Stories about Indigenous from November, 2012
Worldwide Protests for Brazil's Indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá
Threatened with expulsion from their land, with their waters poisoned, and ready to resist to the death, the Guarani-Kaiowá indigenous community of Pyelito Kue / Mbarakay, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, finds on social media and on the streets worldwide support from activists.
Indigenous Organization Denounces Brazil at the UN
The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) denounces [pt] human rights abuses against the indigenous populations in an open-letter [pt] to the United Nations. Among several issues, APIB calls the attention to the Guarani-Kaiowa genocide, the mining projects on indigenous lands and the illegal constructions in the Amazon rainforest...
Brazil: More Dialogue Needed to Solve the Conflict of the Guarani-Kaiowá
The Youtube account A Luta Guarani released a video interview [pt] with the Guarani-Kaiowá anthropologist Tonico Benites. He comments on the attacks by farmers of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and calls for more dialogue to solve the conflicts. In April 2012, an open letter [pt] written by Benites...
Crowdmapping Water Contamination in Peruvian Indigenous Communities
How can individuals hold the extractive industries accountable for the impacts – poisoned water, food, and heightened conflict are a few examples – of its activities? One project, called La Cuidadora, provides an information sharing network to assist indigenous communities in better protecting themselves from these impacts.
Brazilian Guarani Community Denounces ‘Poisoned’ River
A video showing the contamination of the Ypo'i river, near the settlement of an indigenous Guarani community, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, has been circulating on the web. The Guarani, struggling for their land, “believe it was deliberate and ‘not an accident’”, Survival International reports.
Brazilian Court Suspends Eviction Order of Indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá
The mass online mobilization that followed an appeal from the Guaraní-Kaiowá indigenous community of Pyelito Kue in Mato Grosso do Sul gave crucial support to their struggle to resist expulsion from their lands. In late October, the Brazilian courts decided to suspend their eviction order. However, the struggle continues until their lands are officially demarcated.
Interview with Salvadoran Indigenous Leader
“Our philosophy as indigenous peoples is to have our land, as she is our mother”, Shandur says. “We need to have our land, to have our fruit, rather than money.” Robin Llewellyn interviewed Salvadoran indigenous leader Shandur Kuátzin Makwilkali for Intercontinental Cry. Shandur is the President of the National Federation...
Sudan: Nuba Mountains Activist Detained for 8 Months
In the middle of the night on 14 March 2012, the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) abducted a woman named Jalila Khamis Kuku from her home and took her into custody. Denied access to a lawyer and even a change of clothes, Jalila was dragged into a pickup truck in her night gown accompanied by a dozen NISS officers in civilian clothes.
Bride Kidnappers in Kyrgyzstan to Face Harsher Penalties
Although bride kidnapping is a crime in Kyrgyzstan, many men continue abducting the girls they want to marry. Under pressure from women's groups, the Kyrgyz Parliament has recently introduced harsher penalties for this practice. Now kidnapping a girl and forcing her into marriage is almost as serious a crime as stealing sheep.
Water Pollution Threatens Lives in Inner Mongolia's Tengger Desert
Members of the Yellow River 10-Year Investigation team have begun reporting on the situation regarding water pollution in the Tengger Desert of Inner Mongolia. The team pointed out that black industrial water emitted by a coal chemical processing factory in the industrial district has been contaminating the desert's underground water, destroying the local herders' homeland and endangering the lives of those in the desert.
Chile: Mapuche Win Big in Municipal Elections
In indigenous online newspaper Azkintuwe [es], Pedro Cayuqueo [es] points out that 9 Mapuche mayors and over 30 Mapuche councilmembers were elected in the October 28 municipal elections in Chile. Cayuqueo argues that this big win means several important things, for example: Far from the “violent” and “anti-system” caricature, the...
