> ...If [the Zapatistas] were true supporters of native rights this would
> give them the chance to organize the Zapatista revolution in a worldwide
> perspective. All the more that the indigenous peoples recorded made some
> substantial headways in recent years: autonomy of Nunavut, the Mabo issue,
> the Apology Bill delivered to the native Hawaiians...
Just a clarification:
I'm not sure where you got the idea that the Inuit of Nunavut (in northern
Canada) have gained "autonomy."
They have settled a land claim agreement that will allow them some as-yet
undefined powers of "self government" under the umbrella of the Canadian
Consitution. Under this arrangement, it would appear that the government
of Canada will continue to hold the upper hand in most important decisions.
And while they did negotiate a complimentary agreement for the establish-
ment of a new territorial government, as a public government this
territory will only be governed by the Inuit for as long as they hold a
numerical majority. As well, under the the Canadian Constitution, the
powers of a territory are severely limited by federal jurisdiction,
spending priorities and political whim.
So yes, the Inuit did negotiate a deal and maybe it was the best that was
possible in this racist country. But does that deal amount to autonomy for
the Inuit? No, unfortunately not.
> ...Where were the Marxist when the Sandinistas were slaughtering the
> Miskitos of the Atlantic Coast, or when European "popular democracies"
> were prosecuting the Gypsies or other minorities?
While the Sandinistas unfortunately did kill some Miskito Indians in their
attempts to push back the Contras, they shortly realized their error and
negotiated a peaceful settlement that appeared to give the Miskito people
much more autonomy than any other regime in Latin America since 1492. Do
you think that the Miskito have as much autonomy now under Nicaragua's
liberal 'democratic' government?
[ For those reading this article in the NativeNet Web archives, please note
that this discussion thread began in January. Earlier articles can be
found via "http://bioc09.uthscsa.edu/natnet/archive/nl/9701/" --Gary ]