Final Reflection

When we arrived at the Guatemala airport the Mayan culture was represented by colourful pictures of children splashed across screens and billboard, selling Guatemala as the heart of the Mayan world.

As we traveled past Guatemala City to the more rural communities what became evident was that there existed a parallel world of indigenous people that has limited access, if any to formal structures and public services. While indigenous people represent more than half of the population they are practically invisible in the mainstream media, in political office, and in professions. We also heard that although the Peace Accords were signed in 1996, there are more people being killed daily today than during the war. Targeted killings continue and de-militarization has largely been unsuccessful.

The Mayan partners described government departments operating with impunity when it came to the misappropriation of funds. Change is happening at an incremental level. All four Mayan partner organizations were led by educated leaders in their respective communities. Their analysis and critical assessment of the role of citizens to bring about change plays a vital part in their coordination of local projects with a view to strengthening civil society.

Horizontal partnership

What struck us most about the work of Horizons of Friendship was the model

through which funding is channeled to support Mayan led projects. The projects tend to be ambitious and yet small in scale due to limited funds. However, the impacts of the projects are far reaching on a practical human scale and most importantly, are grounded in building leadership capacity amongst the indigenous partners.

The partners had been asked by Horizons to plan each day that they hosted the delegation. They introduced us to their work arranging meetings with the communities that they worked with. The encounters were treated as an opportunity for exchange, with the partner organizations often expressing gratitude for our interest in their struggle.

The delegates had brought donations to distribute amongst the partner groups. OPSEU donated shirts and pens. Once again the method of distribution spoke volumes about the regard for the leadership role of the partners and the importance of resisting the temptation to derive personal pleasure from giving. Patricia, Horizons ED, delivered the donations to the partner leaders who then distributed to the communities they worked with at the appropriate time. This was significant because even well intentioned giving would have changed the tone of our gatherings, as it was our encounters emphasized the connections between us and solidarity across cultures.


Indigenous solidarity

The presence of Darlene Kaboni, First Nations OPSEU member, was recognized at each gathering where Mayan leaders asked Darlene to participate in ceremonies and invited her to address them in her indigenous language.

For the delegates and partners Darlene’s insights regarding the parallels between Mayan and First Nations struggles, provided a unique lens through which to analyze the legacy of colonialism in the struggle for indigenous land rights and cultural and linguistic rights.

The Canadian mining connection

Canadian mining companies actively lobbied the Harper government last year to defeat Bill C-300. This bill would have set standards for mining companies to adhere to when operating in other countries. It was defeated in the house by five votes. Horizons staff had been in the federal legislature with partner Dr. Surama from Guatemala to witness this defeat.

We heard first hand how communities are organizing local consultations and are consistently voting against mining exploration. The Guatemalan government has said that it does not recognize these widespread community consultations. Mining has polluted local water tables and contamination has affected local population health.

The fight continues and hopefully this bill will come before the federal government in the future in some other form. For more information got to: http://www.miningwatch.ca/

Final note

This trip brought home that our humanity is irrevocably linked, knowing that

only chance separates our vast differences. This knowledge can bring us closer as we struggle individually and through our organizations to realize the dream of a common humanity.

Meeting with the Centre for Indigenous Studies in Education, (CEEI) Totonicapan

We travelled to Totonicapan with Enrique Cua from CEEI. The communities in this area are Mayan Kiche.

The mandate of CEEI is to strengthen Mayan Kiche leadership structures to ensure that indigenous people have a say in issues such as water management, forestry, and mining. The community recently said no to mining in community consultations, organized by community members themselves.

We met with the Directors of the Natural Resources Board for Totonicapan. This board is comprised of 12 elected directors from 48 communities in the area. CEEI provides training on organizational structures, legal assistance pertaining to section 169, the Constitution and the Peace Accords. They have also supported gender training and exchanges between different indigenous peoples in the region where women are engaged in leadership roles. The Natural Resources board now has one elected woman for the first time.

We began with an opening prayer and introductions from the leadership from the 48 communities. They welcomed us to the “land of the apples.” Darlene was recognized as a First Nations person.

Importance of the community forest

The board members talked about the unique model of environmentally sustainable forest management. This model is founded on the relationship between people and nature which is rooted in the Mayan cosmovision. This vision is about seeing the environment as being connected to Mother Earth. The forest is one of the most important coniferous forests in the country covering over 21,000 hectares; it provides water to more than 50,000 people and 80 communities. Every community elects volunteer representatives to protect the community forest and sources of water. They explained that they have been working as volunteers from generation to generation. Decisions are made by consensus, with a focus on responsibility to transmit ancient knowledge to the next generation.

