As part of the Resource Hub Project that Equitable Origin and COICA have been working on, we are launching a variety of tools related to supporting indigenous rights, including cultural rights. In this way we hope to generate information and knowledge on relevant topics. In alliance with COICA, we hope to formally launch this interactive platform soon!
The International Day of Indigenous Peoples is celebrated on August 9th worldwide. This event is conmemorated in recognition of the first meeting of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities that took place in Geneva in 1982.
This year, the United Nations (UN) has defined the central theme to celebrate this day as, “COVID-19 and the resilience of Indigenous Peoples”. The purpose is to show the world the capacity that Indigenous Peoples have for adaptation and how they are dealing with the pandemic in their own ways through voluntary isolation and by applying their ancestral knowledge about the use of plants as medicine.
As Indigenous Peoples, we’ve lived through many pandemics in our history such as the Black Death, smallpox and other diseases caused by foreigners. These lessons from the past have strengthened us and have made us wiser about using our natural resources and finding resilience within our ancestral knowledge. Through these reflections on the health of our people, governments must develop intercultural health policies to protect the life and health of Indigenous Peoples.
COVID-19 is not the only factor that has generated resilience. This pandemic makes us reflect on how resilient we have been in the past in the face of constant violations of collective rights, the exploitation of natural resources and the impact on our environment, the loss of territories, the persecutions, and assassinations of leaders. This is just to mention a few of the situations that have physically and psychologically affected Indigenous Peoples who have had to overcome, and seek alternatives and solutions.
One of the situations that isn’t given enough attention is migration. Indigenous Peoples and their families have to migrate constantly due to various circumstances. Indigenous Peoples leave their lands, forcibly or voluntarily, to settle in another place that is not their home. For this reason Indigenous Peoples have to constantly adapt to new customs, cultures and living conditions. This is perhaps one of the most difficult struggles Indigenous Peoples go through when it comes to settling in a foreign country.
In recent years, millions of people have left Venezuela to other countries, seeking better living conditions and opportunities, a situation that is not new to many Indigenous Peoples. Such is the case of the Warao and Eñepa Venezuelan Indigenous Peoples who have had to start a new life in Brazil’s Amazon.
It is believed that migration is a cultural practice of ancestral peoples in search of better life and opportunities. Migration is a strategy for the conservation and regeneration of nature, and a way of occupying, protecting and defending the land against constant threats from third parties. Today, migrating is not as easy. Indigenous Peoples face challenges and limitations. For instance, complying with the migratory conditions and requirements of the host countries has become more difficult. Indigenous Peoples have to deal with language limitations, xenophobia, gender violence and discrimination that affects primarily indigenous women. On a daily basis, indigenous women face a patriarchal society that values and recognizes men’s work and devalues the contributions of indigenous women. Indigenous women are exposed to labor exploitation, sexual violence and precarious conditions.
Despite this, Indigenous Peoples remain firm in their hope that their host country will offer them the opportunity to live a better life. In this regard, we expect that the family structure is maintained as it was in the case of the Warao and Eñepa people. They are located in the Pacaraima, Boa Vista, and in 17 other states of Brazil. Since 2015, they have begun an organization process in order to work directly with institutions of the Brazilian Government, those responsible for the refugee centers, civil society organizations and indigenous organizations in order to formulate policies of differentiated and intercultural welfare.
Venezuelan indigenous migrants (including myself), have the ability to face these new challenges with the hope of improving their living conditions. Some go through greater difficulties, but with the support of our indigenous organizations and the solidarity of Indigenous Peoples who welcome us, we have the opportunity to demonstrate that being an indigenous migrant means we are culturally enriched. This allows us to strengthen our relations with our Amazon neighbors. To visualize this, we need to host a “minga” (indigenous word of Quichua origin, which means group work) that portrays this reality. This is something that must be taken into account as part of an international policy with an intercultural vision.
In particular, experience has taught me that migration is an opportunity to rethink our way of being and our actions. We can speak of the resilience of native peoples, who’ve had to migrate and adapt to other realities. Everyone has gone through their personal struggle, but, as a whole, we have the advantage that we identify as peoples from the Amazon, and it’s an essential part of our survival.
Long live Indigenous Peoples!
Written by Roraima Gonzalez
Lawyer and Master in Local and Territorial Development.
Belonging to the Pemón indigenous people of Venezuela and currently residing in Puyo- Ecuador.
Technician of the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin-COICA and Equitable Origin.