Traditional communities do not often voluntarily give up or
sell the resources on which their communities are based until their commu-
nities have been destroyed. They also do not willingly allow their landbases to
be damaged so that other resources—gold, oil, and so on—can be extracted.
It follows that those who want the resources will do what they can to destroy
traditional communities.
Featured image: Sápara leader Gloria Ushigua. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown by Sarah Belle Lin / Intercontinental Cry For the Sápara Peoples of the Ecuadorian Amazon, “Sinchi”, or “sacred” is the term that best describes their ancestral language and forests. Though abundant with meaning, the Sápara never had a word for “sacred”. There was … Continue reading The Sápara Nation vs. The Slimy Oil Mungia→
Thirteen Brazilian Indians have been hospitalized after a brutally violent attack by men armed with machetes in the Amazon. One man appears to have had his arms severed in disturbing photos released to Survival International. ... Continue reading →
Featured image: The Barro Blanco Dam in the Province of Chiriqui, western Panama. The dam is complete and will begin operation within weeks, according to the government. The Ngäbe-Bugle have been opposed to the project since its inception. Photo by Camilo Mejia Giraldo by Tracy Barnett / Intercontinental Cry PANAMA CITY, Panama – The … Continue reading Panama Meeting on Human Rights, Environmental Issues Sows Hope, Disappointment→
Featured image: Ngäbe-Bugle community members canoe on the Tabasará River. By Camilo Mejia Giraldo by Camilo Mejia Giraldo / Mongabay For nearly a decade, Panama’s Barro Blanco dam has met with strong opposition from indigenous Ngäbe communities. It has also generated violent suppression from government forces, and attracted criticism from international organizations. An agreement on the … Continue reading Panama’s Barro Blanco Dam to Begin Operation→
by Intercontinental Cry “Na Sam” is a documentary film that sheds light on the modern Chorote way of life. After being subjugated into a group of insecure land occupiers on their own land, the Chorote have arrived at a desperate pass. Located in the central-western Chaco region of Argentina, the Chorote are witnessing … Continue reading Video: “No Sam (What is Ours),” A Culture Dueling to Exist→
Featured image: Afro-Colombian communities along the Patia River plundered by corporate privatization of water sources. by Mary Louisa Cappelli Colombia’s infrastructure development projects have led to privatized water grabbing and the marginalization and displacement of many indigenous and Afro-descendent communities living along the Patia River Corridor. Ingeneria de Vias SA (VIAS SA), a … Continue reading Silencing of the River: Environmental Racism and Afro-Descendent Displacement along Colombia’s Patia River→