“Destroying the Amazon is the Destruction of the World”
Kaya Purchase / Nov 26 / Civil Rights
Image copyright Amnesty International
Mujeres Amazonicas: the women who ‘will not be stopped’ and why their fight is the whole world’s fight
Nina Gualinga grew up in the Amazon Rainforest. As a child, she played among the trees and rivers, searching for crabs under stones, which her family would roast over an open fire. Her Grandmother taught her the tricks of the forest and the secrets of sacred songs. When she was barely five years old, her Grandparents took her on a trip down-river in a canoe. They saw turtles and birds and later stopped on a beautiful white beach where her Grandfather built a shelter from leaves and caught some fish. They ate the fish fresh with roasted banana in a night so dark you could only see the stars. When she was older, she gave birth to her son, whose name means ‘infinite love,’ in the forest surrounded by the women of her family.
Nina is a descendant of an indigenous community who live in Sarayaku, an Amazonic region of Ecuador. She had an idyllic childhood living in harmony with nature, but by the time she had turned eight oil companies had already turned their sights on her home. In 1990 an oil company backed by military officers descended unannounced on Sarayaku and began a mining operation. When the local community tried to challenge them they were told they had no official written deed declaring their claim to the area. In the eyes of the Ecuadorian government the territory belonged to the State. The Elders retaliated with a 300 km march to Quito, the capital city, where the Sarayaku people stormed the President’s office, refusing to leave until they were granted legal ownership of their land. In a conference in 2015, Nina’s Aunt, Patricia Gualinga shared some of the legends and myths of her lineage. Her people, she said, were often called ‘Children of the Jaguar’ because their ancestors were shamans who could transform into jaguars. They were also referred to as people of the Zenith. This describes people who ‘will fight to the ultimate consequence.’ Until her lands were under threat, Patricia didn’t truly understand the meaning of this legacy, but since the 1990 victory she has known that she is indeed prepared to fight until the end to defend the Amazon.
The struggle of 1990 was not the last. Since then, despite obtaining legal claim, the Sarayaku people have been repeatedly threatened and bullied by oil companies. In 2002, Argentinean oil company CGC, invaded the Sarayaku territory, felling trees, clearing roads and destroying plants that have sacred significance in indigenous culture. As part of their drilling operation, they buried 1,400 kilos of dangerous explosives in the ground. Yet again, the Sarayaku people fought back – and yet again, they won. In 2012 – yes, a decade of resistance later – in a legal victory against the state of Ecuador, The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled against the state for ‘seriously endangering the right to life of members of the Sarayaku community.’ Whilst this is good news in theory, the laws of protection granted the Sarayaku people are not being adhered to and explosives have still not been removed.
Since Patricia Gualinga has taken such a public stance against oil extraction she has received a number of death threats. She’s not alone. Amazonian women have had their homes and shops set on fire, stones thrown at them, and experienced physical abuse. The authorities have failed to investigate the identity of the perpetrators. Aware of the dangers of being so vocal against such powerful organisations, Patricia and other indigenous women from the Amazon, such as Margoth Escobar and Salome Aranda formed Mujeres Amazonicas. This group provides protection against the multiple levels of threat that women are especially vulnerable to. It is a cross-generational group of over 100 women, consisting mainly of descendants of the seven indigenous nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Although they are an eclectic mix, they are united in a common battle to protect the sanctity of Mother Earth or ‘Pachamama’. They are dedicated not just to defending their home from resource extraction, but also to women’s rights, education, healthcare and the preservation of indigenous traditions. They are a fierce example of grassroots opposition and collective courage in the face of powerful and corrupt governments and multi-national corporations. They are also a testament to the unwavering resilience of women when they take action and support each other.
Nina Gaulinga has described how women from all over the Amazon descended on Quito in response to more violent attacks. They came from deep in the forest, some with babies in their arms, some with babies strapped to their backs. They delivered the Mandate of the Women Defenders of the Amazon that they had spent months carefully collating. It has 22 points. These points primarily call for the cancellation of oil companies in their territory, but they also demand an ‘in-depth and historical investigation into the sexual and gender-based violence associated with mining activities’ and ‘a closure of the sources of contamination of Villano and Curaray rivers’ which have been polluted for 28 years due to extractive practises.
Their activism has been met with predictable animosity from Ecuadorian media. Just those who protested the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock were branded as terrorists, Mujeres Amazonicas have also been subject to what Patricia Gualinga calls a ‘media lynching’. In the face of this hostility, Mujeres Amazonicas fight on, risking their lives every time they raise their voice:
“We’re not just fighting to stop the threats to my life, my home, my community,” says Patricia. “We’re fighting to protect your children, who have just as much right to clean air as we do. We are fighting for your oxygen, the future of your planet, your wellbeing.”
“We’re not just fighting to stop the threats to my life, my home, my community,” says Patricia. “We’re fighting to protect your children, who have just as much right to clean air as we do. We are fighting for your oxygen, the future of your planet, your wellbeing.”
If the Amazon is the lungs of the world then these women are the defenders of the world, the ribcage that stands defiant, extended in protection around our source of life. Yet, the wider world fails to listen to the lessons these women can teach us. In a twist of tragic irony it is those who have been the most sustainable and lived in harmony with the Earth, who are impacted most noticeably by the immediate effects of the environmental crisis. Since their latest street demonstration in March this year, the Amazon has been impacted by severe floods, which the indigenous community claim is a result of climate change. Indigenous people can teach us a lot about how to adapt our society to slow down the rate of climate change and preserve the Earth for future generations. Instead of respecting this knowledge, we endanger their lives. We need to support Mujeres Amazonicas and indigenous communities the world over in every way we can. In the words of Nina Gualinga ‘this fight belongs to all of us.’
If you would like to support Mujeres Amazonicas they have their own Instagram page where they auction handmade jewellery and have a link to their Crowdfunding page: @mujeresamazonicas They still need protection against attacks and funds to rebuild the damage caused by the floods.
You can find out more about how Amnesty International is supporting Mujeres Amazonicas here.
Amnesty International will post when there are actions you can take such as petitions to support Mujeres Amazonicas.