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Building regional leadership capacity in human rights and environmental issues
Jose Nunez is a Yanomami activist from Venezuela.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I’m from Venezuela and I belong to the Yanomami people. I was born in the community of Ocamo. Since I was little I studied in the community called Esmeraldas, until sixth grade. Thank God I’m here. I feel very happy about it.
Q: How did you get here?
A: To get here I asked for help from my brothers and my father in law.
Q: How, exactly, did you travel from your community?
A: I left my community for Puerto Ayacucho to arrange the paper work. To get to Puerto Ayacucho, first you have to get from Ocama to Esmeraldas. That takes about five tanks [of gasoline for the canoe]. From there you have to pay for a bush plane to Puerto Ayacucho. They leave on Wednesdays or Thursdays, so we had to wait. On June 2nd I went to Ayacucho. There my teachers told me that I should go to Quito for this course. They themselves paid for the bus to Caracas. We left at 7 at night, traveled all night and arrived at 8:00 or 8:30. It’s far. Then in Caracas we had to wait two weeks because of passport problems. I had to go back to the Amazon to get the passport. With luck, we got the passport and returned again to Caracas.
Q: How many Yanomami are there in Venezuela?
A: Before there were around 15,000. They did a new census but I don’t know how many there are today.
Q: How many have finished high school?
A: At first several Yanomami studied but because of economic problems, they couldn’t continue. Some didn’t want to study. They left school and escaped. The sisters, the Catholics, helped me and brought me to Esmeraldas [to boarding school]. I’m the first Yanomami to get a high school degree.
Q: How did your parents feel when you got your degree?
A: (Smiles) Oh, very happy!
Q: Now you’re a teacher, right?
A: I’m a teacher but I was only working for three weeks.
Q: How do the people in your community live?
A: They work in the “conoco,” cultivating, fishing, and gathering. “Conoco” is agriculture but on a very small scale. They plant yuca, banana, sugar cane and tobacco. They sell to the Salesian missionaries.
Q: How many families are there in the community?
A: About 15 families.
Q: What are the houses like?
A: In the old days we lived in a giant house, called a chapono.
Q: Now how many live in a house?
A: Nowadays just one family, there are 10 people in my family.
Q: Do you work on the ‘conoco’?
A: Yes, I always help my father with that.
Q: How do you fish?
A: With arrow, with poison, with a hook, but it’s from the needle of a plant.
Q: What animals do you hunt?
A: We hunt monkey, ocelot, deer, Danto, cachicamo, everything.
Q: How many families are in the community?
A: 15.
Q: Is there any oil, mining or logging activity?
A: No. Nothing.
Q: Why did you come to this course?
A: When I get home to Ocamo, I will share the experience I’ve had here with the adults, elders and young people so they have this information as well.
Q: Would you like to say anything in Yanomami?
A: To all the Ecuadorians that have major problems with pollution, I say that I support you in the name of the Yanomami, as an indigenous person, in your fight to have a better and healthier territory.
Rafael Ankuash is the communications director for the Shuar federation FICSH in Morona Santiago, Ecuador.
Q: Where is your community?
A: From here it’s about 7 hours by bus.
Q: What’s the population?
A: About 120 families, a small population where we practice our culture.
Q: For example?
A: For example, we prepare chicha [yuca-based alcoholic beverage], and perform music and rituals that our ancestors practiced.
Q: Do you have a shaman?
A: Yes, we do.
Q: What does the shaman do?
A: He’s the one that attends to sick people.
Q: How do most people make a living?
A: Nowadays we work for wages, and do some farming, and just a little ranching.
Q: What about fishing and hunting?
A: Rarely. When we really need to, we fish, and we rarely hunt.
Q: Why not?
A: Because we can survive from what we have in the house, along with chickens we raise, and with that we’re OK.
Q: The majority of families work for wages?
A: In my famiy I have two brothers that are teachers.
Q: What are the main problems confronting the Shuar people?
A: At the federation level, it’s the oil threat in Block 24. On the question of territory, we basically don’t have a problem. Earlier on we did, but now, we have established clearly with our brothers, the mestizos, that they have to respect us and that they have no reason to interfere. They cannot make a business out of our territory.
Q: Do you live in the Block?
A: No, but as a leader, I’m involved. The most directly affected are from Macuma and other towns.
