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PAGE 2

 


United Nations
Working Group on the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

AMERICAN INDIAN LAW ALLIANCE
aila@ailanyc.org  

Intervention on Article 3 on Self-Determination September 20, 2004   

  1. Mr. President,   AILA wishes to clarify a few points of international law raised this morning in the hope of moving forward conciliation on the subject of self-determination.  AILA wholly support the Indigenous proposal, and accompanying explanations, read out Friday and this morning by Ms. Sambo on behalf of the overwhelming majority of the members of the Indigenous Caucus. This Indigenous Proposal has, in addition, already received the endorsement of many states.  It clearly represents the most important potential breakthough this body has heard on the subject of the right of self-determination of indigenous peoples in ten years.  We would ask that all delegations here not let this extraordinary opportunity pass to solve the impasse we have unhappily faced, until now, over the issue of self determination.

  2. AILA understands that a few participants may still be unclear regarding the legal import of the Indigenous proposal, i.e., whether it is contrary to international law, and whether it undermines the right of self determination .  We take the floor to affirm that it does neither.  

  3. International law, Mr. President, has long recognised that all peoples are entitled to self-determination.  As early as 1945, the UN enshrined the principle of self-determination in its Charter.  The 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence then translated that principle into a right enjoyed by all peoples.  Its companion General Assembly Resolution 1541 additionally stated that the right of self-determination confers on all peoples, on a first order, a right to freely determine their political status.  Resolution 1541 further stated that this choice span a range of options from incorporation with a state, to free association with it, to separation from it.  

  4. In 1966, two international human rights covenants then expressly confirmed this right for all peoples, specifying no exceptions. 

  5. The 1970 Declaration on Friendly Relations Among States subsequently undertook the task of balancing, quite extensively, the duty of states to support the right of self-determination of peoples and those same states’ concurrent duty not to infringe the territorial integrity of other states.  The 1993 Vienna Declaration, while invoking the 1970 Declaration, reflected only three of the latter’s 11 paragraphs on the subject of self-determination.  As such it tends to distort the balance reached in the 1970 Declaration, which is now accepted as international law, while the 1993 Vienna Declaration partakes more of the nature of a program of action for a broad range of human rights, in which self-determination is briefly mentioned.    

  6.  The AILA/Guatemala amendment to PP 15, which states that indigenous peoples, in their exercise of self-determination, agree to do so in accordance with principles of international law, clearly includes the principles enshrined in the 1970 Declaration.   

  7. We note that no other peoples have had to so clarify their right to self-determination.  The AILA/Guatemala proposal thus already represents a major act of conciliation by indigenous peoples.  The new preambular paragraph proposed on Friday in the Indigenous proposal represents a second act of conciliation by which Indigenous peoples explicitly agree to seek harmonious relations with states, based on “justice, democracy, respect for human rights, non-discrimination and good faith.”   

  8. Indeed, these two acts of conciliation may have prompted some indigenous peoples to fear that our right to self-determination is being eroded by these conciliations.  We offer two responses to theat fear.  First, the fact of the matter is that this draft declaration can develop international law, but it cannot violate it.  Thus the Indigenous proposal implicitly accepts that, at some future date, a competent tribunal may well be asked to assess the proper balance between the rights of a people – any people, not only indigenous peoples – to self-determination, and another principle of international law, which may or may not be that of territorial integrity.  What the Indigenous proposal does not accept is that the Working Group on the Draft Declaration has a mandate to declare what that proper balance is.  

  9. Nor, Mr.President, does AILA believe that the balance should be struck in theory in this Draft Declaration ahead of a real concrete case that might arise in the future.  Furthermore, the view expressed this morning that international law only recognizes a right of self-determination that is vested in all the peoples of a particular territory, but not Indigenous peoples, is incorrect.  As the eminent Italian jurist Antonio Carrese has stated, international law has never defined the entity that holds the right to self-determination.  Nor has it defined “peoples” for good cause, Carrese adds, so as to preserve evolutionary flexibility regarding the entity that exercises this right. 
      
  10. The proposition, then, that international law, treaty or customary, does not support self-determination for Indigenous peoples is absolutely without basis. International law expressly supports self-determination for all peoples, without exception, and therefore implicitly for Indigenous peoples as well.  In other words, nowhere does international law expressly forbid self determination for Indigenous peoples, nor, for that matter, does international law forbid secession. It is simply silent on the later subject.  

  11. In any event, the term “secession” does not apply to Indigenous peoples.  Secession is a concept akin to divorce.  And there can be no divorce if there has been no prior marriage. At best, there has been a forced marriage which is wholly contrary to fundamental principles of human rights law.  In fact, Indigenous peoples are in this room to negotiate a worthy partnership with states.  

  Thank you Mr. Chairperson.   

    

American Indian Law Alliance
611 Broadway, Suite 632
New York, NY  10012 USA
212-477-9100 telephone
212-477-0004 facsimile
aila@ailanyc.org   

More information at: http://www.un.org/issues/m-indig.asp   

 

TONATIERRA
Community Development Institute

P.O. Box
Phoenix, AZ 85074

September 24, 2004

Mr. Patrick Grady, Director
Downtown Development Office
City of Phoenix
200 West Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85003

Dear Mr. Grady,

I am pleased to inform you that TONATIERRA has received confirmation from the Seattle Regional Office of the Economic Development Administration (EDA) in support of a comprehensive economic development strategy focused on our TIANKIZCO project site of 802 N. 7th Street. As a continental center of Indigenous Trade and Culture, the TIANKIZCO shall create an opportunity for the unique cultural expressions of the Indigenous Peoples of the territory, region and hemisphere to have an authentic cultural and economic presence in the Phoenix of the future. Including educational and cultural elements, economic and community development strategies in coherence with our millennial cultural values, the TIANKIZCO is a challenge and opportunity for all of Phoenix to implement what could not be done authentically in any other urban setting in the world.

It is evident that with tens of thousands of Indigenous Peoples living as full time residents within the City of Phoenix, one third of the state in Native American reservation status, the present geographic characteristics and demographic trends are a regional asset that the Native Nations bring to the present planning phase in terms of the metropolis of Phoenix. We are speaking here of an ancient global cultural infrastructure in ascendancy, one that supercedes the nation state paradigm. Based on the reciprocal responsibilities in terms of ecological relationships, it is an expression of regionalism based on the economic principle of sustainability and community development in the most profound sense of the term. The distinction is between long term community sustainability over generations, or short term corporate profitability for a few.

