Cultural Survival

Q U A R T E R L Y

Defending Life First

Indigenous voices in protecting human
rights and the environment

Vol. 36, Issue 3 • September 2012

US $7.50/CAN $9
s ep t e mber 2 01 2
V olum e 36 , Issue 3

Board of Directors

President & board Chair

Sarah Fuller
Vice Chairman
Vincent Nmehielle (Ikwerre)
Treasurer
Jeff Wallace
Clerk
Jean Jackson
Karmen Ramírez Boscán (Wayúu)
Westy Egmont
Nicole Friederichs
Laura Graham Corn left spilled all over the floor after Guatemalan police raided the house of widow Juana
James Howe
Pedro Ramón, age 75, in Santa Cruz Barillas during the state of siege. Photo by Simone Dalmasso
Edward John (Tl’azt’en)
Cecilia Lenk
Pia Maybury-Lewis
Les Malezer (Gabi Gabi) F e at u r e s D e pa r t m e n t s
P. Ranganath Nayak
Stella Tamang (Tamang) 1 Executive Director’s
Roy Young 12 [Nearly] Gone, but Not Forgotten
Kelsey Klug Message
FOUNDERS Immersion programs offer new hope for
David & Pia Maybury-Lewis revitalizing endangered languages in the U.S. 2 In the News
thanks to 20 years of the Native American
Languages Act. 4 Food for Life
Cultural Survival
215 Prospect Street Perspectives of an
Cambridge, MA 02139 16 Defending Life First: The Struggle Iñupiaq Elder
t 617.441.5400 f 617.441.5417 to Protect a River—and Human Rights
www.cs.org Danielle DeLuca 6 Indigenous Arts
The Q’anjob’al Maya community of Santa Cruz Through Our Eyes:
P.O. Box 7490
Barillas, Guatemala struggles against a Spanish
Boulder, CO 80306 An Indigenous View of
t 303.444.0306 f 303.449.9794 hydroelectric dam.
Mashapaug Pond
5ª calle 14-35, Zona 3
Apartamento 202
20 The Future We Don’t Want:
8 Women the World
Edificio Las Tapias Indigenous Peoples at Rio+20 Must Hear
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, 09001 Miriam Anne Frank
When the Pen Is Mightier
Indigenous people were present, visible,
than the Sword: A Shuar Poet
Cultural Survival Quarterly and vocal at the UN Rio+20 summit. But did
Copy Editor: Jenn Goodman the world listen? Redefines Her Culture
Designer: NonprofitDesign.com
Contributing Arts Editor: Phoebe Farris
Production Manager: Agnes Portalewska 24 We Put Down Our Weapons and Picked 10 Rights in Action
Copyright 2012 by Cultural Survival, Inc.
Up a Microphone Confirming Rights:
Alberto “Tino” Recinos as told to Amanda Turner Inter-American Court Ruling
Cultural Survival Quarterly (ISSN 0740-3291)
is published quarterly by Cultural Survival, Cultural Survival Staffer in Guatemala recalls Marks Key Victory for
Inc. at 215 Prospect St., Cambridge, MA 02139. time during the 36-year civil war. Sarayaku People in Ecuador
Periodical postage paid at Boston, MA 02205
and additional mailing offices. Postmaster:
Send address changes to Cultural Survival,
215 Prospect St., Cambridge, MA 02139. 26 Our Voices on the Air 14 Take Action
Printed on recycled paper in the U.S.A. Jennifer Weston Take action with the Indigenous
Please note that the views in this magazine
Indigenous radio producers gather in
are those of the authors and do not necessarily people of Santa Cruz Barillas,
represent the views of Cultural Survival. Washington, DC to share experiences working
Guatemala to demand their
to revitalize their endangered languages.
Writers’ Guidelines right to free, prior and informed
View writers’ guidelines at our website
consent.
(www.cs.org) or send a self-addressed, stamped 29 2012 End of the World Prophecy
envelope to: Cultural Survival, Writer’s Guide-
lines, 215 Prospect St., Cambridge, MA 02139. Discredited (Again)
Agnes Portalewska 28 Bazaar Artist
Cultural Survival recognizes that Indigenous
Peoples have long been exploited by photo-
Weaving for the Environment
graphers and publications. This publication and Future Generations:
does not pay photographers for images and
makes no money from publishing them.
On the cover The community of Santa Cruz Porfirio Gutierrez
We also make a tremendous effort to identify Barillas in Guatemala makes their voice heard
every Indigenous individual in the images by saying, "No" to a hydroelectric dam to be
that appear here. From time to time, however, built by Spanish company Hidralia Energia.
such identification is not possible. We apol-
ogize to the subjects of those photos and Photo by Danielle DeLuca.
ii • www. cs. org
to any reader offended by the omission.
Executiv e Director’S message
Cultural Survival’s 40th Year
Supporting Indigenous Peoples:
The Struggle and Work Continues
A
s late summer approaches, we can
all reflect on the last months of
extremely hot days, dry conditions,
and unusual changing weather patterns.
Increasingly as we experience climate change
and link the causes to our behaviors as human
beings, we must accept responsibility and
take action for the sake of future generations.
We face an ecological crisis compounded by
global economic instability that confuses
our priorities and values. We need to think
about the impact of climate change globally,
collectively, socially, economically, politically,
and especially ethically and culturally.
In June, the UN World Conference on
Sustainable Development was held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. The intention was for world
citizens to identify key principles and find
consensus on “The Future We Want” based
upon sustainable development practices in
a green economy. Many Indigenous Peoples
from all over the world participated and spoke
for the well-being of mother earth and future
generations. An assertion was made that feast day at Santa Clara Pueblo with songs,
“all societies must foster cultures of sustain-
ability, and that Rio+20 should highlight
the cultural, moral, and ethical dimensions,
as the most fundamental dimension of sus-
tainable development.” However, the “green
economy” discourse does not represent the
sustainable future Indigenous people un-
derstand as “life giving and life sustaining;”
rather, it further sustains institutionalized
colonialism and the commodification of
natural resources, and perpetuates a concept
of “green capitalism”
that remains non-inclu-
sive of many Indigenous
Peoples.  
Indigenous Peoples
continue to walk a path
of resistance and strug-
W h at o u r s u p p o r t e r s a r e s ay i n g :
“This is brilliant work that you are doing. To say ‘well done,’ is an under-
statement of the immense difference that you are making in people’s lives
and in the saving of fragile bio-diversity. We are the people you inspire to
take action. You are the catalyst.”
— David Frederick Dene
Donors like you make our work
around the world possible. Thanks
so much for being part of Cultural
Survival.
gle. Our right to exercise Free, Prior and
Informed Consent (FPIC) is fundamental Staff
to our self-determination and future sur- Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa),
vival. While FPIC is increasingly asserted, Executive Director
the right to say no to unwanted develop- Mark Camp, Deputy Executive Director
Danielle DeLuca, Program Associate
ment, to corporations and governments,
David Michael Favreau, Bazaar Program Manager
is far from honored or guaranteed. In this
Sofia Flynn, Accounting & Office Manager
issue of the Cultural Survival Quarterly, Cesar Gomez (Pocomam), Content Production
John Goodwin, an Iñupiaq elder, speaks & Training Coordinator, Community Radio
about the impact of climate change on a Program
subsistence way of life. The story of the Jamie Malcolm-Brown, Communications &
Information Technology Manager
struggle in Barillas to stop the development Agnes Portalewska, Communications Manager
of a hydroelectric dam is testimony to the Rosendo Pablo Ramirez (Mam), Program
ongoing struggle for Indigenous rights. Associate, Community Radio Program
Shuar poet Maria Clara Sharupi uses the Alberto ‘Tino’ Recinos (Mam), Citizen Participation
Coordinator, Community Radio Program
power of poetic language to reclaim Indig-
Patrick Schaefer, Director of Development
enous identity and dispel cultural stereo-
Miranda Vitello, Development Assistant
types. The languages articles describe the Jennifer Weston (Hunkpapa Lakota), Endangered
efforts of language revitalization as a right Languages Program Manager
fundamentally crucial to the resiliency Ancelmo Xunic (Kachikel), Community Radio
and cultural survival of future children.   Program Manager
As I reflect over the summer, I am re-
INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS
minded that on August 12, we celebrate our
Erica Adelson, SeoYeun Choi, Laura Garbes,
Meg Holladay, Daniel Horgan, Curtis Klein,
prayers, ceremonial dancing, and feasting Kelsey Klug, William Morrison, Isidoro
to give thanks for the crops and to honor Rodriguez
our relationship with the land. This conti-
nuity of relationship is based on our Native
ways of thinking, our Indigenous values,
and our agricultural practices and systems
of production that sustain life for all. This
relationship with the natural world is
“sustainable development.”  
I invite you all to celebrate life and ask There are so many ways to
Stay
you to support the beauty and promise of
the sustainable lifeways and knowledge
that Indigenous Peoples practice.
connected
Suzanne Benally, Executive Director
(Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa)
www.cs.org
Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 1
 i n t he new s
Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is
famous for its 887 monumental
statues, moai, created by the
Rapa Nui people.
Photo by Phillie Casablanca.
Rapa Nui Land Claim
Rejected
May 2012
The Chilean Supreme Court unani-
mously rejected arguments made by
the Hito clan of the Rapa Nui people in
a case about land on Easter Island. For
years, the Hito clan has fought to re-
gain control over a parcel of traditional
land that is currently the site of a luxury
hotel. The Supreme Court’s rejection of
the claim included a statement declar-
ing that all Native inhabitants on Easter
Island have been illegally squatting
since 1888.
Indigenous Peoples
of El Salvador Finally
Gain Recognition
May 2012
After decades of struggle, Indigenous
Peoples in El Salvador will finally be
recognized in the country’s Constitution.
Article 63 of the Constitution will be
modified to acknowledge Indigenous
languages and other expressions of
Indigenous culture.
Paraguay Nullifies
Tenure of Invaders On
Indigenous Land
April 2012
The ministers of the Supreme Court
of Paraguay have withdrawn the tenure
of settlers who were previously illegally
permitted to occupy Indigenous land
in Caramuru-Paraguaçu in the 1960s.
2 • www. cs. org
The decision guarantees the Pataxó
Hã-Hã-Hãe full occupation of the
territory demarcated in 1938.
Uqul Tinamit Community
Radio Station Raided by
Guatemalan Police
On May 8, 2012 at 10:30 a.m.,
Uqul Tinamit community radio station,
a Cultural Survival Community Radio
Program partner serving the Achi Maya
village of San Miguel Chicaj, Baja Vera-
paz was raided by Guatemalan police
and the Ministerio Publico. Bryan
Cristofer Espinoza Ixtapa, the radio
station volunteer who was on the air
at the time, was detained by police. In
addition, the radio station’s transmitter,
computer, and sound mixer were seized.
Indigenous Peoples’ right to their own
media is guaranteed in Article 16 of the
UN Declaration of the Rights of Indige-
nous Peoples, and is also enshrined
in the 1996 Peace Accords that ended
the Guatemalan civil war. Despite
these promises, current Guatemalan
telecommunications law does not allow
licenses for nonprofit community radio;
only commercial and government-run
radio stations are legally permitted to
operate. Cultural Survival is raising
funds to get the station back on the air.
Barbaig Obtain Land Title
In Tanzania
June 2012
After a decades-long wait, the Barbaig
Peoples in Tanzania’s Mbulu district
have finally secured a Certificate of
Customary Rights of Occupancy (CCRO)
to safeguard their threatened grazing
land. The Certificate will protect nearly
400 square kilometers from encroach-
ment by competing land users.
Australia’s Largest Land
Conservation Area Ever
Created
July 2012
A vast new land reserve has been des-
ignated in central Australia, becoming
the nation’s largest-ever conservation
zone. More than 100,000 square kilo-
meters (an area approximately the size
of Portugal), from red deserts to sub-
tropical savannahs, will be protected
under the name of the Southern Tanami
Indigenous Protected Area. Warlpiri
Rangers and traditional land owners
will combine Aboriginal knowledge and
contemporary science to look after the
vast area, controlling invasive species
and surveying native wildlife.
Inter-American Court
Rules in Favor of Kichwa
July 2012
The Inter-American Court of Human
Rights ruled that the Ecuadorian govern-
ment had violated the rights of the Kichwa
community of Sarayaku to communal
property and cultural identity by grant-
ing permission for an energy project
without consulting the community. The
case, filed in 2010, stems from efforts
to explore for oil in the community’s
territory beginning in 1996. The court
ordered the government to pay the
community $1.34 million in damages.
Ogoni in Nigeria Declare
Self-Government
August 2012
The Ogoni in southern Nigeria declared
political autonomy after dealing with 55
years of crude oil exploration on their
lands. On radio station Voice of Ogoni,
the Movement Survival of Ogoni Peo-
ple’s President stated, “By this declara-
tion, we are determined to enforce the
UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous
Peoples, meaning self-government
within Nigeria.”
 Global Response
Campaign Updates
Russia: Pipeline Threatens
Sacred Highlands
Sacred Sites Protected by Local
Executive Power
 The governor
of the Altai
Republic issued
a decree on June
20 instructing local
authorities to cre-
ate legislation that
will protect sacred sites in the region,
including those threatened by construc-
tion of the Gazprom pipeline. The decree
defines sacred sites to include natural
elements as subjects of worship, as
well as places of religious ceremonies,
historical events, and ancestral lands. Just days before the festival, the min-
It imposes restrictions on any activities
that would damage these environments
or the plant and animal species that “donated” back to the Wixárika. The
are found there. Cultural objects of the
Telengit people, such as ceremonial
structures, petroglyphs, burial mounds,
and rock statues will also be protected.
The Republic of Altai is the first Siberian
region to adopt such a mandate.
Honduras: Don’t Dam the
Patuca River
Government Failing to Compensate
Residents for Dam Construction
 The first phase
of develop-
ment on the Patu-
ca III dam conclud-
ed in June, but the
National Electric
Energy Company
of Honduras has so far failed to suffi-
ciently compensate the impacted resi-
dents. Since suspending payments in
April, the government has reimbursed
only 100 of the 400 affected property
owners 460 million lempira, out of a
total debt estimated at 1.2 billion HNL.
China is financing the Patuca dam proj-
ect at a cost of $250 million.
Mexico: Stop Mining,
Protect Sacred Sites
Huichols Slam Mexican Government
for “Media Masquerade”
 The Wixárika
(Huichol) peo-
ple hosted the
Wirikuta Fest at
the end of May
with 60,000 peo-
ple participating
in the cause to save Wirikuta, the area
surrounding the Real de Catorce moun-
tains considered sacred by the Wixárika.
In March 2012, the Mexican govern-
ment announced the suspension of 38
mining concessions in San Luis Potosí.
ing company held a press conference
to announce that this land would be
announcement ended up being a stunt
intended to confuse the Wixárika com-
munity. The ceded land represents only
a small area of the concession, and the
planned mines that will affect sacred
sites have not yet been halted. The
Wixárika have rejected the company’s
offer to cede the land.
Cambodia: Help Us Save
Prey Lang (“Our Forest”)
Activist Shot Dead; Moratorium
on Land Concessions
 Environmental activist and
member of the Prey Lang Net-
work, Chut Wutty,
was shot and killed
in late April by mili-
tary police while
conducting field
research into illegal
logging activity and
land seizure in the Cardamom moun-
tains. A government inquiry, conducted
over the course of three days, failed action on Global Response
to address the details of his death and
has also prohibited further inquiry into
the issue Wutty was investigating: the
stripping and selling off of Cambodia’s
forests. Due to international attention
after Wutty’s murder, the Prime Minis-
ter has ordered the temporary suspen-
sion of new land grants to all domestic
and foreign companies in Cambodia
as well as a review of all existing
concessions.
Kenya: Stop Police Brutality
Against Samburu
Samburu People Advance Case
Against US Charity
 The Samburu
people have
been involved in
continued litigation
with the U.S.-
based African
Wildlife Foundation
(AWF) and the Kenya Wildlife Service
(KWS) over forced evictions that began
in 2009. During his presidency, former
President Daniel Moi sold the rights
to a large portion of land to the AFW.
AFW maintains that it understood the
land to be free of human residents and
clear of any ownership dispute. Upon
learning this was not the case, AWF
gifted the land to KWS. Samburu people
have been the victims of violent evic-
tions, assaults, and theft of their cattle
by government police. After two hear-
ings in June, the court decided to visit
the land in question. The Samburu are
optimistic about the outcome of the
hearings and are seeking donations
to continue the case as well as to file
a compensation suit for deaths, harass-
ment, loss of livestock, and other human
rights abuses that have occurred in
the wake of their eviction from their
ancestral lands.
Learn more and take
campaigns at www.cs.org/
take-action. Sign up for our
e-newsletter and read more news
at www.cs.org/news.
Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 3
 f ood f or lif e

