Pachamama Alliance Co-founder and CEO, Bill Twist, recently travelled to Ecuador to meet with the new president and other newly elected leaders of the indigenous Achuar Nation of Ecuador—Nacionalidad Achuar del Ecuador (NAE).
Since 1996, Pachamama Alliance has worked with the Achuar people and with NAE to protect the South-Central Amazon region of Ecuador—from oil and other exploitive industries.
Annual Assemblies
Each year the Achuar hold an assembly in one of the communities in their territory where Achuar representatives from their nearly 80 communities meet to discuss current issues facing the Achuar people and to make resolutions for the coming year. It is a substantial logistical undertaking to gather and feed nearly 300 people for five days in one rainforest location. Representatives from some of the remote communities often must travel for days to attend these meetings. Pachamama Alliance provides financial support for food and supplies and for flights in small planes for those who would not be able to attend otherwise.
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New Leader Elections
Every three years elections for new leaders are held at the assembly. This year was an election year and in May the NAE assembly was held in the community of Wachirpas and seven new leaders were elected—a new president (Ruben Tsamaraint), a vice president (Bolivar Wasum) and leaders for the following roles:
- Education — managing the bi-lingual (Achuar and Spanish) education system throughout the territory
- Healthcare — overseeing the integration of western medical practices with traditional healing techniques
- Territories — working to insure the protection of Achuar Territory
- Economic Development — managing projects that bring economic resources to the Achuar (ecotourism, aviation service, export of handicrafts, etc.)
- Communications — manages the dissemination of information throughout the territory, mainly using broadcast radio
Universally Opposed to Oil Development
Historically the Achuar did not get involved with politics in Ecuador and when they did they were almost always aligned with the traditional indigenous political party of Ecuador, Pachakutik. However, this is starting to change.
The Ecuadorian government under the guidance of President Rafael Correa and his political party, Alianza PAIS, has dramatically expanded financial support of programs aimed at reducing poverty and addressing healthcare and education throughout Ecuador. In the last few years, these programs have begun to reach the indigenous people in the Amazon. As a result, some of the traditional indigenous allegiance to Pachakutik has switched to Alianza PAIS. Several of the new NAE leaders, including the president, have been affiliated with Alianza PAIS. This raised red flags of concern in that one of the main policies of Rafael Correa is to expand oil development into the Amazon region.
However, at the assembly in May, the Achuar passed resolutions making it clear that they support the Alianza PAIS’ poverty reduction and development efforts, yet within Achuar territory the Achuar remain united and universally opposed to oil development.
Supporting NAE
Pachamama Alliance is grateful to be able to continue to provide the financial support needed so that indigenous nationalities of the Amazon basin can fulfill their right to self-determination. We provide financial support so that NAE has the support they need with technological issues, accounting and budgeting, legal issues and more.
The generous donations of our supporters help to fund assemblies like this and support the other activities of NAE so that they are better equipped to make legitimate decisions about issues concerning their land and culture.
