SINCE 1524, WE IN WESTERN NICARAGUA HAVE BEEN BATTLING EXTRACTIVE COLONIALISM. WE HAVE FOUGHT LONG & HARD WITH THE INTENTION OF PRESERVING OUR HOMELANDS FOR THE NEXT 52 GENERATIONS TO COME.

 2020 HAS BROUGHT A NEW WAVE OF STRUGGLES

 TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE VULNERABLE FARMING ECONOMY DURING COVID-19, MINING COMPANIES ARE ATTEMPTING TO COME INTO COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE LA LAGUNA, AS WELL AS VARIOUS INDIGENOUS MATAGALPAN COMMUNITIES, FOR DESTRUCTIVE PROFIT

DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, MANY FAMILIES HAVE SEEN A DRAMATIC DROP IN INCOME. IN THIS DESPERATE STATE THEY ARE BEING MANIPULATED INTO SIGNING 3 YEAR RENTAL CONTRACTS WITH MINING INITIATIVES THAT WILL DRASTICALLY INCREASE DEFORESTATION, SINKHOLES, & CONTAMINATION OF CLEAN WATER SPRINGS.

THE CONTRACTS ARE SIGNED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS WITH THE PROMISE OF INDIVIDUAL WEALTH & EASY MONEY.

THE DAY IS AUG. 25TH 2020 AND ALREADY MULTIPLE ACRES OF THE LA LAGUNA COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN LOST TO THIS DESTRUCTIVE MANIPULATION. IN THE NEIGHBORING VILLAGE, LA REYNA, ONE YOUTH HAS ALREADY SUFFERED GREAT INJURY WITH A SHATTERED PELVIS CAUSED BY A COLLAPSED TUNNEL. EVEN WITH ALL THIS BLATANT HARM, THERE ARE STILL THOSE WHO HAVE ADOPTED THE COLONIZER'S WAY AND SEE OUR ANCESTRAL MOUNTAINS AS NOTHING MORE THEN POTENTIAL PROFIT.

 SOME INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PARTICULARLY MIDDLE AGED MEN, HAVE ALLIED THEMSELVES WITH THE MINERS & SEE THIS DEVASTATING EXTRACTION AS FAIR WORK.

WE ARE CALLING ON THE COMMUNITY TO HELP RAISE $52,000 IN ORDER TO SECURE LAND RIGHTS FOR 50+ ACRES OF UNDEVELOPED MOUNTAINS/JUNGLE FOUND IN THE COMMUNITY & CREATE AN ECO-RESERVE.

WITH THIS ECO-RESERVE OUR INTENTION IS TO LEGALLY BE ABLE TO PREVENT FUTURE MINING, LOGGING, HUNTING & MAINTAIN A LARGE BUFFER BETWEEN LA LAGUNA’S NATURAL SOURCES OF WATER & THE CURRENT MINING EXPLOITS.

THE LAND RIGHTS WILL BE UNDER COLLECTIVE STEWARDSHIP OF THE COMMUNITY'S YOUTH HEALING CIRCLE “Guardianes del Bosque - Colibri de la Noche / Huitzi Yohualli”  &  THE WOMEN'S COOP. "Cooperativa Agropecuaria de Servicios Tonantzintlalli R.L" WHO WILL UPHOLD THE TERMS OF THE ECO-RESERVE

WE ARE CALLING IN $52,000 TO HONOR THE 52 GENERATIONS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO CARE FOR THESE SACRED MOUNTAINS & ALL ITS SACRED BEINGS LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE.


