From: Godenas-AT-aol.com
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 1996 19:36:48 -0500
Subject: Fwd: re-peru/ashaninka 


AIDESEP was actually formed in 1982 as a counterinsurgency/propaganda
organization in 1983 as a salve to the highly successful organizing efforts
of the PCP among the 50,000 Ashaninkas who, due to their isolation and abject
poverty were among the most oppressed classes.   Within three years (by
1986), the communists had not only organized the Ashaninkas to defend
themselves against the many abuses heaped upon them (land theft, rape, unpaid
labor, robbery through usurious terms of trade, etc) by land speculators, the
military, and the civilian authorities, they had also launched extensive
projects in education, health care, food production and distribution, and
light industry.  By 1986, according to Luis Arce Borja, the PCP had
established the first Open People's Committee among the Ashaninkas at Selva
de Oro, at the mouth of the Mantaro River.  By 1989 the communists had sunk
deep roots in all of the Ashaninka communities, forming literally hundreds of
peoples' committees, and holding deomocratic elections to people the new
civilian and miliary offices of the New Democratic State.  This is the real
origin of the rondas--vigilante squads--organized by the Peruvian military to
prey on the Ashaninka people (a fact even Amnesty International
acknowledges).  It is why "officials" with no link at all to the mass of
Ashaninkas speak of "two fires"--the government and the PCP.  The PCP derives
their authority from sinking deep roots among the people.  These officials
derive theirs by government fiat.  There is no comparison.   And this is also
why US Green Berets established a base near the Cutivereni and Ene Rivers
(ostensibly as part of their bogus "war on drugs").  The imperialists, as
well as their paid pimps in organizations like AIDESEP and other NGOs fear
the new power of the Ashaninkas like the plague.  The Peruvian government is
desperate to defeat the PCP and the inroads it has made among the indigenous
people.  It must "pacify" (vis a vis the Green Berets) the Ashaninkas or
exterminate them.  
Anyone familiar with the counterinsurgency plans of the US government in
Vietnam will recognize immediately the situation prevailing among the
Ashaninkas.
                                            Louis Godena  
---------------------
Forwarded message:
From:	MLuftmensch-AT-hubcap.mlnet.com (Michael Luftmensch)
Sender:	owner-marxism-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu
Reply-to:	marxism-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu
To:	marxism-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu
Date: 96-02-17 19:04:20 EST

I happened upon this & thought it woth posting as it relates to the subject
under discussion in this thread. 
- luftmensch

Peruvian State Targets "Abandoned" Lands of Ashaninka

Interview with Mino Eusebio Castro

Mino Eusebio Castro is the vice-president of the Inter-Ethnic Association
for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP). AIDESEP is an
association of organizations from the Peruvian Amazon. Indigenous regional
organizations in the Amazon began forming in the 1970s.  In 1980, these
groups formed AIDESEP as a national coordinating body. AIDESEP defends the
rights of over 500,000 Indigenous inhabitants of the Peruvian rainforest.

Tell us about yourself and your community.

My name in my maternal language is Naaperori Shirampari Asheninka, in
Spanish it is Eusebio Castro. I am Ashaninka. The Ashaninka are one of 63
groups that inhabit the Amazon region of Peru. Traditionally, the
Ashaninkas were a warrior society that controlled a magical area. We lived
from resources such as hunting, fishing and trade with other Indigenous
communities. But all that changed, and our history became conquered by lies
and broken promises. We tried to reject tokens brought to us, but there
were many abuses and violations. Our Indigenous rights were violated, and
many of our women were raped. In some cases, we were enslaved.

Guerrilla Threats

What have been the major threats to the Ashaninka?

The exploitation of lumber by colonists has resulted in much violence. The
guerrilla groups Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and the Tupac Amaru
Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) have also violated Indigenous rights. They
have oppressed us and killed bilingual teachers and leaders. Although we
tried to resist, we did not have sophisticated weapons. If we did defend
ourselves and killed someone, the Peruvian Constitution declares that we
would be tried as murderers. Thus by justice, we were between two fires as
it is said.

When did the intrusion of the Shining Path into the Ashaninka communities
begin?

It began in 1978 and 1979, and by 1980 there was incursion into our areas,
not with violence, but with lies, so we would become their strength. By
1989, there was an uprising in the Pichi valley to reject the revolutionary
movement. The MRTA kidnapped and killed our hero Alejandro Calderon. As a
result, many leaders rose up to protest and counter this force. By 1991, we
were able to expel all those guerrillas who had infiltrated the Pichis
Valley.

