Ethnic Politics

The incorporation of indigenous people into the political scene has been marked by disadvantages and inequality. They have been excluded and their needs ignored for centuries.  There have been some recent developments and efforts to incorporate and convert them into active members of society. Also creating an environment that will encourage their participation allowing for an equal opportunity. There are approximately 51 million indigenous people in Latin America which consists of 11% of the population in this region. They are not a majority except for in Bolivia and Guatemala, indigenous national movements don’t have that much influence except for certain countries as Chile, Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela. As they become more involved it has become more and more evident that their participation and contributions can bring forth change. And it has become more of a priority to study them closely and stop trying to force to fit a mold, and allow to be what they are and accept them as such.

Their rights ought to be recognized, and their voice should be heard just as much as anyone else’s. They often find themselves in conflict due to territorial issues. Since they are often not recognized as citizens their rights to own land are not always recognized either. Governments have made some strides in this sense but it is not always upheld. In some cases, even though they’ve lived in that land for years, since they don’t legally own it can be taken away anytime. Nicaragua is currently dealing with a conflict due to land.  There have been several abductions and murders of the Miskito people, over a battle over land. Their land is located in Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, and they have reported to be under attack by new settlers, “colonists” as they call them. Thousands of people have been moving into the rain forests that are home to the 180,000 Miskito people, some with the promise of gold and timber and others due to drought. In this case the law is on their side and it has allowed for them to push back and fight, however this resulted in the on-going violence that we now see unravel. One of their villages was burned and some were forced to flee to Honduras, 30 murders have been reported but there has been no definite action to halt the violence. These events relate to previous events when the indigenous communities battle the Sandinista government to keep their land in the 1980s. Back then they were trying to get them to leave as much as they are now.

Now thirty years after the Miskito people, were granted autonomy over the lands and given preferential treatment over the law, they still find themselves in this never ending battle for their home. And if the government keeps looking the other way instead of addressing the situation it will juts continue to escalate. The law is one thing but there have to be actions that will rally behind it and uphold it. This is very ironic due to the fact that Nicaragua was one of the first countries to grant land rights to indigenous people. The government has allowed for this to continue, due to fear of a scandal because some Sadinista government officials have been involved in illegally selling the Miskito land in unfair dealings, and due to some maybe regret over the fact that they were given so much land. However for indigenous people to keep moving forward governments have to make a commitment to them as citizens just like it is for anyone else, and not only pass policy and programs that allow for their political participation but back up their words with actions.