Indian Country Today.com
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413929
Posted: October 27, 2006
by: Lisa Garrigues / Today correspondent

La Paz hosts continental indigenous encounter

LA PAZ, Bolivia - Amid rising social tensions and media criticism of Evo Morales' government, more than 1,000 representatives of indigenous nations throughout the Americas met in La Paz Oct. 8 - 12 to show their support for Morales, exchange experiences and proposals, and strengthen continental unity.

The event, entitled ''From Resistance to Power,'' was organized by the Coordinator of Indigenous and Campesino Organizations and backed by the Bolivian government.

Throughout the event, residents of La Paz faced an uncertain commute as transportation workers threatened to blockade downtown regions. Television screens broadcast ongoing news of the conflict between state and cooperative workers in the mining town of Huanuni, in which 16 workers have been killed, and influential newspapers like La Razon blamed Morales for ''racism'' and ''instability'' in the country. Rumors circulated on television and the Internet that a coup was being planned for Oct. 12.

Morales has accused the media, opposition parties and the United States of undertaking a deliberate campaign of destabilization of his government.

Spiritual authorities opened the encounter by lighting a ceremonial fire and conducting an offering to Mother Earth in the coliseum of the American Institute. The ceremony was followed by speeches by Venezuelan ambassador to Bolivia Julio Montes, Ecuadorean activist Humberto Cholango, Mapuche representative Juan Millan Milafran and Mohawk delegate and journalist Kenneth Deer, and others.

The speakers emphasized indigenous renaissance, continental unity and respect for the laws of nature. Some gave homage to Che Guevara on the anniversary of his death.

''We are in a time of change,'' said Mayan Carlos Batzin, of the Indigenous Council of Central America, ''when the old structures are disappearing and we as indigenous people need to reaffirm our commitments.

''It's time we re-evaluate and regenerate our own self-esteem, and recognize that there is tremendous potential in the daily life of our peoples, in the wisdom of our elders, in our ancestral wisdom. These potentials are a clear manifestation of what we can bring to the evils that currently affect the world.

''Then one day,'' he concluded, ''it will be possible to unify the condor, the eagle and the quetzal.''

Several representatives spoke out against neoliberal economic policy and the destruction of natural resources. A female leader of the Guarani people called for respect and reconciliation with ''the law of the water, the law of the sun, the law of the air, the law of the earth.''

Organizers said one of the objectives of the event was to construct a ''wisdom council'' of spiritual authorities from different nations.

Delegates formed commissions that worked on sovereignty and government, international indigenous rights, identity, education, economics, historical, social and ecological debt, youth, gender roles, strategic alliances, communication and spirituality.

Dancers and musicians from throughout the Americas performed, including the Long Plains dancers from Manitoba, Canada.

At dawn on Oct. 11, participants gathered at the Aymaran site of Tiwanaku, where Morales had been ceremonially inaugurated as the ''president of indigenous peoples of the American continent'' last January. Morales arrived in a helicopter while delegates greeted the first rays of the sun. He participated in a ceremony led by spiritual authorities of diverse nations then spoke briefly to the crowd assembled at Tiwanaku, vowing to continue ''the fight to recuperate our territory and natural resources.''

''The fight is not just for humanity,'' he said, ''but also for planet Earth.''

The event culminated on Oct. 12 with a march to the Plaza San Francisco. Marchers chanted ''Evo! Evo! We are with you!'' while flags of various peoples flew alongside the multicolored flag of the Wiphala, a symbol of continental unity among indigenous people.

Several thousand people gathered in the plaza to listen to indigenous representatives and Morales, who addressed the crowd for nearly an hour.

He spoke directly to media criticism and rumors, denying racism and the rumors of a coup d'etat that had been circulating, blaming ''destabilizing sectors who want to scare us, intimidate us and psychologically destroy us.''

Calling for an inclusive society for all Bolivians, he cited successes in raising the minimum wage, improving the economy, nationalizing resources and providing free health care. He also urged the citizens of Bolivia to be patient and called on other nations of the world to help ensure democracy in Bolivia.

He said the change that was set in motion by his election would occur ''with or without him.''

The delegates issued a formal declaration which announced the beginning of ''the new era'' in which ''humanity, as the species that threatens to destroy the planet, will evolve towards harmonic integration with the universe.'' It criticized the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for not going far enough, but urged governments to support it as an initial step. Criticism was also directed at privatization of natural resources and at the United States for its interventionist activities, and solidarity expressed with the people of Cuba and Venezuela.

Delegates spoke of the inspiration they drew from the event.

''I see here a lot of color, of music, of identity, of language,'' said Lorenzo Muelas Hurtado, Guambiano and former senator of Colombia. ''This is really important, because this is what is being diluted and what we are losing: identity, attitude, philosophy, an indigenous philosophy that is being erased from the map, from the face of the earth. That it is being recuperated here is extremely important. From that point on, everything we achieve here is a success.''

For some of the northern delegates, it was their first visit to South America.

''I have a lot of impressions.'' said Deer. ''One is the poverty that I see here, but another is the tremendous hope the people have now that they have an indigenous president.

''You've got to continue with these meetings, you can't stop.'' he added. ''There has to be a concerted effort to keep the networking going and the sharing of information.''

Organizers said their next continental encounter would be the Summit of Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala in March 2007.

Indian Country Today.com
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413929
Posted: October 27, 2006
by: Lisa Garrigues / Today correspondent

La Paz hosts continental indigenous encounter

LA PAZ, Bolivia - Amid rising social tensions and media criticism of Evo Morales' government, more than 1,000 representatives of indigenous nations throughout the Americas met in La Paz Oct. 8 - 12 to show their support for Morales, exchange experiences and proposals, and strengthen continental unity.

The event, entitled ''From Resistance to Power,'' was organized by the Coordinator of Indigenous and Campesino Organizations and backed by the Bolivian government.

