Las Mujeres

Women and the women's movement have played integral roles in the success of indigenous leaders and political action within Latin America and, especially, the Andean Region. Much like the women from mining regions in the Appalachian region of the US, indigenous women in Latin America are interested in equality and fair use of the land they live on or have claims to through generational or spiritual ties. Women in the region fear for the physical health of their families in the face of water privatization and the exploitation of land for agricultural purposes or to extract oil or minerals from the subsoil. Physical health, however, is not the only thing at stake when land begins being exploited by multinational corporations.

Cultural extinction and homogenization are major consequences of the neo-liberal policies mandated by Northern agencies such as the IMF. In answer to this, indigenous groups, such as C0naie in Ecuador, are advocating a policy of bilingual education so their children can learn in Spanish as well as their native language. This group also promotes traditional healing practices and ceremonial participation.

A sense of cultural awareness is important to the success of mobilizing social movements, especially those based on land rights. If the children of indigenous people were uninterested in the plight of their parents or unaware of their unique cultural heritage, there would be no one to continue fighting for recognition of indigenous rights. Indigenous education also serves the purpose of breaking Northern and elite driven knowledge monopolies that frame the conquest as a positive factor in Latin American history and perpetuate the status quo. Political mobilization and having people in office that are interested in seeing indigenous groups thrive is necessary to continue the programs of bilingual education and cultural awareness.

So, not only do women protest for and with their families, but efforts driven by women's groups are restructuring the way children from the community learn. Solidarity with women's groups has helped make indigenous groups more prominent and stronger in their claims for land and water rights.