Per s pec tiv es of a n

Iñupia q Elder

Continuity
and Change
Above the
Arctic Circle
Brandon M. Chapman, Ph.D.
with John Goodwin

F
or the Iñupiaq people of Alaska, as with many In-
digenous groups, subsistence is a crucial avenue for
passing on cultural knowledge, sustaining economic
livelihood, feeding the population, and constituting
the local diet. Among the Iñupiaq, subsistence-based liveli-
hood is neither a dwindling practice nor a “traditional relic”
relegated to only a few members of the older generations.
In fact, far from it: the practice is vividly alive among the
Iñupiaq residents of the Northwest Arctic Borough, one of
two tribal administrative regions in Alaska above the Arctic John Goodwin tagging a seal.
Circle. To wit: the Alaska Natives Commission reports an esti- Photo courtesy of Kathy Frost
mate of over 1,000 pounds per person of subsistence harvest
for the Northwest Arctic Borough—more than double the per
capita subsistence harvest for its arctic neighbors in the North The advent of snow machines in the 1970s
Slope Borough, and over 200 pounds more than the second
highest per person harvest in the state. brought drastic changes to the Kotzebue way
While subsistence culture endures among the Iñupiaq of
of life; the new technology meant that more
the Northwest Arctic, the dual forces of technology—most
notably the advent of snow machine-based transportation, resources could be gathered more quickly.
which arrived two generations ago—and more recently, climate
change, have dramatically altered some of these practices.
There are few Iñupiaq left who have witnessed these dramatic Traditionally, we were taught hunting by our grandparents
changes of the past half-century; John Goodwin, Iñupiaq elder, and uncles because we are more apt to listen to them than
marine mammal hunter, and chairman of the Federal Ice Seal our [fathers]. Dad had a real influence in teaching me how to
Committee, is one of them. As part of an oral life history project, hunt, but I went out all the time with my uncles and grandpa.
he relates his 50-plus years of experience as a subsistence My uncles would fight over me cause I was a good cook and
harvester in the northwest Arctic. not lazy.”

Born to Hunt and Fish Game for All Seasons

Goodwin was born at a winter seasonal camp between the
Northwest Arctic communities of Kotzebue and Noatak in
December 1942 and spent most of his childhood in Kotzebue.
He has a lifetime of experience hunting and fishing, having
joined his grandfather on expeditions as a child: “I started
with grandpa at age nine, hunting bearded seals in spring
time. My main chore was to bail the boat, and I was learning
hunting from grandpa.
“Our culture, we as men, we as boys, were taught by our
grandpas and our uncles and friends more than our fathers.
Subsistence harvesting is a way of life embedded in the seasons,
which means that even in a region as extreme as the Arctic, it
is a year-round occupation. Goodwin recalls, “Hunting and
fishing has been my livelihood, every season I have reason to
hunt something. In spring, beluga and seal; summer, salmon,
trout, fish; in winter, caribou, rabbit, ptarmigan, wolf, and fox.
There was lots of seal hunting in spring by dog team, ringed
seal. On land, we would hunt caribou all year long. [We] had
to get firewood and ice with dog teams. We would go seal
hunting after freeze-up in winter.”

4 • www. cs. org

Dog Power to Horsepower
The amount of time and effort placed on subsistence, along
with the migrations of Iñupiaq families, were shaped in large
part by the Iñupiaqs’ reliance on dog teams for transportation.
“In February, March, and April [we would] fish for sheefish in
Kobuk Lake for dog food and for ourselves. Got to feed dogs,
we were always hunting and fishing for [the] dogs. You had to
learn how to cook, feed dogs, chop wood. My family would
move to spring seal hunting camp May to June, July. We went
to Sisualik, Cape Blossom, Sadie Creek, Sealing Point. August
is settling time after spring, we start to gather, put fish to
shade.”
The advent of snow machines in the 1970s brought drastic
changes to the Kotzebue way of life; the new technology
meant that more resources could be gathered more quickly.
But as Goodwin sees it, marine mammals have not adapted
to modern technology. “Before and after western activities, John Goodwin
behaviors of marine mammals haven’t changed. Outboard
[motors] didn’t bother them, kayaks come right up to them. Photo courtesy of Michael Cameron

The difference is speed: [it] will take only a couple of hours

[to hunt] with snow machine. With dog teams, it takes
longer.”

On Thinning Ice
Supporting Future
Beyond the transition from dog power to horsepower, kayaks
to outboard motors, Goodwin has experienced the deep im-
Generations
pacts of climate change in his region. He recalls that his fore-
When Sharon Doll of
bears were witnesses as well: “Grandpa and grandma would
tell stories how the ‘world is getting warmer and warmer.’ Lincoln, Nebraska first heard
Back then, when it would get into the 20s, that was a heat- in the news about the threats
wave. When I was growing up 40 below was nothing.” to Indigenous Peoples she
The thickness of the ice along Kotzebue Sound has influ- thought, “It was tragic to
enced the migration patterns of subsistence species, such as lose these cultures since we
bearded seals (ugruk). “Ice is not as thick as it used to be. Ugruk have a lot to learn from their
are always looking for good ice to lay on. This is a migration knowledge.” After searching
area as they go north to find ice, so if no ice here, then they for non-profits working with
keep going. Some years we have no ugruk.” Indigenous communities,
Other conditions, such as snowfall, have also changed.
Sharon came across Cultural Survival and liked
“When I was a young kid we had lots of snow, almost as tall
what she saw. Twenty years later Sharon is still
as Rotman’s building (a two-story grocery store on the
Kotzebue Sound). We hardly have snow anymore.” supporting Cultural Survival!

Recently, Sharon decided to take her support to

The Road Ahead
Goodwin has witnessed these changes as a subsistence harvester,
but he also observes them as a researcher helping to guide
biological and cultural studies in the Northwest Arctic. He is
currently working on a subsistence mapping project with the
Northwest Arctic Borough as a specialist in traditional knowl-
edge, helping to translate interviews with experienced subsis-
tence hunters and fishers across the region into the Iñupiaq
language. The project, which documents generalized harvest-
ing areas and travel routes, is creating both a historical record
and a modern catalogue of subsistence information to help
ensure that the community’s traditions live on.
— Sauniqtuq Brandon Chapman, Ph.D. is a cultural anthro-
pologist in the Northwest Arctic Borough Planning Department
in Kotzebue, AK. Igauqpak John Goodwin is an Iñupiaq
Elder, marine mammal hunter, and chairman of the Federal
Ice Seal Committee in Alaska.
the next step and included Cultural Survival in her
estate plans. She says, “It is important to give
back to your community.”
We are so grateful to Sharon and others like her
who have decided to support Cultural Survival with
a gift from their estate. With their help, Cultural
Survival will continue our mission to partner with
Indigenous Peoples defending their lands,
languages, and cultures.
For information on how you can
support the future work of Cultural Survival,
contact Patrick Schaefer by phone 303.562.4360,
email patrick.schaefer@cs.org, or visit
www.cs.org/plannedgiving.

Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 5

 i ndi geno u s a r t s

Through Our Eyes

An Indigenous View of Mashapaug Pond

Photo collage by Through Our Eyes co-editor Dawn Dove

Reviewed by Phoebe Farris to encourage community stewardship of the ponds in the

lower Pawtuxent watershed.

