National Indigenous Organization of Colombia
Founded | 1982 |
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Type | Non-governmental organization |
Focus | Indigenous rights |
Area served | Colombia |
Website | onic.org.co |
Part of a series on |
Indigenous rights |
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The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (
History
The incorporation of indigenous peoples of Colombia into regional and national organizations with a specifically indigenous character and agenda was carried out in the 1970s and early 1980s. In the Andean Department of Cauca, the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) was formed at the Toribío Assembly in 1971. The highly organized CRIC served as something of a hub for indigenous organizing during the 1970s.
In 1980, the first national encounter of indigenous organizations was held in
- to work to see that the principles established by law 89 of 1890 were put into practice
- to ensure the benefits of this law were authorized for all indigenous communities in the country through the creation and legalization of indigenous reserves
In collaboration with the sympathetic
In 2010, an international campaign was launched to expose the suffering of what ONIC describes as the "massive violations of their rights".[1] These violations are caused by "the internal armed conflict in Colombia, the lack of social and differential policies on the part of the Colombian state for indigenous peoples, and the imposition of a devastating development model in indigenous territories." The campaign was launched by two indigenous Colombian leaders on a European tour, and it is aimed at protecting at least eighteen tribes facing the ‘imminent risk of extinction'.
Program of struggle
ONIC's current program of struggle calls for:[2]
- Defense of indigenous autonomy
- Defense of indigenous territory, and the recovery of usurped territories and collective property of indigenous reserves
- Control of the natural resourcessituated in indigenous territories
- Pushing forward community economic organizations
- Defense of indigenous history, culture and traditions
- Bilingual and bicultural education under the control of the indigenous authorities
- Recovery and pushing forward of traditional medicine and demand for health programs in accordance with the social and cultural characteristics of the communities
- Demanding the application of Law 89 of 1890 and other measures favorable to indigenous peoples
- Solidarity with the struggles of other sectors
- Application of the conclusions of the Organization's Congresses
See also
Further reading
Christian Gros. 1991. Colombia indígena: identidad cultural y cambio social. Bogota: CEREC, 1991.