The Shining Path entered our communities in 1993 which resulted in the
massacre of the Chiriary community in the region of Satipo. About 57 people
were killed (see Abya Yala News, Vol. 7, Nos. 3 and 4). Presently, we have
more than 39 communities that have disappeared. Many people have been
displaced and are refugees.

We have organized ourselves into self-defense groups. We asked the military
if they would be willing to collaborate with us to achieve peace. We want
peace.

You have made an alliance with the military with a goal of pacification,
yet, according to international information, many of the those killed have
been as a result of the military.  Do you have faith in the military or was
it through circumstances that you had to make a necessary pact?

This is not our war. The military does not know who is who. We indicated
that since we know the territory, we should help defend it, but we were not
given sufficient arms to confront the guerrillas. Who cares when an
Indigenous person is killed? No one. When one of the military dies, then it
is another story. They are made into heroes. When an Indigenous person dies
in defense of his territory, no one says anything.

What were the guerrillas and military disputing in the region?

Until now the struggle has been for power. The Shining Path wanted to gain
more power by using the Indigenous people in the war against the state, but
since we are dedicated to peace, we did not concede easily.

Has peace been achieved in your communities? Is there still war?

There is relative peace, but it is a latent problem. We can not say that it
is finished. With everything else, the violence is relative; this does not
mean that everything is fixed. Peace exists in the urban areas where there
are police and military personnel. But what guarantee can we count on when
there are 200 kilometers between communities outside of the city? We have
no guarantee, thus we cannot say that there is total peace.

Indigenous Property Rights

How is AIDESEP preparing for the defense of territories, for maintaining
biodiversity, and assuring a future for the Indigenous communities of the
Amazon?

In AIDESEP we have a program of establishing communal reserves. In the zone
of Guayali, we have gained more than 100 property titles for the
communities. There are still 80 left that need to be signed. There are many
blocks through the Ministry of Agriculture because of lobbying of lumber
companies.

In the new Peruvian Constitution, articles 82 and 83 have decreed that our
lands can be seized if they are deemed "abandoned" by the state. They can
then be bought by those who have the most economic power, like the
petroleum companies.

Do you have lands that you consider abandoned?

Traditionally, for us there are no abandoned lands, because we view land
space in an integral manner. We are trying to take initiative in protecting
and in managing the rich biodiversity of the area.

Is there petroleum exploitation taking place in the Indigenous areas of the
Amazon?

The Candoshi community has been the most affected by oil exploitation. It
is located in the northern region by the Maranon and Pastaza rivers.
Occidental Petroleum has bought lot number four. The Candoshi reject this
completely. AIDESEP and the Candoshi community have staged protests and put
pressure on the government arguing that this was not done with the consent
of the Candoshi community.

AIDESEP has sent letters of protest to Occidental Petroleum, yet their
responses are vague, stating that they are concerned about the
environmental impact. But a few months ago we verified that there was a
major oil spill on the Pastaza River. This means that all the flora and
fauna will be poisoned. In addition, the Candoshi will not be able to
subsist on hunting and fishing. In the San Juan community, the oil company
has been offering to pay people to relocate to another area. They have come
in with clothing and medicine. The Candoshi general council declared that
they do not recognize these actions  as legitimate. They took back all the
things given to the families, and the company was told to leave. This has
created quite a reaction from the company as well as the Ministry of
Energy.

Is there much contamination in the rivers?

There is mercury in rivers such as Madre de Dios. Some of the people have
eaten the fish which are contaminated and have become very ill. As you know
mercury is deadly. In the Chanchamayo and Perene rivers, there has been so
much mineral waste that all of the fish have been killed.

Is there a political movement that has tried to stop this contamination?

Various environmental and ecological organizations have tried to raise
public awareness, but to date the government has not imposed any
regulations to stop the dumping of mineral waste.

==============================================================This article is from the Spring 1995 (Vol. 9, No. 1) issue of Abya Yala
News, the quarterly journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights
Center (SAIIC).  Memberships to SAIIC, which include 4 issues of Abya Yala
News, are $25 a year (4 issues) for individuals, $15 low-income, $25 for
Indian/social justice non-profits, and $40 for institutions.  Your support
helps us send the journal in Spanish free to Indigenous activists
throughout Latin America.

Redistribution of this article is permitted anywhere on the Internet
provided this message is attached.  If you reprint this article in your
newsletter, please credit SAIIC and send us a copy.

SAIIC, Box 28703, Oakland, CA  94602
(510) 834-4263 / (510) 834-4264 (fax)
saiic-AT-igc.apc.org
==============================================================
----
South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC)
Box 28703
Oakland, CA  94604
(510) 834-4263       Fax: (510) 834-4264      Email: saiic-AT-igc.apc.org
Home Page: http://www.igc.apc.org/saiic/saiic.html
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