T
hrough Our Eyes: An Indigenous View of Mashapaug The collages utilize a fusion of poetry (in English and
Pond is the culmination of a yearlong project be- Narragansett Algonquin), interviews, photography, and a
tween Rhode Island’s Narragansett community variety of textural media to portray an era when the Narra-
and artist Holly Ewald, founder of the Urban Pond gansett community’s use of the pond was vital for their
Procession. This book of environmentally-themed collage physical and psycho-spiritual survival. At one time the pond
art presents Indigenous perspectives on the history of the provided opportunities for young children to learn to fish,
Mashapaug Pond, the last remaining natural freshwater body swim, and navigate canoes. Now, however, due to surface water
in Providence, Rhode Island. Beginning with pre-European runoff and more than a century of industrial pollution, the
contact, the collages progress through colonial times to the waters of the Mashapaug Pond no longer support the life of
industrial era to the effects of modern urban storm water the community. Reflections on the changing nature of the
runoff, up to the Urban Pond Procession’s current efforts pond and the Narragansetts’ relationship to it are expressed

This book of environmentally-themed collage art presents

Indigenous perspectives on the history of the Mashapaug Pond, the last
remaining natural freshwater body in Providence, Rhode Island.
6 • www. cs. org
 Gratitude for Creation
11-year-old Sherente Mishitashin Harris’s bilingual
prayer poem expresses gratitude for creation.
A few excerpts:
Kutaputush Numanutooman wuchee
Thank you Creator for
Wamee nuwaeenuqun wuneehteawonk
All the beauty that surrounds us
Kutaputush wuchee wamee kumagooaunash
Thank you for all your gifts, Creator
Nee naj!
Be it so! (Amen)
through the memories of elders and the imagination of youth.
Because the names and ages of collaborators are not included
with the collages, a scan of the contributors’ biographies in
the appendix will yield some pleasant surprises.
A photo collage by co-editor Dawn Dove offers one of the
book’s most striking images: three black and white photographs
of Narragansetts dressed in traditional clothing posed in a
canoe constructed of paper. In one photo, a young boy wears
a headdress and an embroidered jacket; his white shirt and
dark tie emphasize the transition from traditional to western-
ized clothing styles. The young girl in the center of the canoe
wears a long dress with a shawl draped around her neck and
shoulders. And in the third image, an adult woman, perhaps
the mother, wears a headband with a sash across her dress.
The three figures have serious countenances, but the center
background of tissue paper trees and shrubbery in subtle
shades creates a dreamy, peaceful atmosphere. The collage is
Collage by Laurel Spears, age 10.
bordered by color photographs of brilliantly colored fall foli-
age and bright red fish that jump out of the pond to heights
above the canoe passengers; the blue water beneath the canoe
is in fact a map. A “real” modern environment, an imagined
nature scene, and a Narragansett family from a past era come
together in a boldly textured image that is hauntingly beautiful.
Among other standouts is a textured collage by 10-year-
old Laurel Spears, who constructed her piece with overlapping
scraps of material including a silk-screened scene of deer on
pale blue cloth with a foreground image of a wigwam. Narra-
gansett elder and 93-year-old family matriarch, Eleanor Spears
Dove, composed a text reflective of seasonal family life around
the pond during the time when the Narragansetts lived in
longhouses and depended on hunting, fishing, and gathering
for survival. Spears and Spears Dove, great granddaughter
and great grandmother, represent two of the four generations
of women (along with Dawn Dove, grandmother, and Loren
Spears, mother) who collaborated with other family and trib-
al members on many of the visual images and accompanying
text featured in the book. A series of lines in one such collab-
orative poem offers a poignant reflection of the tribe’s revital-
ization, which culminated in the April 1983 recognition of
the Narragansetts as a federally recognized tribe, a sovereign
nation:
We are clay, we can remold
ourselves – our image
of who we are.
— Phoebe Farris, Ph.D. (Powhatan-Renape) is contributing
arts editor for the CSQ. She is a professor emerita of Purdue
University and the vice president for membership of the
Washington D.C. branch of American Association of
University Women.
Through Our Eyes:
An Indigenous View of Mashapaug Pond
Edited by Dawn Dove and Holly Ewald.
Exeter, RI: Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum,
2012, 50 pages, $20.00.
Books can be ordered by phone: 401.491.9063
Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 7
 women th e wo r ld m u st hear
When the Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword
A Shuar Poet Redefines Her
Nataly Kelly
M
uch has been written
about the Shuar, an In-
digenous group from
the Ecuadorian Amazon;
many words have been
used to describe them. Warriors,
head-shrinkers, and shamans are
some of the most common associa-
María Clara Sharupi Jua tions. But one word that is not typi-
cally seen in reference to the Shuar?
Poet. Until now, that is—especially if María Clara Sharupi so if you’re going to address me, you need to use it.’ ”
Jua has anything to say about it.
As the Battlefield Changes, So Do the Battle Plans
The history of the Shuar has been told predominantly
through the lens of their warrior culture. Known for their
fierce independence, the Shuar are often viewed as one of the
few “winners” in the continuous battle that Indigenous people
must fight to maintain their cultures, languages, and tradi-
tions. Their success arguably can be attributed as much to
their strategic thinking and adaptability as their superior
fighting skill.
In 1599, the Shuar shocked the Spanish by successfully driv-
ing them out of their territory. They are the only Indigenous
group ever to achieve such a victory over their would-be colo-
nizers, and their exceptional skill in battle enabled them to
retain their independence for centuries. But in the 1940s the
Shuar found themselves facing a new kind of threat: oil. Once
oil was discovered in the region, missionaries and other colo-
nists soon followed. The Shuar recognized that a different kind
of fight—a nonviolent, political one—would be needed to
protect their culture. They responded by establishing the
Federacíon Interprovincial de Centros Shuar-Achuar, a
political alliance that has been working to represent and pro-
tect the Shuar people’s interests for almost a half century.
Today, as the forces of globalization expand and the world
continues to become more interconnected, the Internet offers
new possibilities for ethnic minority groups fighting for the
survival of their cultures and the languages that hold their
collective knowledge. For a language like Shuar, which is spoken
by some 40,000 people, the Internet has become a vital plat-
form for disseminating the community’s native language and
the ideas uniquely expressed within it.
Words as the New Weapon
María Clara Sharupi Jua is harnessing the power of words
to help carve out what she hopes will be a fuller appreciation
of her culture. “The Shuar culture is highly publicized but
little understood. . . . Many people continue to think of us
as savages,” she says.
8 • www. cs. org
Even within Ecuador, Indigenous groups often face stereo-
typing and discrimination. Sharupi was born in the Amazon
rainforest and currently lives in the capital city of Quito, where
she is pursuing a university degree while also working full
time at a government office. She says that Ecuadorians often
question her about why she is living in an urban environment
instead of in the jungle. “The questions people ask me range
from ignorant to downright rude,” she says. The thing that
Sharupi finds most disrespectful is when people fail to address
members of the Shuar community by their names, instead
referring to them with generic titles such as “la María” or
“doñita.” She explains, “I always tell them, ‘I have a name,
Sharupi feels that the Shuar are often looked down upon,
as though people believe they are somehow lacking in knowl-
edge or are incapable of accomplishing the same things as
others. However, she notes that there have been positive changes
recently, among youth and women in particular. She explains,
“I think that President Correa has given us greater recogni-
tion, particularly by making sure the Constitution and all
of the laws are available in our mother tongue, which shows
respect for us as human beings.” Sharupi was part of a team
of individuals who helped edit the translation of the con-
stitution in Shuar.
According to Sharupi, foreigners are also guilty of disre-
spectful treatment toward the Shuar. “When foreigners visit
our communities,” she says, “it’s as if they hope to see a culture
of savages. They want to live among people who are irrational,
walk around naked, and have nothing. They want to report
only on what’s different—not on what we have in common.
I often feel they look at us solely as the finishing touch that
enables them to complete an anthropological study or a
graduate thesis.”
Through her poetry, Sharupi hopes to reveal a more
complete and nuanced picture of the Shuar people, using
an authentic voice that comes directly from her community.
“Poetry is important because it’s our way of life. Poetry is
song, everyday life, ritual, and where the heart and soul of the
world unite. It’s a form of paying tribute to what exists beyond
just what we see. It is also important for keeping the memory
of our ancestors alive for our children and their children.”
In Sharupi’s eyes, the Shuar language is full of beautiful con-
cepts that reflect cultural values far beyond just the typically
associated warrior attributes. Her favorite phrase is enenteimjai
chichasta, which simply translated means, “speak from your
heart.” But the phrase also implies the opening of one’s heart
to another person, speaking to them sincerely and free of any
filters. Another of Sharupi’s favorites, yuminsajme, is a form
of thanking someone but in a way that conveys a much deeper
sense of gratitude, closer to “thank you from my very being.”
Sharupi explains: “In this expression of thanks, the person
gives all of their love to the other person, not as if that person
Culture
P A R ADI S E C AME

Drenching myself, like cool rain on mother earth

with the scent of smoke from damp firewood
that tastes like the mountain plains
and the chukirahua flower’s aroma
blends with the birdsong of the paují.

You have no eyes

and you watch like the windstorm
peeling back the contents each paragraph holds
nestling them within your colored pages.

You have no hands

but even so, you shape my senses
and you strip the 21st century, which shelters
the years, the days
made of sweet, coarse sounds.

I want to kiss your words

is simply a person to whom love is directed, but as if that person is actually without brushing my lips
an extension of one’s self.” where there are no scars
and no curtains to conceal your face.
Translation Is the Best Defense
Sharupi and her poems are steadily gaining international acclaim. She has The freedom of not having you
been published in numerous literary journals and anthologies, including
makes your steadiness intense
Collar de historias y lunas, an anthology of Latin American female Indig-
coy and playful, you chase my footsteps
enous poets, and Amanece en nuestras vidas, the first book of poetry from
Ecuadorian Indigenous women writers. She has conducted poetry readings like a flowering tree
at universities and book fairs, and she was invited to participate in the 2012 in a boundless color.
International Poetry Festival in Medellín, Colombia. She is also a member
of the World Poetry Movement, and recently participated in the first Inter- We don’t know if you’re here or not
national Colloquium of Indigenous Women Writers. Sharupi is currently behind your eyes you hold a thousand tales
working on a trilingual collection in Shuar, Spanish, and English that will always at the tip of the wind’s tidings
include poetry, stories, and songs in celebration of the wisdom embedded like the roar of the jaguar
in her culture. or perhaps an anaconda
Translation can help a poet reach a wider audience, and Sharupi knows graffiti skin, cloaked in dreams
firsthand how powerful it can be. Three of her poems have been translated
you don’t remember infinity.
into English and published by the London-based Poetry Translation Centre.
Making these poems available in English, and online, is an important mile-
stone because her work is now accessible to a world of readers who would You don’t threaten my childhood dreams
otherwise not be able to understand it. Through her poetry, Sharupi hopes or my speckled nightmares
to add a new chapter to the Shuar legacy; one that extends beyond the typ- in a faded metal box
ical associations of their warrior heritage. If the pen truly is mightier than or my bare feet
the sword, then perhaps translation can give even more power to the which refuse to wear high heels
pen—and the people who hold it. or the fake smiles that unleashed my tears
without wounding my soul.
— Nataly Kelly is the translator of María Clara Sharupi Jua’s works and a
former Fulbright scholar in Ecuador. She is the co-author of the newly re- I think of my beloved jungle
leased book, Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and
vines swaying from tree to tree
Transforms the World.
a drop of poison resting on an arrowhead
possessed by magic ayahuasca dust
To learn more about María Clara Sharupi Jua's poetry and where the maker of life is born.
to read it in Shuar, visit: goo.gl/BAES9
— María Clara Sharupi Jua

Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 9

 r i ght s i n a ct io n
Confirming Rights
Inter-American Court Ruling Marks Key Victory for Sarayaku People in Ecuador
O
n July 25, 2012, the Inter-American Court of
Human Rights ruled in favor of the Sarayaku in
the case of Sarayaku v. Ecuador, affirming and
upholding the right of free, prior and informed
consent (FPIC) of Indigenous Peoples along
with the standards for its application. The ruling marks
the end of a decade-long legal battle the Sarayaku have been
fighting since a foreign oil company was allowed to encroach
on their traditional lands in the 1990s. By ruling for the
Sarayaku, the Inter-American Court agreed that the com-
munity’s territory, life, and culture were threatened because
the state had imposed an oil project without previous consul-
tation or consent. As Mario Melo, attorney for the Kichwa
Free, Prior and Informed
Consent (FPIC)
FPIC is the principle that a community has the right
to give or withhold  its consent to proposed proj-
ects that may affect their lands and communities.
This principle is protected by international human
rights law as “all  peoples have the right to self-
determination” and “all peoples have the right to
freely pursue their economic, social and cultural
development.”  It is enshrined in the ILO 169
(which only 22 countries have ratified to date) and
the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples (Article 32), which states:  from crude oil export. The Sarayakus’ land was allotted into an
1. Indigenous Peoples have the right to determine
and develop priorities and strategies for the de-
velopment or use of their lands or territories and
other resources.
2. States shall consult and cooperate in good faith
with the Indigenous Peoples concerned through
their own representative institutions in order to
obtain their free and informed consent prior to
the approval of any project affecting their lands
or territories and other resources, particularly in
connection with the development, utilization or
exploitation of mineral, water or other resources.
3. States shall provide effective mechanisms for
just and fair redress for any such activities, and
appropriate measures shall be taken to mitigate
adverse environmental, economic, social, cul-
tural or spiritual impact.  detention and torture of four community leaders by the Ecua-
10 • ww w. cs. org
people of Sarayaku, explains, the ruling is significant for
Indigenous Peoples “because it is a binding sentence for the
Ecuadorian State and sets a mandatory precedent for the
countries in the Organization of American States.”
The Inter-American Court had previously established the
standard for the need to obtain consent of Indigenous Peoples
in the case of Saramaka v. Suriname, which is the first binding
international decision to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ rights
to the natural resources located in their lands. The ruling said
that whenever large-scale development will have a significant
impact within Indigenous territory, the state has the obligation
to obtain FPIC with respect for their culture and traditions.
Sarayaku v. Ecuador further affirms this right.
The Sarayaku People
The Sarayaku (Kichwa for “river of corn”) are an Indigenous
Peoples who live in several villages along a stretch of the
Bobonaza River in the province of Pastaza in the southern
part of the Ecuadorean Amazon. Their population is estimated
between 1,000–2,000 on the self-governed territory called
Tayjasaruta, or “Autonomous Territory of the Original
Kichwa Nation of Sarayaku.” The Sarayaku lead a self-reliant
life. They rely on local subsistence and their main sources of
income are fishing, farming, hunting, and in recent years,
ecotourism.
This traditional way of life has been under threat, how-
ever, since large oil reserves were found on their ancestral lands
nearly two decades ago. Petroleum is of great value to the Ecua-
dorian state, whose economy is highly dependent on income
oil concession by the Ecuadorian government, and a conces-
sion was granted to Argentine oil and gas company Compania
General de Combustibles (CGC) in 1996 without any process
of consultation or consent from the community. Government
pressure and aggressive company tactics led to multiple
confrontations and rampant rights abuses.
Fearing that any attempt to drill on their land would
destroy their unique way of life, the Sarayaku mounted an
international campaign to keep the oil companies at bay. The
community strategically built a network of international allies
drawing upon human rights and the UN Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples. For the Sarayaku and other
Indigenous Peoples in the region, the “imposed oil activity
on Sarayaku territory meant militarization of their territory,
environmental destruction, violence, and loss of elements
their culture and spiritual cosmologies.”
In 2003, the Sarayaku community brought their case to the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which recog-
nized that human rights violations had occurred including
dorian military and police at a CGC facility. The Commission
issued precautionary measures to the Ecuadorian government

