Las Lianas is working in Ecuador’s southern Amazon region to help solidify indigenous peoples’ territorial claims and reaffirm the collective and indivisible nature of ancestral lands. We are partnering with the federations of the Achuar and Shiwiar nationalities; the Shuar-Achuar Interfederational Committee; the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE); and Fundación Pachamama.

Southeastern Ecuador is still relatively undisturbed by development and indigenous peoples still hold and manage large territories in traditional ways. However, powerful outside interests are pushing oil exploration into the region and creating conflicts over land. Indigenous nationalities need new tools and structures to strengthen their traditional land claims. To this end, we are working on three interlocking initiatives.

1.     We are providing legal and technical assistance to the Achuar and Shiwiar federations to reform their land titles, with the goal of creating unified titles for each nationality. Each federation has made this a priority because their members see a unified territory as a source of greater security, a prerequisite for preserving autonomy, and a requirement for sustainable development.

2.     Las Lianas also works with the Interfederational Committee of the Achuar and two Shuar Federations. (Formed to coordinate opposition to oil development, the committee unites the two largest indigenous populations in the region.) We are facilitating the exchange of information and experiences among these groups; helping build a regional strategy for defending indigenous lands; and developing joint efforts in dialogue with governmental bodies and outside interests.

3.     Finally, Las Lianas is helping create a global vision for indigenous territories and influence policies at the national level. Our work with the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) begins by gathering information from, and hearing concerns of, member organizations. The goal is to help CONAIE develop political advocacy in support of local efforts and ensure that the collective territorial rights provided for in the Ecuadorian constitution are applied in practice.

The Achuar people were officially recognized by the Ecuadorian government on June 7, 2005. The recognition comes at the end of an intensive three-year process that began with the participation of Achuar men and women to define by-laws in village-level workshops in 2003 and led to the their establishment of new governing systems based on traditional practices and cultural history. Now the Achuar have become the first nationality in Ecuador to take advantage of a recent government decree that makes it possible for a council of representatives from each of Ecuador’s indigenous peoples (CODENPE) to formally recognize indigenous peoples and communities.

Update: On October 19^th, 2005, the Shiwiar people followed the Achuar and became the second indigenous nationality to win official recognition from CODENPE.

Historically, the only way for indigenous nationalities or their constituent communities to gain legal recognition in Ecuador was to incorporate along the lines of social organizations such as clubs, non-profit organizations, or unions; no legal mechanism existed for the Ecuadorian government to formally recognize their existence as a people. In order to obtain the legal status necessary for holding title to land, open bank accounts, or interact with many government agencies, indigenous communities were forced to imitate mestizo organization’s structures and by-laws. This meant abandoning traditional practices such as the recognition of traditional leaders and the use of collective decision-making in favor of the election of officers and a system of majority rule.

In contrast, the new by-laws developed by the Achuar (and the Shiwiar) reflect their distinct cultural and organizational characteristics, including traditional forms of collective decision-making, authority and justice. They also incorporate an understanding of indigenous people’s rights under international law. This new approach to self-governance and legal recognition is an important step for the indigenous peoples’ movement of Ecuador towards full recognition of collective rights to govern their own territories as part of a multi-national State. Las Lianas’ Legal Director, Bolívar Beltrán has worked closely with the Achuar and the Shiwiar in the development of each nationality's collective vision for their people, and then guided the legal process to achieve this important milestone. In this work, we partner with—and are funded by—the Pachamama Alliance (www.pachamama.org).