The ecological parameters of the urban development process define the platform for our initiative. We challenge the City of Phoenix, not only to redefine downtown, but to be bold enough to redefine the very concept of “city” based on the scientific and human cultural values of community ecology.

This work is not newly begun. We of the TONATIERRA have been actively engaged for many years with diverse alliances of Indigenous Peoples from throughout the region and continent in constructing the initial framework for this enterprise. Our offices at the Nahuacalli operate under the protocols of Embassy of the Indigenous Peoples. The proclamation by the City of Phoenix of Indigenous Peoples Day last spring was a milestone event in this process, one which shall repeat again next year on March 12, 2005. This event draws grassroots and community leaders of the Native Nations from across the state and territory, organized under the strategic planning framework of the Treaty of Teotihuacan, proclaimed at the First Continental Summit of Indigenous Nations and Pueblos (Mexico, year 2000).

In July of this year we participated in the II Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples in Quito, Ecuador where we received commitments of support for the TIANKIZCO initiative from our relatives of the Indigenous Nations of the hemisphere. At the local level, we continue to provide a wide spectrum of educational and community development services that are clearly complementary to the principles identified in the draft plan for downtown Phoenix: community, connectivity and integration.

We sincerely appreciate your support and that of the Downtown Development Office as we continue to move forward in this process of developing a feasibility study on the specifics of our TIANKIZCO project, a continental center of Indigenous Trade and Culture.

We should like to take this opportunity to request a meeting with your staff in the near future to discuss the particulars of implementation for our project. I can be reached at (602) 254-5230.

Sincerely,

Tupac Enrique Acosta

TONATIERRA

 :

- - - Servicio Informativo "Alai-amlatina" - - -

Arranca la negociación de la Convención sobre Diversidad Cultural

Sally Burch

ALAI-AMLATINA 24/09/2004, Quito.- La diversidad cultural es una de las mayores riquezas de la humanidad, y su respeto no solo es un derecho de los pueblos, sino que, en un marco de diálogo y cooperación, es una condición para poder caminar hacia la paz y la convivencia mundiales.

Los acontecimientos mundiales de este nuevo siglo han puesto en evidencia la urgencia para la humanidad de encontrar respuestas para hacer avanzar el respeto y el fomento de la diversidad cultural. No obstante, tales respuestas se encuentran marginadas -cuando no anuladas- ante el empuje de la globalización neoliberal y del llamado "libre comercio", y de la ofensiva militarista, cuyas consecuencias incluyen una tendencia hacia la homogeneización cultural, las presiones - particularmente hacia los países en desarrollo - para el abandono de sus políticas de soberanía cultural, y las crecientes dificultades de supervivencia de la producción cultural local e independiente.

Servicio Informativo "Alai-amlatina"
Agencia Latinoamericana de Informacion - ALAI
info@alainet.org
URL: http://alainet.org

Suscripciones/desuscripciones:
http://alainet.org/listas/info/alai-amlatina

Tiankizco - TONATIERRA


ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE
TONATIERRA

Conferencia Anual de Derechos Humanos
SATURDAY Septiembre 18, 2004 SABADO

NAHUACALLI
802 n. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ
8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Free - Gratis

Working Groups - Mesas de Trabajo
Civil Rights - Derechos Civiles
Human Rights - Derechos Humanos
Indigenous Rights - Derechos Indígenas

TONATIERRA invites the community to participate in our Annual Human Rights Conference to be held on Saturday September, 18th at the NAHUACALLI, 802 n. 7TH Street in Phoenix. The community conference begins at 8:30 AM and will continue until 4:00 PM.

Indigenous Peoples
Representatives of the Indigenous Peoples of the territory, delegates to the II Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples held in Quito, Ecuador (July 21-25, 2004) will report on the social movements of the continent in support the demands of the Indigenous Peoples, with current information regarding the assault in the hemisphere by corporate globalization projects being supported by the present US government. In particular, there shall be community testimony regarding the Wars of Petropolis, the most recent developments in the Iraq War and the community impact of the present US government policies.

The Taco Wars
Members of the POCHTECA - Union of Mobile Food Vendors of Phoenix will inform the community regarding their campaign to achieve equal and fair treatment from the City of Phoenix in terms of their hours of operation, and their ongoing actions of defense against discrimination in pursuit of family scale community economic development.

Education and Culture
The current situation shall be discussed, with participation of a panel of trilingual professional teachers from various regions of Mexico.

NAHUACALLI
The central core of Downtown Phoenix is presently in an accelerated phase of redevelopment, including projects by the City of Phoenix, Arizona State University, TGen, and Maricopa Community Colleges, among others. The NAHUACALLI stands as projection of our community presence, our cultural identity and history in the downtown development matrix, anchoring and linking the Garfield Barrio and our community as a whole to the Phoenix of the future.

La Tierra no es de nosotros, nosotros somos de la Tierra.
The Land does not belong to us, we belong to the land.

XINACHTLI

! Educational Activities for Chldren and Young People !
! Food !

TONATIERRA
Tel:: (602) 254-5230
Email: chantlaca@aol.org
P.O. Box 24009
Phoenix, AZ 85076

 

Conferencia Anual de Derechos Humanos
TONATIERRA

Annual Human Rights Conference

Sabado Septiembre 18, 2004 Saturday

NAHUACALLI
802 n. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ
8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Free - Gratis

Mesas de Trabajo - Working Groups
Derechos Civiles - Civil Rights
Derechos Humanos - Human Rights
Derechos Indígenas - Indigenous Rights

La Conferencia Anual sobre Derechos Humanos TONATIERRA esta programado para el día Sábado 18 de Septiembre en las instalaciones NAHUACALLI, 802 N. Calle 7 en Phoenix. La Conferencia empieza a las 8:30 AM y continúa hasta las 4:00 de la tarde.

Pueblos Indígenas
Representantes de los Pueblos Indígenas del territorio, delegados a la II Cumbre continental en Quito, Ecuador reportarán sobre los movimientos sociales que respaldan a las demandas del movimiento Indígena, informando sobre la amenaza de los proyectos de la globalización dirigidos desde Washington DC. En particular, habrá testigos de la comunidad que han sufrido la pérdida de sus queridas familiares en la guerra de Irak, informándonos sobre su activísimo contra la política actual del presente gobierno de los Estados Unidos.