Q: And why do you oppose oil activities?
A: Because of the experience we’ve already had in the Amazon, especially in the north. The policy of the government is development, but we haven’t seen development in the Amazon, in the north. We do see effects and environmental impacts, and for that reason we have said we won’t permit it. Our policy is no oil exploitation.
Q: What is the attitude of the Shuar toward development? What do you hope for in the future?
A: What we want is to keep our healthy environment, that’s important to us. Right now we have a clean and healthy environment. Our air is the most important. In comparison, the city is quite different than in the mountains and forest.
Q: Do you have a family, your own children?
A: Yes, I have three.
Q: And where are they?
A: They’re at the farm. I was there and when I came here my wife went there.
Q: How did you decide to spend this time away from your community?
A: I’m here representing the federation. When I was invited, my colleagues had to decide and authorize me to participate in this course.
Q: What do you hope to learn and what are your plans?
A: For the past few days, I’ve been talking about and discussing the purpose this knowledge that I’m acquiring will serve. I have a colleague who also attended this school [Rosendo Nurinkias, class of 2002], and if there are more courses, someday we can make a team from the federation of graduates.
Q: How long is the term of the communications director?
A: Unfortunately, in January my term is up. But, I will return to the community level in this fight, as a member of the federation.
Q: Have you enjoyed being a leader?
A: Yes, it’s a dream that my dad always had, a dream I had, because we Shuar always keep the dreams of our ancestors. And my dad told me that one of his children should become a leader.
Q: Do you want to say something in Shuar?
A: As Shuar we want to maintain our culture, we want to receive pure air and live in a safe environment such as the one we’ve lived in. And so we ask the government to respect us; it’s a right that our ancestors lived and we’re living and we’ll continue to live in our territory.
Robert Guimaraes Vazquez is a Shipibo activist from Ucayali, Peru and is in charge of Territories and Natural Resources for the regional federation ORAU.
Q: How many Shipibos are there?
A: A population of about 135,000 in about 4 provinces in the department of Ucayali.
Q: Where do you live?
A: I was born in Flor Ucayali, a community that disappeared because of a change in the course of the river. So we moved to another community. We have two territories, one that is legally constituted, which is in a flood zone. The other is in a high altitude area. So we have basically two activities, summer and winter. In winter we are in the high zone and in summer the low zone.
Q: How do you make a living?
A: Basically, from the production of corn, yuca and banana . . . and from fish. There’s a great abundance of fish.
Q: And each family fishes for their own food, or do they sell?
A: In general each family fishes for food, but if it’s for market, the whole community works for a month and takes it to the city.
Q: What is your position in the federation?
A: I’m in charge of territories and natural resources. There are communities that have no form of recognition. There are others that have formal recognition, the first step; there are communities that are titled, that is to say legally recognized; and others that received titles 30 or 40 years ago, but with very small territories that need to be enlarged.
Q: Each community has its own territory, or it’s by federation?
A: The communities are autonomous, that is they have their own territories. A federation groups together the communities. My federation has 32 communities and was the first to organize among the Shipibo.
Q: You work in the ORAU office. Do you have a house in Pucallpa?
A: No. In general I come for a month or two months, and stay in Pucallpa, and then go to my community. But I also have a small place in Harinacocha [a smaller city near Pucallpa].
Q: And your family?
A: They stay in the community.
Q: How do they live when you’re away?
A: I have the advantage that my wife is a teacher.
Q: Do you have children?
A: Two girls, 10 and 7.
Q: They study with your wife?
A: No, because then [when the girls were little] she was not yet a teacher. They study in Harinacocha where there’s a bilingual school for Shipibos.
Q: How did you get to the Amazon School and what do you hope to get from it?
A: The organization recruited by region, and I’m part of the ORAU team. At a meeting of the directors they evaluated the candidates and our availability, and decided on me. ORAU, and me personally, has a special interest in the experience of the Amazon School, its curriculum, how it is run, because one of the ideas of ORAU, in its institutional plan, is to create an Amazon School in Peru. We have a lot of problems with logging concessions, oil and mining as well. There’s a process of privatization of all resources. I think in fewer than five years, we will have serious problems in the Peruvian Amazon, although there have already been some. But the indigenous people have been sleeping, seeing the problem without realizing what’s happening. So the idea of ORAU is to create an Amazon School to increase the capacity of indigenous people at the national level. And in the future, we can create a good plan, a campaign, because we have some major challenges.
