INDIGENOUS WOMEN'S ART DESIGNS

History

"500 years ago, the invaders destroyed and changed the forms of life everywhere in our Abya Yala. But still, we, the guaiacum, the snow-capped mountains, the condors and serpents, the indigenous men and women resist. We do not wish to see our peoples and natural world destroyed. For this reason, we, the women from the various Indigenous populations of the continent, who have throughout history joined with our male companions to resist and build a better life, have reflected on our past; and the future we must make as part of the same community, as brothers of the trees, the rivers, and the mountains. We want our countries to be pluri-national, pluri-cultural, and multilingual societies which provide equitable, just, sovereign, participatory, creative and respectful living conditions.

For this reason, we have decided that no one is more important any than other. As men and women, we are not more than the stones, the animals, the plants, and the cosmos. Neither are men or women worth more than the other.

The invasion meant an imposition of a new economic, social, political, and cultural system; it meant the loss of our lands, the imposition of an alien language; it meant a political and administrative structure that was divorced from and disrespectful of the laws of nature. The invaders forcefully introduced a religion in which the woman is synonymous with sin. Together with this new religion, new rites were implemented that sustained it. Within them women became the private property of their husbands, pushing us aside as we were inferior or less intelligent. A century has passed in which some accomplishments have been made with respect to values, rights, and the dignity of women in general; but concepts and practices still exists that exclude and marginalize us from decisions. That not only concern us directly but need to be seen within the whole social process of which we are a part." (Carmen Tene, 1996)

It is in this context that a process of consolidation for the a specific space for indigenous women has begun. We have opened up spaces in which we can share our experiences, look for alternatives to solve our problems together, and enrich our work as indigenous women through the process of holding regional workshops. The regional workshops allow us to meet and create lasting links among ourselves, the indigenous women of the Americas. The Continental initiative of indigenous women aims to strengthen the organizational processes of the regions to provide more clarity to the organizational work at the national level, and to promote solidarity, thus providing more visibility and a voice to indigenous women in the international arena.

STRUCTURE OF THE NETWORK

Communication Secretariat:
Panama-CONAMUIP

SOUTH AMERICA

CENTRAL AMERICA

NORTH AMERICA

Ecuador-CONAIE

Nicaragua-AMICA

Mexico-CNMI

Commission on Commercialization and Intellectual Property

SOUTH AMERICA

CENTRAL AMERICA

NORTH AMERICA

Peru-CHIRAPAQ

Panama-CONAMUIP

Canada-IWA

Commission on International Instruments

SOUTH AMERICA

CENTRAL AMERICA

NORTH AMERICA

Chile-Consejo todas las tierras

*Support from Argentina-
Mapuche coordinator of Neuquén

Costa Rica-Esther Camac
Consultant

Commission on Leadership Training

SOUTH AMERICA

CENTRAL AMERICA

NORTH AMERICA

Peru-CHIRAPAQ

Guatemala-COPMAGUA

Mexico-CNMI

CHRONOLOGY OF THE WORKSHOPS AND MEETINGS

1. First Regional Workshop held in Panama at the Central American level:
Establish common priorities
organized by CONAMUIP, National coordinator
of Indigenous Women of Panama
March 3 to April 3, 1995

2. Second Regional Workshop of Indigenous Women held in Colombia at the South American level:
Establish common priorities
organized by ONIC, National Organization of Indigenous People in Colombia
July 10-14, 1995

3. First Continental Meeting of Indigenous Women held in Ecuador:
Preparation for the International Conference of Women in Beijing
organized by CONAIE
August 1995

4. Third Regional Workshop of Indigenous Women held in Canada at the North American level:
Establish common priorities
organized by the primary Indigenous organizations in Canada
January 20-23, 1996

5. First Continental Workshop of Indigenous Women in Guatemala:
Formation of the Commissions:
1. Commercialisation and Intellectual Property, 2. Leadership Training, 3. Organization of the Second Meeting, 4. Follow-Up
organized by COMIGUA, coordinator
of the Indigenous Women’s Organizations of Guatemala
July 10-14, 1996

6. Second Continental Meeting of Indigenous Women held in Mexico:
Formation of the Enlace Commission (Mexico, Nicaragua and Ecuador)
organized by the National coordinator of Indigenous Women
December 1997