1st Forum on behalf of the communal harmonization of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific and central-northern regions of Nicaragua for the revitalization of their ancestral knowledge Managua, 9th august 2007

It was the day they had all been waiting for: the international day of the indigenous peoples of the world, 9th august 2007. They had been organizing the event during weeks with so much professional commitment and enthusiasm: designing invitation letters, printing posters and handouts, heading from one donor meeting to the other to try and persuade the Ministry of Health, the European Union and the Pan-American Health Organisation to make some additional financial contributions in support of the forum.
The people I just referred to as ‘they’ are the members of APRODIN, the ‘Association of Promoters and Defenders of the Indigenous Rights of Nicaragua’ and their colleagues of TRADIMED, which is one of various components of the NIC/020 Project, ‘Integrated Support of the SILAIS of Masaya, Carazo and Rivas, II Phase’. The objectives of the TRADIMED branch are, amongst others, to unify the different indigenous communities of the Pacific and central-northern regions of Nicaragua in one great effort; to strengthen their internal organisation by supporting them technically and financially; to gather information about the use and preparation of traditional medical remedies with the help of an anthropological investigation; to facilitate the creation of an alternative, more accessible and economic health system for every Nicaraguan citizen, not only the indigenous.
Even tough I was not present during the whole process of preparation, I occasionally had the opportunity to observe this team in action and to ‘join forces’ with it, and I was extremely impressed by the determination of every individual to make the forum a total triumph for the indigenous community. But before going into any further details of the forum, I would like to set it into a certain socio-historical background.

Five centuries after the Spanish invasion of America, the indigenous peoples of the Pacific central-northern region are still out there, like an obstinate persistence and an astonishing reality, unknown and rejected by its own society for years, at least until recently…What happened was that at some point in history, the national community of Nicaragua created the myth of a ‘mestizo Nicaragua’, an ideology based on racial criteria that ignored almost entirely the existence of the indigenous communities. But the truth is that there do reside people in this country, who proudly declare that they are indigenous and want to be considered and treated as such by the rest of their countrymen.
Even though the ethnic peoples of Nicaragua were taken into consideration by the Sandinista government in the 1980s, none of the laws it introduced to organize the indigenous communities specifically referred to the Pacific and central-northern regions of the country, but only contemplated the Atlantic coast. In fact, the indigenous character of the ethnic groups of the Pacific and central-northern was considered by the Sandinistas to be a part of the national folklore, whereas the regions of the Atlantic coast were granted their autonomous status in 1987 and have been organizing themselves ever since. So until recently, there has not been a single government that has had the political willpower to bring order a complex and confused situation faced by the indigenous communities of the Pacific and central-northern regions.
In Nicaragua, about 8.6 per cent of the 5.14 million inhabitants identify themselves as indigenous people. There exist 22 indigenous communities in this country and eight of them are located within the territory in which the NIC/020 is active: El Ostional, Las Salinas, San Jorge, Urbaite and Vera Cruz in the department of Rivas and Monimbó, San Juan Del Oriente and Nindirí in the department of Masaya. These communities live their indigenous identity even though they have lost their maternal language, traditional clothing and ancient forms of ritual organization and, in some cases, their communal territory.

Now, enough with the unexciting history lesson and let us come back to the actual topic of this article. The idea of the forum was to gather round a single table the different indigenous ascendants of Nicaragua, the Nahoas, Chorotegas, Xiu and Cacaoperas of the Pacific coast and the Miskitos, Rama, Mayangnas, Garífunas and Creole of the Atlantic coast. More precisely, the intention of the event was to share each others experiences in terms of communal cohabitation in health while searching unity amongst all the indigenous peoples of Nicaragua and respecting cultural differences for a harmonious living together. Furthermore, the themes treated on this round-table were the empowerment of the indigenous leaders through the systematized compilation of the communal experience; how to guarantee the active participation of the indigenous citizens in the taking of decisions that directly affect their life style, their territory and cultural integrity; and their participation within the new national health system that is being implemented by the new Nicaraguan government.
In fact, for the first time in the history of this country, the indigenous peoples of the Pacific and central-northern regions of Nicaragua officially demanded the plain respect of their practices in traditional medicine and the full recognition of the rights of communal property, the use and administration of their traditional territories with its natural resources. As a response to this public claim and for the first time in the political history of this ethnically diverse country, the Ministry of Health formally committed itself to respecting the indigenous customs, traditions, culture, the inherited spirituality and world vision and promised to plan and realize coordinated activities with the aim to fortify the integral development of these peoples.
At this point, I would like to refer to yet another ‘historical debut’: as Gregorio Lino Simion, leader of the Mayangna people from the northern Atlantic coast correctly brought up, it was the first time that the different communities of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts came together to exchange experiences about their particular health structures and visions of the indigenous wellbeing. The forum was definitely a great opportunity for all the indigenous participants to get mutual inspiration and encouragement, as well as some insight views of the respective health structures that have been put into practice by the more advanced communities of the Atlantic coast. What's more, the event was a good way of communicating the latest results and advance of the APRODIN/TRADIMED project to the outside world and intensifying their relationship with the Ministry of Health.

Beyond any doubt, Lux-Development played a considerable role in the financial and practical organization of this opening forum. Through conversations with some indigenous participants I realized more than ever before, how important it is for them to have the technical guidance and financial support of the NIC/020 Project on their way towards a self-sufficient and autonomous indigenous health system. I am proud to have been able to share this highlight of the year 2007 with some people that have become not only my colleagues, but also my friends over the last ten months of my apprenticeship in Nicaragua. I am glad I was able attend together with Anne, Don Justo, María Jose, Don Isidrio and company lots of different workshops and gatherings, traditional ceremonies and rituals, even an anthropological course. During these activities I learnt much about the interaction between nature and the human body and mind. I also came to appreciate the existence of an alternative medicine that does not force you to swallow pill after pill and does not destroy your innate immune system as our occidental medicine sometimes does.

Laurence Klein

Exploring traditional, natural remedies