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July 15, 2005
Indigenous Demonstration for a Moratorium on Extractive Practices in their Territories
On Tuesday I went to a march in downtown Quito. It was not organized by Pachamama, but was supported financially in terms of transporting indigenous peoples to Quito and aiding in the planning of logistics. It was a combined march between the Huaorani, Zápara, and Amazonian Kichwa nations, and they marched in Quito from the headquarters of CONAIE (the largest indigenous political organization in Ecuador) to the National Congress, then to the Presidential Palace, and onward to the headquarters of Petrobras, the national oil company of Brazil. Petrobras has contracts to drill in these nations' territories, and have recently won a long legal battle to construct a road there. At each spot, leaders presented a petition calling for a moratorium on all resource extraction (mainly mining, logging, and petroleum) and construction projects in their territories.
The Huaorani’s relationship with extractive development is quite interesting. They have been known to kill anyone foreigner who entered their territories, and have been engaged in a decades-long fight against the incursion of oil drilling and open-pit mining on their lands. Dozens of Huaorani and extractive company workers have been murdered in the struggle. It is quite a statement that this nation, who used to be so averse to the outside, has decided that this issue is of such supreme importance that they can afford to leave their ancestral lands for a few days and venture into the hectic city that is Quito. They’ve realized that they can no longer continue to fight a powerful industrial machine on their territories but need a legal mandate for a moratorium in order to protect their collective rights over their territories and culture.
I was only present for the demonstration outside of the Congress building, but it was a really emotional experience. First of all, there were twice as many people as we expected, and they create a solid and influential mass. The Huaorani, who normally run around naked, were wearing Speedos or shorts, and with only long bead necklaces on their upper half. Many had large corks or wood in their ears, and elders had removed these earrings to reveal gaping holes in their lobes. Everyone had spots of red achiote dye on their faces and arms, and many of the men and women held huge spears, some ten feet long, with feathers attached. Some men wore feathered headbands as well. I definitely saw lots of wrinkled and sagging upper bodies, and it was so powerful to see a bent-over 70-year-old Huaorani woman chanting and holding a spear and joking with younger members of her community. This woman had traveled hundreds of kilometers from her village to Puyo to Quito, because she felt so strongly in the harm of oil development and the need for autonomous management of her territory and culture. She helped to lead a series of chants, conducted mainly between her, 2 other women, and about 10 men that lasted for 15 minutes or so. The demonstration was such a powerful vision of solidarity among often conflictive groups (indeed, indigenous people, even within the same nation, are by no means completely unified in their beliefs).
It was quite interesting to observe the different indigenous peoples present. On the one hand, I observed the Huaorani grassroots movement led by the Women’s Group, and on the other hand was Sr. Luis Vargas, president of CONFENIAE (but not recognized by Shuar or Achuar as such after the meeting of the Comité Interfederacional a month ago—see below post), wearing a striking blue suit and tie while walking and talking with others in similar garb. In addition, there were about 10 gringoes present who all wore signs marking them as Human Rights Observers.
Eventually, about 10 Huaorani, 7 members of other nations, and 5 leaders including Sr. Vargas were allowed entrance into the Congress building, which was heavily guarded by police in full riot gear. Indeed, these police were ready for action at the slightest disturbance. Luckily, everything passed peacefully, and I’ve only heard the rumor that Congress received their petition for the moratorium generously. However, I do not know the outcomes of their protests outside the Presidential Palace or at the Petrobras headquarters. In addition, it seems quite unlikely that this moratorium will be passed by a Congressional majority, considering many Congress members have direct oil interests that usually override their concern for indigenous issues.
All in all, this demonstration and march was a powerful symbol of the solidarity, possibilities for success, and future actions of well-organized and well-governed indigenous organizations that listen to the needs and desires of their masses.
Some photos of the march!!!
Posted by Lee Gilman at July 15, 2005 01:28 PM