Throughout the event, residents of La Paz faced an uncertain commute as transportation workers threatened to blockade downtown regions. Television screens broadcast ongoing news of the conflict between state and cooperative workers in the mining town of Huanuni, in which 16 workers have been killed, and influential newspapers like La Razon blamed Morales for ''racism'' and ''instability'' in the country. Rumors circulated on television and the Internet that a coup was being planned for Oct. 12.

Morales has accused the media, opposition parties and the United States of undertaking a deliberate campaign of destabilization of his government.

Spiritual authorities opened the encounter by lighting a ceremonial fire and conducting an offering to Mother Earth in the coliseum of the American Institute. The ceremony was followed by speeches by Venezuelan ambassador to Bolivia Julio Montes, Ecuadorean activist Humberto Cholango, Mapuche representative Juan Millan Milafran and Mohawk delegate and journalist Kenneth Deer, and others.

The speakers emphasized indigenous renaissance, continental unity and respect for the laws of nature. Some gave homage to Che Guevara on the anniversary of his death.

''We are in a time of change,'' said Mayan Carlos Batzin, of the Indigenous Council of Central America, ''when the old structures are disappearing and we as indigenous people need to reaffirm our commitments.

''It's time we re-evaluate and regenerate our own self-esteem, and recognize that there is tremendous potential in the daily life of our peoples, in the wisdom of our elders, in our ancestral wisdom. These potentials are a clear manifestation of what we can bring to the evils that currently affect the world.

''Then one day,'' he concluded, ''it will be possible to unify the condor, the eagle and the quetzal.''

Several representatives spoke out against neoliberal economic policy and the destruction of natural resources. A female leader of the Guarani people called for respect and reconciliation with ''the law of the water, the law of the sun, the law of the air, the law of the earth.''

Organizers said one of the objectives of the event was to construct a ''wisdom council'' of spiritual authorities from different nations.

Delegates formed commissions that worked on sovereignty and government, international indigenous rights, identity, education, economics, historical, social and ecological debt, youth, gender roles, strategic alliances, communication and spirituality.

Dancers and musicians from throughout the Americas performed, including the Long Plains dancers from Manitoba, Canada.

At dawn on Oct. 11, participants gathered at the Aymaran site of Tiwanaku, where Morales had been ceremonially inaugurated as the ''president of indigenous peoples of the American continent'' last January. Morales arrived in a helicopter while delegates greeted the first rays of the sun. He participated in a ceremony led by spiritual authorities of diverse nations then spoke briefly to the crowd assembled at Tiwanaku, vowing to continue ''the fight to recuperate our territory and natural resources.''

''The fight is not just for humanity,'' he said, ''but also for planet Earth.''

The event culminated on Oct. 12 with a march to the Plaza San Francisco. Marchers chanted ''Evo! Evo! We are with you!'' while flags of various peoples flew alongside the multicolored flag of the Wiphala, a symbol of continental unity among indigenous people.

Several thousand people gathered in the plaza to listen to indigenous representatives and Morales, who addressed the crowd for nearly an hour.

He spoke directly to media criticism and rumors, denying racism and the rumors of a coup d'etat that had been circulating, blaming ''destabilizing sectors who want to scare us, intimidate us and psychologically destroy us.''

Calling for an inclusive society for all Bolivians, he cited successes in raising the minimum wage, improving the economy, nationalizing resources and providing free health care. He also urged the citizens of Bolivia to be patient and called on other nations of the world to help ensure democracy in Bolivia.

He said the change that was set in motion by his election would occur ''with or without him.''

The delegates issued a formal declaration which announced the beginning of ''the new era'' in which ''humanity, as the species that threatens to destroy the planet, will evolve towards harmonic integration with the universe.'' It criticized the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for not going far enough, but urged governments to support it as an initial step. Criticism was also directed at privatization of natural resources and at the United States for its interventionist activities, and solidarity expressed with the people of Cuba and Venezuela.

Delegates spoke of the inspiration they drew from the event.

''I see here a lot of color, of music, of identity, of language,'' said Lorenzo Muelas Hurtado, Guambiano and former senator of Colombia. ''This is really important, because this is what is being diluted and what we are losing: identity, attitude, philosophy, an indigenous philosophy that is being erased from the map, from the face of the earth. That it is being recuperated here is extremely important. From that point on, everything we achieve here is a success.''

For some of the northern delegates, it was their first visit to South America.

''I have a lot of impressions.'' said Deer. ''One is the poverty that I see here, but another is the tremendous hope the people have now that they have an indigenous president.

''You've got to continue with these meetings, you can't stop.'' he added. ''There has to be a concerted effort to keep the networking going and the sharing of information.''

Organizers said their next continental encounter would be the Summit of Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala in March 2007.

October 20, 2006

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Underlying the vast majority of the territory of the Valley of the Sun, ancient sites of the original inhabitants known as the Huhugam Peoples still recall the indigenous heritage of the metropolis that is the Phoenix of today. Hundreds of miles of canals systems, ball courts, platform mounds and ceramics are the physical remains that we contemporarily use to assign meaning and establish historical relationship with our ancient ancestors of the Valley.

As you know, over the past four years we have organized a continuation of this indigenous cultural heritage of urban Phoenix by our traditional " MICCAILHUITL - Dia de Los Muertos" community celebration. This year's event will once again be hosted at the NAHUACALLI located at 802 N. 7th Street in central Phoenix. As a traditional Mexican celebration of the memory of our beloved ancestors, the MICCAILHUITL will begin on the evening of Wednesday November 1st and will culminate on Saturday November 4th with traditional Danza Azteca ceremonies of recognition and respect for the Huhugam and their descendants of today. The Huhugam were known to be part of a larger cultural tradition that extended south into what is central Mexico, a great family of native nations that shared the agricultural tradition of teocintli, the Grandmother Corn.

Part of our ceremonial activities involves a ceremonial Barrio Run, scheduled for Saturday morning from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM, which will traverse and connect community altars of the MICCAILHUITL. One of the most significant among these is of course the Huhugam site at 21st Street and Mohave, in the old Golden Gate Barrio where we have a Spiritual Monument in place. Once again we ask that the City of Phoenix facilitate and accommodate our request for access and recognition in appropriate and permanent fashion in regards to this site.

