Stories about Indigenous from November, 2011
Peru: Conga Mining Project Suspended in Wake of Public Pressure
Protesting residents have managed to temporarily suspend operations of the Conga gold mining project, but protests continue all the same in support of the project's definitive cancellation. At the heart of the conflict is the defense of some 20 lagoons and their ecosystems, which would be seriously degraded by the execution of this mining project.
Chile: Mapuche Protest Militarization and Project to Build Airport
On November 23, Mapuche protested against the militarization of their communities and a project to build an airport south of Temuco, in southern Chile, in a territory they claim as their ancestral land. Montserrat Nicolas, from the blog Curvas Políticas, shares a video [es] with speeches and testimonies by Mapuche...
Guatemala: Survivors’ Testimonies Help Define Genocide in Online Documentary
Mike shares Spanish-language documentary “Our Voice, Our Memory: The genocide in Guatemala,” which is available in full on YouTube. He adds: “The documentary […] uses survivor and expert testimony to explain the concept of genocide, demonstrating how the atrocities committed by the Guatemalan military against indigenous Maya communities satisfy the...
Venezuela: World Meeting of Body Art Takes Over Caracas
This year, Caracas hosted The World Meeting of Body Art and some of its most striking expressions were shared through citizen media. Among these creations, indigenous peoples of Venezuela were given a special space to showcase their artistic expressions on the human skin.
Ecuador: Preserving and Protecting Natural Medicines
Ecuador's indigenous communities hold traditional knowledge of natural medicines and therapeutic use of plants. This documentary by iosphera shows the importance of preserving this knowledge from biopiracy for the future of these communities. (via cinealoido)
Chile: Report Examines Media Coverage of Indigenous Peoples and their Struggle
The Instituto de la Communicación e Imagen (ICEI) has released a report analyzing how Chilean media covers indigenous peoples and the “indigenous conflict.” Ryan Seelau in Indigenous News explains “the data revealed, among other things, that Indigenous issues tend to be underreported and that Indigenous voices are underrepresented in the...
D. R. Congo: The Stolen Future of the Pygmy People
Marie wrote the following in a blog post to comment [fr] on the Greenpeace report: Stolen Future: Conflict and logging in the heart of Congo's forests – the Danzer case : “This action denounces both both an ecological and a human crime. It is time that nations take concrete measures against logging companies that destroy tropical ecosystems and violate human rights. “
Brazil: Real State Speculation Threatens Sacred Ground
Sagrada Terra Especulada (Sacred Speculated Ground), a Brazilian collective that advocates for indigenous land rights, is promoting a documentary [pt] and a petition [pt] in defense of the Pajé Sanctuary, close to Brasilia´s Pilot Plan. Real estate speculation [pt] threatens this area of savannah with the construction of a so-called...
Peru: ‘Sugar Camp Lima’ Aims to Give Children a Learning Platform in Their Native Language
“Inventors, artists, educators and citizens” are invited to participate in Sugar Camp Lima 2011 [es] on November 18 and 19 in Lima, Peru. Participants will work on the ‘Sugar’ learning platform for XO Laptops by translating content [es] into Quechua and Aymara and participating in a ‘Hacker's Space’ [es]. Registration [es]...
Brazil: Toxic Documentary on the Amazon
Brazilian journalist Felipe Milanez (@felipedjeguaka) published [pt, en] a documentary about the Amazon in the series Toxic – “the various ways in which we detonate our planet” – of the Vice website. The documentary features the environmental activist Zé Claudio Ribeiro da Silva who was killed in May 2011.
Brazil: Online Campaign to Protect Xingu Against Belo Monte
A new movement called Gota D'Água (Drop of Water) [pt] has launched an online campaign to discuss Brazil's energy planning through the analysis of the Belo Monte dam project. The campaign includes a video featuring public figures and a petition, that has already gathered 1923 signatures, to be handed over...
Chile: Netizens Denounce Police Violence in Mapuche Community
Using social media, netizens share and comment on photos that show a police deployment in the Mapuche community Wente WinKul Mapu Lof Chequenco, Ercilla.
Colombia: Massive National Mobilization Rejecting Reform of Law 30
Blog El salmon [es] published [es] a post titled “|No to Law 30|… We are occupying Bogotá!!” on the November 10 national mobilization [es], reporting that other social movements like indigenous people and transportation workers have joined the protest. It is estimated that 35 thousand people are protesting. Bogota is...
Bangladesh: Ethnic Minorities Or Indigenous People
Habib Siddiqui endorses Bangladesh's stance on terming the people of the Chittagong hill tracts as ethnic minorities in place of indigenous people.
Barbados: No Love for Culture
Barbados Underground says explains why he thinks that “we are a people devoid of any need to connect to our culture.”
Philippines: Tributes for Murdered Italian Missionary
Father Fausto Tentorio was an Italian missionary serving indigenous communities in the hinterlands of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. His cold-blooded murder, alleged by state forces, has drawn widespread indignation and tributes for the well-loved missionary.
Global Voices Podcast: Bridging the Language Gaps
In this edition of the Global Voices Podcast we discuss languages that are hard to find on the internet. Are you from a place where your mother tongue is not widely spoken? Then you may one of many people around the world who speak and write under-represented languages. We also look forward to the 11 Eleven Project on 11/11/11.
Brazil: #OccupyBeloMonte Evicted from Dam Construction Site
On October 27, indigenous groups from the Xingu river area in Brazil occupied the construction site of the controversial Belo Monte dam. #OccupyBeloMonte, however, only lasted until the following day. Raphael Tsavkko Garcia reports.
Ecuador: Leaning to Make Colada Morada for Day of the Dead
On the Day of the Dead –November 2– Ecuadorians prepare colada morada, a traditional drink made with various fruits and black maize; the beverage and a bread called guagas de pan are left at the graveside of deceased ancestors at cemeteries across the country. The blog El Ecuador de Hoy...