Photo courtesy of Fundación Pachamama/Joke Baert

for the removal of a river blockade and the clearing of 3,000
pounds of explosives left by the company after failed seismic
surveys. However, the Ecuadorian government categorically
ignored these measures, and allies of CGC proceeded to block
the Bobonaza River to pressure the community to desist in
the legal actions taken and to begin direct negotiations.
The following year, representatives of the Sarayaku suc-
cessfully petitioned the Inter-American Court of Human
Rights to issue provisional measures to the Ecuadorian gov-
ernment. Three years later, in late 2007, the Ministry of Mines
and Oil began steps to remove the explosives—retrieving only
about 10 percent of the amount in the ground. On May 8,
2009, again without consultation, the Ministry of Mines
and Oil authorized a new opening of oil operations in spaces
in which the Sarayaku, Shuar, and Achuar people have all
opposed exploitation.
In January 2010, the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights turned the Sarayuku case over to the Inter-
American Court of Human Rights for a final ruling. Sarayaku
community members travelled to Costa Rica to testify about Sarayaku community members celebrate a favorable Inter-American Court
the human rights violations perpetrated on their communi- of Human Rights ruling. Ecuador now has to pay the community US$1.40
ties, and in 2012, the Court conducted its first-ever onsite
million in compensation for damage done to tribal land.
visit to an Indigenous territory. During this visit, the Judicial
Secretary of State of Ecuador offered the Sarayaku a deal to
repair damage and pay compensation. The Sarayaku refused
the government’s offer before the Court issued its ruling.

Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)

One of the most important rights included in the UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is the right
to FPIC. Essentially, this means that mines, dams, oil wells,
industrial agriculture and other policies, programs, and proj-
ects cannot be forced on Indigenous Peoples without their
agreement, in advance; without coercion; and only after
full disclosure of intent and consequences.  
While the Declaration is a major step forward in recogniz-
ing and protecting Indigenous rights, such documents represent
the ongoing aspiration and declarative process for building
international legal norms and pressuring states to move in
certain directions. Over time, such declarations can become
customary law as people assert those rights and countries
gradually incorporate these rights into national law through
case law or legislation. However, states and corporations have
generally resisted the Indigenous “veto”—the right to simply
say no to removal, unwanted development, or harmful legis- Slides courtesy of Nicole Friederichs
lation. It is not surprising, therefore, that many Indigenous
communities still struggle to claim their rights to FPIC when formality, but instead should be a “true instrument of par-
development projects threaten their human rights, their ticipation . . . responding to the ultimate goal of establishing
land, or their culture. a dialogue between the parties based on principles of mutual
The Sarayaku ruling is an important milestone for Indig- trust and respect, and with the view to reaching consensus
enous Peoples’ right to FPIC and will have a major impact between them.” The ruling further states that “consultations
on the region and the world. “The court has been very clear should be conducted in good faith following appropriate
and reiterative regarding the consultation process; they have cultural procedures and must aim to reach agreement.”
repeatedly conveyed that consultations should be conducted Sarayaku leader Jose Gualina said, “the Sarayaku are ex-
in good faith following appropriate tremely satisfied with this victory reached
cultural procedures and must aim to thanks to the efforts of our people and the
reach agreement,” says Mario Melo. To learn more about FPIC,
help and solidarity of organizations devoted
The  court also clarified that consul- visit www.cs.org.
to the rights of Indigenous Peoples.”
tation does not constitute a mere

Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 11

[ Nearly ] Gone, but
Immersion Programs Offer New Hope for Revitalizing

Euchee (Yuchi) children carry their Kelsey Klug

mother tongue forward at the Yuchi

N
House in Sapulpa, OK. Only five ative Americans lost control of their children’s education over a century ago,
elders raised as monolingual Yuchi when the United States government began forcibly enrolling Native students in
speakers are alive today. residential schools. This policy was designed to assimilate Native children into an
Photo courtesy of the Yuchi Language Project. “American” mold and continued on a large scale through the 1970s. In these in-
stitutions, children were severely punished for using their own languages instead
of English. These painful experiences convinced entire generations of Native people that their
children would be better off learning to speak only English. Hoping to spare their children the
same suffering, parents stopped passing on their languages. As a result, numerous languages
indigenous to America are now in danger of losing their last native speakers.
Indigenous peoples have Many communities want to revitalize their languages, but they face the formidable obstacle
of raising a generation to speak their heritage language as their first language. Young Native
the right to establish people continue to attend English-language schools and assimilate into mainstream society
and control their while losing knowledge about their tribal heritage. Scott Russell, secretary of the Apsáalooke
(Crow) Nation, put it this way: “We’re educating all our students to be non-Native right now.”
educational systems Viewed in this light, not much has changed since the days of the residential schools.
However, in the last 20 years, United States policy has undergone significant changes. In
and institutions 1990, Congress passed the first iteration of the Native American Languages Act (NALA), which
recognizes that “the status of the cultures and languages of Native Americans is unique and the
providing education in
United States has the responsibility to act together with Native Americans to ensure [their] sur-
their own languages, vival.” This legislation promised a great deal to Native communities, declaring that it was now
the official government policy to “preserve, protect, and promote” Native Americans’ rights to
in a manner appropriate use their indigenous languages anywhere, including “as a medium of instruction” in schools.
Congress updated NALA in 1992 with the inclusion of a grant program to “assist Native
to their cultural Americans in assuring the survival and continuing vitality of their languages.” Since no funding
methods of teaching had previously been allocated to achieve the Act’s directives, this was an essential addendum,
but it was not sufficient to finance programming for all interested tribes. Immersion schools are
and learning. costly to establish, especially when the target language is not thriving and the curriculum must
be developed from scratch. Inadequate government support forced many schools to devote
— United Nations Declaration much of their energy to private fundraising.
on the Rights of Indigenous Additional funding became available through the Esther Martinez Native American Languages
Peoples, Article 14. Preservation Act of 2006. Named after a woman who taught and documented the Tewa language,
this Act created funding for “language nests,” where preschool children learn their heritage
language from fluent community elders; survival schools and immersion camps, which use

12 • ww w. cs. org
Not Forgotten
Endangered Languages in the U.S.
group immersion environments to develop fluency; master-
apprentice programs; teacher training and curricular develop-
ment; and language classes for the parents of students enrolled
in language programs. This flexibility is essential, since
communities must be able to develop the language-learning
arrangement that will best suit their specific resources and
goals. These programs are important because they actually
aim to develop fluent speakers, which teaching an indigenous
language for one class period per day cannot accomplish, nor
can dictionaries and audio recordings. Only immersion can
effectively create fluent speakers; only fluent speakers can
revive an endangered language.
But as valuable and beneficial as these programs are, they
face myriad setbacks. In addition to the chronic lack of fund-
ing, numerous restrictions were imposed by the No Child Left
Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. Although NCLB claims to respect
the right of Native communities to incorporate their own
language and culture into their children’s educations, many
of its mandates directly contradict those laid out in NALA.
One major problem is the definition of “highly qualified”
teachers: NCLB requires teachers to have a bachelor’s degree,
full state licensure, and provable knowledge of their subject.
This hampers immersion programs, because often the only
available speakers are community elders, most of whom don’t
possess teaching credentials or university degrees in their
native languages. However, they are the last fluent speakers,
and therefore the most qualified teachers. Both NALA and
the Esther Martinez Act provide exemptions from certain
requirements in order not to “hinder the employment of qual-
ified teachers who teach in Native American languages,” but
schools have trouble getting state authorities to accept this.
In addition to prohibitively restrictive teacher qualifications,
NCLB requires assessment testing—tied to federal funding—
to be conducted entirely in English. This is difficult for im-
mersion schools, which often begin education completely
in the target language and only gradually introduce English.
By the end of their schooling—and by virtue of living in an
English-speaking society—students achieve full fluency in
both their Native language and English (called “additive
bilingualism”), though they may initially lag behind in Eng-
lish. However, NCLB doesn’t recognize these distinctions.
President Obama’s Blueprint for Reform of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act pledges that tribal authorities
will have “greater flexibility to use funds to carry out pro-
grams that meet the needs of Indian students.” Whether it
will deliver on this promise remains to be seen.
Native American students are struggling in traditional pub-
lic school settings: they have a dropout rate of roughly twice
the national average. Estimates vary but suggest that only half
of all Native students complete high school, and barely one-
fifth progress to any post-secondary education. Although aca-
demic assessment scores are slowly rising for all demographics,
the achievement gap between Native and white students
continues to widen.
According to the 2011 National Indian Education Study
survey of school administrators, one-quarter of students in
public schools with low Native enrollment receive Native lan-
guage instruction, while one-half of students in high Native
enrollment public schools do. Students in Bureau of Indian
Education-run schools are ostensibly better off, as around 90
percent reportedly receive at least some oral instruction in a
Native language while 70 percent receive some written instruc-
tion. However, this instruction tends to be infrequent: in 2009,
barely one-quarter of students in Bureau-run schools reported
that people in their schools talked to each other in Native lan-
guages every day, while the numbers for public school students
were negligible. These low rates of regular Native language
use are not nearly sufficient to create fluent speakers.
Within this dark landscape, immersion schools present a
beacon of hope. Many Native students are thriving in these
settings, achieving higher test scores and graduation rates as
well as demonstrating stronger connections to their culture.
For example, virtually all students in ’Olelo Hawai’i (Native
Hawaiian) schools now graduate from high school, and their
language programs have expanded so greatly that students
can go through university completely in Hawaiian. Diné
(Navajo) immersion students are scoring at or above the
levels of their non-immersion peers on standardized tests,
even in English. At Waadookodaading, an Ojibwe language
school, one hour of English instruction per day has proven
to be enough for students to reach “proficient” and “above
proficiency” performance levels on NCLB assessments. The
school says it successfully “turned [the] model on its head”
by teaching English—not Ojibwe—as the foreign language.
Immersion programs offer substantial proof of positive
outcomes for students. As Teresa McCarty, an Arizona State
University professor and co-director of the university’s Center
for Indian Education, writes, “The issue . . . is not whether
schooling based on Native students’ tribal language and
culture is beneficial, but rather which approaches are most
effective.” Tribes must be allowed to establish language
programs in an environment that can have such a positive
impact. Jacob Manatowa-Bailey, director of the Sac and
Fox Nation of Oklahoma’s Sauk Language Department,
sums up the heart of the issue: “When tribal children are
given the opportunity to learn their language, they are
happier, healthier human beings. It doesn’t mean their lives
are easier. It does mean that their identities are stronger and
that they are better prepared to face the challenges of being
an Indigenous person in the modern world.”
— Kelsey Klug is an intern at Cultural Survival.
To learn more about Native Language Education,
visit: goo.gl/xNRGL.
Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 13
september 2012

ow Global Response
CampaignGuatemala
Alert
n N
t io
Ac
ke
Ta Barillas community members
climb on to a Hydro Santa
Cruz construction vehicle
looking onto the ceremony
dedicating a cross to Miguel,
a Barillas resident who was
shot and killed by Hydro “The right to be consulted
Santa Cruz employees on
May 1, 2012. is a universal human right
that no one can deny us,
much less criminalize. The
right to self-determination
is a right that corresponds
to us as original peoples
of Mesoamérica.”
—The Assembly of Peoples
of Huehuetenango for the
Defense of the Territory.
Photos by Danielle DeLuca

Guatemala
We Are All Barillas – Stop a Dam on Our Sacred River!

