Elusive Peace: International, National, and Local Dimensions of Conflict in Colombia Edited by Cristina Rojas and Judy Meltzer palgrave macmillan Fest published in 2005 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN ZS re New Yor NY 1010 and {SBN 1-4029-6744-K Leary of Congress Cataloging in Pubicaton Data Elusive peace: international regional and local dimensions of conflict In Columbia eited by Cristina Rojas and Judy Meltzer. perm. Aocludes bibliographical ferences and index 0987654321 Printed in the United States of AmericaCHAPTER 8 Colombia's Indigenous Peoples Confront the Armed Conflict Jean E. Jackson* Introduction In the last third of twentieth century, Colombia’ indigenous peoples chaprer discusses the indigenous movements surprising degree of clout-—surprising because only 2 percent of the nation’ citizens ae indigenous~and the ways the current cvsis is affecting them. Following an overview of the country’s indigenous (pueblos! and a brief history of indigenous mobilizing, T exam nous participation during the National Constituent Assembly (Asamblea Nacional Consttayente, henceforth ANC) and the craiing of the 1991 Consticution, up, focusing on indigenous marters, followed by a discusion ofthe situation of the country’s indigenous pueblos, focusing on the intractable and intensi- fying problems che country is cure comments on the role of US. policy. ion’ successes and failutes are then taken facing, The chapter ends with some Background Overview of Colombia's Indigenous Communities ymbia's indigenous people form a least 81 distinct pueblo? and speak 64 different languages. The 1996 nat wives a figure of 638,606 Indians” roughly 2 percent of the tora oldén 2000, 128). From the comparatively densely populated Andcan communities ro the smaller and mote dispersed communities in the plains and tropical forests186 © Jean E. Jackson regions, the nation’ indigenous people have always been extremely sargnalized, socially, politcal, and economically In the second hal of the fifcench cencuy, the Crown created aster of re New Spai owned indigenous servations, in par co protect the communities dion so rapacious that they were in danger of totally disappearing. nhabitants were to work che land and pay cibute o the Crown Sixtysix contemporary rexzuardos trace their title back to this era Independence from Spain and Portugal ushered in an ideology of nai building, which required forging a unified national citizenry, homogeneous, Spanish (or Prcuguese) speaking Ca _geniom, ditecred 38 incorporating Indians into the general population through tacial mixing and culeural assimilation (Ramos 1998, 5-6), were developed in all Latin American countries with indigenous populations. In Colombia, indigenous communal came to be seen as especially inimical the na and legion intended to dismantle the rguar dos was promulgated in the nineteenth century. However, Law 89 of 1850, passed by the Conservatives then in power, slowed down this process, fr i acknowledged the official satus ofthe eguardo, and legalized the indigenous councils, known as cables, These councils, which goveened the rguardos, were pate of the Crowiis attempt centralize and urbanize the catered «cvilized” indigenous populations. They continue tobe the legis roverning the internal airs of each indigenous community, in accordance swith its values and customs (uot ycoxtumbra). Law 89 reversed progressive” legislative rend toward eliminating payment of satigng collectively owned lands. This law was often cited during the repos session campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s in highland areas. In 1988 Decree 2001 defined the reuardo as a special Kind of legal and socio tion made up ofan indigenous community or entt indigenous publ ting most ofthis century, the Colombi ng irs indigenous population 10 ace of Linguistics! Wife Bible Translators was permisted digenous communities (Stl ws Affairs (Division de Aruncos I goweenment agency representing the state tothe coun- 1982, Indigenas), bles, was founded in 1960, Presumably an advocate for indigenous has consistenely be ized for implicitly supporting an indi sgenist® approach, only gesturing (0 the need to respect cultural difference (meio and Triana 1985; Jackson 2002). Needless to say, era vested their arcempts to cont lands, promote their own version of development, and find ic indigenous labor. Indigenous Peoples and Curtent Crises 187 Hiscory of Indigenous Mobilizing During che first half of the ewer ‘Andean region ofthe count 1920s, several indigen: the assimilationis positions held by both che lefe and right, and spoke of an ‘indigenous proletariat." The most famous leader of that time, M Lame, a Pier from Cauca (a pueblo now known as Nasa) eventual came 10 question uring che 1930s groups of the 1980s and 1990s are groups char foughe against che Conservative government of the 1950s by forming “independent republics’ as parc of the Movimiento Agrarivta (Agrarian Movement) in the southern part of che department of Tolima, In thts disputes, peasants, initially onganizing to protest harch working their concerns expand among them, migrated to lower altitude regions to the ‘began the process known as “armed colonization” (Ramiece 2001). Indigenous mobilizing during this period focused laws passed in che early 1960s ts indigenous members, fi nayo, San Andres de Sotavento, and Antioqui, ANUC was only interested in “peasantizing” (campesinay) i members, formed a National Indigenous Secreta Nacional) wieh ofthe Secretariat formed the Reg Regional Indigena del Cauca, CRIC), whose mission was 1 rights and co defend local communities against the severe repre both the guerrilla armies and the national armed forces. Demand mentation of agrarian reform laws passed in the early 1960s, whi dated ex opposed not onl church, one of