La Guerra de los Tacos
Miembros de La Unión Pochteca de Vendedores Ambulantes de Phoenix nos informaran sobre su campana de conseguir un tratamiento igual y justo en relación a sus horas de operación, su defensa contra la discriminación en búsqueda de un desarrollo económico, comunitario, y familiar.

Educación y Cultura
La situación actual en relación al tema se discutirá, con participación de una mesa de maestros trilingües de varios estados de México.

NAHAUCALLI
La proyección desde el centro de Phoenix, la presencia cultural y milenaria de nuestra comunidad, barrio, y pueblo se discute en relación a varios planes de la Ciudad de Phoenix, la Universidad de Arizona, entre otros.

La Tierra no es de nosotros, nosotros somos de la Tierra.
The Land does not belong to us, we belong to the land.

XINACHTLI
Activiades Educativos para los Niños y Jovenes
! COMIDA !

TONATIERRA
Tel:: (602) 254-5230
Fax: (602) 252-6094
Email: chantlaca@aol.org
P.O. Box 24009
Phoenix, AZ 85076
http://www.tonatierra.org/


###

TONATIERRA Human Rights Conference - Saturday, September 18th



September 12, 2004
the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archeological Park in Phoenix will inaugurate a new program of services and activities...

 

 

Nohuanyolqueh,

Good greetings dear relatives. On Sunday, September 12, 2004 the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archeological Park in Phoenix will inaugurate a new program of services and activities that will emphasize the relations among the Huhukam of Pueblo Grande and the native nations of Mesoamerican peoples to the South, territories known by tradition as Anahuac. Tours with Spanish speaking guides and craft activities for children will be offered as well. The Tlahtokan Nahuacalli has been honored by being asked to participate in these inaugural ceremonies, where we have agreed to present a ceremonial offering of our Mitotiliztli, traditional Aztec Dance at 1:00 PM.

We take this opportunity to invite the leadership and Indigenous Peoples of our community from throughout the region to attend this event, in special recognition of the ancestral ties to the Huhukam and also in particular to culture and temples of Teotihuacan in central Mexico.

Ometeopan
As it occurs, the Sacred Staffs of the continental Peace and Dignity Journeys will be at Teotihuacan in heart of Mexico on the same date and time as the event at Pueblo Grande, part of a two day traditional ceremonial prayer of the Indigenous Peoples for peace and healing. At that time, the Nican Tlacah of the Nahuacalli will serve as bridge for the purpose of reestablishing the ancient Confederacies of Peace between North and South, between families, clans, communities, and nations. The two pillars of prayer reconstructed are intended to bring perspective and the power of sight of the sacred, building upon the foundation of the ancient temples of the land -- the sacred sites of the Indigenous Peoples.

The Peace and Dignity Journeys, carrying the Sacred Staffs of the North, traversed the territory of Arizona in July of this year, on the way to a continental gathering with the spiritual runners traveling from the southern tip of the continent which will take place at the end of October in Kuna Nation, Panama. The Peace and Dignity Journeys is a ceremonial prayer run which unites the entire continent under the principles of the Confederation of the Eagle and the Condor, first completed in 1992 and regenerated every four years by the Indigenous Peoples of the hemisphere.

It was at Teotihuacan in 2000 where the Treaty of Teotihuacan was ratified, a mutual commitment among Indigenous Nations, Pueblos, and organizations at the continental level, empowered by the Jurisprudence of Indigenous International Law in four aspects:

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

In July of 2004, the Treaty of Teotihucan was reaffirmed at the Second Continental Summit of Indigenous Nations and Pueblos held in Quito, Ecuador.

The event on Sunday the 12th will take place form 1:00 to 4:00 PM at Pueblo Grande, located at 4619 E. Washington Street in Phoenix, telephone: (602) 495-0901.

Related article: Runners swing by El Paso on spiritual journey http://204.155.170.154/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=63&num==874

Pueblo Grande Website: http://www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/pueblo.html

For more information, please contact:
NAHUACALLI
Embassy of the Indigenous Peoples
802 N. 7th Street Phoenix, AZ 85006
TONATIERRA
http://www.tonatierra.org
(602) 254-5230

 

 


Convention 169 - Macehualli Izkatotekah

 

TONATIERRA
Community Development Institute
P.O.Box 24009
Phoenix, AZ 85074
Tel: (602) 254-5230 Fax: (602) 252-6094
Email: chantlaca@aol.org
www.tonatierra.org

March 11, 2004

The Honorable Phil Gordon, Mayor
City of Phoenix
200 W. Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85003

Dear Mayor Gordon,

It is with sincere appreciation that we now acknowledge your initiative as Mayor of the City of Phoenix in proclaiming this day as Indigenous Peoples Day – Nican Tlacah Ilhuitl. The long lasting effects of such acts of reciprocal recognition and interaction as Peoples of the world will be felt for generations, and bring blessings of both material and spiritual nature to our community. The path of Respect, Inclusion, and the Reciprocity of Community that leads to Peace is made of such acts of self determination. We are pleased to inform you that the State of Arizona, the County of Maricopa, and the City of Flagstaff joins us today in proclaiming Indigenous Peoples Day as well.

As you know, when the Tlahtokan Aztlan last gathered in Phoenix, we were accompanied by Mr. Wilton Littlechild representing the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. As an expert specialist in the field of labor policy and Indigenous Rights, Mr. Littlechild is the regional representative of North America, including the territories within the Republic of Mexico, within the 16 member global commission which constitutes the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

During this visit to Phoenix in March of 2003, Mr. Littlechild visited the Macehualli Day Labor Center in North Phoenix. This facility was of particular interest to the Permanent Forum during the session conducted in New York at the UN in May of 2003, as a positive example of how entities of government, business, and Indigenous Peoples can find ways to collaborate in favor of implemented projects which address the Human Rights issues of Indigenous Peoples.

Specifically, the human rights issues apparent in the economic policies affecting the Indigenous Peoples of North America, taken as a whole, and the economic policies of the three major republics of the continent, namely the US, Canada, and Mexico are an area of ongoing concern and attention by the world community. At the international level, these issues are addressed formally within the standard setting principles of Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization which came into force as an instrument of international law on September 6, 1991.

