Quote from Rick Bass, Petroleum Geologist, 1989
"I want to stamp on the ground hard enough to make that oil come out. I want
to skip legalities, permits, red tape, and other obstacles. I want to go
immediately and straight to what matters: getting that oil."
Huaorani chant, translated by Laura Rival: "Look at the land. Our Grandfather
lived here. So do we. It is our land here, here we used to live. Stranger,
touring around you will not come. We lived over these hills, we still do,
because the forest is our life."
Paramilitary Attacks in Imbabura:
On two different occasions a group of paramilitary men
attacked some Indigenas on the ex-hacienda of Yuracruz. The
paramilitary groups were hired by the ex-owners who want the
Indigenas off the land that now legally belongs to the Indigenas.
The group of Indigenas of Yuracruz legally received the
titles for the land on October 2, 1992 through IERAC (the
Ecuatorian Institute for Agrarian Reform and Colonization). The
Association of Agricultural Workers of Yuracruz (the legal name
used by the 61 indigenas members and their families) paid 63
million sucres (about $33000) for the land with the agreement to
pay another 315 million sucres (about $165000) later. This price
was established as the total value of the land by IERAC.
On October 8, the date established for them to be the legal
owners, the Indigenas of the Assocation proceeded to move onto
their land but were obstructed by the ex-owners who were armed.
During this incident the Indigenas were attacked with fire-arms,
clubs, and rocks by people from the Company (ex-owners) and their
hired bullys. In a confused spontanious reaction to the attack
the Indigenas of the Association fought back in self-defense
using their "ponchos, hands, and courage." The final consequence
was 17 of the Indigenas were injured (by fire-arms), and a Mr.
Manuel Martinez was killed (on the side of the Company). It is
not yet sure how Mr. Martinez was killed, possibly by gun-fire
from his own side in the confusion of the cloud of smoke from the
gun powder.
On the 12th of November members of the Company along with
land traffickers and hired bullys attacked the Indigenas of
Yuracruz again. They came in 2 cars filled with paramilitary men
and fired machine guns scaring the Indigenas of the Association
onto a small part of their land. The paramilitary men then went
through Yuracruz and burned 36 homes and killed livestock as they
went.
The government has not intervened at all even though IERAC
granted the land to the Association. The police have done
nothing and almost no newspapers will print anything to do with
the problems at Yuracruz (END of art).
(UPDATE)
(DEC 13, 92), Quito, Ecuador, SAIIC
REF: On the Huaorani and the oil company Maxus who wants to build
a freeway through the Huaorani territory to exploit oil reserves:
Ecological impacts of the new proposed freeway:
The freeway will cross 150 kilometers of old growth tropical
rainforest (bosque primario) producing deforestation in all of
this area, and if they open trails along it it will generate even
more deforestation. Even greater deforestation will occur
because of the great value of the wood from the trees. The
workers will gain the right to sell the wood up to 60 meters to
the side of the road and their will be no way to control what or
how much they take and sell.
The construction of the freeway will also cause irreversable
sedimentation, erosion, and pollution. The movement during the
construction will cause great sedimentation that along with the
force of the tropical rains could be devastating to the region
damaging the entire ecosistem throught the streams and rivers.
It will also provoke irreversable changes in the morphology and
topography of the area. The machines used will also be releasing
a large amount of pollutants in this previously untouched area.
As a consequence of the deforestation there will be a great
loss of plant species of low population density which could lead
to the extinction of some species. The deforestation will also
have a very strong impact on animals of prey in the area which
need extensive areas to hunt. An example of this is the shrew
eagle which is a sacred bird that lives year to year in the same
tree. Also the sounds of construction will scare away the
wildlife of the area.
The colonization of area after the construction of the
highway is inevitable because there is no way to efectively
control it. Under the document, "Terminos de referencia para la
construccion de puentes y caminos," all freeways are public and
free for transit. Even if the management plan included control
sites to control colonization as is planned, there is no way to
control the colonizers during the construction. Construction of
other highways in the Amazon has shown this in the past. Other
areas of the Amazon have shown that the military is the
principle colonizer, and the military is who is proposed to
control the colonization if the highway is built.
Even if the proposed military control of the highway
succeeds to deter colonists, once Maxus leaves there is no
guarantee that the military control will continue.
The topsoils along the sides of the proposed highway are of
clay, with low fertility and with toxic aluminum. This is
according to the "Mapa Morfo-Edafologico de la Provincia de
Napo." It is recommended to protect the area because with the
introduction of colonization the topsoil will lose all of its
plant cover and the area will become desert. Similar things have
happened in the zone of Cuyabeno, where the topsoil is even
better than in the Block 16.
Socio-Cultural Impacts:
With the coming of colonists there will be a series of
confrontations between the colonists and the Huaorani people,
which could be considered a form of ethnocide. The presence of
the colonists and the oil company will produce changes in the
cultural patterns of the Huaorani. The loss of wildlife in the
area will produce great changes in the eating habits of the
Huaorani (for the Huaorani, all elements of the jungle have
value). Also, the sacred sites of the Huaorani will be disturbed
and possibly destroyed. Sicknesses unbeknown to the Huaorani
will be introduced by the new colonizers and workers.
With the proposed solution that the highway be militarized,
the Huaorani will have to live in a militarized area and always
carry identification cards with them. Also the oil company will
have control of the area.
If this area follows the example of what occurred in other
regions, the Huaorani people run the threat of extinction.
UPDATE on the Huaorani
A quick update that we got at a meeting Friday-Saturday 12, 13, Dec 92.
The Ecuadorian governemnt approved the highway into the Huaorani
territory and construction suppposedly has begun. OPIP is planning
nonviolent protests for when they reach Huaorani territory, but that
won't be for quite a while yet. They say they have 2000 people ready to
sit in front of the bulldozers and other machines. At the moment the
national congress is looking at the opcion of a moratorium on all
activity petrolero in bloque 16. This means that the congress needs lots
of pressure right now!!
Send Faxes and whatever you can. Stress the fact that the petroleum in that
area isnt even very profitable too. The petroleum in that area is really
of a very low quality.
Arq. Sixto Duran Ballen
Fax # 593-2-515-408
Mr. C.L. Blackburn
Maxux Energy Corporation
Fax 214-979-1977
Mr. William Hatton
Maxus-Ecuador
Fax 593-2-580-751
Campan~a Amazonica por la Vida Fax 593-2-506-617
CONAIE 593-2-442-271 (All International calls need International
Dialing Code 011 or others, make sure you get it).