Global Policy Forum

By Roberto Afanador Cobaria – Berito Kubaruwa

The Highest Council of the U'wa Traditional Authorities would like to clarify the issue of collective suicide to the national and international community.

As part of our sad history-- that today is very much a part of our U'wa culture's fight for socio-cultural survival through time and space-- the event at the "Cliff of the Dead," in the municipality of Güicán, department of Boyacá is kept in the memory of our grandparents, where a hundred of our ancestors, together with their children and families decided to die instead of being subjugated to the Spanish laws and authorities. Thus, these brothers and grandfathers decided to die throwing themselves from the highest part of this cliff down to the most silent void-- that with its surrounding natural environment received the bodies and sacred spirits of these heroes.

This historic fact--to die rather than be submitted to and destroyed by the enemies--defines the decision of our ancestors to commit collective suicide to preserve the secrets of the U'wa culture. All of this [was done] with a sense of spiritual strength, cultural zeal and dignity of a people that has always resisted changing the natural and cultural wealth that governs our cosmovisión and cosmology, [and] defining the road of autonomy and cultural identity.

That is the reason why, in the year 1995, before the imminent intervention of OXY in our sacred territory, our communities and leaders said publicly that, "THE U'WA PREFER TO DIE INSTEAD OF GIVING AWAY OUR HISTORY, LAWS AND SACRED LANDS . . ." -- what the media interpreted as collective suicide. Our position today in 2003 has not changed and cannot change because it would violate our internal constitutional legal system and other laws of origin and of cultural survival.

Our position on ECOPETROL's oil project in the territory of the U'wa people and the U'wa Nation. For us, it doesn't matter which oil company (national or foreign) moves forward with the petroleum project in our sacred territory. Oil activity implies the destruction of our culture, autonomy and natural resources. The contamination of our sacred spaces will be imminent, which is why we have decided in all our meetings and traditional ceremonies that we cannot negotiate the life of Mother Earth and all her elements.

Although the collective suicide that our past generation carried out, represented the loss of the lives of women, children, elders, and part of our sacred history etc., with the utmost dignity and pride, today the reasons have not changed. This is why our communities are determined to not negotiate the sacred body of our Mother Earth, and much less the petroleum that is the Blood of the Mother Earth. The extraction of this resource is hell for us, and the beginning of the end of humankind.

Today, the U'wa people have sought the creation of an alliance with the 85 indigenous tribes of Colombia to strengthen the consciousness and cultural identity of the Colombian people and to initiate the process of demanding our rights. This measure is essential to begin a process of dialogue with the Alvaro Uribe Velez government, demanding respect for indigenous cultures and the natural resources in our sacred territories in Colombia. We have also had to create alliances with other indigenous peoples of the world, with environmental and human rights groups that are presenting their protests for the preservation of natural resources as the only alternative to defend life itself, for all people that live on this Mother Earth, no matter what race they might be.

The firm position of not permitting oil exploitation in our sacred territory is because we are absolute owners of these lands. This is evident in the historic documents that date back approximately 400 years ago when the kings of Spain ordered the -ancient hereditary historic rights of indigenous peoples be recognized and protected.

Therefore, the Tunebo Nation--today the U'wa Nation--is entitled to these administrative, political, historic, and legal benefits which today in no way diminish the Colombian judicial system and affect even less the national economy, which is in great need of a sustainable development model based on the respect of human rights, a clean environment, and one in accordance with international humanitarian law.

For this reason we demand the Colombian state and especially the government of Andrés Pastrana Arango, and today, of Alvaro Uribe Velez to respect the applicable laws currently in force under the Social State of Law. The U'wa are a culture that in no moment is against the development of the national economy. We are only asking respect for our lives, culture, autonomy, and peace that is in accordance with the order of existing laws.

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