Awa-Kwaiker
Awapit language[2] |
The Awá, also known as the Kwaiker or Awa-Kwaiker, are an ancient
Reserve
The Awa Reserve was established in northwestern Ecuador in 1987. The reserve combines indigenous and forestry legislature, so that the Awa people could manage the forest and their own lands.
Subsistence
The Awa traditionally hunt, gather, fish, and cultivate plants. Today, they also farm livestock, such as chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, and pigs.[3]
They practice a form of agriculture called "slash and mulch," which involves clearing small parcels of land (about 1.25 to 5 acres) and leaving the fallen plants and trees to decay. Within days the vegetation turns to a layer of
Awa hunt game such as the
Organizations
Their main organization is called UNIPA, which stands for Unity of Indigenous People Awa. Another internal organization is CAMAWARI. Their main leaders are called Governors. Awa actively participate in local politics since 1993 when they elected the first mayor of the municipality of Ricaurte (Juan Legarda) and several municipal counsellors. Since that year Awa people have continued to play an important role in the politics of the department of Nariño.
Conflicts
There were several mass murders of Awá in 2009, perpetrated by members of both
On 11 February 2009, ten Awa members were killed by FARC guerrillas, who had accused them of working as informers for the Colombian army.[8] On 4 February seventeen Awá were killed, reportedly by the FARC. Then in August, twelve Awá (including four children), all thought to belong to a single family – were killed in the Indigenous reservation of Gran Rosario, reportedly by the Colombian Army.[7]
Notes
- ^ a b c Saavedra, Luis Ángel (22 Jan 2009). "Awas unite to fend off threats". Latinamerica Press. Noticias Aliadas. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
- ^ a b c Chernela 173
- ^ a b Chernela 177
- ^ Chernela 175
- ^ Chernela 175-6
- ^ Chernela 176
- ^ a b "Third mass killing of Colombia's Awá Indigenous Peoples in 2009". Amnesty International. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
- ^ Bajak, Frank (February 17, 2009). "Colombian rebels say 8 Indians killed as informers". Associated Press. Fox News. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
References
- Chernela, Janet M. "The Awa of Ecuador." In: Stonich, Susan C., ed. Endangered Peoples of Latin America: Struggles to Survive and Thrive. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001. ISBN 0-313-30856-X.
External links
- The Awa: Colombia's tribal people, BBC News
- Ecuador: The Awa People and their territory between political interests and economic pressure, World Rainforest Movement
- Awá Kwaiker on Every Culture
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