It is at this point where we the undersigned representatives of the Indigenous Nations and organizations in attendance at the Tlatokan Aztlan, gathered now at the Nahuacalli – Embassy of the Indigenous Peoples, must express our concern regarding the current and future status of the Macehualli Day Labor Center. We ask that you consider the continued implementation of the Macehualli Day Labor Center under the principle of Special Measures as stated in Part III of Convention 169, Recruitment and Conditions of Employment, Article 20: § Governments shall, within the framework of national laws and regulations, and in co-operation with the peoples concerned, adopt special measures to ensure the effective protection with regard to recruitment and conditions of employment of workers belonging to these Peoples, to the extent that they are not effectively protected by laws applicable to workers in general. We of the Tlahtokan Aztlan consider the implementation of Special Measures to be a measured, effective, and appropriate response to the crisis of economic imbalance which is the core issue in North America that has resulted in the economic displacement of millions of Migratory Workers, among them many who are part of our family of Indigenous Peoples.

We shall continue to offer our support to the City of Phoenix as we collectively address this issue in our community, and will relay any developments to the next session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues now set for May at UN headquarters in New York.

Tlazocamati. Thanks again for all your efforts.

Sincerely,

Tupac Enrique Acosta, Yaotachcauh
Tlahtokan Nahuacalli
TONATIERRA
SIGNATURES:


www.tonatierra.org

 


Tonatierra: The Heart of a Downtown Neighborhood

 

 In today’s white, middle-class culture, the same culture in which I was raised, there is no history or heritage to speak of. Yeah OK, maybe a few of us still make grandma’s zucchini bread from time to time, but we don’t have many rituals, and certainly very few of us know much about our heritage or ancestry. As a result, we have a slew of lost young people being sent away to college without any real sense of self or a place within their community. Ours is a fragmented culture, full of consumers hoping to buy a place in society. There are a few glimmers of hope nearby, however, and Tonatierra is one of them.  

The simple building that houses this wonderful community center lies right in middle of the area the city is hoping to redevelop. If we don’t act now, we could all be devastated when the council buries this building, along with the neighborhood it serves.  

Two years ago, during the great stadium wars of downtown, I met Tupac Enrique Acosta, a neighbor of mine who has dedicated countless hours and energy to Tonatierra, the cultural and community center located at 7th Street and McKinley. On a hot summer afternoon, I walked into the center and found Tupac teaching a group of young Chicano men.  They were seated in a circle and he was speaking to them in Spanish about their heritage, their culture, and their ancestors. The scene was quite moving and I instinctively felt like I was intruding on a sacred moment.  I caught Tupac’s eye and he immediately came over with a welcoming smile. Since then, we have become allies in nothing less than a war with the city over who has the right to live and work in our downtown.   

For 14 years, Tonatierra has survived with some grants from the private sector and the sacrifice and dedication of many community volunteers. Their involvement in our community is vast, but often overlooked, in our busy, consumer-driven lifestyles.   

At this community center, four nights a week, they teach English as a Second Language, although often, I’m told, these classes should be called English as a Third Language, because many who study there speak a native language in addition to Spanish. Tonatierra has also organized through neighborhood families of Garfield Barrio a community nutrition project. Once a week for the past five years with the help of St. Mary’s Food Bank, these dedicated individuals of the community find those neighbors in need who might be out of work, sick, injured or who may have even lost a loved one. This proactive community health project is called Las Comadres, a village of non professional caregivers dedicated to effectively addressing the issues of community health.  Immunizations are offered for children, food and nutrition are taught and clinics, doctors and dentists are made available to promote holistic and preventative health habits throughout the community.   

As part of their work with neighborhood youth, Tonatierra has a silk-screening shop that is entirely run by the youth of the organization who are learning not only how to design and print shirts, but how to run a small business, including production, manufacturing and marketing. The leaders of Tonatierra are constantly involved with the youth culture in the barrio and even recently facilitated a truce between two local rival gangs.   

Recently, Tonatierra also became involved with APECA, or Arizonans for the Protection of Endangered Children and Adults.  This group works to protect the victims of human trafficking across the border who are exploited for the sex trade and forced labor.  Mostly, Tupac says, the APECA movement organizes and advocates to preserve the dignity and well being of the victims of the human trafficking industry. At the Macehualli Day Labor Center in North Phoenix, Tonatierra staffs a daily operation that positively impacts hundreds of community residents and businesses.   

One of Tonatierra’s most honored accomplishments is their ongoing work with CONIC, the Council of Indigenous Nations and Organization for the Continent.  Tupac and other TONATIERRA members attended the first meeting in 1990 in Quito, Ecuador and have helped organize a traditional pilgrimage every four years that traverses the entire continent, the Peace and Dignity Journeys.   

On a daily basis, the people at Tonatierra practice what is called Xinachtli, which is a concept referenced by the word “seed” as both a noun and verb.  Xinachtli is TONATIERRA’s ongoing educational and cultural program, a model based on the sciences of the Indigenous Peoples, that’s reflected in their community organizing and education initiatives of mentoring and respect for the earth.   

I am continually inspired by the dedication and commitment to the community that I’ve seen from the people at Tonatierra.  Today’s city leaders seem completely unaware of how much positive influence these people have on the Garfield neighborhood, the surrounding community and throughout the region.  To them, the building on 7th Street and McKinley is merely an eyesore along the path to Bank One Ballpark, and by threatening to bulldoze this area, they are sending the message that what’s happening inside this neighborhood doesn’t matter.   

To me, and to the other people who live or work downtown, Tonatierra is a priceless piece of a neighborhood that’s essential to a balanced community. We must rally behind them to show our support for their immeasurable contribution to our downtown. Please let our elected officials know how important this community center is to all of us who live and work here.   

A sense of community is the heritage that we all share.  It’s the single most important thing we must protect in order to create a livable downtown. We must not let the city planners reduce us all to consumers.   

  Kimber Lanning            

  

For more information on the work of TONATIERRA:
Contact: Tupac Enrique Acosta
(602) 254-5230
www.tonatierra.org     

 

If we continue to have outside interests define what we measure, we cannot begin to build in what our communities truly value.    

Sherry Salway Black, Redefining Success in Community Development     

 


Ecuador hosts indigenous summit

 

August 10, 2004
by: Brenda Norrell / Southwest Staff Reporter / Indian Country Today

QUITO, Ecuador - Indigenous from 64 nations gathered to unite in their struggle against the oppressive policies of globalization and free trade leading to increased hunger and desperation for the world’s indigenous farmers, during the Second Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nations of Abya Yala (the Americas.)