Today, when much of our world is under the stress of war and environmental degradation, we look again to the example set by the Huhugam and Anasazi peoples, who cohabited and exchanged with each other in peaceful relations across a span of over a thousand years as caretakers of the land.

We invite you to share in this celebration of cultural continuity and diversity, a collective mirror of reflections in honor of community memory: MICCAILHUITL, el Dia de Los Muertos.

Tlazocamati. Thank you. Gracias.

Tupac Enrique Acosta, Yaotachcauh
Tlahtokan Nahuacalli
TONATIERRA
chantlaca@aol.com
Tel: (602) 254-5230

Annual Barrio Run
Sabado Noviembre 4, 2006 Saturday
9:00 AM a 11:00 AM

TONATIERRA
802 N. 7th St. Phoenix, AZ 85006
NAHUACALLI
Izkalotlan,Aztlan
Phone: (602)254-5230 Email: chantlaca@aol.com

Asamblea del Barrio Garfield

http://www.tonatierra.org

Miccailhuitl - Dia de Los Muertos - Celebracion Azteca - Barrio Run - Nahuacalli

La Paz, Bolivia Tawatinsuyo October 12th , 2006

From the heart of what is known as South America, from the territory of Bartolina Sisa and Tupaj Kartari, on the 12th of October of 2006 the delegates of the original Pueblos and Nations of the Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala, upon gathering at the Continental Encounter of Indigenous Pueblos and Nations of Abya Yala, emit the following message:

Upon this new dawn of the Pachacuti, in these times of the culmination of the Fifth Sun, soon will end the world of fear in which we live, the world of hate and materialism that we suffer. When that sun rises humanity will have disappeared as a species that threatens to destroy the planet, evolving towards integration and harmony with the universe in its totality, with the understanding that all things are alive and conscious, understanding that we are all part of the whole, emerging to live in a new era of enlightenment.

In spite of 514 years of oppression and domination, we have not been eliminated: we are still here. We have resisted invasion, destruction and pillage, and now neoliberalism which imposes the exploitation of our natural resources for the benefit of the multinational corporations, causing grave social, economic, and cultural impact upon our Pueblos of Indigenous Peoples. These same negative effects extend also to the rest of humanity and the natural world.

Yet now we begin a new era for the original Indigenous Pueblos and Nations, for the times of change are upon us.

The Declaration of the United Nations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been achieved as the result of constant efforts by the Indigenous Peoples of the entire world over the past 20 years, and although it does reflect many of our aspirations, the Declaration does not completely capture the Right of Indigenous Peoples of Self Determination, subordinating this under the individual which replaces our vision. In spite of this, we exhort the governments to approve the declaration and accept it as a base document for legislation in protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The transnational corporate investments in our respective countries have produced poverty, migration, and contamination of our natural resources of land, water, seed stock, genetic material, and biodiversity. To confront this situation our Pueblos have had to construct mechanisms of resistance in order that we may survive with dignity. The nation States must recognize the existence of our Pueblos and Nations, which have developed within and preserved the biodiversity of our territories, along with the traditional knowledge derived from this millennial relationship. For this reason it is imperative that the government States guarantee the continued existence of our Pueblos and Nations, extending resources for their autonomous management and refrain from imposing mechanisms that lead to the privatization of our natural resources, our traditional knowledge, and forms of spirituality.

The Nation States must recognize that the countries where we reside are not monolithic uninational entities, but Plurinational in a reality that must be recognized with respect and recognition for our own forms of self-governance as Indigenous Peoples. We urge the refoundation of the States in order to achieve coexistence among our Pueblos, in order to put an end to social exclusion and marginalization. The struggle of resistance of the Indigenous Peoples, along with other sectors of the society today has produced the triumph of Evo Morales, a victory that calls upon us to strengthen and consolidate our organizations in the process of constructing a true power that emerges from the experiences of our Pueblos and Nations.

Our proposal is one of integrity: a Culture of Life, which constructs sovereignty as embedded within our cultural identity and cosmovision, and with democratic participation we shall emerge to construct new nation states oriented by our indigenous thought and with the participation of the majority of the peoples. We shall continue the process of strengthening our organizational processes and our struggles until we achieve the construction of the unity of the Pueblos and Nations of Abya Yala. We shall reconstruct the principle "to live well" which for us means to live in harmony with our fellow human beings and the world of nature, and at the same time we offer to the world to accept and benefit from the values of our cultures.

From our families, our homes, our communities, Pueblos and Nations, whether we are or are not present within the systems of government of our respective countries, we ourselves shall decide and define our own destiny. We shall assume the responsibility and the will "to live well" in accord to the teachings of our ancestors and so to radiate from the most simple to the most great and complex in order to construct in a just and plural manner the diversity of the culture of life, and so exercise our right of self determination, even though it may come without the recognition of the States.

We reject with all our might the criminalization of the struggles of the Indigenous peoples and other movement for social justice.

Our struggle cannot be held back, we no longer resist only to resist: our time has come. Our path calls for coordination, articulation, and to be in communication on a permanent basis taking into account all of our problems, needs, and proposals. From this Continental Indigenous Encounter we issue the convocation to the Indigenous Pueblos and Nations of Abya Yala to participate in the III Summit of Indigenous Pueblos and Nations of Abya Yala which shall be realized from the 26th to the 30th of March of 2007 in the Maya Territories of Guatemala.

Our path is laid clearly before us, yet we need support from the other sectors of the society which are also oppressed in order to realize the transformations to which we aspire; for this reason we call to participate actively in the Social Forum for the Integration of the Pueblos, to be held in Cochabamba Bolivia from the 6th to the 9th of December of 2006.

We condemn the acts of terrorism and intervention which the government of the United States is conducting in many countries of the world and of the Americas in order to protect their interests. At the same time we stand in solidarity with the struggles of all of Peoples and governments that defend their right of self-determination, such as Cuba and Venezuela.