IF 1,000 OF YOU CAN MATCH OUR $52 GENERATION PRAYER, WE CAN PRESERVE THIS BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN RANGE FROM VIOLENT EXTRACTION & COLLECTIVELY TAKE ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS BALANCE IN THESE POST COLONIAL TIMES.


~~~~~~~~FUNDS WILL GO DIRECTLY TO~~~~~

-  PURCHASING LAND TITLES IN THE NAME OF THE RESERVE

- PAYING THE LAWYER FEES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ECO-RESERVE

- PROTECTING NATURAL SPRINGS FROM CONTAMINATION

- SUPPORTING THE MATAGALPAN ORGANIZERS ON THE GROUND
---- TRANSPORTATION 
---- SUPPLIES FOR DIRECT ACTIONS
---- SUPPLIES FOR COMMUNITY MEETINGS

THE COMMUNITY’S INDIGENOUS WOMEN’S COOPERATIVA IS THE LEGAL & ORGANIZATIONAL BACKBONE OF THE CAMPAIGN & WILL BE RECEIVING THE FUNDS AS WELL AS PROVIDE PROOF THAT THE FUNDS ARE GOING TO ITS INTENDED PURPOSE


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HERE IS A LETTER FROM THE PROJECT COORDINATOR

MARITZA CENTENO 
Project Coordinator of the Indigenous Women's Coop.
Cooperativa Agropecuaria de Servicios Tonantzintlalli R.L.
Coordinator of Peace & Dignity Journeys Nicaragua
(Born & Raised in Comunidad Indigena, La Laguna, Territorio Matagalpa)

URGENTE: AYUDANOS A PROTEGER EL BOSQUE EN TERRITORIO INDIGENA MATAGALPA, NICARAGUA.
LAS FAMILIAS INDIGENAS DE COMUNIDAD LA LAGUNA, LOCALIZADA EN EL TERRITORIO DE LOS NATIVOS MATAGALPAS EN NICARAGUA, DURANTE 12 AÑOS LUCHARON POR DEFENDER SUS TIERRAS, Y HOY DIA A CONSECUENCIA DE LA POBREZA EXTREMA PROVOCADA POR LA CRISIS POLITICA  Y LA PANDEMIA DEL COVID 19, ESTAN SIENDO CONVECIDOS  POR EMPRESAS MINERAS QUE SE APROVECHAN DE LA SITUACION PARA OFRECER DINERO A CAMBIO DE QUE LES DEJEN EXTRAER LOS MINERALES DE ORO Y PLATA DE SUS TIERRAS, VENDIENDOLES LA ILUSION QUE  MUY PRONTO PODRAN TENER  CARRO, CASAS, COSTOSOS ELECTRODOMESTICOS  Y MAS.  A PESAR DE QUE LA COMUNIDAD NO ACEPTA LA MINERIA, ALGUNAS FAMILIAS DE MANERA INDIVIDUAL HAN FIRMANDO CONTRATOS POR TRES AÑOS  CON LA EMPRESA MINERA PONIENDO EN PELIGRO NO SOLAMENTE EL FUTURO DE LAS SIGUEINTES GENERACIONES, SI NO TAMBIEN LA BIODIVESIDAD QUE MUCHOS AÑOS HABIAN SALVAGUARDADO.
LA SITUACION ANTES DESCRITA PONE EN RIESGO LA VIDA DEL BOSQUE, LOS ANIMALES Y LAS FUENTES DE AGUAS  QUE PODRIAN SER CONTAMINADAS CON LAS PRACTICAS DESTRUCTIVAS DE LA MIMERIA, ANTE ESTA SITUACION EL COLECTIVO  ECOLOGISTA GUARDIANES DEL BOSQUE  BUSCA RECURSOS PARA COMPRAR AL MENOS 20 HECTARES DE BOSQUE DE LAS 108 QUE POSEE LA COMUNIDAD, ESTO CON EL PROPOSITO DE CREAR UNA RESERVA ECOLOGICA PARA QUE LOS AMIMALES TENGAN UN REFUGIO PERMANENTE Y PARA PROTEGER NUESTRA FUENTES DE AGUAS  DONDE LA CAZA Y LA MINERIA ESTARIAN PROHIBIDAS.
LA MINERIA AVANZA RAPIDAMENTE EN SU ESTRATEGIA DE CONVENCIMIENTO PARA QUE MAS Y MAS FAMILIAS LES PERMITAN INGRESAR EN SUS PARCELAS Y NOSOTRIOS COMO PROTECTORES DEL BOSQUE NO TENEMOS ALTERNATIVAS PARA DAR SOLUCION MEDIATICA A LAS NECESIDADES QUE PADECEN LOS COMUNITARIOS, PERO CON TU AYUDA PAGARIAMOS AL MENOS 20 HECTAREAS  DONDE LA MINERIA NO PODRA ENTRAR YA QUE SE INMEDIATAMENTE SE HARA EL PROCESO PARA NOMINARLA  COMO RESERVA NATURAL QUE ESTARIA PROTEGIDA POR LAS LEYES DEL ESTADO.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FAQs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What tribe & community is the lead coordinator from & what is her experience with indigenous rights? 


Maritza Centeno, as well as the families involved, are of the Indigenous Matagalpan people/pueblo/tribe. Maritza was born & raised in “La Laguna” which is a Communidad Indigena in the mountains of San Ramon. San Ramon is one of many areas that are included in the “Territorios Indigena Matagalpa '', and the majority of Matagalpan people remain primarily in these outskirt mountain communities, like La Laguna. 


In western Nicaragua there are no Tribal I.D. cards, and your claim to your indigeneity is based on what indigenous community you're born in & your parents lineage within that community/pueblo. Furthermore when living in an indigenous community, you get access to certain benefits provided by your “Pueblo Indigena/Tribal Government” & if you move outside of the community/territory access to the Pueblo’s resources may vary.


In terms of indigenous rights, the lead coordinator Maritza Centeno, has been representing various indigenous Nicaraguan communities of the “Pacifico, Centro, y Norte'' at the United Nations since 2015. She has been a part of Movimiento Indígena Nicaragua (M.I.N.) since 2010 & has been asked to internationally represent them on multiple occasions. Maritza has worked with various Indigenous Central American Organizations, most notably La Comisión de Pueblos Indígenas y Afrodescendientes del Parlamento Centroamericano y la Organización NALEB & has served as the lead coordinator of the Jornadas de Paz y Dignidad Nicaragua.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who else in the community is involved? 

The community’s Women Coop, have fought, and succeeded in prioritizing femme led organic farming projects & in this campaign they are the legal, and organizational backbone. The Cooperativa is made up of 21 different mujeres ranging in age from teens to great-grandmothers, so having this intergenerational support has been monumental.

“Guardianes del Bosque - Colibrí de la Noche/Huitzi Yohualli”, the community's youth healing circle has been fundamental within the campaign in raising awareness & standing against the lack of respect fellow adult community members have towards the mountain side, and the use of religion to minimize ancestral care for the land. 