The board is independent from governmental structures or state institutions. There is great concern about the natural resources that are under threat in many parts of the area. Some of the communities have a lack of information on how to protect the natural resources. The director of the Board expressed the need for solidarity and ongoing support from Horizons. In some communities they have been cutting down the forest and the reforestation takes a long time. The problem is that the wood is used for cooking in open fires, heat and furniture. Alternatives need to be explored and Horizons agreed to help facilitate this exchange with other partners in Central America.

In our exchange, Darlene referred to the parallel struggles of the First Nations people in Canada who have to struggle against the mining, gas interests that violate the earth.

We then travelled to the protected forest to participate in a Mayan ceremony. Darlene and Scott ( another delegate)were asked to join Celestina, a lawyer with CEEI, and Enrique in a ceremony that involved burning candles and asking Mother Earth for forgiveness from contaminating the forest and water and permission to care for the forest.

Darlene’s reflection:

This was the highlight of my trip because I had told a Sudbury Elder Hilda, about the ceremony and she gave me a skirt with the symbol of my clan, the fish to wear for the ceremony. During the ceremony I asked my grandmothers and grandfathers to walk with me alongside the Mayan people on their land. After the ceremony Celestina embraced me and said your mamma, papa and grandmother are here. Once on the bus again I saw a deer appear from the forest and it looked right at me. I knew then they were with me. A deer last visited me when my grandmother was preparing to leave this world. I later was told that a deer sighting in Guatemala is quite rare. This was a memorable day.

Meeting with Santa Maria Linguistic Project (PLSM), Cabrican

Today we travelled to the community of Cobrican, a Mam speaking community in a remote area in the mountains, founded as a municipality in 1664. There is a tremendous effort being made to protect the language and culture in this area.

PLSM is supporting inter-cultural bilingual education and working mainly with Mam and Kiche communities. The organization monitors and advocates for public policies to implement the 1996 peace accords. They produce culturally-specific curriculum and have formed citizen communities of parents and educators to demand government accountability. PSML trains intercultural bilingual educators. PSLM has successfully raised the profile of indigenous education with politicians in the Western highlands.

Obispo Rosales, executive coordinator of SML took us to visit a Mam primary school. We were welcomed by educators trained in bi-cultural, bilingual education. The school has 140 students and is now supported by the ministry of education however this only translates into 1 teaching position that is funded by the government.

The educators explained that 50 years ago they were ashamed to speak Mam and were punished for doing so. They said that people still think that if Mam is taught to children, they will be backwards.

One educator said: “Your visit here is a sign that we are not alone. When I see people who come from different places and value my culture, I realize that what we are doing is important.”

After our meeting with the teachers we visited a grade three classroom. Darlene greeted the children in Ojibway. A spontaneous exchange occurred and Darlene taught the children to count in Ojibway, then we counted in Mam to the children’s delight.

We were then taken to meet with the director of education for Cabrican and surrounding communities. The director highlighted the lack of resources to produce culturally specific materials for children. Nonetheless, the staff was enthusiastic about the gains that had been made in indigenous education.

Education Reform in Guatemala

1985 Constitution
Indigenous language and culture was recognized
1996 Peace Accords
The Accord on cultural identity stipulates that indigenous people have the right to health care that is culturally appropriate. Indigenous children have the right to intercultural bilingual education. The government signed these accords with the guerillas (URNG) and committed itself to implement the accords.

PSLM director, Obispo Rosales said that while some legislative changes have

occurred, the government has made no move to actually support these changes. Funds are often diverted from the health and education budgets and the funding that reaches education and health is often diverted to urban areas, where there is less indigenous representation. Obispo explained that civil society has to push the government to be accountable. He called for international organizations to support civil society efforts to hold the government accountable, not just to provide funding to efforts on the ground. Obispo’s philosophy and vision actively subverts any attempt by others to impose an instrumentalist, one-dimensional view of solidarity.

Today we met with Pies De Occidente (Association for the promotion, research, and health education).

Dr. Surama Lima and Ana Cristina Marroquin intoduced us to a group of women attending one of the 14 workshops a year that are conducted by Esperanza, a midwife. The workshops address issues of: reproductive health, male violence, identifying risks in pregnancy and in postpartum, HIV and AIDS, and breast self-examination.

We travelled to a community called Cantel, just outside Quetzaltenango. The delegates crammed into a small room with at least 50 women and some children. Darlene was asked to greet the women in Ojibway and she extended greetings and solidarity in her First Nations tongue.

After exchanging greetings, the women presented a role play depicting a woman in labour whose husband was resisting taking her to the hospital, but eventually the midwife persuaded him to change his mind. As part of the workshop, OPSEU-sponsored visual materials in the form of booklets were distributed to all the women in attendance. The title of the booklet is: "Mayan women with rights to a life free of violence."