Tupac Enrique Acosta, coordinator of Tonatierra community-based action organization in Phoenix, Ariz., said the summit in Quito on July 25 supported the rights of the Western Shoshone and called for an extensive investigation of human rights abuses of indigenous peoples.

"The Treaty of Teotihuacan, proclaimed in Mexico at the First Summit of Indigenous Organizations and Nations, was reaffirmed at this Summit of Abya Yala in the territory of the Kitu Kara nation before the Sacred Fire," Enrique said.

"We were successful in getting support for the Western Shoshone Nation at the summit, which is also calling for a Tribunal of Humanity, in the Court of the Indigenous Peoples, on the issue of the Papal Bull of Alexander VI in 1493, the Doctrine of Discovery."

During the summit, indigenous issued a statement opposing the free trade agreement, which Ecuador, Colombia and Peru are negotiating with the United States. In the Quito Declaration presented to the Forum, participants demanded governments free indigenous leaders arrested for seeking autonomy and return cultural artwork that has been taken out of the countries of origin.

They also urged governments to allow the free movement of Indians living in border areas, and to respect indigenous territories.

The summit stated in its declaration that national governments following the lines of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and IADB, are devastating indigenous with the payment of the external debt and are reversing their collective right to the earth. Further, they are modifying legislation to permit the privatization of resources and allowing companies to appropriate indigenous land and resources.

Indigenous gathered at the Miguel del Hierro de las Hermanas Lauritas school, the host location of the Second Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nations of Abya Yala.

The delegations traveled through the Avenue of America, gathering at the Indo America Plaza where they presented a special act of solidarity for hunger-striking Jubilados (pensioners) of Ecuador. Following this, the massive march continued down Patria Avenue, passing the United States Embassy and finally congregating in the Salesiana University Coliseum where they conducted the ceremony of Sacred Fire.

Spiritual leader Jaime Pilatu’a presided over the ceremony. Tupac Enrique Acosta, a representative of the first summit that took place in Teotihuacan, Mexico in 2000, spoke.

Enrique reminded the summit of the sacred fire lit 14 years ago, during the First Continental Encounter of Indigenous Peoples, a gathering that was also organized by the CONAIE in 1990 in Quito.

Enrique said since then the sacred fire began to journey, leaving spiritual footprints at gatherings of the indigenous peoples of the hemisphere. The sacred fire was presented to the organizers of the second summit responsible for the 2004 gathering.

Another representative of the second summit made a symbolic exchange of ceremonial staffs with the representatives of the Nasa indigenous peoples of Colombia. When receiving the staff, the Nasa representative spoke of the paramilitaries waging war against the indigenous peoples of Colombia.

"Today, we indigenous peoples of Colombia, pay the consequences of this because our territories are being tainted with blood, and then abandoned, leaving many children orphans. This creates an environment of oppression for us as indigenous peoples, because we defend life, our territories, and our way of living," the Nasa representative said.

The day concluded with cultural sharing, including dancing and musical performances, presented by the different groups to welcome the many indigenous peoples of the continent.

In the working group on communications and indigenous peoples at the summit, grandfathers and grandmothers were recognized as ‘the origin of the treasured memories and ancestral knowledge."

"As communication specialists of the indigenous peoples of Abya Yala we intend to maintain and strengthen the mandates and resolutions of the First Continental Indigenous Summit of Teotihuacan 2000, where our voices and the sacred fire were bound together, in a living symbolism that must be present in the decision making process of our communities and nations," the working group said.

In its mandates, the working group vowed to reclaim the power of the "word," as a sacred principle.

While encouraging traditional forms of communication and the transmission of wisdom, the working group encouraged the storytellers. "Those of us who assume responsibility in terms of communication accept the historical responsibility to serve as harvester, transmitter and storyteller of the history of our indigenous peoples of the continent Abya Yala in accompaniment and strengthened by the sacred."

Indigenous participants claimed the right of access and the use of information and communication technology, without risking the integrity of indigenous culture.

Participants were from Uruguay, Brazil, Kechua Aymaras of Bolivia, Mapuches of Chile, Kechuas of Peru, Kichwas of Ecuador, Naza of Colombia, Mexico and Holanda.

Enrique said Maya in Guatemala have accepted to lead the next phase of the movement, and will be hosting the next summit at a time to be announced at a later date.

This article can be found at http://www.indiancountry.com/?1092143939

  For more information:
http://www.cumbreindigenabyayala.org/

NAHUACALLI
Embasy of the Indigenous Peoples
Izkalotlan, Aztlan
http://www.tonatierra.org/
  Email:  chantlaca@aol.com

 



II Cumbre Continental de Pueblos
y Naciones Indígenas Abya Yala

Territorio Kito Kara
Quito, Ecuador Julio 21-25, 2004

 

Resolución para Acción Presentado a la Plenaria
Entregado por:  Tlahtokan Nahuacalli, Izkalotlan Pueblo, Aztlan

  Tema:  Un Llamado por un Tribunal de Justicia, por toda la Humanidad, en la Corte de los Pueblos Indígenas de Abya Yala, para hacer juicio en la cuestión de la Doctrina de Descubrimiento de las Americas, específicamente la colonización y genocidio actual perpetrado bajo la autorización intelectual de la Bula INTER CETERA del Papa Alejandro VI, 1493.

  Accion:Hacemos un llamado por un tribunal permanente de justicia en todos niveles de la sociedad global, para hacer juicio en la cuestión, desde el contexto histórico y legal de la justicia universal en concordancia con la jurisprudencia de los Pueblos Indígenas.

  Precedente:

Ginebra, agosto 1 de 1991   

Señor Jefe de Estado Vaticano
Papa Juan Pablo II
Roma, Italia.

 

Los delegados indígenas presentes en el Palacio de las Naciones en Ginebra, Suiza, debatiendo la Declaración Universal de los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas convocados por el "Grupo de Trabajo sobre Pueblos Indígenas" de las Naciones Unidas, por este medio nos presentamos y declaramos:

  En vista que en los días 3 y 4 de mayo de 1493, el Papa Alejandro VI emitió la Bula ÍNTER CETERA, por la que concede territorios de los Pueblos Indígenas en el caso de ABYA YALA ("América") y otras partes del Mundo, sin el CONSENTIMIENTO INDÍGENA ni el Derecho de Gentes, tanto en el plano espiritual como en el material ;

  En salvaguarda de los sagrados derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas, la dignidad humana y la armonía que debe reinar entre nosotros los humanos en este Planeta,  

Por todos estos propósitos:

  1) DEMANDAMOS al Estado del Vaticano, denunciando el tratado unilateral del Papa Alejandro VI (TORDESILLAS), por ser contrario a los Derecho Humanos Universales.  

