The Uwa threaten to commit collective Suicide

By Andrew Marshall, Tuesday 22 October 1996

In 1992 the Colombian government, via the State Petroleum Company ECOPETROL, signed a seismic oil exploration and exploitation contract in the so called Samore' Block with Occidental of Colombia, Inc., a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum (OXY) of the USA. An important portion of the Uwa traditional territory is included in this Block. The Uwa will commit collective suicide if OXY violates their territory, for they would rather die than witness such brutal action on their sacred lands.

The Uwa people are one of the 82 Native American societies that live in Colombia. They number approximately five thousand, and inhabit an important region in the Northeast of Colombia which includes plains, mountains, plateaux, and areas of perpetual snow. Though the Uwa are not an isolated people, they have been able to preserve basic elements of their ancestral culture, perhaps due to their resistance, since the Spanish Conquest, to the imposition of outside values. The Uwa consider themselves the Guardians of the Middle World - as they call our planet - and to effectively perform this task, to maintain the balance required for life in this planet, they have danced and chanted for centuries. But their chanting is in danger of being stopped forever.

Similar oil projects have been developed in other regions of Colombia where native populations existed, and in all cases oil exploitation has led to disintegration of Indigenous people and devastation of the environment. However, this is the first time that an indigenous population has opposed the development of a project in their territory so strongly.

Colombian law requires the government to consult indigenous populations when a project is to be developed in their territory. In January 1995 a meeting took place to inform the Uwa officially of the governmental decision to develop the Project, and to consult the Uwa, which in the government view meanto to find out how any harm done to the community could be negotiated and repaired. On this occasion the Uwa made clear that they considered their whole territory sacred, and therefore could not negotiate it. They clearly stated that

Mother Earth has a head, arms, and legs,
and the Uwa territory is its heart, which supports the Universe;
if it is bled, it will not be able to give life to the rest of the body.
Oil and other natural resources are its blood,
thus we must take care of them...

However, the Uwa agreed to consult their traditional authorities and the majorities, that is, all the communities that make up the Uwa people, and to meet again at the end of February 1995. Before that meeting took place, the government issued the environmental license to OXY, legally enabling them to start the exploration phase.

We urge you to send protest letters to the following people. A sample letter follows:

Corte Constitucional, Magistrado Dr. Antonio Barrera Carbonell,
Fax +57-1-212-8264;

Consejo de Estado
Sala de lo Contencioso Administrativo Seccion Primera
Magistrado Dr. Libardo Rodriguez
Fax +57-1-310-6946;

Ministerio del Medio Ambiente
Dr. Jaime Mogollon
Fax +57-1-336-1166;

Occidental de Colombia, Inc.,
Fax +57-1-211-6820.

Dear Sir:

I undestand you are in charge of the signed seismic oil exploration and exploitation contract with the company Occidental of Colombia, Inc., a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Company (OXY) of the US in the UWA territory. This contract will deeply harm the way of life of the Uwa people leading them to even commit collective suicide if you let this foreign company to violate their territory.

I urge you to respect Colombian law which requires the government to consult indigenous populations when a project is to be developed in their territory. I understand that in January 1995 a meeting took place to inform the Uwa officially of the governmental decision to develop the Project, and to consult the Uwa, which in the government view mean to find out how any harm done to the community could be negotiated and repaired. On this occasion the Uwa made clear that they considered their whole territory sacred, and therefore could not negotiate it.

However, the Uwa agreed to consult their traditional authorities and the majorities, that is, all the communities that make up the Uwa people, and to meet again at the end of February 1995. Before that meeting took place, the government issued the environmental license to OXY, legally enabling them to start the exploration phase.

I strongly urge you once again to respect the UWA people's territory self-determination and removed the OXY oil company from their territory .

Sincerely,