Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference Buen Vivir: Supporting the Role of Indigenous Peoples in Bio-Cultural Diversity, Human Rights, and Sustainable Economic Models October 24–27, 2016 IFIP International Funders for Indigenous Peoples
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Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference Buen Vivir: Supporting the Role of Indigenous Peoples in Bio-Cultural Diversity, Human Rights, and Sustainable Economic Models
October 24–27, 2016
IFIPInternational Funders for Indigenous Peoples
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
u IFIP’sRegionalConference,heldinLima,Peru,fromOctober25–27,2016,wasattendedbyadiversearrayofleadersfromthedonor,Indigenous,andngocommunities— inallcloseto240participants.AfteroneofthemostsuccessfulCallforSessionProposalsinIFIP’shistory,fiveseriesofsessionswereorganizedunderfourTracks:
Realities of Ancestral Land Battles: Shipibo Community Visits Priortotheopeningoftheconference,fromOctober19to23,IFIPandtheRainforestFoundationUSorganizedasitevisittoseveralShipibocommunitiesalongtheborderoftheSierradelDivisorNationalPark,theAguaydiaandtheUcuyalirivernearPucallpa,Peru.Thevisitallowedarareopportunitytoseefirst-handthedailyrealitiesofancestrallandbattles.
“It was an unforgettable experience because I felt at home. In each community the people welcomed me like a member of the family, and this made me feel that we are not alone, even though we live in different countries, a thousand miles away. We are so much alike in so much—we have the same problems and there is a lot of work to do, to make alliances among communities, to share experiences, defense strategies for our territories.”
—Juan Rios Vega, Tehepuan leader from Mexico
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
“The beautiful songs, dance, crafts and delicious food where shared with love—their culture is their power.”
—Barbara Savage, Founder, Tribal Trust Fund
Shipibo community mapping.
Barbara Savage from the Tribal Trust Foundation with Washington Bolivar from the Native Community Mariscal Cáceres.
On the first day,thegroupwaswelcomedbythefoundersandteachersoftheKusiKawsayschoolofPisac.QuechuadescendentRomanVizcarro,wholeadstheschool,presenteditsrichcurriculum:bilingualeducation,traditionalknowledgeandpractices,andcombinedprogramsofancientgeometryandmathematics.
Day three’s visitshowcasedtheworkofAsociaciónANDEStosupportlocalQuechuacommunitiestoconservenativeseeds,createendogenousdevelopment,andpromotetheirinclusioninlocal,nationalandinternationalpolicydevelopment.
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
The Sharing Spirit of IFIP Conferences Toopentheconference,asharingspiritwaswelcomedbyaSunriseCeremonyheldontheancientpre-IncasiteofHuacaPucllana,asacredsiteoftheLimaculture.Organizedbylocalconferencecoordinator,TheCenterforIndigenousCulturesofPeru(CHIRAPAQ),theceremonyuniteddifferentancienttraditions.SpiritualleadersfromtheAndes,theAmazon,andCentralAmericaledacircleofparticipantsinthanksgivingforthebountyofresources,goodwillandideasinthecomingdays.Aceremonylikethishasneverbeenallowedbythelocalauthorities:Thiswasthefirsttimeasacredceremonywasheldsinceitsdesignationasanarcheologicalsite.
Indigenous Leaders’ Safe, Security, and Well Being InresponsetotheassassinationofHonduranLencaactivistBertaCáceresinMarch,2016theIFIPBoarddedicatedthisconferencetocelebrateandhonorherenduringlegacy.ThegoalwasalsotoraisethevisibilityofIndigenousleaderswhotirelesslyfighttoprotecttheirterritoriesfromdegradation,rightsforself-determinationandfree,priorandinformedconsent.
LtoR: Erna Ortiz from Yanesha Art & Culture, Jennifer Astone from the Swift Foundation and Sofia Arroyo with Sacred Fire Foundation at the Sunrise Ceremony.
WeinviteyoutojoinusinprotectingIndigenousdefendersandactivists.ReadmoreaboutourCall to Action.
