There is little public awareness of the everyday problems of indigenous peoples in Amazonia. In reality, daily life in much of Amazonia is characterized by violence and threats from loggers, settlers, gold prospectors or oil companies. The progressive destruction of the rainforest also means the destruction of the indigenous communities' natural bases of life. We therefore continue here our series of regular reports on the problems facing indigenous peoples.
New York - February 2004
UNICEF, the children's aid organization, is calling on its member
countries to observe the rights of indigenous children, who are affected
the most by the social exclusion, disease and poverty that indigenous
peoples suffer around the world. More than 300 million indigenous
persons live in 70 states around the world. Indigenous peoples have a
high rate of child mortality, suffer from a lack of health care, and
have few opportunities for schooling and higher education.
Ecuador - February 2004
The Quichua, together with befriended Achuar and Zapara communities, are
continuing to struggle in the Sarayacu region against the intrusion of
oil businesses into their territory. They have set up "camps for
peace and life" on the borders of their region to protect from
intruders the land officially awarded to them in 1992 by the government
in Quito. "We have been fighting against the intrusion of oil
groups into our territory for more than 20 years. Now we're asking
national and international organizations to show their solidarity to
us!" says Mario Santi, president of the community in Sarayacu. For
more information, go to www.sarayacu.com/.
Brazil - January 2004
In the state of Para, encroaching settlers bring suffering to indigenous
peo-ple; settlers also have conflicts with small farmers, lumber
businesses and others. Some conflicts have been going on for decades.
Several settler groups occupied indigenous territories at the end of
2003; two indigenous were killed during clashes. Altogether 24
indigenous leaders were killed in Brazil in 2003. These controversies,
left unresolved by state authorities, continuously lead to threats.
Brazil - January 2004
Representatives of the Asháninka in Brazil have called on several state
and national authorities to visit their territory, now occupied by
Peruvian loggers. In the past two months, the Asháninka have complained
about the intrusion of Peruvian loggers, without receiving an answer
from the foreign office. Some 450 Asháninka on the Brazilian side are
threatened by the loggers. The largest part of this indigenous people
lives on Peruvian territory. Although Brazilian military personnel were
in the area and reinforced the indigenous's territorial claims, this had
no effect.
Brazil - January 2004
Indigenous and large farmers joined forces against the final legal
recognition of an indigenous territory covering 1.75 million hectares.
They blocked the most important roads leading to the region and occupied
the offices of FUNAI, Brazil's national indigenous peoples' agency.
Protests intensified after Marcio Thomaz Bastos, minister of justice,
announced legal recognition of the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous
territory. Of the 12,000 people who live in this region, 7,000 are not
indigenous. Legal recognition of this area means that non-indigenous
farmers and their families are supposed to leave the area, in which rice
is widely cultivated. The process leading to recognition has been
ongoing since 1993 and has been accompanied by many national and
international NGOs. However, part of the indigenous population is
against the legal recognition of this indigenous territory and has
therefore joined forces with farmers. They want to share a western
lifestyle and buy televisions and cars, for example. "If this case
continues, there'll be war between us," says Gilverto Makuxi, an
indigenous representative.
Brazil - January 2004
Brazilian and foreign scientists in the state of Para are attempting to
reproduce the "indigenous earth that can conquer hunger".
So-called "black earth" (terra preta) could help solve the
problem of global hunger. Scientists assume that the "black
earth" found in certain regions of Amazonia is the result of
cultivation by indigenous peoples who lived in the region for millennia
and who have been largely wiped out by diseases introduced by Europeans.