The Darien region, with a total
land surface of 16,803 km, is the largest province in
Panama, the most sparsely populated, and the least well
known. It is a region of dense tropical rainforest. Its
indigenous population of Embera, Wounaan, and Kuna live
in settlements scattered along the numerous river
valleys. Until
20 years ago, there were no roads in the Darien; now
there is a gravel highway cutting through its center down
as far as the town of Yaviza, 100 km short of the
Colombian border. This 100 km stretch is the only
uncompleted piece of the Pan-American
Highway, which
connects overland commerce between North and South
America. While most of the traditional inhabitants of the
Darien travel by river, the highway has opened up the
region to loggers, cattle ranchers, and landless peasants
from the overcrowded interior provinces. This influx of
population is threatening both the indigenous people and
the natural forest.
Since the time
of the Spanish conquest, those of European descent have
called these lands "empty quarters," as if they
had no inhabitants. Sadly, this colonial ignorance of
indigenous peoples has persisted into the present. Indian
lands considered vacant are
prime targets
for government colonization schemes. The Indians have
been made "invisible," and their claims to the
territory they inhabit are not recognized.
This is
beginning to change. Indian groups throughout the
shrinking tropical forests of Central America are
presently fighting to gain title to their territories.
Conflicts over indigenous land rights have become one of
the most pressing social issues in the region.
In early 1993,
the Congreso Embera-Wounaan-Kuna began working with the Centro
de Estudios y Accion Social Panameno (CEASPA) on a
project to map indigenous land use in the Darien. From
May through October 1993, a team consisting of two
professionally trained cartographers and 23 local
surveyors encuestadores made maps that
meticulously depict river systems and show where local
communities hunt, fish, farm, cut firewood, gather
building materials, and collect medicines. The maps
clearly indicate the extent of the territory utilized the
indigenous peoples of the Darien and the ways in which
they manage their natural resources.
The final map
of the Darien, completed in March 1994, is crucial to
discussions about the future of the region, which stands
on the brink of massive and potentially devastating
change. Although the proposed Pan-American Highway would
cut through the very heart of their territory, Indians
have thus far been given little voice in the matter. The
mapping process and public forums are all attempts to
change this situation. "We are making [our lands and
their uses] clear to our government," said Leopoldo
Eacorizo, the General Chief of the Congreso
Embera-Wounaan-Kuna, "so that it can understand and
coordinate with us on solutions to problems that involve
us."
- Mac
Chapin
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