Jorge Fachin is the president of a regional Achuar federation of Petrolium Lot 64 in Peru.
Q: Fachin is not an Achuar name. How did you come to have it?
A: My father was a [non-indigenous] settler, and had come as a trader during the logging era. He met my mother, and took responsibility. Thanks to him, we got an education.
Q: What is you position in the Achuar federation in Peru?
A: I’m a new leader, for three years. My role is to bring together all the organizations that belong to the federation—to seek alternative development and also self-development, by way of our elders and our ancestors.
Q: What does self-development consist of?
A: Managing our resources, like wood, in accordance with our necessities . . . and without pollution.
Q: You live in Achuar territory, but it is also known as Lot 64. Can you explain?
Q: Yes. Ten years ago, we didn’t know we lived in Lot 64. We just considered ourselves Achuar. There was oil exploration, but in those times there wasn’t the same technology, so they couldn’t find any oil. But now they have new technology and they’ve discovered oil.
Q: Which company is exploring?
A: The contract the state had was with Arco. We kicked them out but they transferred the concession to Oxy [Oxidental Petroleum].
Q: Oxy is a company with a history in Peru.
A: Oxy really does have a lot of history in Peru. In the land of the very same Achuar, in the area of the Corrientes River, it is contaminated. We are well aware of Occidental’s strategy. They have divided us. That’s their strategy, to divide the organizations and federations so that they can come in [to the territory].
Q: What is the area like? Are there cities?
A: There are no cities, just villages of 200-400 people. There are more than 50 communities located in the area. To communicate, there are always the trails.
Q: How do you get to the city?
A: To get to the city you go by water. First, you go to the district capital, and then you go through another bigger town called San Lorenzo. From there you take another transport, a bigger boat.
Q: How many hours does it take to get to Lima?
A: At least seven days, because sometimes there are delays on the way.
Q: Obviously it’s hard to stay in touch. How do you coordinate at the national level to prevent Oxy’s operations?
A: Now we have come out in public nationally, but before we didn’t have the chance to come out and publicize our position. Thanks to the NGO friends that have given us the opportunity, we, the new leadership, have the capability to spread our message. We, the leaders, have brought the message out so that the public at the national level will know why we have decided to say “no” to the oil company.
Q: How is the relationship with the communities that have accepted the presence of Oxy?
A: We’re not getting along well. We have problems with them. They have even accused us of inviting our brother Achuar from Ecuador. We realize that they are causing us to fight amongst ourselves; there is conflict between brothers.
Q: How old are you?
A: I’m 29
Q: Children?
A: I have two children, a four year old and a one year old.
Q: Where are they?
A: They’re in my community.
Q: How long will you be away from them?
A: It’s been almost one month, and it will be another month.
Q: That’s a lot of time, why do you do it?
A: My people, the Achuar people, have entrusted me. I represent them. In addition, I’m determined to learn new things to be able to defend my people who have given me the opportunity, who have given their trust to me.
Carmen Moreno is an activist with the Federación de Mujeres from San Isidro, Sucumbíos, Ecuador.
Q: Why are you here at the Amazon School?
A: I’m here because my colleagues in the federation have sent me to learn. So I came and I will learn. Afterwards, I’ll share the experiences and what I’ve learned.
Q: How will you share the information?
A: We have several organizations and we visit each one, giving workshops for each group. In my case, I’ll give workshops on human rights and the environment.
Q: Can you talk about what your organizations do and with whom you work?
A: The Women’s Federation works specifically with women, the majority of whom are peasants from the countryside. We work on projects for [agricultural] production. We also cover personal formation issues such as self-esteem and personal values. We have a psychologist who does therapy as well.
Q: And what do you do specifically?
A: Currently I am visiting the organizations, teaching what I know, and giving workshops.
Q: What kind of information do you cover?
A: Topics such as self-esteem, personal values and leadership. We also cover health, family planning and women’s illnesses.
Q: What are the problems or topics most urgent for women in your community?
A: We women still don’t take initiative in making our own decisions. We’re always asking our husbands, and sometimes they don’t allow us to go to meetings and we can’t build our capacity. So we’re stuck in the house and can’t move forward. That, and also there is a lot of abuse. Abuse of women and moreover of indigenous women. Physical and verbal abuse.
