.
4. To open the possibility of studies and Interchanges In order to know and broadcast Indigenous legislation in every town.
5. We recommend the participation of the Indigenous people of the continent in the discussions of the project of the
Universal Declaration of Indigenous Rights which Is currently being discussed at the United Nations.
Resolutions
We,
of the Human Rights and Political Prisoners Commission held a
discussion to determine what our rights are from an Indigenous
perspective. As Inhabitants of this continent, we are concerned about
Creator-given human rights.
In consideration of human rights, we must take into account the
continuous vital cycles of Mother Earth, air, water, the world, plants,
those that fly, those that swim, the world of the four-legged, and all
beings, because as human beings, we cannot live without all these
natural beings.
Some of the examples of Human Rights violations that we Indian Peoples
face are the following: they steal our land; they deny us the right to
self-government; they massacre our peoples, they Impede us from speaking
our languages and practicing our religions.
One of our greatest concerns are that we, as Indigenous Peoples need to
develop our own concept of natural rights and not depend on Western
definitions. As Indigenous communities we share a history of 500 years
of painful human and natural rights and violations.
In spite of the efforts of numerous governments to divide and conquer
us, we are here to reaffirm our relationships among Indigenous Peoples,
among ourselves as well as within the cycles of life.
We have distinct and unique cultures and ways of living that often are
In conflict with the dominant cultures. Due to this conflict, many human
rights Instruments developed by dominant cultures don't respond to our
cultural values or to the problems we face.
Our Ideas on rights are based on communities, recognizing the interdependence of all beings.
In spite of the Incapacity of existing human rights pacts and agreements
dealing with Indigenous rights, we believe that it is necessary for
communities to familiarize themselves with these instruments and to use
them as tools in the continental Indigenous struggle.
Subjects
Utilizing the norms that have been developed In the
Internal Pacts and Accords on the Human Rights, we see that as
Indigenous Peoples, our rights continue being violated daily. The
following are some of the main themes that came up In our discussion.
It was agreed that, especially for our brothers and sisters throughout
the continent, our fundamental right to life has been denied. The
massacres in Colombia, Peru, Guatemala and other countries are the most
obvious examples. The policies of genocide and ethnocide present a more
subtle denial of the right to life. By destroying our movement's by
practicing forced sterilization, taking away our children, and by
denying us our educational and religious practices, the National States
are killing our peoples.
Even though we've maintained some control over parts of our land, we are
denied the right to self-determination because as long as we do not
control the exploitation of what they call "national resources" our
efforts at organizing ourselves are suppressed.
We don't have the freedom to come and go as we wish. Frequently, our
communities are divided by borders that have been Imposed with no
respect for our ancestral territories.
Over the last 500 years, our land has been stolen by different
governments and by transnational corporations that exploit the resources
that are found on our lands. These resources are necessary for our
survival. The result of this exploitation is not development, rather the
death of our communities due to contamination of the land and water and
the ethnocidal and genocidal policies of manipulating governments that
are Intent on destroying us.
Resolutions
1. While many communities are suffering human rights
violations, we would like to express our particular concern for the
Indigenous Peoples of i Latin America who are suffering genocidal and
ethnocidal massacres, especially in Peru, Guatemala, Colombia and El
Salvador, where the governments are carrying out a systematic war
against Indigenous Peoples. We ask our brothers and sisters for urgent
measures to be taken In solidarity with these peoples.
2. That the International documents released by such organizations such
as the United Nations, the International Organization of Work Ethics,
etc..., be In force and distributed to the Indigenous organizations in
each country, so that we may be knowledgeable in the fight for our
rights.
3. That a list of the Indigenous Nations and organizations that
currently work at an International level be made available to all the
participants of this Conference.
4. We recognize the Importance of utilizing an Informational network to
address the human rights violations on our Peoples. We need to establish
a permanent structure for communication among all peoples In regards to
these rights.
5. It Is necessary to have more meetings In our communities In order to
continue documenting and developing our comprehension of human rights,
as well as to document the violations and abuses against them.
6. As a follow-up to the last Item, we propose that an International
Indigenous Congress be formed with the purpose of coming up with an
International Indigenous Rights and forming an International Indigenous
Rights Coordinating Body.
7. It is necessary to identify and form strategies to combat the exploitation of Indigenous natural resources.
8. We are opposed to development projects carried out by governments and
Imposed by the International Monetary Fund which have attempted crimes
against the physical and cultural integrity of the Indigenous Peoples of
this continent.
