The indigenous people had it rough in the early days from Ecuador. They were involved in the rubber boom. The produced natural rubber also know as Indian rubber. During this time they were treated as slaves were. They also lived in very harsh conditions with little food, and long working hours.
The Ecuadorian constitution was rewritten in 2007. In this he talks of incorporating indigenous and the Afro-Ecuadorians for the first time. The idea Sumak Kawsay was also introduced. This means to basically protect sacred sites. They also introduced the rights of nature. These laws state that nature has the right to exist, persist, maintain itself, regenerate vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in their evolution. The indigenous people want the government to just take more notice of the nature and for them to leave it alone.