We are direct witnesses to the serious problems which presently befall the Bolivian people and government, brought about by the oligarchies that count on the support of the United States. We also are witness to the efforts of the Bolivian people and the government of President Evo Morales in order to build a new country, and we commit our solidarity to this heroic effort. We shall remain permanently vigilant regarding what occurs in Bolivia and we ask that all of the Peoples of the world offer their support and solidarity to this process as well.

We send our greetings to all of the indigenous movements of resistance and restoration of our rights that are active across the entirety of our continent. We hereby ratify this 12th of December as Day of Indigenous Resistance. We invoke the memory of the millions of our martyrs that have been massacred from 1492 to the present time: The invading countries have a historic debt with our Pueblos and Nations.

!!!!!Jallalla Indigenous Pueblos and Nations of Abya Yala!!!!

Links:

www.abyayalabolivia.org
www.cumbrecontinentalindigena.org
www.tonatierra.org

###

Declaration of La Paz: Continental Indigenous Encounter - Bolivia

La Paz, Bolivia Tawatinsuyo- Miles de indígenas asistieron ayer en La Paz a una colorida concentración que sirvió de espaldarazo para el presidente boliviano Evo Morales, cuyo gobierno afrontó en los últimos días rumores de un supuesto golpe de Estado. “Este 12 de octubre es el día de la liberación”, subrayó Morales en su intervención ante decenas de miles de personas, al aludir a la conmemoración del Día de la Raza. “Llegó la hora de cambiar a nuestra Bolivia, llegó la hora de vivir en igualdad de condiciones”, proclamó el mandatario indígena en su vibrante discurso. “Este (proceso de) cambio en Bolivia no se para (...), esta revolución democrática cultural con Evo Morales o sin Evo Morales va adelante, nadie va a parar el cambio en Bolivia”, afirmó. El presidente boliviano puso de esta forma a prueba su respaldo en las calles, tras varias semanas de conflictividad y protestas convocadas por transportistas y mineros, entre otros sectores.

Empuñando banderas de Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, entre otros países, y numerosas “wiphalas” (de las comunidades nativas en Bolivia), la concurrencia se dio cita en la histórica Plaza de los Héroes de La Paz, en un evento que el gobierno del dirigente aymara describió como la “marcha por la democracia” . El evento contó con la participación de los asistentes al primer Encuentro de Pueblos y Nacionalidades Indígenas del Abya Yala (América) de campesinos, cultivadores de hoja y mineros, que finalizó ayer en La Paz. “Nuestro hermano es Evo, por eso estoy aquí”, dijo una india aymara que asistió al encuentro.

“Queremos, de verdad, refundar Bolivia con mujeres del campo y la ciudad, con profesionales, empresarios, indígenas, pero no queremos someter ni subordinar a nadie, queremos igualdad”, resaltó Morales en su discurso, respondiendo a las acusaciones de discriminación que le hizo la oposición. “Este acto es la muestra de la unidad del pueblo boliviano, dispuesto a recuperar los recursos naturales”, agregó el mandatario. Además, llamó a los sindicatos que todavía enfrentan a su gobierno a percibir que “es hora de que todos seamos instrumento de liberación y no de opresión”.

El gobierno boliviano logró precisamente ayer los primeros acuerdos con transportistas y mineros, con lo que disminuyó la tensión por los conflictos que mantenían estos sectores. El principal foco de protestas contra el gobierno -una huelga de choferes de 48 horas que debía iniciarse ayer- fue desarticulado a último momento, de manera que las actividades recobraron normalidad en todo el país, a excepción del departamento sureño de Oruro, donde hay un paro por demandas regionales.

El acuerdo con los transportistas fue establecido tras 14 horas continuas de negociación y suscrito en la mañana de ayer entre el gobierno y la Confederación de Choferes de Bolivia, que protesta por la intención del gobierno de legalizar miles de automóviles que fueron ingresados de contrabando desde Chile y Perú. El ministro de Hacienda, Luis Alberto Arce, confirmó la suscripción de un “acta de entendimiento” entre los sectores, que permite a los choferes intervenir en la redacción del reglamento de un decreto que autoriza la legalización de dichos vehículos.

En otro frente es la fuerte pugna entre mineros estatales y cooperativistas. La semana pasada se enfrentaron en la mina de estaño de Huanuni, con un saldo de 16 muertos y 61 heridos. Ese frente también está momentáneamente controlado. Una misión de alto nivel del gobierno abrió negociaciones por separado con ambos sectores y encontraron demandas comunes que podrían servir de base para un futuro entendimiento, según el viceministro de Coordinación con los Movimientos Sociales, Alfredo Rada. En tren de evitar nuevos enfrentamientos, el primer acuerdo con los mineros establece que el gobierno brindará asistencia económica a las familias de los muertos de ambos bandos y correrá con los gastos de curación de los heridos, algunos de los cuales podrían ser trasladados a Cuba, dependiendo de la gravedad de sus lesiones.

“Creemos que puede haber alguna solución (de fondo para el conflicto minero), en caso contrario insistiremos con el juicio de responsabilidad contra Evo”, dijo ayer Pedro Montes, el titular de la Central Obrera Boliviana (COB). El líder minero, que se quejó de no haber sido invitado hasta ahora a conversar con el presidente boliviano ni a participar del acto de ayer, reconoció sin embargo que el nuevo ministro de Minería, Guillermo Dalence, “es un compañero que sabe de minería, no como el anterior (Walter Villarroel)”, que respondía a los cooperativistas privados del sector.

NOTICIAS RELACIONADAS
www.abyayalabolivia.org

www.cumbrecontinentalindigena.org

Este 12 de octubre es el día de la liberación

Oceti Sakowin
Seven Council Fires
Dakota - Nakota - Lakota Nation

October 11th, 2006

Good greetings to all Indigenous Nations and Pueblos gathered at this time at the Continental Indigenous Encounter of La Paz, Bolivia - Tawatinsuyo. We send this message to you from our traditional council, gathered today in our traditional territories of our continent Abya Yala North, Confederacy of the Eagle and the Buffalo.