O
n May 12, 2012, a community leader in Guatemala was killed by security guards of a Spanish hydroelectric company.
Riots broke out. In response, President Molina declared martial law and army tanks descended into Santa Cruz Barillas,
Huehuetenango. Heavily armed military lined the streets of the Q’anjob’al Maya town, seeking and detaining communi-
ty leaders who were outspoken against the dam.
  Since 2009, Hidralia Energia, through its subsidiary Hydro Santa Cruz, has been planning a series of dams on the Q’am
B’alam River that surrounds the town of Santa Cruz Barillas. The river and its three waterfalls are considered sacred by the
Q’anjob’al community, whose ancestors named the river “Yellow Tiger” after the animal that was said to drink from its waters.
  The proposed project would be installed in an area used by the community for ceremonial, recreational, and agricultural
purposes. The project will also have significant impacts on the already fragile natural environment. A study by the International
Commission on Tropical Biology and Natural Resources found the area of Barillas to be of the highest priority for conservation
efforts within Guatemala. Barillas is home to many amphibian and insect species found nowhere else in the world.
   In the last five years, the community has twice held referenda and voted unequivocally to reject the exploitation of its
natural resources by transnational companies. Nevertheless, the government approved the Cambalam I dam, flagrantly ignor-
ing the people’s right to free, prior, and informed consent as guaranteed in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples and Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization (ILO), to which Guatemala is a signatory.
  At the outset of martial law, grassroots activists successfully mobilized to launch the campaign, Todos y Todas Somos
Barillas (“We Are All Barillas”). Using social media and community radio, Molina’s administration was successfully pressured
to end martial law, thereby challenging the government’s position that community leaders were drug traffickers and criminals
rather than activists standing up for their rights.
   Now, we need your help to ensure that Hydro Santa Cruz backs down from its plans to dam the sacred Q’am B’alam River.

Guatemala’s president is defending foreign business

14 • ww w. cs. org before the rights of the Guatemalan people.
Q’anjob’al women lead the audience in
prayer for the release of the nine men in Make Your Voice
Heard!
custody of the state and the dozens of
other leaders who have fled their homes
in fear of persecution. Sign reads, “Hydro
Santa Cruz generates violence. For the Barillas community members are asking world
citizens to send letters to Hidralia Energia and
unity and peace of Barillas, No more
the Guatemalan Ministry of the Environment.
impunity. We demand the withdrawal
of Hydro Santa Cruz.” In your letters, please:
• Urge Guatemalan officials to respect

Demanding
Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determina-
tion. Remind them that since Guatemala has
ratified the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Inherent Rights Indigenous Peoples, the state is required to
consult with Indigenous Peoples when mak-

W
ing decisions that may affect them. Issuing
hen Hidralia Energia began to develop the dam project in 2009, the licenses for projects that affect Indigenous
Q’anjob’al Maya community of Santa Cruz Barillas protested not only Peoples while no consultation has taken
because they hadn’t been consulted, as is their right, but also out of place is a violation of their rights.
concerns that the dam would affect the volume and flow of the river. The com- • Express deep concern that the proposed
pany has failed to inform locals of the dam’s potential effects, claiming on its Cambalam I dam will greatly affect the
website that it will have zero environmental impact. Any environmental impact Q’anjob’al Mayan people’s traditional and
studies (if even conducted) were never made public, nor social impacts assessed, ceremonial uses of the Q’am B’alam River
despite these being key to validating a project on Indigenous Peoples’ land. and its three waterfalls, and could put
endemic amphibian species at risk.
The Guatemalan government has even approved the Cambalam I dam project
to apply for UN-certified carbon credits with the Clean Development Mechanism. • Demand the release of nine community
  Though the project is considered small by industry standards, the commu- leaders that were detained illegally and
continue to be incarcerated, and an end to
nity fears that it will be a gateway to larger, more destructive projects in the
the continued persecution of community
future, such as gold mining. This fear is not unfounded. Gold and silver veins leaders peacefully organizing to protect
run through much of northwest Guatemala, and the transnational industry has their land.
had toxic repercussions for the environment and Indigenous Peoples across the
country. Only six months into office, the Molina administration has approved Please send letters, emails, and faxes to:
68 new mining licenses. Another 734 are pending, along with another 47 hydro-
Hidralia Energia
electric licenses existing or in process. Virtually none of these licenses have Avenida del Ejercito n.10
been granted based on the free, prior, and informed consent of the Indigenous 15006 A Coruña, Spain
people who have traditionally occupied these lands. Phone: (Guatemala) + 502 23 78 13 28
   Hidralia Energia has a dubious history in Spain, where the company’s own-   (Spain) +34 981 17 40 17
Email: info@hidraliaenergia.com
ers were charged with bribery and corruption surrounding the authorization of
licenses for 16 dams. After three years of investigation, they began to dispose Mr. Raúl Castañeda Illescas
Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
of their Spanish assets while initiating operations in Guatemala. Hidralia’s lack
20 calle 28-58 zona 10, Edificio MARN
of transparency and combative business approach has fueled the community’s Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
outrage: “Since the company arrived, they have been invoking fear in the com- Guatemala
munity, intimidating us, and motivating us to sell our land,” said local leader Email: ondl@marn.gob.gt, rcastanedai@marn.gob.gt
Josepha Andres. The threats culminated on the night of May 1, when the com- Phone: (502) 24 23 0500 or (502) 24 23 0436, Ext.2311
(502) 24 23 0500, Ext 1204
pany’s security guards shot three men, killing one and seriously wounding
Pablo Antonio Pablo, who had been threatened by the company after refusing
to sell his land.    Tips:
• Postage from the U.S. to Spain and Guatemala
  To date, nine community leaders who were outspoken against the dam is $1.05
remain detained in Guatemala City’s central prison, more than 16 hours’ travel • Visit our website to download and print these
from their families (who cannot afford to visit them). Many more have fled pages to hand out at events
the country to escape persecution. By declaring martial law in Barillas so • Spread the news on Facebook and Twitter
soon after taking office, President Molina sent a message to the dozens of
More information:
other communities in Guatemala organizing against foreign exploitation: The More information and a model letter is available
government’s new “iron-fist” policy is about protecting profit, not people. at www.cs.org
   In partnership with community radio station Radio Snuq Jolom Konob,
the Western People’s Council, and other grassroots organizations, Cultural Please Take Action!
The Q’anjob’al people of Barillas say 
Survival is joining the fight to hold Hidralia Energia and the Guatemalan gov- Yuj wal dios (“Thank you”)!
ernment accountable to their obligation to respect Indigenous Peoples’ Rights.
Let’s make sure that what happens in Barillas sets an example of respect for
Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination and their right to say no to foreign
exploitation.
Global Response
Cultural Survival www.cs.org
CampaignGuatemala
Alert
Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 15
Defending
Life First
The Struggle to Protect a River—and Human
Rights —in Santa Cruz Barillas, Guatemala
Danielle DeLuca (CS Staff)
I
n the quiet forested valley of Santa Cruz Barillas, Huehue-
tenango, three men were walking home from the town’s
annual fair alongside the bubbling Q’am B’alam River. The
river, which means “Yellow Tiger” in the local Q’anjob’al
Mayan language, has been at the center of conflict in the
community since the Spanish company Hidralia Energia
began prospecting the area in 2009 for the building of a dam.
On that evening of May 1, 2012, an incident occurred that
would prove to be the last straw in a conflict that had been
raising tensions for years. Two uniformed security personnel
from Hidralia Energia appeared along the road. Without
provocation, they fired shots at the three men, killing one and
seriously injuring another before driving off in their company
pick-up truck. The victims of the attack had been outspoken
opponents of the installation of the dam in Santa Cruz Barillas.
Pablo Antonio Pablo, whose hand was nearly shot off, had
refused to sell his riverside land to the company. He had
Above: Community members and others in solidarity
with the town of Barillas march from the center of town
to the site where Miguel was shot.
Photos by Danielle DeLuca (unless otherwise noted)
16 • ww w. cs. org
been receiving threats since 2010, which he had reported to
a local human rights ombudsman. Miguel Andres Francisco,
the fatal victim, formerly held a position as a local elected
official and was considered a leader by his peers.
Hundreds of people in Barillas mobilized in response to
the attack. Their first action was to seek out those presumed
responsible at a local hotel where Hidralia Energia employees
were being housed. Finding it empty, they assumed that the
energy employees were under the protection of local military
and so stormed the military base, demanding an answer for
the death of their leader. Astonishingly there were no further
casualties that night.
By sunrise on May 2, 500 military and 350 national police
equipped with army tanks and anti-riot gear had invaded the
town. The newly elected president, former military general
Otto Perez Molina, proclaimed the municipality an estado
de sitio (state of siege), in effect declaring martial law and
suspending all civil liberties. 
Over the next several days, the military raided over 20 homes
while seeking leaders for capture. Residents say that soldiers
acquired a list of over 100 names of community leaders, many
with photos and some with mobile numbers. It was clear that
the government’s declaration of martial law was not a reaction
to the death of Miguel Andres Fransisco, but to the events that
had followed. The military had intervened to protect the interests of
the company, not the people.
There are conflicting narratives as to what happened on that
night of May 1. Government officials blame the victims, claiming
the shooting happened because the three men walking home were
intoxicated. Government official Mauricio Lopez Bonilla explained
that the estado de sitio was a response to the series of events that
had made the situation “ungovernable,” adding, “This town has
always been troublesome.”  
President Molina justified the militarized state by suggesting
that the conflict originated with gang members “interested in pro-
moting drug-trafficking and organized crime, which explains why
they are seeking the removal of military from the region.” On May
3 he announced that “We have identified 100 people involved [in
the drug trade] that have attempted to protect the interests of
drug trafficking and organized crime.” 
Bonilla admitted that Hydro Santa Cruz, Hidralia Energia’s local
subsidiary, had asked the government for increased military presence
on various occasions, but indicated that the declaration of an estado
de sitio had “no relation” to the dam. The company has denied any
responsibility for the death of Andres Francisco Miguel, instead blam-
ing the community leaders for “causing confusion.” The company’s
public statement claims that all employed security forces were on

Simone Dalmasso
vacation at the time of the shooting.

No Right to Refuse
On June 23, 2007, the community of Barillas organized a referen-
dum on which citizens voted unequivocally to reject transnational
projects within their municipality. Despite the vote, Hidralia Energia
arrived in Barillas in 2009 to explore prospects and subsequently
initiated the Cambalam hydroelectric project. Community leaders
in Barillas soon began organizing to protest the company’s plans.
Hidralia Energia responded to the people’s discontent by levying
legal complaints against community leaders and local residents who
refused to sell their land. In 2009, 10 community members residing
along the banks of the river were
charged with incitement of violence
Photos, top to bottom:
and defamation and were illegally de-
tained. In turn, town officials held a 1. Caution tape placed by
meeting with community members the national police marks
and resolved to halt the construction off the Q’am B’alam River
of the dam. Immediately following where Miguel was killed.
this resolution, Hidralia Energia sought
legal action against the town of Bari- 2. “God Bless Barillas”
llas. The local judge ruled in favor of mural in Parque Central
the company, enforcing the stance in Santa Cruz Barillas.
that the town has no right to refuse
3. Community members
the construction of the dam.
of Barillas, Indigenous
In June 2011, armed security forces
appeared along the banks of the river grassroots organizations,
—the same forces that would eventu- and members of surround-
ally take the life of Andres Miguel. ing communities gather
The guards prohibited the local resi- in the central park of
dents from accessing the falls sur- Barillas on April 18 in
rounding the river as well as their solidarity against foreign
agricultural fields. Citizens filed com- exploitation.
plaints with authorities to no avail.
Instead, 23 arrest warrants were is- 4. “We want an army that
sued for members of the commu- serves the people, not
nity. In January 2012, newly elected international corporations!
leaders of Barillas tried again to find a No to the Dam!”

Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 17


“Whenever the dogs bark it is
because their army passes by.”
could have devastating effects on the waterfalls and
surrounding environment.
   Hydro Santa Cruz insists that the dam is a small project
with a planned output of only five megawatts, but for the
Q’anjob’al people, the significance is much greater: the
Cambalam hydroelectric project represents yet another
instance of a foreign company manipulating an Indige-
nous community and leaving conflict and destruction in
its wake. A community group in Barillas declared: “The
state of Guatemala continues to give concessions and
licenses to foreign companies without taking into account
the views and opinions of the local population that live
in the area, violating Convention 169 of the ILO and the
UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples…
the earth is not an asset to be sold, but is Mother Earth,

Women hidden in a house watch
the street in Santa Rosa, an
aldea of Santa Cruz Barillas.
solution by entering into negotiations with Hidralia Energia.
Despite their efforts, heavy machinery arrived at the site
five days later.
The Earth Is Not an Asset
Huehuetenango is a department in northwest Guatemala that
extends to the border of Mexico. Its forests are home to the high-
est numbers of native plant species anywhere in the country.
Situated on the northern slope of the Cuchumatanes moun-
tain range, it contains four watersheds, which comprise about
75 percent of the area and provide water for over 200,000
people. A UNESCO study marked the area of Barillas among
the highest priority for conservation efforts within Guatemala.
The Q’am B’alam River, which flows along the outskirts
of Barillas, has three sequential waterfalls. Members of the
community (the Q’anjob’al Maya) use the river for washing,
bathing, recreation, and as a sacred ceremonial site; the runoff
water is used for irrigation of agricultural crops. The dam
Simone Dalmasso
and sustains the existence of all of those who inhabit her.”
   Within Huehuetenango alone, at least 49 concessions
have been granted to transnational companies for mining
and hydroelectric projects. People have been horrified to
witness the destruction in communities like San Miguel
Ixtahuacán in neighboring San Marcos, where Guatemala’s
first large-scale gold mine, the Canadian-run Marlin Mine,
has ravaged the community and left disease in its wake.
To a community that is already suspicious of the trans-
national business model, construction of a dam poses another
issue: according to the Q’anjob’al elders, the Q’am B’alam River
was so named for the glints of light that could be seen in the
surrounding waterfalls from gold deposits in the river. “Our
grandmothers and grandfathers knew that there was gold in
the river,” says Barillas resident Josepha Andres. “Today there
exist three villages that surround the waterfalls, now called
Recreos A, B, and C. It’s not a coincidence; these villages were
created by our ancestors to protect this sacred site,” she explains.
The community is determined to protect the river, no
matter what the costs—and the costs have been high. Twenty-
three community leaders were detained in the three weeks
that the community was under siege; another hundred who
are believed to be on President Molina’s blacklist of accused

Community members marked the
place where Andres Francisco Miguel
was killed on May 1 by employees
of Hydro Santa Cruz.
18 • ww w. cs. org
Sign reads, “We shall all rise up, and Relatives of Miguel dig a place for
none will remain behind the others,” a cross to honor his life alongside the
and “Brothers of Barillas, united we Q’am B’alam River, where he was shot
will achieve peace and the real and killed. His wife (center) looks on
development of our community.” with her newborn baby.
drug traffickers fled to the mountains. A group of community leaders who Support Cultural
prefer to remain anonymous out of fear for their safety explain: “Allies of
the company are handing in lists of activists and the army is coming to
Survival Today!
take them away, just as the military did during the country’s civil war. They For 40 years Cultural Survival has worked with
are invading public buses, demanding ID cards in the streets.”
Indigenous Peoples all over the world, from the
The town of Barillas was hit hard during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war.
Anuak people in Ethiopia to Maya communities
Underneath the military base is rumored to be a mass grave where the
bodies of victims of military violence were thrown; similar mass graves have in Guatemala. As we look forward to our next
been found elsewhere in the country. The generation that lived through 40 years, it is essential that we continue to
those times sees this invasion as a continuation of the violence and rep- have your participation in our mission.
ression that claimed many of their family members. The return to power
For more information or to make your gift,
of President Molina, a former general, means that the repression is now
go to donate.culturalsurvival.org
being led by the same individuals who were responsible decades earlier.
Raids were concentrated in the communities of Santa Rosa and
Recreos A, B, and C, the towns surrounding the Q’am B’alam River. In
an interview with Manuel Augusto Lopez Ambrosio, director of the mili-
tary operation in Barillas, he affirmed that the siege was an opportunity
to make arrests of “protagonists in previous conflicts” relating to protests
against the dam.

The Fallout
On May 19, nearly three weeks after Miguel’s death, President Molina
finally lifted martial law in Barillas. Military forces began to withdraw, but
up to 150 military personnel remain in the town “to guarantee security
and avert new disturbances.”
And there are other remnants of the siege: nine men from the com-
munity remain in detention in the national prison in Guatemala City. One
of the detainees, Saul Méndez, had filed a complaint against Hydro Santa Community members
Cruz with a departmental ombudsman for making threats against him.
and others in solidarity
Alberto Brunori, the UN high commissioner for human rights in Guatemala,
with the town of Barillas
confirmed that he had been informed of the human rights violations
and threats of violence prior to Méndez’s arrest. march from the center of
Carlos Manuel Marroquin, a local lawyer, has taken on the case of the town to the site where
nine detainees. At a press conference in late June, he paged through a stack Miguel was shot.
of papers. “In all of this information, there is not any legitimate investiga-
tion that implicates the nine accused men of crimes committed,” he said.
What Marroquin has found are numerous human rights violations and
disrespect for the legal process of detention. “We believe that this case is
very grave for the state of Guatemala, because it demonstrates that when
those arrested are Indigenous campesinos, their individual rights are not
respected. The guarantees of rights are not applied to them . . . and that
just cannot be allowed,” Marroquin said.
One month after the siege ended, on June 18, the community held a
meeting in the town’s central plaza on the Mayan day of Oxlajuj Ix, a day
believed to confer high levels of energy and wisdom. The meeting was a
call for unity and solidarity among the community, Indigenous Peoples
across Guatemala, and grassroots organizations around the world. Some
supporters traveled for days to stand with the community that afternoon.
An inter-denominational prayer was offered for the well being of those
currently under arrest, as well as for those who are still being persecuted
for protesting the energy companies. Sixteen years after the end of armed
conflict, dozens of community leaders again find themselves forced to flee
their homes for asylum in the surrounding mountains, or even Mexico.
In an editorial published by one of Guatemala’s major newspapers,
Juan Luis Font concluded with a petition of justice for those arrested:
“The constitution states that the State should be organized for the primor-
dial purpose of defending human life. The defense of private property comes
second. It’s not the other way around.” While the people of Barillas con-
tinue the struggle to assert their rights, Hermalinda Simon, president of
a local organization for women and children, implores the community to
have faith: “To the wives of those who are being persecuted: do not despair.
We will make sure that your husbands return home as soon as possible.”
Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 19
Indigenous contingent Andean flag at the People’s Summit march Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indigena (CAOI) at the People’s
Summit march
The Future we Don’t Want
Indigenous peoples at Rio+20
Miriam Anne Frank
F
“ arce” and “failure” are a few choice words that
Indigenous Peoples have used to describe Rio+20,
known officially as the United Nations World
Conference on Sustainable Development. The
conference, held from June 20-22, was a follow
up to the 1992 UN Conference on Environment
and Development, a.k.a., the Earth Summit. With over 50,000
registered participants, the Rio de Janeiro-based event was the
largest UN gathering in history. Perhaps not surprisingly, the
event turned Brazilian Indigenous people into poster icons
in the mainstream media. Yet, in spite of such high visibility
and vocal presence, it seems the world’s heads of state were
not listening.
According to the description on the official conference
website, Rio+20 was intended to be a forum for a series of
dialogues on “how we can reduce poverty, advance social
equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more
crowded planet to get to the future we want.” The “we” in this
vision statement refers to 10 “major groups” formalized by
this process: business and industry, local authorities, NGOs,
the scientific and technological community, farmers, women,
children, laborers, trade unions, and Indigenous Peoples.
The fact that Indigenous Peoples had a place at the table
meant they were able to provide input into the formal docu-
ment produced by the conference, which was given the (un-
intentionally) ironic title, “The Future We Want.” Despite its
many shortcomings, “The Future We Want” contains the
strongest mention by an official UN document of the UN
All photos courtesy of Maria Rosa Jijion calderon
20 • ww w. cs. org
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to date. As
stated, “We recognize the importance of the UN Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the global, regional
and national implementation of sustainable development
strategies.” While this recognition is a step in the right direction,
it remains to be seen whether it will truly guide the imple-
mentation phase of Rio+20.
On the whole, “The Future We Want” has been widely
panned. Many major groups, Indigenous Peoples chief among
them, have complained that the document doesn’t actually
represent a future that anybody wants. Much of the resistance
has centered around the concept of the proposed “green econ-
omy.” As per the United Nations Environment Programme,
a green economy is defined as one whose growth in income and
employment is driven by investments in systems to reduce
carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource
efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems.
This development path is supposed to “maintain, enhance,
and, where necessary, rebuild natural capital . . . especially for
poor people whose livelihoods and security depend strongly
on nature.” While perhaps well-intentioned in scope, the
concept of nature-as-market capital is in direct conflict with
the worldviews of many Indigenous Peoples who understand
themselves to be inseparable from nature, as stewards and
caretakers with a responsibility to protect the environment.
The green economy proposed at Rio+20 also fails to address
the inherent unsustainability of the practices that it outlines,
ignoring the reality that natural resources are finite; if not
properly cared for or respected, they will be depleted.
The gap between the rhetoric of the “green economy” and the reality The final Rio+20 document, “The Future We Want,” does not mention
on the ground is most blatant in Brazil, where new laws and policies free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and there was little emphasis on
undermine Indigenous Peoples’ rights and expose them to land the rights of women.
grabs and mining.

Issues of Access was realized. The gathering was organized by the Cordillera
Ensuring the participation of opposing voices was another Peoples Alliance; Land is Life; the Indigenous Environment
major issue at Rio+20. Even those who were able to gain entry Network; and the Inter-Tribal Committee of Brazil. Held at
to the UN compound were restricted from attending the official the sacred site of Kari-Oka Púku on the outskirts of Rio de
meetings and thus had scant access to the decision-makers. Janeiro, Kari-Oca II brought together a large contingent of
The metaphorical distance between the two groups was un- Indigenous Peoples primarily from Brazil and the Americas.
derscored by the conference’s physical setup: world leaders The agenda for this week-long meeting focused on evaluating
were enclosed in a protected space with their backs to the rel- gains and losses since the first Rio conference, including the
atively small, dimly lit area where the rest of the participants status of implementation of such key documents as the UN
congregated. If one was lucky enough to gain entry to the Conventions on Biodiversity and Climate Change. Kari-Oca
guarded room (as few as 15 passes per major group were issued), II was also designed to be a place for the participating groups
one could only observe. Representatives were granted few to collectively strategize and share information. Time was
opportunities to speak, and no real dialogue was possible. set aside for discussion of major environmental issues like
The Sustainable Development Dialogues were meant to deforestation in developing countries and the impact of
provide a forum for engagement between experts and parti- extractive industries and dams, among others.
cipants on key topics, with the opportunity for those at the The resulting declaration of Kari-Oca II condemned
conference—as well as interested parties around the world— the UN’s current agenda: “We see the goals of Rio+20, the
to vote online for the primary messages that would ultimately ‘Green Economy’ and its premise that the world can only
be discussed at the conference. As an ex-
ample, the so-called dialogue on Forests
consisted of 10 expert panelists who each
made individual presentations, leaving
very little time for an actual exchange. As
one Indigenous representative remarked,
most forest dwelling peoples, whose input
would have been vital to discussions in-
volving deforestation, do not have access
to the Internet. Neither were many Indig-
enous people well informed about the
online voting process.
Irrespective of these setbacks, Indige-
nous Peoples came to Rio prepared to
make themselves heard. While often not
well-considered in the main event, they
succeeded in organizing three major
meetings of their own.

Kari-Oca II
Twenty years after the first Indigenous Xavante delegates with “Marãiwaitsede – Land of the Xavante” signs at the People’s
Peoples’ Conference, which coincided Summit march bring attention to the presence of armed invaders occupying their territories
with the 1992 Earth Summit, Kari-Oca II in western Brazil.

Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 21

Participants at International Indigenous Peoples Conference on Self-Determination and Sustainable Development discussed the impacts of
development models on Indigenous Peoples’ rights to food, food sovereignty, and the Andean idea of buen vivir (living well), among many topics.

‘save’ nature by commodifying its life-giving capacities as a presented their declaration. Although many participants were
continuation of the colonialism that Indigenous Peoples and associated with Rio+20 and active in the conference’s official
our Mother Earth have faced and resisted for 520 years.” preparatory processes, they remained skeptical of its outcome.
Although this gathering was held miles from the site of As Onel Masardule (Kuna from Panama) stated: “Govern-
Rio+20, on June 21 participants marched from Kari-Oka Púku ments in most countries have already signed up to human
to the UN compound. Only a small contingent were allowed rights agreements and environmental treaties and have
onto the premises to formally submit their declaration. As endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Kandi Mossett (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations of the Peoples. We are here in Rio once again to demand that States
United States), who participated in the march, stated, “We fulfill their obligations and commitments in all development
cannot commodify the sacred and expect a good outcome.” policies, finance and actions and put proper arrangements in
Mossett spoke from direct experience, having witnessed the place at the national level to implement these agreements.
devastating effects of oil and gas drilling on her homeland Our rights must be secured so that our lands and territories
in North Dakota. are maintained for the benefit of our future generations and
the whole of humanity.”
Indigenous Peoples International Conference
The Indigenous Peoples International Conference on Sustain- Terra Livre
able Development and Self Determination: Standing Together From June 15–22, Indigenous representatives gathered to-
for Our Food Sovereignty, Traditional Cultures and Ways of gether as Campamento Terra Livre (Free Land Camp) during
Life was organized by the Indigenous Peoples’ Global Coordi- the People’s Summit for Social and Environmental Justice in
nating Committee for Rio+20 in the framework of the official Defense of the Commons. The organizers of this dedicated
UN conference. Held on the grounds of Rio’s Museum of the Indigenous space included the Articulation of Indigenous
Republic from June 17-19, the conference was largely attend- Peoples of Brazil, the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations
ed by representatives of Indigenous Peoples who work on of the Amazon River Basin, the Andean Coordinator of Indig-
environmental policy issues. For three days, participants dis- enous Organizations, the Indigenous Council of Central
cussed an agenda that included the impact of development America, and the Guarani Continental Council of the Nation.
models on Indigenous Peoples and food sovereignty, the right Held in Flamengo Park in the heart of Rio, the People’s Sum-
to food, the Andean idea of buen vivir (living well), and issues mit was organized as a counter-conference; the anti-Rio+20.
related to ecosystems and lifestyles. It centered around local and global struggles for anti-capital-
The conference declaration addressed the fundamental ist, -classist, -racist, -patriarchal, and -homophobic political
relationship of culture to sustainable development and the framing.
importance of strengthening diverse local economies and The delegates of the Free Land Camp produced the
territorial management. One critical point, which clearly Terra Livre Declaration, which focuses on the concept of buen
refers to Rio+20’s notion of a “green economy,” states: “We vivir: “We advocate and defend plural and autonomous forms
will continue to reject the dominant neo-liberal concept of lives, inspired by the model of Living Well/Healthy Life,
and practice of development based on colonization, commodi- where Mother Earth is respected and cared for, where humans
fication, contamination and exploitation of the natural world, are just another species among all the other compositions of
and policies and projects based on this model.” multi-diversity of the planet.” The delegates also compiled a
During this conference’s formal side event at the UN list of proposals for action with a focus on issues at the fore-
compound on June 21, Indigenous representatives officially front for the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, such as the need

Despite its many shortcomings, “The Future We Want” contains the strongest mention by
an official UN document of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to date.