The women described their life as being poor and very difficult. Our presence was significant in their community, as this is an area that does not see any foreign visitors. Esperanza, the workshop leader thanked Horizons and asked for more support for the women, specifically psychological support as most of the women had suffered from physical abuse. One of the women had her severely disabled child with her. There are no resources or services for indigenous children with developmental disabilities.

The partners of PIES also organized a tour of a textile museum. We learned about the 22 Mayan linguistic communities in the country and the artistry, mathematics and holistic view of the cosmos that is represented in the clothing that is worn in each community. Unfortunately we discovered that several languages are on the verge of being lost. The Mayan women who ran the museum explained that they had started the museum in 2004 with the goal of promoting their culture. They were dynamic and engaging. With such limited resources the hospitality has been amazing.

Meeting with AMIGAS in Quetzaltenango

(Asociacion Mixta Intercultural de Guatemaltecos del Altiplano y Sur Occidente)
(Association of mixed intercultural Guatemalans of the South Eastern plains)

Today we met with a very special grassroots organization that is committed to preventing maternal and infant death. AMIGAS began receiving assistance from Horizons in 2007. The staff of seven work in nine districts in the city of Quetzaltenango. The team has trained 350 volunteer midwives that receive a stipend and travel expenses to provide maternal and birthing care to Kiche and Mam speaking Mayan communities. The work has a focus on human rights, HIV/ Aids, sexual violence, reproductive health and birth control. Workshops for men are also conducted by a male staff person in the communities in a holistic manner.

We traveled to a hall donated to the community by a local union of factory workers. Here we met with 40 midwives. When we arrived our delegation was greeted at the door by a midwife who draped each of us with a multi-coloured shawl and walked us into the space.

Telma Marina Suchi, Project Coordinator opened the meeting with a Mayan

blessing. The staff of AMIGAS was introduced and each midwife in her own language introduced herself. We learned that since training the midwives, maternal and infant deaths in the nine communities have been reduced by 50%. OPSEU and CAW funds have supported a specific project to train midwives or “comadronas” to detect early signs of risk during pregnancy and postpartum.

After introducing us to their work, the AMIGAS team began to conduct a workshop with the midwives on identifying signs of risk during pregnancy and in postpartum. We were invited to observe for the rest of the morning.

After this meeting AMIGAS accompanied us to a local glass factory that is an important source of work for people in the area. The glass objects produced are sold as fair trade products in several countries in Europe.

Delegates of Horizons recognized as “distinguished guests”

In the afternoon we were invited to attend a special municipal event in

recognition of the work of AMIGAS in the community. The mayor and governor of the province and surrounding districts recognized the delegates on this trip as “distinguished guests” of Quetzaltenango. The delegation and all of the midwives and some of their children were welcomed by the Mayor and Governor who recognized the special relationship of between Canada and Quetzaltenango through Horizons. The local media attended the event. The event ended with hot cocoa and a sweet bun in the great hall. We shared hugs and photos with the midwives.

Evening presentations with the AMIGAS team

After sharing a meal with us, the team of seven staff presented in greater detail the challenges that they face in their work. The eloquence, knowledge and commitment of the team was impressive.
Marilyn Escobar, who is Mam speaking and Community Coordinator spoke about the challenges of addressing reproductive health which is a topic that is not discussed in the communities. One of the obstacles is the influence of religion which reinforces restrictions on discussing this topic.

While the midwives face barriers, they have generally been well received by women who are open to receiving information. The midwives hope that greater knowledge will empower Mayan women to make their own decisions in their life. Legislation on the promotion of family planning was passed in 2010 but it has not as yet been implemented in the school system.

AMIGAS hopes to build a “maternity house” for women in their last stages of pregnancy who face complications. The Director, Ana Beatriz Suchi, concluded the evening stating that AMIGAS is committed to expanding and strengthening their programs: “because no woman should die while giving birth. Last year 152 women died and we need to bring this number down.”

Meeting with Mayan Partners in Quetzaltenango

The partners organized the afternoon session. They invited Victoriano Castillo Gonzales, a Jesuit priest who has lived with Mayan people over the last 25 years and is professor at the University of Quetzaltenango presented on the reality of indigenous people today.

The gathering first opened our meeting with a Mayan blessing and welcome. Darlene was asked to join the Mayan circle.

Darlene: I was so honoured to be asked to participate in the Mayan circle of the four directions. It gave me the opportunity to ask my grandfathers and grandmothers to pray and stand by me in prayer and to walk with me as I walk in the land of Mayans and be my guides.