2} Que el año 1993 se cumplen 500 años de una supuesta conquista espiritual y sin que se verifique fehacientemente una rectificación de esta injusticia universal, donde permita recuperar la armonía con el respeto humano de los Pueblos Indígenas y reparar el genocidio y etnocidio cometido por los Estados que recibieron los beneficios de la herencia del Papa Alejandro VI, exigimos que se derogue la Bula ÍNTER CETERA de 3 y 4 de mayo de 1493.  

3) Que Juan Pablo II debe atenerse a la validez universal del concepto de Justicia distributiva incluyendo los Pueblos Indígenas con sus derechos espirituales y materiales, en pos de la vida y de los seres humanos en armonía con nuestra Madre Tierra y la Paz Espiritual con el Sumo Hacedor, de las cosmovisiones de cada uno de nuestros Pueblos Indígenas, libres de toda opresión.  

Que así lo exigimos en nombre do la Dignidad Humana en armonía con nuestra Madre Naturaleza y en el Espíritu de la Verdad.  

Firmas,  

Los delegados indígenas y sus organizaciones.  

   

II Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples
and Nations Abya Yala

Kito Kara Territories
Quito, Ecuador July 21-25, 2004

Resolution for Action Presented to Plenary Session
Submitted by:  Tlahtokan Nahuacalli, Izkalotlan Pueblo, Aztlan

Issue:  Call for Tribunal of Justice, by all Humanity, in the Court of the Indigenous Peoples Abya Yala regarding the Doctrine of Discovery of the Americas, specifically the ongoing colonization and genocide perpetrated with the guise of intellectual authorization of the Papal Bull INTER CETERA of Pope Alexander VI, 1493.

Action: We call for a permanent tribunal of justice at all levels of humanity across the globe, to address this issue in the historical and legal context of the universal principles of justice and jurisprudence of the Indigenous Peoples.

 

  Precedent:

Geneva, August 1, 1991

Chief of State of the Vatican
Pope John Paul II
Rome, Italy

The indigenous delegates present at the Palace of Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, in debate regarding the Universal Declaration of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, convened by the "Working Group on Indigenous People" of the United Nations, hereby present and declare:

In view of the declaration on May 3, 4, 1493, of the Papal Bull INTER CETERA, by which territories of Indigenous Peoples are conceded to Spain and Portugal, without taking into account the material or spiritual rights  of the Indigenous Peoples in the case of ABYA YALA (America) and other parts of the world;

In defence of the sacred rights of the indigenous people, and in promotion of human dignity and harmony that should reign among humanity on this planet;

For all these purposes:

1) We demand from the Vatican state a denunciation of the unilateral treaty of Pope Alexander VI (TORDESILLAS) as being contrary to the Universal Human Rights of Peoples.

2) Whereas the year 1993 completes 500 years of a supposed spiritual conquest without clear rectification of this universal injustice, allowing the nation-states that have benefited from the inheritance of Pope Alejandro VI to continue programmes of genocide and ethnocide, denying the indigenous people the recuperation of a harmony based on reciprocal human respect, we demand that the Papal Bull of May 3, 4, 1493 ÍNTER CETERA be annulled.

3) We direct John Paul II to accede to universal concepts of justice including the spiritual and material rights of Indigenous Peoples, in furtherance of life, harmony of human beings with our Sacred Mother Earth, and the spiritual peace of the Great Creator in accord with the cosmovision of each one of our Indigenous Peoples, free from all oppression.

Thus we proclaim in the name of Human Dignity, in harmony with our Mother Nature and in the Spirit of Truth.

 

Signed,

The indigenous delegates, and organizations.


 

II CONTINENTAL SUMMIT Of Indigenous Peoples and Nations ABYA YALA

PRESS RELEASE
July 22, 2004
Kito Kara Territory
Quito, Ecuador

The Ceremony of Sacred Fire

Hundreds of Indigenous representatives from all over the Americas gathered today at the school Miguel del Hierro de las Hermanas Lauritas, the host location of the Second Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nations of Abya Yala (the Americas) where they began a march through the city of Quito, Ecuador. The delegations traversed the Avenue of América, gathering at the Indo América Plaza where they presented a special act of solidarity for hunger striking Jubilados (pensioners) of Ecuador. Following this, the massive march continued down Patria Avenue, passing the United States Embassy and finally congregating in the Salesiana University Coliseum where they conducted the ceremony of Sacred Fire.

Spiritual leader Jaime Pilatuña presided over the ceremony invocating Nature’s spirits, saying:
“Father-Mother Creator, I give you thanks for each of my brothers and sisters that have made the effort to come to this place to discuss their concerns and plans of action. Thanks for everything, and thanks to the coordinators of this event, my relatives Humberto Cholango, Sebastian Manchineri, Blanca Chancoso, and Blas Chimbo.”

A representative of the First Summit that took place in Teotihuacan, México in 2000 Tupac Enrique Acosta was then invited to speak. He reminded us of the sacred fire that was lit fourteen years ago, during First Continental Encounter of Indigenous Peoples, a gathering that was also organized by the CONAIE in 1990 here in Quito. Since then, the sacred fire began to journey, leaving spiritual footprints at gatherings of the Indigenous Peoples of the hemisphere, and the following words of invocation:

“…..the Fire Creator made himself present again, for as his strength and ours unite, we ask our fire creator advice on how to organize this second Summit, we ask for guidance and direction as to how this Summit, already in course, ought to be. For this purpose, with your permission we now present the Sacred Fire of the Continent to be incorporated and incarnated in this gathering.”

With this message, the sacred fire was presented to the organizers of the Second Summit responsible for the 2004 gathering.