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
“Lawyers need to understand that we have our own systems. In Honduras there are so few lawyers who defend us, how do we keep them alive?”
—Laura Zuñiga Cáceres, daughter of Berta Caceres and COPINH activist
“This a wake-up call for all of us. It is fundamental to take into account how we as engaged funders accompany these pro-cesses and that our reactions don’t cause more harm.”
—Tatiana Cordero, Urgent Action Fund
“I have a hard time getting support for international advocacy and yet US funding is the absolute critical piece to reducing the threats against COPINH.”
—Beverly Bell, Executive Director of Another Worlds
Laura Zuñiga Cáceres speaking at LAIFC 2016.
Key Insights on Indigenous Security and Well Being
Investing in Indigenous Models of Sustainable Development Theword‘alternative’encompassesrecurringmessagesinTrackOnesessions.Indigenouscultures,governance,andwisdomhavedevelopedalternativevisionsofdevelopmentthatcandifferdramaticallyfrommodelsofferedbyindustrializedsocieties.Atthesametime,eventhosesolutionspromotedas‘alternative’bydominantculturesstillcanresultinoppressiononIndigenouslands.
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
TRACK ONE
“It is hard to find funders for legal strategies; in our case it was more difficult to fund Indigenous women than it was to fund corn.”
—Katherine Zavala, Regional Director of Latin America, IDEX
LtoR: Conference participant speaking with Traci Romine from the Charles Mott Foundation, Bel Juruna from the Juruna Muratu Village in the Paquicamba Indigenous Territory, and Diana Rios from the Amazon community of Alto Tamaya Saweto.
Protecting Ancestral Territories and Indigenous Rights EveryIFIPconferencereinforcesthecentralimportanceoflandandterritorytoIndigenousself-determinationandhumanrights.Thesessionsinthistrackdemonstratedthechallengesandsolutionsfoundincommunitiesfightingtokeeptheirlandsandmanagethemaccordingtocustomarygovernanceandtraditions.Itwasrecognized,particularlyinthelastsessiononcriminalizationofIndigenousactivists,thatthesestrugglescarryimminentpersonalandcollectiverisks.Successfulstrategies,suchasthecreationofregionalinitiativesthatcancompiledata,trackhumanrightsabusesandquicklyorganizein-countrysafeshousesandspacesforat-riskactivists,arecrucialtobothnationalandglobalalliance-building.
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
TRACK TWO
“We also need to do spiritual work, after talking about sexual violence day after day. We started a healing program so we can be well as we do this work.”
—Guadalupe Martinez, Indigenous Women’s Alliance of Central America and Mexico
“In the 90s there was funder flight from Brazil. As a result, civil society started to crumble, and as wealth started to concentrate, Indigenous peoples were the most impacted.”
—Maria Amalia Souza, Executive Director of the Socio-Environmental Fund CASA
Walking in Two Worlds: Why Indigenous Wisdom Will Be Vital to Our Future Theterm“intersectionality,”or“cosmo-vision,”asknownbyIndigenouscommunities,encapsulatesapathforwardwhenfundingIndigenouspeoples.Bothwordssuggestaholistic,multi-dimensionalviewofproblemsandsolutionsthatdefiescompartments,and,insomecases,narrowprogramportfolios.TrackThreesessionsunderscoredhowforthosewhohaveworkedwithIndigenouscommunitiesforyears — and,morerecently,thosewhostriveforimpactincomplexissuessuchashealth,educationorclimatechange—cross-program,discretionary,andflexiblefundingarethetrendsofthefuture.
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
TRACK THREE
LtoR: Olga Montufar from Paso O Paso with Bettina Cruz Velázquez from Asamblea de Pueblos Indígenas del Istmo de Tehuantepec en Defensa del Territorio (APIITDT).
“Funders with restricted portfolios can collaborate with other donors working through other lenses to support more holistic and inclusive agendas of Indigenous people to advance social justice for all. An intersectional approach, as a grantmaking tool, has the potential to build bridges among different struggles and movements. Collaborations need to be more intersectional as a whole.”