May your hearts be strong and your minds clear like the sacred waters, as you gather in Tawatinsuyo Bolivia to bring spiritual strength to the continental indigenous movement for decolonization.

Relatives, at this time we ask that you consider offering support and prayers for our struggle here in the North to reclaim our sacred territory of the Black Hills which was illegally expropriated from our nations by the United States government. At this time we attach a copy of the 1851 and 1868 Fort Laramie Treaties between our nations and the US government which validates our claims on this issue. In addition, we also include the 1794 Jay Treaty which recognizes our rights as Indigenous Peoples to freely travel and trade across the international borders of the signatory government states.

We ask that you now submit this documentation on our behalf to President Evo Morales of Bolivia, as an initiative of the Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala for the purpose of establishing an official Archive of Treaties between our Nations and the government states of the Americas.

As indigenous nations of Abya Yala North, we stand with the nations of Tawatinsuyo as well in your struggles against the economic policies of colonization such as the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas - FTAA, which undermines our collective rights as Indigenous Peoples of the continent. We call for an Indigenous Economic Plan for the Continent, with strategic mechanisms of global linkage. This Indigenous Economic Plan for the Continent, which would be constructed as protection for our territorial and cultural bases, would be an indigenous driven economic strategy of self-determination, which should prioritize regenerating Indigenous Trade networks between our nations.

As we send this message to you today, we recall when we of the Oceti Sakowin conducted the Treaty Ceremony of continental spiritual alliance at the First International Indigenous Summit of Teotihuacan, Mexico in the year 2000. We now propose to gather once again in fulfillment of the mutual obligations of this Treaty among our Nations and Pueblos, upon arrival at the III Continental Indigenous Summit of Indigenous Nations and Pueblos to be held in March of 2007 in Guatemala.

Mitakuye Oyasin (All my Relations),

Gerald One Feather, Staff Keeper
Wapaha Awayanke, Oceti Sakowin (Dakota - Nakota - Lakota Nation)

Attachments:
1868 Fort Laramie Treaty: http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/ntreaty/nt001.htm
1851 Fort Laramie Treaty: http://www.protectbearbutte.org/article.php?id=27
1794 Jay Treaty: http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/britain/jay.htm

NAHUACALLI
Embassy of the Indigenous Peoples
Izkalotlan, Aztlan

To the Continental Encounter of Indigenous Nations and Pueblos of Abya Yala
La Paz, Bolivia - Tawatinsuyo
October 8 -12, 2006

Nohuanyolqueh,

Greetings and best wishes for all of your efforts which have brought together this historic Continental Encounter of Indigenous Nations and Pueblos of Abya Yala. From the north, we take this opportunity to express our solidarity and commitment to bring continuity to the principles and commitments of reunification as Indigenous Peoples in conformity with the spirit of the Continental Confederation of the Eagle and the Condor.

In addition, we extend our hand as an indigenous organization of the Pueblos of Aztlan to work continentally to further the linkages, coordination, and alliance in accord with the principles of the Treaty of Teotihuacan pronounced at the first International Summit of Indigenous Nations and Pueblos held at Teotihuacan, Mexico in 2000. The trajectory of the continental indigenous movement that was regenerated at the First Continental Encounter in Quito, Ecuador in 1990 continues with its own rhythm according to the capacities and culture of our Nations, arriving at Temoaya, Mexico in 1993 at the Second Continental Encounter, followed by the First International Indigenous Summit of Teotihuacan in 2000, returning then to Quito in 2004 for the II continental Summit Abya Yala. In November of 2005, once again at the continental level, an Indigenous Summit convened at Mar de Plata, Argentina. As was collectively resolved in consensus in Quito 2004 before the Sacred Fire, the Pueblo Maya awaits us in Guatemala as host to the next continental indigenous summit in March of 2007.

These events are the tracks along the path of continuity and follow-through that vindicate and give strength to the process of decolonization of our continent Abya Yala. And although we still have a long distance to travel, the road of encounter, confederation, and alliance at the continental level continues to guide with the illumination of our traditions, the hope of our liberation as Nations of Humanity.

We send this brief message with specific proposals for consideration at the Continental Indigenous Encounter at La Paz, Bolivia in terms of the identification of criteria for the process of linkage, coordination, and alliance of our Indigenous Peoples:

• We propose a specific focus on a common political language for the movement continentally, beginning with terms of geography.

• We propose the approval of the term ABYA YALA as official name and vernacular integrated and expressed through our position statements at the local, regional, national, continental, and global contexts in order to specifically identify our continent and collective territory of our Indigenous Peoples. In order to construct a common political project, it is necessary to have the framework of a common cultural identity.

• We propose a dialogue among ourselves as Indigenous Peoples regarding the criteria that would serve in the process of developing and participating in a collective continental strategy in the form of an Indigenous Economic Plan for the Continent, with global linkages. This Indigenous Economic Plan for the Continent, which would be constructed as protection for our territorial and cultural bases, would be in contrast to the neoliberal schemes such as FTAA and in distinction to plan ALBA, would be an indigenous driven economic strategy of self-determination, which could provide linkages of just trade of mutual benefit with other economic systems.

• We propose that we advance from rhetorical proclamations referencing our right of self-determination in relationship to the government-states, to implementing with deliberate action the processes of DECOLONIZATION at the continental level, as provided for under existing international law of the United Nations.

• We propose that this Continental Indigenous Encounter of La Paz, Bolivia 2006 AFFIRM the principles and mutual commitments of the preceding continental declarations of Quito, Ecuador 1990; Temoaya, Mexico 1993; Teotihuacan, Mexico 2000; Quito, Ecuador 2004, and Mar de Plata, Argentina 2005. “A movement without memory cannot make history”

We also annex our letter to the Secretariat of the Continental Summit of Mar de Plata 2005, for your consideration and analysis as a point of reference in the dialogue which we must achieve as Indigenous Nations and Pueblos of South-Central-North Abya Yala.