Another representative of the Second Summit made a symbolic exchange of ceremonial staffs with the representatives of the Nasa Indigenous peoples of Colombia. When receiving the staff, the Nasa representatives stated,

“From the deepness of our Indigenous Peoples’ spirits, we feel the hope and the unity of Indigenous Peoples, which will allow us, in Colombia, to walk through the dark path that Colombia’s government has imposed upon us through its strategy of para-militarism,subjugating Colombia’s people to its interests. Today, we Indigenous Peoples of Colombia, pay the consequences of this because our territories are being tainted with blood, and then abandoned, leaving many children orphans. This creates an environment of oppression for us as Indigenous Peoples, because we defend life, our territories, and our way of living.”

To conclude, he made a call of unity among all peoples of Abya Yala.

During the welcoming ceremony, the president of Ecuarunari, Humberto Cholando declared,
“We have to unite because in the name of peace they are killing our people, in the name of development they are polluting our territories, and in the name of world peace they are making war with all of our people. We as Indigenous Peoples want to live in absolute peace.”

Continuing with his own greeting, Sebastián Manchineri emphasized his hopes that this ceremony will be,
“long-lasting, truthful, like the sun’s rays that illuminate, so we can walk; like the moon that accompanies us at night, so we can dream and continue our path, so that this Summit will not be just another conference. Let this be a source of strength for our truth, our reality, so that the Sun spirit, Wind spirit, and the Spirits of Nature may guide our path to be free and to live in Peace.”

Blanca Chancoso affirmed these sentiments saying, “We also want to place here the hope of building another world; we will not simply agree with what multinational corporations tell us. We have resisted so we can offer a better life to our children. For us to live now in the present, we call for cooperative work to build a new América with life, with hope and sovereignty. We do not want graves, we do not want ‘patrones’ appropriating our lands.”

The day concluded with cultural sharing including dancing and musical performances, presented by the different Indigenous groups to welcome the many Indigenous Peoples of the continent.

www.cumbreindigenabyayala.org

The III Summit will be hosted by the Maya Nations of Guatemala

More information at:
www.tonatierra.org
Email: chantlaca@aol.com

 


- - - Servicio Informativo "Alai-amlatina" - - -

Foro Social de las Américas:
Gigantesca manifestación contra el ALCA y los tratados de libre comercio

Eduardo Tamayo G.

ALAIAMLATINA 28/07/2004, Quito.- Más de diez mil manifestantes provenientes de 44 países que participan en el Foro Social de las Américas recorrieron las calles de Quito, Ecuador, en la tarde del 28 de julio entonando cánticos y consignas contra la política neocolonial de Estados Unidos, y llamando a la unidad latinoamericana.

La marcha convocada para condenar el ALCA y los tratados de libre comercio, se convirtió además en una demostración gigantesca en la que se expresaron todas las reivindicaciones y sensibilidades del continente.  Si tomamos en cuenta los sectores sociales; ahí estuvieron los indígenas (que se movilizaron masivamente), las mujeres, los niños y niñas, la juventud, las comunidades GLBT, los sindicalistas, los campesinos, los defensores de los derechos humanos, los ecologistas, partidos políticos de izquierda, jubilados, los movimientos de solidaridad con Cuba y Venezuela, etcétera.  Si nos referimos, en cambio, a las demandas, lo que predominó fue el rechazo a la política militarista e intervencionista de Estados Unidos, a los acuerdos de “libre comercio” y a las transnacionales, reiterando, en contrapartida, los llamados a la unidad latinoamericana. 

Una de las consignas que más se escuchó fue: “Y no queremos y no nos da la gana ser una colonia norteamericana, sí queremos y si nos da la gana, América Latina libre y soberana”.  Pero también hubo otra que llamó la atención : “Queremos chochos, queremos maíz, las transnacionales fuera del país”.  Las mujeres también pusieron la suya: “Si ellos globalizan la miseria, nosotras globalizamos la resistencia”.

La marcha se inició con pequeños incidentes con la policía que fueron superados.  El sitio de concentración de la marcha, el parque de El Arbolito, queda muy cerca de la sede de la embajada de Estados Unidos en Ecuador.  Cuando la cabeza de la manifestación, en la que figuraban dirigentes indígenas, sindicales y sociales, intentaba pasar por el frente de la Embajada fue impedida de pasar por una tanqueta de la policía que resguardaba la embajada, pero luego de unos minutos de espera y uno que otro forcejeo, los manifestantes consiguieron rebasar el cerco policial y la marcha se dirigió hacia el norte de la ciudad, pasar por el Ministerio de Comercio Exterior, para luego regresar al Parque El Arbolito.

A mitad del recorrido jóvenes encapuchados lanzaron piedras al Ministerio de Comercio Exterior, al tiempo que estallaba una bomba panfletaria.  Posteriormente hicieron pintas en la sede del Banco de Mundial, bancos y sucursales de transnacionales.  Se registró algunos incidentes con la policía que usó bombas lacrimógenas, sin embargo todo esto no pudo empañar la fuerza de la manifestación pacífica que continuó pese a estos obstáculos.

Esta fue una jornada unitaria que se inscribe en las grandes movilizaciones que han realizado los movimientos sociales y populares del continente en los últimos años para rechazar las nefastas políticas neoliberales, y para reafimar que otro mundo es posible.

 


(English)

II CUMBRE CONTINENTAL DE LOS PUEBLOS Y
NACIONALIDADES INDÍGENAS DE ABYA YALA.

Declaración de Kito

Desde el corazón del mundo, en el lugar del sol recto, en seguimiento a la I Cumbre de Teotihuacan, a los 25 días del mes de julio de 2004, los pueblos y nacionalidades indígenas de Abya Yala auto convocados y reunidos en la II Cumbre Continental, organizada por la Confederación de las Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador (CONAIE), Organización de las Nacionalidades Quichuas del Ecuador (ECUARUNARI) y la Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica (COICA), con la participación de delegados de 64 pueblos y nacionalidades indígenas, expresamos nuestra palabra.

Somos pueblos originarios de Abya Yala. Nuestros antepasados, nuestros abuelos nos enseñaron a amar y venerar nuestra fecunda Pacha Mama, a convivir en armonía y libertad con los seres naturales y espirituales que en ella existen. Las instituciones políticas, económicas, sociales y culturales que tenemos, son herencia de nuestros antepasados y son la base para la construcción de nuestro futuro.

Los valles y las pampas, las selvas y los desiertos, los cerros y los nevados, los mares y los ríos, el águila y el cóndor, el quetzal y el colibrí, el puma y el jaguar, han sido testigos de nuestros sistemas socio políticos colectivos basados en la sustentabilidad humana y ambiental.