Both groups will be co-creating the terms of the Micro-Reserve that legally will prevent outsiders or community members from mining or logging.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought indigenous land in Nicaragua was collectively owned? Why would miners be allowed if the community disagreed? Why is this Reserve going to be in the name of a collective & not the whole entire community? 

Comunidad Indígena de La Laguna, located in San Ramon, is one of many communities found in Indigenous Matagalpan Territory. Throughout this Territory there are vast differences in land titles, & the 2 major differences are individual titles & communal titles.

Due to colonialism past and present there are parts of this Territory where individual land owners (Indigenous, Mestizo, International Immigrants) have complete “legal” individual titles. Some of these titles were purchased in the 1800's (therefore current owners inherited it) & others bought titles throughout the huge political shifts of Nicaragua over the past century.

Communal Titles, which are the standard in indigenous tradition, vary by pueblo & ultimately center cooperative living. 

La Laguna, is the latter, which means they stewards the land within their Collective Title & each family/ individual within the community has their own rights to their parcelas / plots of land that they tend to.

These rights give the families/individuals the sovereignty to decide what happens to their parcelas/ plots of land. 

They can sell their land rights to neighbors, rent their land rights to outsiders, pass the rights to grandchildren,  grow organic food, use gallons of pesticides, plant trees, cut trees, build a Church, build a healing clinic, etc. all at their discretion.

Unfortunately, due to colonization & disconnection from ancestral tradition, some community members (mostly men in their 30s-50s) see the parcelas/plots of land as nothing more than potential profit. When approached & bated by miners during Covid-19, they saw this as a perfect opportunity to put their land rights to use & allow miners to enter and extract from the land.

So these funds will be used to obtain rights from individuals already selling or contemplating selling/renting rights to the Miners. They get compensated for the titles & the mountain rights no longer stay in the hands of individuals working with/ contemplating collaboration with miners.

These newly obtained rights will be in the name of the newly formed collective made up of community members dedicated to the protection & stewardship of the land. This collective will be a branch from the communities Women’s Coop., & in collaboration with the communities youth healing circle, which will then have legal documentation prohibiting any form of mining & abuse of the land. There has been talk for the past few years of the formation of this collective but with the increased mining the time is now where it is taking the formal steps to getting legal recognition.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What are Maritza’s (the project coordinator) ties and position with the current Nicaraguan government? What are her personal politics with the current uprisings in Nicaragua?

First we would like to clarify that since colonization the indigenous people from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific have negotiated and fought an ancient battle with each elected government in Nicaragua. Treaties have been created and violated. Each indigenous persxn/community/tribe has had their own personal political views that shift & change depending on how the current govt. interacts with their needs & rights. With every new govt. some communities are supported & heard, & others neglected. We have heard the questions, and want to clarify that Maritza does not work with the Nicaraguan Government & continues to work first & foremost for her comunidad indigena, the rights of indigenous territories Pacifico, Centro, Norte & the protection of the Mother Earth. 

In 2018 she did indeed denounce the uprisings, by formally expressing opposition to the “tranques'' / walled protests that she believed caused more harm to indigenous people, physically & economically, then support. Maritza, nor the Women’s Coop., have never supported or condoned any violence on behalf of the government or palamitaries. For any type of organizing within Communidades Indigena de Pacifico, Centro, Norte it is understood that various views coexist, and it has been through dilagoue that now many have been able to intentionally hear each other's political points of views to take a firmer stand for humanity. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where can I find more information on the miners? 

The mining project in La Laguna is led by Sociedad Productiva y Comercial “CRISTO VIVE #2”.

Legal documentation & various pictures of the bagged raw material & mining trucks in the community have been obtained & shared with the coordinators of this campaign. Unfortunately & predictably the miners physically prohibit community members from dig sites & limit onsite investigation. There are multiple small mining operations throughout the area that intentionally limit our access to more information to who is financing their operations. 

What is very common in Central America is small companies/ groups of men rent mining gear from bigger corporations & operate as “individuals'' then take the raw materials back to larger mining companies to process. That way if any injury or lawsuits occur there is no “corporate” tie to pay the fees & take responsibility. 

La Laguna, La Reyna, La Pita, Wabule, El Horno, Monte Grande, El Naranjo are just a few out of many communities in Matagalpan Territory that are impacted by these mining operations as we speak.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFO OR WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT ON THE FRONT LINES

PLEASE EMAIL MARITZA & FOLKS ON THE GROUND - [email redacted]