INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Mexico is formed by a diversity of peoples and cultures that has always differentiated from the rest of the national society. Actually there are 59 different peoples that combined make more that 10 million of the Mexican population. The indigenous peoples living in the state of Oaxaca make the 70% of the population in this state situated south of Mexico.
THE VALUE OF THESE CULTURES
Through
our cultures we have found values such respect for nature and human life,
through our traditions and costumes we have been able to practice those
values and not like governments and political parties just talk about respect,
justice, honesty, freedom, equality, solidarity and mutual co-operation.
The culture of our peoples manifests in their view of the world, their language,
their clothes, medicine, gastronomy, music, dances, way of organising and
our own method of electing our authorities through the people’s assembly,
this represents a pillar of life to counter the onslaught and divisions
caused by the political parties. The ‘tequio’ is the community
labour that allows us relate to our mother land and nature, it is done freely
and helps develop our community.
INTANGIBLE AND INSTRUMENTAL VALUES
We could classify some of the values found in the traditions and costumes of these peoples in two categories: intangible and instrumental; intangible values such as respect, freedom, honesty. Instrumental values such as ways of labouring, as is the case of the tequio, method of electing authorities, ways of organising as a community, celebrations, etc.
CULTURE AND THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM
All
along history, political parties, governments and big corporations had shown
contempt for our cultures; our way of life and instead of helping to maintain
and strengthen them they have try to destroy the richness our cultures contain.
We have a deep respect for our land, through one of our rites we ask nature
permission to built a house or to sow the land. They come with not respect
introducing in the country, the states and our communities mega projects
of foreign companies that destroy our forests, hydroelectric companies taking
over our rivers…
Regarding our way of organising, successive governments have try to divide
us through political parties, trying to destroy our assemblies, our tequio
and the social benefit that it represents for our community, with money
they have bribed people to help them dismantle the organisations that we
have had through our history and our culture have been turn into businesses
for our governments, commercialised through events such as “La Guelaguetza”
in Oaxaca. The event gathers all aspects of indigenous culture: music, dance,
clothing, gastronomy, the name means “Mutual Help” in indigenous,
so far from the reality where the only ones with access to these festivities
our the tourists and the local rich, with the government pocketing the profits
and not even sending a penny to the true owners of culture that the event
represents.
Our governments prostitute our Indigenous Culture, for us this is unacceptable,
commercialising it is a way of limit its original value, our culture is
part of our life as indigenous, we lose our dignity when they sell our culture.
INDIGENOUS CULTURE’S DEFENSE
For
all these we decided to organise to defend what is left, to protest against
the government policies towards our people, against a government that keep
us being a tourist attraction at their convenience and thinks about us every
six years for the elections.
On November 17th 1997 we formed the Popular Indigenous Committee of Oaxaca-Ricardo
Flores Magon (CIPO-RFM). It began being a group formed by different
organisations, in 1998 some left and by 2000 it had become what it is today.
CIPO-RFM started to work right within the communities.
Through non violent struggle we demand our right us people, our autonomy,
recognition of our territories, recognition of our own laws, we demand electricity,
health centres, decent housing, schools, the right to participate in decisions
that affect us. We demand to be treated with dignity as humans and not beasts.
REPRESION CASES
For
making these demands we are repressed, kidnapped, tortured and murdered
by paramilitary groups financed by the government. Such was the case of
Santa Maria Yaviche, where on October 16th 2003 members of CROCUT commanded
by their leader Cesar Toimil Roberts and Jacobo Chavez disrupted an assembly
armed with clubs, machetes and rifles with the intention of killing the
commoners. As a result of this massacre nine comrades were critically wounded
and Bartolome Chavez Salas lost his life, he had several bullet wounds and
machete strokes on the head and neck that stop short of cutting him in two.
Eusebio Aparicio Garcia, from the community of Lagunilla Yonosotu Oaxaca,
murdered on February 24th 2004, and Pedro Cruz Salazar from Yucunicuca Oaxaca,
killed on July 13th the same year by a paramilitary group from Santa Lucia
MonteVerde.
We have reported and denounced these events but to date we have had no response;
on the contrary the people responsible for these murders are still free
and when we demonstrate to demand justice we suffer more repression. On
September 14th last year we were evicted from our protest camp at six in
the morning by a strong force of more than 100 police officers from the
different government police forces. This action was directed by the Secretary
of Public Protection Dept. Jose Manuel Veras Salinas and the President for
the Human Rights Committee Sergio Segrestes Rios. In this violent act they
arrested 14 compañer@s within them three minors, two girls and one
boy.
To date we have liberated 10 compañer@s with the help of everyone
in the communities who have sold everything they had to pay for the bails
of 4500 euros
of each one of them. We also received support from some countries here in
Europe.
On December 22nd we were evicted again, this time with an order from the
new governor for the state Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. More than 150 police assaulted
elders, children and compañer@s that were supporting the protest
camp opposite the Government Palace.
At present they are trying to evict us from the building that CIPO has in
Oaxaca City.
For all the above we demand:
a) That people monitor and demand from the Mexican Estate compliance and implementation of the recommendations, preventative measures and international norms of human rights for cases like ours, especially compliance with the preventative measures dictated by the Interamerican Committee of Human Rights in favour of the life of the comrade Raul Gatica Bautista. We ask you to monitor that the government complies with these measures.
b) To promote international cooperation and for the national budget to be destined to peace projects, social development and justice and against the strengthening of repressive forces.
c)
To intervene for the immediate release of our brothers and sisters, indigenous
jailed since September 14th 2004 at the penitentiaries of Ixcotel, Etla
and Miahuatlan; Dolores Villalobos Cuamatzi, Magarita Garcia Garcia, Jose
Cruz Cruz and Habacuc Cruz Cruz, and the drop of charges for those who are
free on bail.
d) To dismantle paramilitary groups in Oaxaca and the rest of Mexico, punishment
to CROCUT members (Cesar Toimil and Jacobo Chavez) who in October 16th 2003
murdered Bartolome Salas and shot 9 men and women in Sta. Maria Yaviche.
Also for group Antorcha Campesina that in August 11th 2002 murdered 2 children
and wounded 34 women in the locality of Iyusion San Isidro Aloapan.
e) The trial in court of those who planned, organised, order and executed
acts of repression against us violating our basic human rights.
f) To exhort the Oaxaca government to dialogue for the resolution of conflicts
between the government of Oaxaca and the CIPO-RFM. To end this climate of
repression and human rights violation against individuals and collectives
of the indigenous people and communities and to address our fair demands.