Canadian First Nations Visit Trinidad Caribs

Canadian First Nations' Mission to Trinidad & Tobago

See entry for October 18, 2005, at http://www.anishinabek.ca/anish/blog.htm, from which the following is an extract:

ARIMA, TRINIDAD – There were a lot of early mornings and a lot of hard work, but my experience last week in Arima, Trinidad was certainly the time of my life. I have never felt such a close kinship with any other Indigenous Nation that I felt with the First Peoples of Trinidad. I arrived in Trinidad on a red eye from Toronto, landing in Piarcos International Airport south of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. I was fortunate to be travelling with Perry McLeod-Shabogesic, his son Falcon Skye, and Professor Nuhim Kanhai who were also a part of the delegation from Canada. Our diplomatic mission was put together very hastily by the representatives of the Santa Rosa Carib Community and my office and details had not been forthcoming until late Friday afternoon. My information didn't indicate any accommodations for the first two days, nor did it indicate that someone was to meet us at the airport. Obviously, I had some concerns over our first 48 hours. I was certainly relieved and pleased to see that Santa Rosa president himself, Chief Ricardo Bharath-Hernendez was at the airport early on October 10 to greet us warmly at the airport and lead us to our accommodations in St. Augustine.

Venezuelan Amerindians Protest Expulsion of US Evangelists

"Venezuelan Indigenous Tribes Protest Chavez Government Order Expelling U.S. Evangelists," Natalie Obiko Pearson, The Associated Press, October, 28, 2005.

Hundreds of indigenous Venezuelans marched Friday to protest President Hugo Chavez's threat to expel a group of U.S.-based evangelists, amid intensifying government scrutiny of foreign missionaries operating in the country. The protesters - including some who traveled for days by boat from their homes in the dense Amazon jungle - showed their support for New Tribes Mission, which Chavez has accused of 'imperialist infiltration' and exploiting indigenous communities. Luis Rodriguez, a Piapoco Indian, said the missionaries helped indigenous tribes during hard times when aid from government authorities was scarce or nonexistent. 'The government didn't arrive here to do anything important for us,' said Rodriguez, 41, as he marched with fellow demonstrators, some of whom sang hymns. Two weeks ago, Chavez ordered the New Tribes missionaries to leave the country, accusing the Sanford, Fla.-based organization of links to the CIA and gathering 'strategic information' in the country's Amazon rainforest. Government officials and other critics of the evangelist group have since backed Chavez's decision, accusing the missionaries of destroying indigenous culture and using their presence in remote, mineral-rich tracts of Venezuela to conduct reconnaissance work for foreign mining and pharmaceutical interests. New Tribes has denied the accusations and is seeking a meeting with Chavez to try to resolve the matter, said a New Tribes spokesman, Ronald Van Peursem. He said the group believes the president has been misinformed about its work in the country. Supporters say the missionaries have brought much-needed medical, educational and other assistance to impoverished indigenous communities who have long been neglected by the authorities.

South American Indigenous Leaders Back Chavez Plan

"Foro Indigena Sudamericano Analiza Propuesta De Hugo Chavez," Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 12 Octubre 2005.

QUITO: La Cumbre de Legisladores y Lideres Indigenasde Sudamerica, con la asistencia de Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru y Venezuela, arranco hoy en Quito con el analisis, entre otros temas, de la propuesta del presidente venezolano Hugo Chavez de la Alternativa Bolivariana para las Americas (ABPA). El encuentro, al que asisten como observadores nueve legisladores del Pais Vasco, fue inaugurado oficialmente con la presencia del presidente del Congreso de Ecuador, Wilfrido Lucero, mientras el jefe de Estado ecuatoriano, Alfredo Palacio, se excuso de asistir a ultima hora. La ABPA, propuesta por Chavez y que centra la atencion del encuentro, es una alternativa al Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) andino que negocian Ecuador, Colombia y Peru con Estados Unidos y que ha recibido la oposicion de grupos de izquierda e indigenas en la region.

Venezuela: Indigenous Land Grants

"Chávez Entrega 160 Mil Hectáreas De Tierra A Etnias Indígenas,"

Xinhua News Agency - Spanish, 12 Octubre 2005.

CARACAS: El presidente venezolano, Hugo Chávez, entregó hoy 160 mil hectáreas de tierras a 15 comunidades indígenas de cuatro estados venezolanos. En el marco de la celebración del Día de la Resistencia Indígena, desde el estado llanero de Apure, el mandatario venezolano indicó que los indígenas recobraron la libertad y el derecho al progreso. Vestido con uniforme militar, Chávez entregó tractores, 160 mil hectáreas de tierras y títulos de propiedad colectiva, a 15 comunidades indígenas provenientes de los estados venezolanos de Apure, Anzoátegui, Sucre y Delta Amacuro. Los indígenas recobraron la libertad y el derecho al progreso con la entrega de varias maquinarias y la titularidad colectiva de terrenos en donde se desarrollarán programas internos, destacó el presidente. Durante el acto, transmitido en cadena nacional de radio y televisión, el mandatario venezolano donó tractores, camiones, motores y ganado a etnias de la comunidad Barranco Yopal del estado Apure.