We shall continue to remain in communication, expecting to encounter each other once again in the not too distant future, upon arriving at Guatemala in March of 2007 as Indigenous Nations, Pueblos, and organizations of our mother continent Abya Yala.

Respectfully,

Tupac Enrique Acosta, Yaotachcauh
Tlahtokan Nahuacalli
TONATIERRA

******

To the Secretariat of the Continental
Indigenous Summit Mar de Plata, Argentina
November 2, 2005

MAY IT BE KNOWN:

Amixpanzinco, Amixtlamatqueh,

Good greetings. We take this opportunity to deliver the attached documentation regarding the agenda of responsibilities which are of priority to the Indigenous Nation Pueblos gathered in Summit in Mar de Plata, Argentina November 1-4, 2005.

We stood by the Sacred Fire in Quito, Ecuador in 1990 at the First Continental Encounter of Indigenous Pueblos and Nations and recall the mutual commitments made under the principles embodied under our ancient ethics of International Indigenous Law. These are the traditional systems of jurisprudence, of tradition and liberation, which emerge from the essential fundamentals of the sacred inter-relationship of all life, and the obligations of we who are the earth children of the Continental Confederation of the Eagle and the Condor.

We were at the Second Continental Encounter of Indigenous Nations and Pueblos in 1993 in Temoaya, Mexico and returned to Teotihuacan, Mexico in the year 2000 for the First Continental Summit of Indigenous Nations, Pueblos and Organizations convened by the Continental Council of Indigenous Nations and Organizations - CONIC.

From July 21-25, 2004 we attended the II Continental Summit Abya Yala in Quito, Ecuador where the accords of the previous First Continental Summit of Teotihuacan 2000 were once again validated and reasserted before the Sacred Fire of the altar of the Continent. These mutual commitments are given expression by the Treaty of Teotihuacan, a mutual commitment at the continental level among the Indigenous Nation Pueblos with four aspects:

Spiritual Alliance
Political Solidarity
Cultural Understanding Commercial
and Economic Agreements of Exchange and Development - Pochtecayotl

And so we stand today once again among our relatives of the great and humble family of Indigenous Nation Pueblos of our mother continent Abya Yala in summit at Mar de Plata. May the Creator continue to guide our footsteps, as we leave a trail for the future generations.

The previous assertion of the sequence of continental gatherings from Quito 1990, Temoaya 1993, Teotihuacan 2000, back to Quito in 2004 and now Mar de Plata is not meant to be controversial: it is history. It is our history, related not from within the manipulative context of the government states or the "compra-cumbres" crowd: it is our story, the legend of a continent emerging from centuries of genocide and colonization.

In fulfillment of these sacred obligations and the mutual commitments made under the Treaty of Teotihuacan at the First Continental Indigenous Summit of Indigenous Nations and Pueblos, we now submit the following for discussion and action before the Continental Indigenous Summit Mar de Plata, Argentina.

Issue: Self Determination and Decolonization

A basic issue for the Indigenous Nation Pueblos of the continent Abya Yala (the Americas) continues to be the discrepancy of the eventual outcome of self determination for the Indigenous Peoples as viewed from the perspective of the interests of the government states and from within the cultural based cosmovision of the Nican Tlacah, the Indigenous Peoples themselves.

The elemental issues derive from utterly divergent presentations of the relationship of human society to territory, individually and collectively, as either government states or the reality of the Nican Tlacah Indigenous Peoples and Nations. The jurisdiction of the states is one of dominion and colonization, that of the Nican Tlacah is one of inter-relationship and reciprocity. As evidenced by the Global Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), recently commissioned and completed by the United Nations, the reality of the Indigenous Peoples relationship of territoriality is increasingly recognized scientifically at a global level as being the best hope for humanity to achieve homeostasis within the environment of the world's ecosystems.

Any political position on self determination, whether by the government states or the Nican Tlacah will inevitably be determined within the context of the sum of global ecological systems as sets of parameters, including humanity itself as a subsystem among all these relationships.

In terms of the continent Abya Yala, (the Americas) a centuries old Doctrine of Denial takes its place among a regime of genocidal policies that is centuries in the making and continues till today. Beginning with the Papal Bull Inter Caetera of 1493, continuing with the present militarily enforced Monroe Doctrine and now projected under the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the Doctrine of Denial is insidious for presenting to the world's Peoples a denial of the very processes of history in terms of recognition and self determination for the Indigenous Nation Pueblos of our continent.

In view of the above, we now propose that:

A special session of the Decolonization Committee of the United Nations under section 73(e) of the United Nations Charter must be held in order to evaluate the above mentioned Doctrines of Power in light of the Spirit of Truth, and under the criteria of evaluation established by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514 "Right of Self Determination" and GA 1541 which outlines the processes and criteria for identifying and rectifying the crime of colonization under the norms of international law of the member states of the United Nations system.

An finally, we propose that in the process of undertaking such an initiative, namely the implementation of the processes of DECOLONIZATION for the Indigenous Nation Pueblos and territories of our continent Abya Yala, without which any declaration of self determination would be of only limited rhetorical value in the practical sense of International Law, special attention be given to the establishment by the United Nations of the regional organization of the Organization of American States OAS itself, as yet another example of the usurpation and violation of the Right of Self Determination in our hemisphere by establishing yet another regime of political representation on our territories in our continent without our participation or consent and in violation of GA 1514, as evidenced under GA 1541.

