Chachi People

First I want to start off by thanking you for inviting us to the United Nations
headquarters to share how we, the Chachi Peoples way of life. We started out in the
Imbabura Province in mountainous regions near Ibarra. Our ancestors were forced
to settle in that area after the Spanish Conquest was over. We weren't always called
Chachi, our first named was originally Cayapa which means fathers son until that
term was rejected. Now we are called Chachi which means pure. We are a very
poor tribe. Our homes are built on stilts with sides and a roof of thatch. They are
usually unenclosed but sometimes are divided into two sections. Our normal dress
is not like those of other tribes or countries in the Latin American region. Our
women wear loose skirts with a sash at the waist while men wear a long shirt with
pants. Most of the time both men and women and children are bare chested. Our
population ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 people. Since we are a poor tribe, our people
have daily routines in order to survive the harsh conditions that we live in. Our own
crops are grown by our women and children, Hunting and fishing are done by the
men as well. Our major source of food is fish and shellfish. We work with sugarcane,
yams, peppers and we raise some domestic animals. Weaving, pottery, and
woodwork are the major crafts that we have. Our governmental system is made up
of chiefs and officials. Some of the challenges that we face are rangers put in by the
Ecuadorian Foundation of Ecological Studies, a local nongovernmental organization.
We feel like these rangers have stripped of us our rights to use natural resources in
order to survive. One day four of our men went downstream to find a tree to make a
canoe out of so that we could fish better and travel around more. The rangers came
in and told us that we were not allowed to do this and cut holes into our canoes so
that it sinks and doesn't go anywhere. We feel as though our rights are being
violated by the presence of mining companies and commercial shrimp farmers
because they are pressuring us to lease out land to them. Chachi people live in one
of the last forest reserves in the Western region of
Ecuador. Landownership is already a problem for
us, it isn't fair that we have to fight for our rights,
and help work to make a political change.
Respecting our tradition is a big deal for us
because we are very scarce in everything
including people. Thank you for allowing us to
come today. We very much appreciate it.

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