The Maijuna Congress

Four years ago, in a land where government officials have publicly condemned indigenous people to second-class citizenship, the Maijuna stood up for their rights by forming a federation. The small ethnic group of just over 250 people asked Michael Gilmore to be its gringo adviser and, together, they founded FECONAMAI, an indigenous alliance representing all four Maijuna communities. Since then, the Maijuna have come together annually to share problems, brainstorm solutions, and play soccer.

This year, more than 120 Maijuna 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. Outside, a woman chases a cow that sprints away with a purple skirt in its mouth. Children flick bottle caps in the doorway. The speakers break whenever it pours because the rain on tin shingles drowns out their voices.

The main topic of conversation is the proposed Maijuna Area of Conservation, which would protect the Maijuna lands forever, 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. Michael is teaming up with the Field Museum of Chicago to do a "rapid assesment" --- an overview of the biodiversity and the depth of Maijuna culture in the proposed area. Hopefully, this assesment will convince the government that this land is too important to be destroyed.

But the Maijuna are fighting an uphill battle. There's a proposal to build a road that would cut through the heart of the Maijuna territory. According to the proposal, five kilometers of agricultural lands would border 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. The road is nonsensical; it would lead to nowhere. According to Michael, the proposal was pushed by (illegal) loggers and (illegal) drug traffickers who are tired of walking through the forest by foot.

Romero Rios, president of FECONAMAI, punches the air and says, "Let´s always walk. Let´s always lose time. But let´s never lose our animals."