22 • ww w. cs. org
Indigenous participation at Kari-Oca II, International Indigenous Peoples Conference, and Terra Livre highlighted an alternative vision of
self-determined development that integrates culture, social values, and rights-based approaches in environment and development policies.

for land demarcation to protect Indigenous territories, along Despite its many failings, Rio+20 succeeded in providing
with calls to improve health conditions and Indigenous a platform for the convergence of social movements, NGOs,
education. and Indigenous Peoples to advocate for their rights. Partici-
On June 20, an especially drizzly day, the Peoples’ Sum- pants of the many side sessions and counter groups developed
mit organized a protest march against Rio+20. Led by the concrete visions for a just, sustainable development model—
Campamento Terra Livre, a contingent of Indigenous Peoples one that is based on what they believe is best for the planet
gathered around a giant rainbow flag. (The icon represents and its inhabitants. Indigenous Peoples at Rio+20 made it
to the Andean people the legacy of the Inca empire, and is clear that the “official” vision to emerge from the conference
a symbol of Indigenous Peoples’ resilience.) Thousands is not the future they want; what they seek instead is a future
marched from Flamengo Park through the streets of down- that is self-determined, and therefore truly sustainable.
town Rio, carrying signs and banners ranging from profes-
sional to homemade. Many participants wore creative — Miriam Anne Frank is an applied anthropologist who has
costumes, some carried giant puppets, others walked on been active in supporting Indigenous Peoples for over two
stilts; all came together to create a joyous and carnival-like decades. Presently she is working for the Sacred Land Film
atmosphere. True to the spirit of Brazil, a truck blaring samba Project, teaches as an external lecturer at the University
music, complete with samba school students dancing along- of Vienna, Austria, and consults for IPOs, NGOs, foun-
side, added the musical component to what turned into a dations, and museums.
daylong march.

Preserving the Environment for Our Relatives

To read the texts of the three declarations
Still to Come
mentioned in the article, visit: goo.gl/Y82XZ
As was perhaps to be expected, the Brazilian government and
media took full advantage of the many photo opportunities
that colorfully dressed Amazonian peoples provided. At Kari-
Oca II, the Brazilian government extolled the creation of a
fund for the promotion of Indigenous culture. However, it Leave a lasting legacy with a
has also recently approved the construction of one of the
most controversial projects in the country’s history—the Belo Planned Gift
Monte dam. The dam promises to bring devastating environ-
Planned gifts build the foundation of Cultural
mental consequences to the region, which happens to be in
heart of the Amazon rainforest; thousands of Indigenous Survival and leave an important legacy for future
Peoples will be displaced as rising river waters flood their generations. A gift from your estate, through
homelands. estate planning vehicles such as wills, trusts, life
Along with many others, Indigenous leader Raoni insurance, and retirement assets, supports our
Metuktire, a chief of the 5,000-member Kayapó tribe, came mission while offering tax advantages to you.
to Rio to defend his people and protest the dam: “The white The Cultural Survival Legacy Society recognizes
man doesn’t want to preserve the forest for the future. This those members who have included Cultural
worries me a lot. Why don’t they preserve green forests for Survival in their estate plans.
our relatives who are still to come?” Metukire’s concerns are
shared by Indigenous Peoples who recognize that their fate is For more information,
not being considered among those in power, neither in inter- go to cs.org/plannedgiving, or call
national forums like Rio+20, nor in any other real long term Patrick Schaefer at 303.562.4360.
capacity.

Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 23

 “We Put Down Our Weapons and Picked
On July 7–8, 2012, members
of 15 community radio stations
partnering with Cultural Survival’s
radio network across Guatemala
gathered for a workshop in the
Mujb’ab’l Yol training center in
San Mateo, Quetzaltenango. The
workshop focused on the difficult
topic of historical memory of
Guatemala’s 36-year armed
conflict, which claimed the lives
of 200,000 mostly Indigenous
people. With the goal of using
self-expression as a tool to alle-
viate trauma, participants wrote Recinos walking through the Quetzaltenango (Xela) market.
Photo by Tracy L. Barnett, The Esperanza Project.
and recorded poems about the
armed conflict in Spanish and
Alberto “Tino” Recinos (as told to Amanda Turner)
their native Mayan languages.

Leading the workshop was Alberto
“Tino” Recinos (Mam), Cultural
Survival’s citizen participation
coordinator, who ran the guerilla
radio station Voz Popular during
the armed conflict. Recinos
founded a community radio
station after the signing of the
Peace Accords in 1996.
The following excerpt has
been adapted from a chapter
of Recinos’ memoirs, a work in
progress, as told to and trans-
lated by Amanda Turner. It
describes Recinos’ introduction
to radio as a tool for social
change.
I
was a guerilla in the Guatemalan Civil War for 12 years. I made uniforms. I transported
weapons. I fought in the mountains. I taught incoming compañeros about our values
and political motivations. Most importantly, I was a radio operator and part of the
outreach for Voz Popular, the guerilla radio program.
I was 12 when the Guatemalan army kidnapped and killed my father for being a com-
munity organizer. My father had lobbied our community to build a school and a medical
center. He had wanted to improve our quality of life and he was killed for it. I joined the
guerilla movement when I was 14 because the army had killed my father, but also because
I strongly believed in what the guerillas were fighting for. Were we communists? Were we
socialists? You can call it whatever you want, but we were fighting for our rights and the
rights of the Guatemalan people; we were fighting against inequality and abuses of Indig-
enous people. I believed in our struggle and I believed that fighting was the only way to
make the Guatemalan government listen to us.
I fought in many battles and I saw many people die. But being a guerilla was like being
in school. The commander asked me to teach fellow guerillas to read and write so that if
they fell into the hands of the enemy, they could write their testimonies. I was a political
instructor in the war. I explained to people why their conviction was important and that
they should share their knowledge with other people so that everyone was equal. The war
taught us how to be more human. The gun was for defending yourself, but the gun didn’t
direct you. You had to direct yourself. The gun was just a tool to stay alive. These were
beautiful things that we learned in the war.
After two years, I was given the great responsibility of being a radio operator. The
first time I was given a radio, I had no idea how to use it. My lieutenant spent five minutes
teaching me and told me to figure out the rest in the field. Because I didn’t really know
how to use the radio, we were without communication for eight days. Luckily, my superior
told the commander that we were without signal because we were in difficult terrain. But
I had a good radio. Man, it was a really good radio.

24 • ww w. cs. org
Up a Microphone”
Once I figured out how to use it, I communicated three
times a day. We had to talk into the radio and say numbers,
and then look up the numbers to understand the words.
There were more than three pages of keys and I memorized

Photo by Danielle DeLuca

most of them. I gained a reputation for being able to write
really well through the radio. Sometimes there were 5,000
numbers in a conversation and headquarters would send
me all those numbers and I would know all of them. I had
a great capacity for hearing and memorizing the numbers.
If you missed one number, then you might not be able to
understand the message. But I hardly ever had to ask people
to repeat. I became second in command for the radios, Participants of Cultural Survival’s first workshop on historical memory, July 8,
imaginase (imagine that)! And I did the communications 2012 in San Mateo, Quetzaltenango. Recinos (far right) poses with his son, Justin.
for some very important actions in the war.
In 1986, I left the mountains. I was sent to Mexico because
I worked for nine years transmitting the programs of
my family, who had been separated from me during the war,
Voz Popular. Then the war ended. In the Peace Accords, the
had finally been found. After reuniting with my family, I was
guerilla leaders made sure to protect the rights of community
recruited to work for Voz Popular, the guerilla radio station.
radio. Indigenous people have a right to community radio
Voz Popular was incredibly important to the guerilla move-
and to protect themselves from massacres like those that
ment and to the education of rural Guatemalans. The radio
happened in the past.
programs told the people about the movements of the army
After the war, my compatriots and I founded Mujb’ab’l
and the guerillas. They told the people which towns were
Yol (“Encounter of Expressions” in Mam). It is a coalition of
targets for massacres. The programs were also educational
community radio stations. We wanted to continue educating
and informed people about their rights.
the people about their rights. We produce programs on
Voz Popular’s programs were made in a tiny studio in
women’s rights, rights of children, alcohol and drug prevention,
Mexico. My partner and I smuggled the programs and a radio
the environment, religious freedom, and the importance of
with a huge antenna across the border into Guatemala so that
political participation. We do not allow any political parties to
the programs could cover the largest range. It was a very dan-
buy airtime; rather, any politician who wants a voice may use
gerous route and we could have been caught and killed at any
our airtime. The radio also serves as a space for community
moment. But we strongly believed in the importance of the
news. In villages where people can’t read newspapers or don’t
radio programs. We were willing to risk our lives for this cause.
have access to television, radio provides critical information.
As it was written in the Peace Accords, people have the right
to community radio.
It has been and continues to be a long struggle to protect
and legalize community radio. Although it is guaranteed by
the Peace Accords, community radio is still not legally pro-
tected under Guatemalan law. There is a strong political
movement now to legalize community radio. My compatriots
and I are working incredibly hard to lobby the government
to protect our radio stations with the passage of a new law.
It is still dangerous to fight for the right to community
radio: my life has been threatened several times because of
the work that I do. But I strongly believe in this cause. The
war has ended, but the fight for the rights of Indigenous
people and rural Guatemalans continues. Community radio
provides education, communication, news, and a sense of
Photo by Danielle DeLuca

freedom. I will continue to fight for the rights of the com-

munity radio stations until Guatemalan law recognizes their
importance in our society. I hope that you will support me
in this movement.

To learn more about Cultural Survival’s

Recinos is interviewed about his experience in the armed con-
Community Radio Program and to get
flict by Idelfonoso Ambrocio (Quiche), member of community
involved, visit: www.cs.org/grp
radio station Nojibal Estereo in Sololá, Guatemala.

Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 25

 Our Voices on the Air
Reaching New Audiences Through Indigenous Radio

Photo by Mark Camp

Over 30 Indigenous language radio producers from
Canada, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico,
New Zealand, Peru, and the United States share
their experiences at "Our Voices on the Air."

Jennifer Weston (CS Staff) scholars in language revitalization, specialists in Indigenous

media, language advocates and teachers, and Indigenous

A
rising hum of Mayan, Euchee, Lakota, Māori, Mixtec,
Spanish, English, and myriad other diverse languages,
followed by moments of calm during an opening
prayer, signaled the start of a three-day language
revitalization and radio conference on the top floor of the
Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Wash-
ington, DC. Thirty Indigenous language teachers, speakers, and
learners who work or volunteer as radio producers gathered
from Canada, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico,
New Zealand, Peru, and the United States to share their
experiences working to revitalize their endangered languages
via radio, online, classroom, and community engagement
programming.
  After a warm welcome from Dr. Eva Pell, Smithsonian
undersecretary for science, sessions convened with a focus on
expanding the use of radio and web-based platforms to main-
tain and revitalize Indigenous languages as rich local reposi-
tories of ceremony, spirituality, song, and biodiversity in
local environments, and as complex indicators of social change
within Indigenous cultures. The conference brought together
radio producers from around the world.
  Olga Mercedes Ajcalon said, “Before coming to this con-
ference, I had thought that it was only Indigenous people in
Guatemala who [were] struggling to maintain our culture
and language. Here I am surrounded by Indigenous brothers
and sisters from many places that are facing the same chal-
lenges that we do back home—and many are succeeding. It is
very inspiring and I will take these lessons back to my people.”
  Longtime radio producer Maria Martín, a member of the
conference organizing committee and director of the Gracias
Vida Center for Media in Antigua, Guatemala, reminded at-
tendees that 65 percent of the world’s population doesn’t use
the Internet regularly, while radios are on daily from the most
rural areas to the densest urban centers. “In the next few days,
let’s think creatively and strategically about how we can help,
support, and learn from each other,” she suggested.
 