Q: And you have programs for that as well?
A: Yes, the federation supports the women and helps with denunciations of the abusers. And we support them with a shelter.
Q: Here at the Amazon School, we talk a lot about environmental problems and oil companies. Have you seen that in your community?
A: Yes we have a problem in our community, because there is a possibility that they want to do seismic testing. Well, the company is negotiating, but we don’t really know. What I’m learning here is quite beneficial in that I can go with these experiences to the others and raise consciousness in my community that it’s not a good idea to negotiate, because the environment has no price. It doesn’t have a [monetary] value. So I’ll go and describe the experiences discussed here, for example the case of Sarayaku.
Q: And do you plan to organize the women in your community to confront this challenge?
A: Yes, that’s the main idea, to organize the women, although in my organization we’re already organized.
Q: How many are involved in your organization, how many work there and how many participate?
A: Well, the federation has around 40 grassroots organizations. The grassroots organizations of course have men and women. About seven people work for the federation.
Q: Would you like to add anything, to share anything with the women of the world?
A: Let’s keep going forward with our struggle because we’ll get women recognized. Let’s not get tired, let’s keep on.
Claudio Calapucha is a Kichwa activist from Arajuno in Pastaza, Ecuador.
Q: Where is your pueblo?
A: I’m a Kichwa from Pastaza Province, Ecuador. I’m from Arajuno [a canton, or district], where we’ve been organized for more than 25 years.
Why did we organize? For territory. To us, territory is the guarantee of a continuity of the people. If the territory didn’t exist, the people wouldn’t exist. And this [continuity] is what makes a people, and even a country, like Ecuador, diverse. Lots of groups in the country, especially recently in Pastaza, are seeing a lot of serious problems because of the presence of external agents that disturb the continuity.
Q: Agents of what?
A: The agents in this case are companies.
Q: Are they indigenous people that work for the companies?
A: They are indigenous people that secretly work for the companies. There are some indigenous people working secretly, but they are not leaders of the organizations. The leaders are ready, willing and able to defend their territory, which is our birth mother.
Q: What was your experience in the Amazon School?
A: I was in the first course, the pilot. I represented the Kichwa people of OPIP [The Organization of Indigenous People of Pastaza]. There were organizations from other countries. There were people who had a lot of experience working in their organization and there were young people who were just starting to play a role in their communities. It was a very diverse group. Personally, as a member and representative of OPIP, I had a lot of documents and experiences to share. But I think that what happened after the course, going to the communities and the organization to be active, to develop, to put into practice what we learned at the school, that’s another important step.
Q: How have you done it?
A: After the session, I went to an Assembly – the assembly that selected representatives to go and learn . . . In my case I held small meetings with the leaders, to get them up to date on what’s happening at the provincial and national levels. The discourse is on indigenous territory. We discussed politics as well, because it’s not just us who are living these processes, but also indigenous brothers in other places are in the same processes.
Q: Can you talk about your work?
A: Currently I’m in charge of cultural activities at the municipal level in the canton of Arajuno. This puts me in a position to be able to advocate in the municipality’s decisions. We’re very close to the mayor and his advisors who decide, for example, about regulations to protect biodiversity. Now we have the Arajuno road. How are we to protect the forest? That’s where the municipality and its regulations come in. A local regulation is really a law that is in effect in the canton. So we do advocacy – in a subtle way – to get across the idea that such a regulation is necessary. It’s necessary, for example, that people in the city know how to treat waste. We have been able to influence these cases a little bit.
Q: You’ve traveled to Washington D.C. and to Houston as a graduate of the Amazon School. Can you speak about that experience?
A: The trip to Washington was to participate in the Amazon Alliance Forum. My experience there was that, for all that I was in the community, for all the talk of things in the organization, for all the attention on OPIP, CONFENAIE and CONAIE [Ecuadorian confederations of indigenous people]. There we spoke of international questions. For me it was a process of capacity building. When we got to Houston
I was participating directly in a campaign. You had to open our eyes to see the reality of how a campaign is run, the forms of advocacy, how to work, how you have to make big efforts to defend what you feel in your heart for the territory, the mother who gave birth to you. So that was my experience and that is what I have shared with my compañeros in the community.