After the opening prayer, “Victo” spoke about the emergence of significant changes for the Mayan people. Mayan people are gaining in economic, political and social power in their communities. They are also being represented in professional and intellectual professions as they push to open these spaces. New models of indigenous organization and identity are emerging with accelerated urbanization of the indigenous population. Indigenous identity was synonymous with being a campesino but now Mayan people are involved at every level of society in Guatemala. Since 1992, the 500th anniversary of Spanish conquest , Mayan people have claimed public space and began to express pride in their identity. This has been a tremendous shift.

Mayan people have been part of social movements for land rights and political

rights. In the 80s they joined insurgent forces that fought against the Guatemalan government and many were massacred and lynched.

Mayan emergence, organization and political advances
1992 - The Nobel Peace prize was awarded to Rigoberta Menchu, a Mayan leader recognized for her human rights work. This award was received as validation of the struggle of the Mayan people.

International Labour Organization, Covenant 169
1995 – The government was pressured by international organizations to sign Covenant 169 of the International Labour organization (ILO). Covenant 169 guarantees indigenous rights to land and obligates countries that have signed on to protect rights of indigenous people to the land and resources (water, land, forest, mining). This section stipulates that indigenous people must be consulted prior to mining licenses being approved by government. The government signed on and promised large land owners that there would be no land reform in return.

Mining companies now have to submit to community consultation meetings that must be carried out by the government. The partners expressed concerns that Guatemalans do not have sufficient information on the environmental and health costs of mining in communities that are already vulnerable.

Canada connection – Canadian mining companies lobbied against Bill C-300 a private member’s bill to regulate Canadian mining standards overseas. The bill was defeated in the house by 4 votes.

1996 Peace Accord
After 37 years of armed struggle, the Peace Accords were signed between the guerillas and the government and slowly elements of the accord are being turned into legislation. One of these is the protecting the identity and rights of indigenous people in a multi-ethnic and pluralistic society. This goal has yet to be realized.
In the current government of president Colom, there are five Mayan politicians that have been elected. This is significant given that Mexico with 28% population of indigenous people has no indigenous politicians.

Victorio concluded his talk by emphasizing that there has been a valorization and restoring of Mayan culture which has resulted in realities that were unheard of even 10 years ago. He cited an example of university students now participating in Mayan ceremonies on campus. Indigenous movements are reclaiming cultural space and there is an apparition of an indigenous middle class. Despite the positive movements toward change, the Mayan continue to experience systemic racism, economic exploitation.

After a four hour trip through the mountains and meeting with the Mayan partners who led the afternoon session. We were struck by the incredible achievements they have made in the face of such tremendous odds.

We ended the evening with a Mayan prayer . Tomorrow we will be meeting with Mayan midwives and look forward to spending more time with the partner leaders.

Meeting with Feminist Guatemalan organization, Grupo Guatemalteco de Mujeres (GGM) in Antigua

Today we met with Dinora Gramajo and Giovana Lemus, experts on violence against women and members of the Central American Feminist Network. They work with the Grupo Guatemalteco de Mujeres (GGM). The organization runs a women's shelter in Guatemala city for up to 40 women and children. The organization also provides support for women in the South.Last year they served 4000 women needing support from centres who received services from a mulit-displinary team . GGM has 100 women who work in networks across the country. Part of the work includes maintaining strategic alliances at local, national and international levels in Latin America.  GGM launched a campaign: "Not one more death," in response to a study that they carried out entitled, "No olvidamos ni acceptamos: Femicidio en Centroamerica 2000-2006 (We won't forget, we will not accept).

The campaign was successful in terms of generating public interest in the

issue and most importantly, GGM was successful in achieving legislative changes. The government was pressured to assume responsibility for violence against women. After many years of research and a public campaign, femicide was legislated as a hate act against women in instances of violence and murder in 2008. However the courts continue to fail to prosecute the majority of acts of violence against women. GMM reviewed reported incidents of family violence from 2003-07 in six communities with the highest incidence of male violence totaling 132,201 cases. Less than 2% of acts of murder were prosecuted in the courts over the last ten years. GGM continues to research and track acts of femicide in homicide rates as there is no willingness on the part of the government to conduct research on this issue. Despite the government's verbal commitment to women's rights, the number of cases of violence against women is increasing.   

Dinora and Giovana explained that they could not have succeeded in their research and advocacy work without the support of international partners like Oxfam and Horizons. They continue to raise the profile of this issue through the United Nations and the Organization for American States. In August 2011 they will be hosting the Third Latin American Conference for women who work on the front lines of violence against women in Antigua Guatemala.

In their conclusion they explained that the women engaged in research and advocacy with GGM often have had to avoid using their names to protect themselves. At times they have been assigned protection through the office of the attorney general when assisting women going through the court system. We thanked Dinora and Giovana for their courage and commitment.