Language Loss
Researchers predict that the vast majority of the world’s esti-
mated 6,000 to 7,000 languages may disappear by the end of

“Survival is the treasured goal for all of us.”

— Our Voices on the Air Participant, 2012 

26
26 • • ww
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w. cs.
cs.org
org
 “Our language is the number one source of
our soul, our pride, our being, our strength, and our identity.”
— Indigenous language instructor, Cultural Survival Quarterly, 2010
the 21st Century. Indigenous Peoples, who are the speakers of
the majority of these languages, face an onslaught of discrim-
inatory policies and socio-economic pressures to replace their
tribal languages with more dominant tongues such as English,
Hindi, Mandarin, and Spanish. Within Indigenous languages
is embedded tribal wisdom encompassing cultural values,
spiritual practices, and knowledge of environmental change
accumulated through long-term interactions with local home-
lands and resources; in losing a language, the world loses part
of its collective cultural diversity and a priceless record of
local biodiversity.
Saving and revitalizing languages means teaching them to
the next generations. Radio is an ideal educational medium,
as for many Indigenous communities around the world it is
the most accessible form of information sharing. It is also
relatively easy to create the necessary infrastructure for a
community-based, volunteer-run radio station.
When it comes to revitalizing Indigenous languages,
Hawaiian language advocate Kaimana Barcarse asked, “If not
us, then who? If not now, then when? If not on our Indigenous
lands, then where?” Later, he added, “We are here for the same
reason, the life of our language and the life of our people.
If we can band together, there is nothing that we cannot
accomplish.”
Cross-Cultural Exchanges
Cultural Survival’s Community Radio and Endangered
Languages program joined forces with the Smithsonian Insti-
tution’s Recovering Voices initiative to facilitate endangered
language revitalization by connecting international Indigenous
communities that are producing and expanding radio pro-
gramming in local languages. “Our Voices on the Air: Reaching
New Audiences Through Indigenous Radio” involved the
Smithsonian partner organizations the National Museum
of Natural History, the National Museum of the American
Indian, and the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage,
and was sponsored by the Consortia for World Cultures
and Understanding the American Experience.
Radio producers, linguists, and advocates from many tribal
and mainstream communities shared examples of specific
resources, legal challenges, and other wide-ranging experiences
gained from broadcasting, teaching, and organizing in their
communities. Media professionals from around the world also
brought their expertise to the discussion. Through workshops,
presentations, screenings, and comparative discussion sessions,
producers developed new material—and inspiration—to
enrich their community radio programming at home.
  Oscar Pérez, Central American and El Salvador represen-
tative to the World Association of Community Broadcasters,
summed up the stark contrast between the challenges faced
by US-based tribal communities and their disenfranchised
Indigenous counterparts in the global south: “We work for
the existence of a legal framework that recognizes Indigenous
radio because people are imprisoned and persecuted for
doing community radio,” he said.
 
  Bill Siemering, now of Developing Radio Partners, is
a giant in community radio who helped frame National Pub-
lic Radio’s original mission and founded NPR’s All Things
Considered. In discussing the importance of “peer-sharing,”
Simering said, “The thing we all share is the love of radio and
the passion for this wonderful, personal, intimate medium
that not only brings information to people…but [also] holds
public officials accountable.” He presented brief case studies
of community radio as an educational tool utilized by tribal
and pastoral communities from Tanzania, Mozambique,
Mongolia, and Macedonia. “Few social movements have
a broader reach that affects more people than having an
engaging community radio station,” he said.
  Similar “big picture” presentations by Peggy Berryhill
(Muscogee Creek), founder of the Native Media Resource
Center, and Hugo Morales, a founder and longtime executive
director of Radio Bilingue, set the stage for more specific case
study presentations by Gunargie O’Sullivan, member of the
Canadian National Community Radio Association board
of directors and host on Vancouver Co-op Radio; Kaimana
Barcarse, from ‘Aha Pūnana Leo and KWXX radio in Hilo
and Kona, Hawaii; Maria Rigoberta Gonzales Sal, Radio
Ixchel, and Ancelmo Xunic Cabrera, both from Guatemala;
Lester Revis from the Euchee Language Project’s Yuchi House
and weekly show in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Martin Loft from the
Kanien’kehaka Onkwawenna Raotitiohkwa Language and Cul-
tural Center in Mohawk Territory, Quebec; Cara Joe-Dukepoo
from KUYI Hopi Public Radio, Arizona; Roman Lopez Reyes
and Carlos Alberto Nunez Hernandez from Colectivo Literario
San Lucas Quiavini, Oaxaca; Wena Tait, station manager at
Te Reo Irirangi Māori o Te Upoko ote Ika, New Zealand; and
Brian Brashier, station manager for Chickasaw Nation
Community Radio in Ada, Oklahoma.
Looking Forward
Through Cultural Survival’s language and radio programs,
along with our Smithsonian Institution partners, we intend to
continue collaborating with local Indigenous radio producers
to expand on the stories and recordings from the conference
in order to develop an international radio series for broadcast
to a wide community and public radio audience. The series
will tell the story of the endangerment of the world’s languages,
the importance of revitalizing these languages, and the crucial
role that community radio programming can play in revital-
izing Indigenous languages as a catalyst for social justice.
Cultural Survival hopes that the conference will bring us
closer to our organizational objectives of establishing inter-
national networks of Indigenous community radio stations
and language revitalization programs.
To learn more about the “Our Voices on the
Air” conference, to join the conversation on
our blog, and to listen to programs produced
by participants, visit: www.cs.org/our-voices-on-the-air
Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 27
 Ba za a r Ar tis t: Porfirio Gutierre z
Weaving for the Environment
and Future Generations
Gutierrez weaving on a traditional loom.
Nuts, bark, insects, and
indigo as natural dyes.
Photos courtesy of Porfirio Gutierrez
P
orfirio Gutierrez comes from a long tradition of Zapo-
tec rug weavers. Born and raised in Teotitlan Del Valle,
Oaxaca, Mexico, Gutierrez learned the art of weaving
and dyeing wool using plants, minerals, and insects
under the tutelage of his father. He has since perfected this
traditional skill and become a vocal advocate for his people’s
culture and art.
“We are one of only eight families, amongst hundreds in
Teotitlan, that uses organic methods of dyeing wool. We are not
only keeping traditional ways of making rugs alive but we are
trying to protect the environment from harmful synthetic dyes
that pollute our waterways. When dyed wool and rugs are
washed in Teotitlan’s local creek, the entire ecosystem suffers,”
Gutierrez commented at the Cultural Survival Bazaar in
Tiverton, RI this past July.
The commitment to using natural dyes and more sustainable
practices inevitably leads to a history lesson in Zapotec weaving
traditions. For centuries, Zapotec weavers found the sources for
their dyes in plants, insects, and minerals native to Oaxaca. Using
abundant resources like nuts, tree bark, cochineal insects, and
indigo, Zapotecs developed a sustainable palette of colors for
their woven designs. “I hope my entire village will resort to using
the region’s vast supply of natural plants, minerals, and insects,
just as our ancestors did originally. This is for the long-term
benefit of our community,” Gutierrez says.
With an eye to the future and roots firmly in the past, Gutier-
rez blends Zapotec-inspired patterns with his eco-conscious sen-
sibility, producing striking rugs, tapestries, and pillows. Working
side by side with his father and siblings to complete each new
28 • ww w. cs. org
Don’t miss
the Winter
2012 season
of the Cultural
Survival
Bazaars
The 2012
Bazaar series raised
over $445,749 for
Indigenous artisans and
their communities.
To learn more, visit:
bazaar.
culturalsurvival.org
piece, a rug measuring 3x5 feet can take several weeks to pro-
duce on a traditional loom. The range of styles he achieves in his
work brings new meaning to the idea of organic design: both his
materials and his methods have evolved to blend effortlessly with
contemporary style. “I am inspired by symbolic elements that
represent earthly concepts—life, nature, and eternity,” Gutierrez
explains.
Gutierrez investigates and studies ancient symbols from
Zapotec culture; weaving has always involved an element of
storytelling. “I value the importance of reinterpreting and redis-
covering traditional symbols and motifs in my work,” he says.
“I recently saw a circle motif on a plate unearthed in an archaeo-
logical dig and this motif made its way into a new weaving. It
tells the story of connection, respect, and longevity and repre-
sents the key to understanding my past and my commitment
to the future of weaving in Teotitlan.”
Gutierrez plays the roles of advocate, educator, and cultural
ambassador. Currently he is based in California, but he continues
to work closely with his family back home and has started Indigena
Design Studio, a studio dedicated to the promotion of Zapotec
weaving tradition among youth in Teotitlan. He travels around
the U.S. showcasing his and his community’s work. “The Cultural
Survival Bazaars provide Indigenous artists [an opportunity] not
only to market their art to a receptive audience that understands
the value of hand-made crafts, but it allows us to share our
cultures and continue our traditions.”
To learn more about Porfirio Gutierrez’s work, visit:
www.porfiriodesign.com
2012 End-of-the-World Prophecy Discredited (Again)
Agnes Portalewska (CS Staff)

I
t seems the closer we get to December 21, 2012,
the more we hear the “doomsday” myth repeated.
It shows up in films, television commercials, cable
specials, and print ads. To Maya priests, however,
December 21, 2012, or Oxlajuj Baktum, does not signal
the end of the world. The date actually marks the end
of a 5,129-year Long Count calendar cycle, the end of
one cycle and the beginning of another.
“I want to send a message to everyone in North
America, and the rest of the world: You don’t have to
be afraid, because 2012 isn’t going to end the world.
[There will be] a new era of peace. Maybe the filmmakers
weren’t listening when they asked about 2012, or maybe
they got it from a bad source. But they are taking advan-
tage of our culture, and profiting from it,” says Julian
Velazquez, a Maya spiritual guide in Momostenango,
Guatemala.
A recent discovery of a Maya mural in a chamber in
Xultún, a large Maya archaeological site that flourished
between 600 and 800 CE, provides additional confirma-
tion that December 21, 2012 does not portend the end
of the world. The mural, which is located near the Pre-
classic site of San Bartolo in the Petén Jungle of northern
Guatemala, depicts the cyclical nature of time; the cham-
ber walls are covered in calculations that are thought to
have aided scribes in tracking time. The mural includes
glyphs and columns of numbers in the form of bars
and dots, based on astronomical observations. Scholars
believe that the glyphs refer to dates thousands of years
into the future—perhaps as far as 7,000 years from the
time they were painted—further undermining the
misconception that the Maya were predicting the end
of the world on December 21, 2012.
In a full excavation of the site last year, William Saturno,
a Boston University archaeologist, and his team of students
found what they believe to be the ancient workroom of a
Maya scribe, a record-keeper of Xultún. The scribe’s cal-
culations are barely visible hieroglyphic texts depicted
on the east and north walls of the chamber that appear
to represent various calendar cycles the Maya were noted
for: the 260-day ceremonial calendar, the 365-day solar
calendar, the 584-day cycle of Venus, and the 780-day
cycle of Mars.
At the time the mural was created, Xultún was suffer-
ing through a period of intense drought. Throughout
the region, cities were collapsing. In times of difficulty,
the Maya turned to their leaders for guidance in appeas-
ing the gods. In turn Maya leaders consulted astrono-
mers and scribes, who used a combination of past events
and complex arithmetic to predict the future. Placed in
this context, the calculations in the mural appear to have
been a practical response by the people of Xultún trying
To learn more
to make sense of what was happening. While it is impos-
about Maya
sible to know the Maya’s intentions with exact certainty,
priests’ take on
one thing is clear: on December 22, the world will still
2012, visit: www.cs.org
be here. As for the myth of 12/21/2012? We predict the
end is near.
Cultural Survival Quarterly September 2012 • 29
 Seven easy ways to
support Indigenous Peoples
and Cultural Survival

8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Make Become Give a gift Invest in Give Make Your Be Social.
an online a Monthly subscription Future Appreciated Voice Heard. Like us
donation to Sustainer. of the Generations. Stock! Send an on Facebook
Cultural By making Cultural Include Save on capital email to Hydro (facebook.com/
Survival and your donation Survival Cultural gains taxes by Santa Cruz culturalsurvival),
save a tree! automatic Quarterly Survival in donating your to stop dam follow
every month, to someone your estate appreciated construction us on Twitter
Cultural you love. plans and stock and other on the Q’am (@CSORG). Tell
Survival can Donate online leave an securities B’alam River in three friends
spend more or call the important today. Guatemala. about Cultural
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programs future barillas invite them
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Indigenous Visit: members.
Peoples. www.cs.org/
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