Respectfully submitted, Tlahtokan Nahuacalli
Izkalotlan, Aztlan

www.cumbrecontinentalindigena.org

Website of Encuentro Continental Bolivia:
http://www.abyayalabolivia.org

NAHUACALLI
Embajada de Los Pueblos Indígenas
Izkalotlan, Aztlan

Al Encuentro Continental de Naciones y Pueblos Indígenas Abya Yala
La Paz, Bolivia - Tawatinsuyo
Octubre 8-12, 2006

Nohuanyolqueh,
Saludos y felicidades por los esfuerzos que han sumado para dar forma a este histórico Encuentro Continental de Naciones y Pueblos de Abya Yala. Tomamos esta oportunidad de expresar nuestra solidaridad y compromiso a dar seguimiento a los principios y compromisos de reunificación como Pueblos Indígenas desde acá en el norte de nuestro continente Abya Yala, en conformidad con el espíritu de la Confederación Continental del Águila y el Cóndor.

Además, extendemos nuestra mano como organización de los Pueblos Indígenas de Aztlan para hacer enlace, coordinación y alianza de acuerdo a los principios del Tratado de Teotihuacan pronunciado en la Primera Cumbre Internacional de Pueblos y Naciones Indígenas que se proclamó desde Teotihuacan, México en Octubre de 2000. La trayectoria del movimiento indígena continental que fue regenerado en el Primer Encuentro Continental en Quito Ecuador en 1990, sigue con su propio ritmo de acuerdo a las capacidades y la cultura de nuestros pueblos, llegando a Temoaya México en 1993 en el Segundo Encuentro Continental, luego la I Cumbre Internacional Indígena de Teotihuacan en 2000, y volviendo a Quito en 2004 para la II Cumbre Continental Abya Yala. En noviembre de 2005, se realizó otra vez mas al nivel continente, la Cumbre Continental Indígena de Mar de Plata. Según el acuerdo con el Fuego Sagrado entregado colectivamente en
Quito 2004, el Pueblo Maya nos espera en Guatemala como anfitrión de la siguiente cumbre continental indígena en Marzo de 2007.

Estos acontecimientos son las huellas de los pasos de seguimiento y continuidad que revindican y dan fuerza al proceso de descolonización de nuestro continente Abya Yala. Y aun que nos hace falta todavía mucho para llegar, el camino de encuentro, confederación y alianza al nivel continente sigue señalando con la iluminación de nuestras tradiciones, la esperaza de nuestra liberación como pueblos de la humanidad.

Mandamos este breve mensaje con propuestas concretas para consideración del Encuentro Continental Bolivia en la formación de criterios para el proceso de enlace, coordinación y alianza de nuestros Pueblos Indígenas:

• Proponemos trabajar hacia un lenguaje político común de nuestro movimiento continental, empezando con los términos de geografía.

• Proponemos la aprobación del termino Abya Yala como nombre oficial y vernácula integrado y expresado por nuestros planteamientos al nivel local, regional, nacional, continental y ante el mundo para identificar nuestro continente y el territorio colectivo de nuestros pueblos.

• Proponemos un dialogo entre nosotros sobre los criterios que podrán servir en el proceso de compartir con una estrategia colectivo en forma de un proyecto propio de rango continental en el campo económico al nivel continental y mundial. Este proyecto seria al contraste al los planes de FTAA, y en distinción al planes de carácter ALBA, aun que si con un PLAN PROPIA CONTINENTAL, ya podría ver mecanismos de enlace con beneficios mutuas con otras instancias y sistemas económicas.

• Proponemos que avanzamos de proclamaciones retóricas sobre nuestro derecho de autodeterminación en relación a los gobierno-estados, llegando a realizar con acción deliberada implementación de los procesos de DESCOLONIZACION al nivel continente.

• Proponemos la afirmación por este Encuentro Continental de La Paz, Bolivia 2006 de los principios y compromisos de las declaraciones anteriores de Quito, Ecuador 1990; Temoaya, México 1993, Teotihuacan, México 2000; Quito, Ecuador, 2004; y Mar de Plata, 2005. “Sin memoria el movimiento no puede hacer historia”

Anexamos la carta nuestra a la Secretaria de la Cumbre Continental Indígena de Mar de Plata 2005, para que lo consideran y analizan como punto de referencia en el dialogo que se tiene que dar entre los Pueblos y Naciones Indígenas Norte-Centro-Sur de Abya Yala.

Esperamos mantenernos en comunicación, esperando que nos encontraremos en un futuro no muy lejano, reunidos en Guatemala en Marzo de 2007 como Pueblos, Naciones y Organizaciones Indígenas de nuestra madre continente Abya Yala.

Respetuosamente,

Tupac Enrique Acosta, Yaotachcauh
Tlahtokan Nahuacalli

NAHUACALLI
Embajada de los Pueblos Indígenas

*******

A la Secretaria de la Cumbre Continental
Indígena Mar de Plata, Argentina   
2 de Noviembre de 2005

La Leyenda de la Verdad y las Doctrinas del Poder
PRESENTE:

Saludos a los Pueblos Naciones Milenarios Abya Yala
Amixpanzinco, Amixtlamatqueh,

Aprovechamos de este espacio par hacerles llegar la documentación adjunto sobre la agenda de responsabilidades colectivos de prioridad para los Pueblos Naciones Indígenas reunidas en Cumbre en Mar de Plata, Argentina Noviembre 2-4, 2005.

El Fuego Sagrado que fue encendido ceremonialmente en el Primer Encuentro Continental de Pueblos y Naciones Indígenas en Quito, 1990 nos ilumina todavía, recordándonos de los compromisos mutuos encarnados de acuerdo con la ética milenaria de nuestros Pueblos, con nuestra propia Ley Internacional Indígena.  Estos son los sistemas tradicionales de nuestra jurisprudencia, los tejidos de tradición y liberación que emergen desde los fundamentos esenciales de la inter-relación sagrada de toda la vida, y las obligaciones de nosotros los hijos de
la Madre Tierra, e herederos de la Confederación Continental del Águila y el Cóndor.

También estuvimos presentes en el Segundo Encuentro Continental de Pueblos y Naciones Indígenas en año 1993 en Temoaya, México y luego regresamos a México en al año 2000 para asistir la Primera Cumbre Continental de Pueblos y Naciones Indígenas convocado por el Consejo de Organizaciones y Naciones Indígenas del Continente - CONIC.