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
TRACK THREE
“From a funder’s perspective, we can’t think that multiple forms of discrimination can be resolved with specific, compartmentalized projects. We have a responsibility to give mixed funding.”
—Claudia Samcam, Development Coordina-tor, Central American Women’s Fund
“In Mexico there is a story about a fish that doesn’t have bones, so when you try to capture it, it escapes. It is the same with intersec-tionality—it escapes people’s understand-ing. We are trying to put some bones on this fish.”
—Amaranta Gómez Regalado, a Zapotec Indigenous trans-gender woman and activist
Tricia Stevens from Lush North America speaking at the LAIFC press conference.
11 3 TRACKFOUR:THEHOWTO:STRATEGIESFORSUPPORT
The How To: Strategies for Support TheconferenceopenedwithtwopowerfulIndigenousleadersspeakingaboutthepromisinggrowthofphilanthropybasedonIndigenousvaluesandpractices,whichareencapsulatedintheFourRsofIndigenousPhilanthropy(Reciprocity,Respect,RelationshipsandRespect.)Suchthemesresonatedinallthetracks,butsawtheirspecificpracticalapplicationinthese“Howto”sessions.
“Indigenous philanthropy is like a good marriage: One partner brings home the bacon while the other takes care of the home front. Both are valuable contributions to the family.”
—Froyla Tzalam, Executive Director, Sarstoon Temash Institute of wIndigenous Management
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
“If we strengthen governance at the territorial level, we’ll have people administrating by our Indigenous laws, respecting women. We call it ‘shelter without walls,’”
—Rose Cunningham Kain, Miskito leader and Founder/ Direc-tor of Flower of the River women’s group in Nicaragua
“We are all in the same path: When we used to talk about violence and sexual rights, Indigenous women used to say,
‘that doesn’t involve me—that doesn’t happen here,’ and now we are recog-nizing it, working together.”
—Tarcila Rivera Zea, Executive Director, Center for Indigenous Cultures of Peru IFIP award being presented to the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI).
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
In2014IFIP,FIMI,AWIDcametogethertopublicizethegapinfundingwomen’sorganizingwithinIndigenouscommunities.Theresultwas “A Call to Action: Insights into the Status of Funding for Indigenous Women’s Groups.”
• Build leadership, including youth – supportthedevelopmentofIndigenousleadershipinworkingwiththeworldoffunders
• Support IP initiativesandrespectthestructuresofIndigenousorganizationstodirectfunding.FundbothreliableintermediariesandfundIndigenousorganizationsdirectly
Effective ways to use networks strategically
Learning what works in supporting Indigenous issues
Report on the Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference, Lima, Peru, 2016
THANK YOU
American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
Global Fund for Women
Goldman Prize
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
HBH Fund
LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
MacArthur Foundation
Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas
Sacred Fire Foundation
Swift Foundation
Tamalpais Trust
Urgent Action Fund-Latin America
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The International Funders of Indigenous Peoples sincerely thanks the following for their time, suggestions and efforts to make this conference a productive, memorable experience:
Conference Planning Committee
IFIP Board Members
Conference Staff, Consultants, and Volunteers
Evelyn Arce-Erickson, Former IFIP Executive Director
Lourdes Inga, IFIP Interim Executive Director
Luminita Cuna, IFIP Communications Consultant
Ashley Hernandez, Program Associate
Jill Huinder, IFIP Conference Consultant
Jennifer Tierney, IFIP Editorial Consultant
Graphic Designer: Scott W. Santoro, www.worksight.com
Professional Interpretation Services: Cassandra Smithies and ATO Interpretation Services
Shilpa Jain, Conference Facilitator
Alexandra Toledo and volunteers from the University of the Pacific
Site Visit Coordinators
Special thanks to our local partner, the Center for Indigenous Cultures of Peru, and in particular to Tarcila Rivera Zea, Néstor Casafranca, and Verónica Vargas