9. We reject "Indigenist" policies of different countries of this
continent, which are of an integrationalistic and assimilationistic
character, and which don't take into account our ancient cultures.
10. We need to regain control of our education end develop
multi-cultural programs that keep our culture and teach our own
perspective about our rights, so the future generations can defend
themselves and destroy the pattern of genocide and ethnocide.
11. Within our documents on Indian rights we must specifically recognize women's rights.
13. We are against obligatory military recruitment of our community
youth, because this Is against our culture. It sets up Indigenous People
to kill amongst our own selves, oppressing our brothers. The military
converts our sons Into murderers that don't defend our homeland, but
rather kill people. We don't want militarization of civilian people. For
example, In Guatemala where obligatory civilian patrols are enforced
with the pretext of "protecting" the community. In actuality, these
patrols are used by the military to control and repress the people and
for those who don't participate, they are accused of being "communists."
14. We support the immediate release and unconditional freedom of all
political prisoners of this continent. We denounce the deplorable
conditions of refugee camps and prisons, which are cruel and Inhumane.
We recognize that these political prisoners suffer because they defended
and protected our natural human rights.
We will not cease our demands until they are all free.
Observations
- We should act immediately on behalf
of human rights victims and Indian political prisoners by urgently
sending letters, telegrams, fax, etc., to all involved governments.
- We should specify that our rights are defended and are part of a
grassroots political decision and are not a voluntary concession by a
government nor by an international organization.
- We should oppose the existence and application of unjust laws that
oppress our people in each country. We reaffirm the need to develop an
alternative legal system that Is based on our Indian rights.
- We should condemn genocidal and ethnocidal governments, such as
Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Peru and others that are directly
responsible for crimes and disappearances.
As
we conclude this continental Meeting of Indigenous People, we the
non-indigenous participants, offer our solidarity, our support and our
alliances to the participating Indian People. We will stand with you In
the ongoing struggle for your human rights, and for your right as
indigenous People to self-determination. This meeting has Illuminated
the human and ecological destruction resulting from the European
invasion. Our challenge, as your allies, Is to acknowledge this historic
reality, and to recognize, respect and support you, the Indigenous
People of the hemisphere, In directing our collective efforts toward the
healing of the Mother Earth.
We acknowledge that with the European invasion came genocide,
repression, massacres, slavery and suffering, which continue unabated
today.
We acknowledge that the entire hemisphere has been overwhelmed by
foreign law, foreign religion, and foreign economic and social systems.
We acknowledge that the contemporary dislocation of non-indigenous
people, through military and economic force, further aggravates the
pressures on those Indigenous People still occupying their ancestral
lands.
We acknowledge that contemporary development policy, combined with these
economic, social and military forces, create contemporary processes of
colonization.
We acknowledge the continual dental of your sovereignty and of your fundamental human and political rights:
- through the exploitation of natural resources on Indigenous land and territories by states and multi-national corporations;
- through the exclusion of Indigenous People from policy making processes of International agencies, such as the World Bank;
- through refusal by state and local governments to recognize traditional legal systems and traditional leadership;
- through the denial of fundamental rights to language, religion, autonomous education and traditional economic systems;
- through the refusal by state and national governments and
corporations to recognize traditional and communal land rights of
Indigenous People;
- through the continual use of violence and force, which makes possible all of the aforementioned processes.
Therefore, we stand with you to achieve a fundamental restructuring
of the social and economic order. We stand with you to eliminate
oppression and racial discrimination, and to uphold existing
international human rights conventions.
We stand with you in recognition of the diversity and inter-dependency
of all cultures and of all life, and with your commitment to maintaining
the rights and requirement of this diversity.
We call upon all people, organizations, institutions and governments to
respect the fundamental rights of Indigenous People for
self-determination.
We commit ourselves to this alliance with you, the Indigenous People of
the Americas, and to work with your agreements and plans as formulated
at this Continental meeting.
We commit our access to resources and connections to facilitate and enhance your efforts in the struggle for your rights.
We commit ourselves to this work unconditionally, to walk with you in
this immense effort towards your liberation and self-determination,
toward a just and humane future.
Reflection and Emanations from the 20th Anniversary
of the
First Continental Encounter of Indigenous Nations, Pueblos, and Organizations
Quito, Ecuador June 14-16, 2010
Coyote Radio with Tupac Enrique Acosta of TONATIERRA
Embassy of Indigenous Peoples |
Archive of Abya Yala
Memoria del Movimiento Indigena Continental 1990-2010