Regresando a Tawatinsuyo en los días 21-25, 2004 participamos en la II Cumbre Continental Indígena Abya Yala en Quito, Ecuador donde los acuerdos de la Primera Cumbre Continental Indígena Teotihuacan 2000 fueron retomados, y proclamados ante el Fuego Sagrado del altar del continente.  Estos compromisos mutuos al nivel continente siguen vigentes por medio del Tratado de Teotihuacan, con sus cuatro aspectos:

Alianza Espiritual
Solidaridad Política
Conformidad Cultural Continental
Proyectos Económicos de Intercambio y Comercio Indígena

Ya entonces hoy nos encontramos de vuelta con nuestra gran familia humilde y poderosa, la familia de los Pueblos Naciones Indígenas de nuestra madre continente Abya Yala.  Nos reunimos en cumbre otra vez más, y hagamos un levantamiento espiritual para que nuestros pasos sean firmes, que nos acompañe el Creador dejando huellas y sendero sagrado para las futuras generaciones.

La relación de secuencias de los encuentros continentales desde Quito 1990, Temoaya 1993, Cumbre Teotihuacan 2000, volviendo a Cumbre Quito en 2004, y luego ahora encontrándonos en Mar de Plata no lo hacemos para hacer controversia: Lo hacemos para proclamar nuestra historia, la historia de nuestro movimiento indígena continental. No es el cuento bien financiado y manipulado  de los "compra-cumbres".   Es la leyenda de un continente emergiendo de siglos de
genocidio y colonización.

En cumplimiento de estas obligaciones y compromisos mutuos afirmados con nuestro Tratado de Teotihuacan de La Primera Cumbre Indígena Continental de Pueblos y Naciones 2000, entregamos lo siguiente para la discusión y la toma de acción ante este Cumbre Continental Indígena Mar de Plata, Argentina 2005.

Tema: Libre Determinación y Descolonización

El negar de nuestro derecho de auto-determinación por los gobierno estados sigue siendo el tema de mayor importancia para los Pueblos Naciones Indígenas de nuestro continente Abya Yala (las Americas). Existe una gran discrepancia conceptual en el eventual resultado del proceso de libre determinación visto desde la óptica de los intereses de los gobierno estados, en contraste con la
visión cultural Nican Tlacah, la cosmovisión de los Pueblos Indígenas.

Esta discrepancia es producto de dos distintos sistemas de conocimientos, ejes de realidades distintas evidentes en el concepto de territorio, en la forma individual y colectivo: La de las sociedades de los gobierno estados y la de los Pueblos Naciones Indígenas.  La jurisdicción de los estados en términos de territorio es una de dominación y colonización, mientras la de la relación de territorialidad de nuestros pueblos esta basada en la inter-relación y la reciprocidad.  Como esta evidenciada por la Asesoria Ecosistema Global Milenaria ( MA), recién comisionada y cumplida por la ONU, la realidad de la relación del concepto de territorialidad de los Pueblos Indígenas esta reconocida al nivel global como la mejor esperanza y ciencia para que la humanidad pueda alcanzar la homeostasis con el entorno natural de ecosistemas del mundo.

Cualquier posición sobre la cuestión de libre determinación, sea por la política de los gobierno estados o por los Nican Tlacah como Pueblos Naciones Indígenas será determinada inevitablemente adentro de contexto de la suma de relaciones globales de los ecosistemas planetarias como parámetro, incluyendo la humanidad misma como una de estas.

En términos de nuestro continente Abya Yala (las Americas) existe una régimen de políticas genocidios en la forma de Doctrina que tiene siglos en construcción, siendo una de ellas la Doctrina de Negación.  Empezando con la Bula Papal Inter Caetera de 1493, continuando con la Doctrina Monroe actualmente implementado por las fuerzas militar de los EEUU, y ahora proyectado por el Área de Libre Comercio de Las Americas - ALCA, la Doctrina de Negación es insidioso por negar a la conciencia de la Humanidad la existencia histórica de los Pueblos
Naciones Indígenas en el contexto del reconocimiento legal como Pueblos con derecho de auto-determinación.

En vista de lo anterior proponemos lo siguiente:

Es hora que se convoca una sesión especial del Comité de Descolonización de las Naciones Unidas, establecida bajo sección 73(e) de la Carta de la ONU, con el fin de evaluar las mencionadas Doctrinas del Poder en el Espíritu de Verdad, y en el contexto de los principios de evaluación establecidas por Resolución de la Asamblea General 1514 "El Derecho a la Libre Determinación" y la AG 1541 las cuales elaboran los procesos y los criterios para identificar y
rectificar el crimen de colonización de acuerdo a las normas de la ley internacional de los estados miembros del sistema de las Naciones Unidas.

Finalmente, proponemos que en el proceso de implementación de la iniciativa de la DESCOLONIZACION del los Territorios y Pueblos Naciones Indígenas de nuestro continente Abya Yala, que sin esto cualquier declaración de libre determinación quedaría solamente como retórica y con mínimo valor practico en términos de la Ley Internacional: Que se considera con atención especial al establecimiento por las Naciones Unidad de la organización regional de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) mismo, siendo esto un ejemplo mas de la usurpación y violación del Derecho de Libre Determinación en nuestro hemisférico por haberse establecido otra régimen mas de representación política en nuestros territorios en nuestro continente sin nuestra participación o consentimiento y en violación de AG 1514, evidenciadas por los principios de AG 1541.

Respetuosamente presentado,

Tlahtokan Nahuacalli
Izkalotlan, Aztlan

NAHUACALLI
Embajada de los Pueblos Indígenas
c/o TONATIERRA
Tel: (602) 254-5230 
P.O. Box 24009     Phoenix, AZ  85074
Email: chantlaca@aol.com

www.tonatierra.org

www.cumbrecontinentalindigena.org
***

Website of Encuentro Continental Bolivia:
http://www.abyayalabolivia.org

Nahuacalli: Mensaje al Encuentro Continental Indigena Bolivia