Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Maijuna Congress


Just last month, Peruvian police violently attacked indigenous protesters, killing at least 25 civilians. In response, government officials publicly condemned indigenous people to second-class citizenship. 

So it's significant that, in this hostile climate, the Maijuna chose to unite and fight for their rights. Four years ago, the small ethnic group of about 250 people formed a federation---nicknamed "FECONAMAI"--- that represents all four Maijuna villages.  Since then, the Maijuna have come together annually to share problems, brainstorm solutions, and play soccer.

At this year's congress, more than 120 people gather for three days in the half-built community center in the Maijuna village of Sucusari. As they talk, construction workers bang bricks and scrape mortar. Children flick bottle caps in the doorway. Just outside, a woman chases a cow that sprints away with a purple skirt in its mouth. Whenever it rains, the drops create such a racket against the roof's tin shingles that the speakers are forced to break for the storm, trailing off mid-sentence.

The main topic of conversation is the proposed Maijuna Area of Conservation. This legal designation has the potential to protect the Maijuna lands forever, thereby revitalizing fish populations and decreasing deforestation.

Several local and international groups support the Maijuna's efforts to protect their traditional lands, including Procrel, a regional government organization, and IBC, an NGO founded by an American anthropologist. This summer, the Field Museum of Chicago is carrying out an assessment of the biodiversity and depth of Maijuna culture in the proposed area. The Maijuna hope that the assessment will convince regional government officials that their land is too important to be destroyed.

But the Maijuna are fighting an uphill battle. The government is considering a proposal to build a road that would cut through the Maijuna territory. Five kilometers of agricultural lands would flank each side of the road, effectively wiping out the lands of the Maijuna.

The construction of the road is considered a national priority, which means it overrides all other interests, including the regional Maijuna Area of Conservation. According to ethnobotanist Michael Gilmore, the road is being pushed by (illegal) loggers and (illegal) drug traffickers who are tired of walking through the forest on foot.

At the congress, the Maijuna practice patience and resilience. Romero Rios, president of FECONAMAI, punches the air and says in Spanish, "Let's always walk. Let's always lose time. But let's never lose our animals."

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