Indigenous peoples meet in Nicaragua
By Allen Jennings
MANAGUA - The Third Continental Meeting of Indigenous, Black and
Grassroots Resistance was held here October 7-12. Delegates from
the Miskito, Mapuche, Quechua, Aymara, Sumu, Aleut, Maya and
Eskimo communities (to name just a few), from 26 countries,
participated.
The main aims were to reflect collectively on the impact that the
Spanish invaders had on the indigenous people, to recover the
historic memory of the indigenous cultures, to develop democratic
alternatives to the oppressive systems in which they find
themselves and to push for a broader unity with all grassroots
sectors.
The movement hopes to broaden its links with other organisations
to develop a grassroots economic front in order to ``generate
from the base a proposal for integral development in favour of
the greater majority''.
Unity and solidarity between the indigenous peoples of the
Americas, together with the realisation that the objectives of
all grassroots organisations are, in essence, the same, was a
common theme. As Daniel Ortega pointed out, ``You are an integral
part of a progressive front in a great international network of
solidarity and unity''.
The meeting offered the opportunity to share experiences,
stories, music, crafts, art and medicine. The First Continental
Meeting of Traditional Grassroots Medicine, which took place in
Esteli in the three days before the main gathering, proved to be
a great success. One of the most popular spots was the ``bulletin
board'' of traditional medicines, which included natural remedies
for everything from the common cold to cholera.
One of the most memorable events was the homage to Rigoberta
Menchu in which she received an honorary doctorate from the
University of Central America. She participated in the initial
stages of the gathering but left Managua early in order to make
the dangerous trip into her homeland, Guatemala (from which she
has been exiled for more than a decade), to be with her people
and to lead the protests in that country on October 12.
October 12 throughout the Americas was a day of protest but also
a day to celebrate survival. In Managua, ``in order to cause an
impact which may balance the publicity of the arrival of the pope
in the Dominican Republic'', the statue of the Spanish
conquistador Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba was knocked from its
pedestal, there was a series of protests outside several
embassies, and there was a colourful march to the National Palace
and a Concert for the Dignity of America. Meanwhile, President
Violeta Chamorro held a small and very dignified ceremony with
diplomats from the Spanish embassy.
The movement hopes to go beyond resistance and move towards
autonomous development. It was decided to hold the next meeting
of the movement in 1994 in Bolivia, primarily because Bolivia has
the highest percentage of indigenous people (71%), the lowest
literacy level (15%) and the highest infant mortality (139 per
1000 births) in the continent. Leading up to this event, dozens
of local, regional and sector meetings are planned, including a
continental meeting of indigenous women early in 1994.