Fuimos despojados de nuestros territorios originales por los colonizadores y los estados nacionales; divididos para garantizar el control político y empujados a lugares inhóspitos. Los territorios que hoy habitamos se caracterizan por la conservación de la biodiversidad y existencia de recursos naturales que son ambicionados por las multinacionales por lo que nuevamente estamos sufriendo el despojo.

Los gobiernos nacionales, siguiendo los lineamientos del FMI, BM y el BID, nos devastan con el pago de la deuda externa y están revirtiendo nuestro derecho colectivo a la tierra , modificando legislaciones para permitir su privatización, la asociación con empresas y la apropiación individual.

Denunciamos que los gobiernos nacionales de América están empleando cada vez mas, la represión violenta caracterizada por violaciones de nuestros derechos humanos y derechos como pueblos; la criminalización de nuestros actos en defensa de la vida y ceremonias espirituales; la paramilitarización; los desalojos de nuestras tierras, la ocupación militar; la coptación y corrupción de autoridades locales y dirigentes; la promoción de proyectos que tratan de “compensar” los perjuicios que realizan empresas transnacionales; el supuesto reparto equitativo de beneficios; la migración forzada; y, promueven la división, la confrontación y el enfrentamiento armado entre comunidades, para imponer su política excluyentes, racistas y opresivas.

Nos oponemos tajantemente al establecimiento de planes como el de Integración de Infraestructura Regional Sudamericana (IIRSA); el Plan Puebla Panamá (PPP); el Plan Patriota; Plan Colombia; Plan Dignidad, Plan Andino, la creación de bases militares; así como al establecimiento del ALCA y los TLC’s, que son impulsados en el marco de la OMC y para el beneficio de los países saqueadores del planeta; ya que lo único que pretenden es la creación de infraestructura para la circulación de sus mercancías, el despojo de los recursos naturales de nuestras tierras y territorios y la protección de las empresas transnacionales. Los caracterizamos como planes de invasión para el saqueo, la destrucción y la muerte.

Rechazamos la realización de planes de ordenamiento territorial, prospección y explotación de minerales e hidrocarburos, establecimiento de Áreas Naturales Protegidas y plantaciones forestales; pago por servicios ambientales, privatización del agua y aire, fumigaciones, establecimiento de patentes sobre recursos naturales y culturales, y uso de semillas transgénicas que se realizan en nuestros territorios, ya que solo están orientados a garantizar la reproducción del gran capital transnacional en detrimento de nuestra vida.

Denunciamos que los estados nación de América se han caracterizado por violar instrumentos jurídicos nacionales e internacionales en detrimento de los derechos colectivos de nuestros pueblos, como el Convenio 169 de la OIT, del cual exigimos su ratificación inmediata por todos los países de América y del resto del mundo.

Reclamamos a la OEA, su falta de disposición para modificar la Declaración Americana de los Derechos de las “Poblaciones” Indígenas con la participación y decisión de los pueblos indígenas.

Reclamamos al sistema de naciones unidas por haber declarado un decenio de las poblaciones indígenas hueco, ya que no realizó las acciones necesarias para aprobar la declaración universal de los derechos de los pueblos indígenas.

Ante la situación de despojo que caracteriza la existencia de nuestros pueblos:

Resolvemos

Crear un espacio permanente de enlace e intercambio, donde converjan experiencias y propuestas, para que nuestros pueblos y nacionalidades enfrenten juntos las políticas de globalización neoliberal.

Trazar una agenda común de acciones y movilizaciones que manifiesten nuestro rechazo al modelo excluyente y de acción conjunta y concertada ante los organismos que acordemos participar.

Establecer alianzas con otros sectores de la sociedad que nos permitan enfrentar las políticas que nos oprimen, en especial con los movimientos sociales.

Exigir la libertad incondicional de líderes y autoridades indígenas detenidas injustamente por la defensa de la tierra y el ejercicio de la autonomía; y, la reparación del daño moral ocasionado a pueblos y nacionalidades indígenas por los asesinatos perpetrados en contra de sus habitantes, así como la indemnización a las familias.

Exigir a los estados nacionales, la repatriación sin condiciones de los recursos genéticos y culturales que se han extraído legal e ilegalmente de nuestras tierras y territorios; la restitución de las tierras despojadas; el libre tránsito de personas indígenas en sus territorios cuando estos estén comprendidos entre fronteras nacionales, la indemnización a los pueblos afectados por impactos de todo tipo y despojos, así como la restitución de las condiciones iniciales de sus tierras y territorios; el respeto irrestricto a los territorios de nuestros pueblos y nacionalidades indígenas, en especial de los no contactados y en aislamiento voluntario.

Exigimos que los gobiernos solucionen todos los conflictos causados por la explotación de los recursos naturales y la falta de garantía territorial y de vida cuando se ejecutan políticas estatales y transnacionales tales como los casos de Sarayaku, Raposa Sierra del Sol, Plan Colombia, Río Pilcomayo, Montes Azules, Camisea, Caso del Gas de Bolivia y Margarita, Ashánica.

Participar en los Foros Internacionales como los Foros Sociales Mundial y de las Américas, con propuestas comunes que reflejen la posición del movimiento indígena.

Solidarizarnos con la CONAIE ante la grave arremetida emprendida en su contra por el gobierno ecuatoriano del Coronel Gutiérrez que trata de socavar su lucha por la construcción de un estado plurinacional.

Solidarizarnos con el pueblo de Venezuela y el presidente Hugo Chávez, que se han caracterizado por la defensa de su soberanía nacional, ante la grave arremetida emprendida en su contra por el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, los convocamos a realizar acciones en contra del referéndum del 15 de agosto de 2004.

Solidarizarnos con el pueblo Cubano por su permanente lucha antimperialista.

Ante todo esto afirmamos:

Que los territorios que habitamos son nuestros por tiempo, por historia y por derecho y por lo tanto son inalienables, imprescriptibles e inembargables

Que poseemos modelos propios que garantizan la reproducción de nuestros pueblos y nacionalidades en armonía con la naturaleza y tienen como base nuestra herencia cultural ancestral.

Que no necesitamos el reconocimiento legal para crear los espacios autonómicos que nos permitan el ejercicio de la libre determinación de nuestros pueblos y nacionalidades.

www.cumbreindigenabyayala.org/

 

 

 

Conferencia Anual de Derechos Humanos / Annual Human Rights Conference

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