"The State of Things: The Indigenous Question in the Americas" by: Guillermo Tonsky, trans. by David Margolin in: "Encounters" (Spring 1990, pp. 30-33) No one interested in these matters can have the least doubt as to the most pressing issue in the Americas: the Indian question, or the indigenous question, if you prefer. Lamentably, when the various crises suffered by Latin America are mentioned in international forums (the foreign debt, the war in Central America, the new democracies in the Southern Cone, etc.), the indigenous question is not included as a priority. This omission is not a new one. The heirs of colonial power, both in the north and in the south, built their diverse societies on a base of neglect, if not outright exploitation and elimination of indigenous communities. It was not until the 1930s and 1940s, with the creation of various indigenous institutes in Latin America, that a new attitude appeared. I say "attitude" because, unfortunately, in many instances this position has not translated into positive action. In other instances, interference or the paternalistic policies of "helping the Indian" have resulted in damage to the interests of those very groups of indigenous peoples. Can 1992 be a decisive year in the coordination of renewed efforts toward real improvements? Although skeptical by nature, the participants in the conference hope that this might be the case. Let us examine the results of the Seventh Conference with this in mind. In its introduction, the Seventh Conference has voiced an unequivocal "mea culpa." At least forty million people living today in the so-called New World identify themselves as Indians and are recognized as Indians by the other members of the national societies they help to make up. They are the heirs of the original inhabitants of the continent and the repositories of cultures forged on this soil over thousands of years. In commemorating the Quincentenary, Indian peoples must have the opportunity to play the central role they deserve and which has so persistently been denied to them. For five centuries, the Indian peoples of the Americas have occupied a subordinate position and have been subjected to the most varied forms of exploitation. Protective legislation initiated at the very dawn of the colonial era has not been capable, in and of itself, of eliminating the relationships of dominance that characterize the treatment of the indigenous population. For this reason alone, the Indian voice is a voice of demands and conditions that grows more resolute by the day. The Quincentenary, by virtue of its irrefutable symbolic force, is a propitious occasion for the nations and governments of the Americas to make substantial advances toward a new relationship with the Indian peoples based on recognition, respect, and dialogue. Recognition, in turn, implies accepting that Indian peoples have the right to be a part of their national societies without having to renounce either their own identity or their unique cultural characteristics. Historically, from the time of the discovery and conquest of the Americas, Indians were theoretically considered to be communities of free subjects. They were, however, under the jurisdiction of special laws and practices which, in reality, saw them as a specific sector or republic, with juridical, territorial, political, and economic status. At the same time, these special practices attempted to segregate them from the other sectors of society and encouraged a system of trusteeship that converted them into marginal com- munities and populations situated on the bottom rung of the social ladder. Legislation passed by the colonial powers, together with the actions of the colonizers themselves, destroyed, one after another, the structures which had sustained indigenous populations and which had given meaning to the community life of Indian peoples. After thousands of years, the economic, political, social, and religious order imposed by the conquerors. In the same way, after independence a generation of republicans succeeded the generation of political liberators. The banner of this new generation was Liberalism. In the name of progress, the driving force of the nations of Europe and of the United States, a mestizo minority, full of faith in the future, decided to deny large parts of the national past, constructing doctrines and political models that had nothing to do with Indian reality. To the liberal mind, the cultural legacies of Spain and Indian cultures were a throwback to a past which was necessary to cast aside, which it attempted to deny, and with which it desired to make a radical break. Only in the 1930s and 1940s, as we have mentioned, was the cruel nature of this ill-named liberal policy finally understood. At that time, an attempt was made to recover the lost ground of our past, not only in the indigenous com- munities, but also regarding the undeniable contributions of Spanish culture. Through such historical analyses, the Seventh Conference, in recognition of the role of indigenous institutions in the various countries, has grouped the basic needs of Indian communities into five principal demands: Land. There is a general call to ensure the basic means of subsistence for indigenous peoples, from the integrity of cul- tivated fields to territorial rights over traditional subsistence areas and the natural environment surrounding Indian settlements and communities. Participation in economic and material development. As much to assure their participation in the benefits of national develop- ment as to maintain their own lifestyles and cultural practices, indigenous peoples are demanding more inclusive forms of par- ticipation, shared responsibility, and self-direction in programs and policies involving financial matters, technology, and resource management affecting them both directly and indirectly. Cultural development. One of the most vigorous demands of indigenous peoples is the right to use and develop their lan- guages, religions, medical practices, and traditional knowledge. They also demand the right to organize their own educational processes and social communication in accordance with their needs. Justice. Justice, access to it, and the defense of indigenous individuals and rights are far from being a reality in Indian areas. Respect for human rights is one of the most urgent problems and one of the most pressing demands of indigenous peoples. Autonomy. In order to accomplish the preceding objectives, some indigenous peoples and numerous others involved in defending their interests, consider one indispensable prerequisite to be that indigenous peoples be able to make independent decisions affecting their territories, the natural environment, their economic resources, and their cultural heritage. Finally, by way of conclusion, the Seventh Conference has issued the following ten recommendations to its member governments: One. That the national commissions urge their governments to move forward in constitutional and legislative reforms guaranteeing the recognition and expansion of indigenous rights, with the participation of the interested parties. Two. To go forward in the promulgation of legal and admini- strative means to assure respect for indigenous groups and their natural surroundings in order to guarantee an ecological balance in the face of the destruction of natural resources essential for the future. Three. To fashion educational policies that allow the develop- ment of indigenous languages, taking into account historical processes, traditions, values, and local knowledge, as the basis for bilingual, bicultural education. Four. To incorporate in the working programs of the national commissions projects that value and emphasize the significance of indigenous peoples in the past and in the present, so that this might be an opportunity to regain the contribution of indigenous peoples in the formation and development of the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural reality of today's world. Five. To invite the participation of representatives of indigenous peoples in the national commissions. Six. To support the creation of a central collection of indigenous American languages, traditions, stories, myths, artifacts, and scientific and technical knowledge. Seven. To promote an increased appreciation of indigenous public institutions and the effective participation of representatives of these institutions. Eight. To increase the efforts and connections between the various cooperating agencies (intergovernmental, governmental, and nongovernmental) in order to optimize the use of resources and their allocation to programs meeting the needs of indigenous peoples. Nine. To attend to the problems and needs of indigenous refugee groups in border areas and in settlements located in other national territories in light of the international doctrine of human rights. Ten. To augment this document with appendices provided by each national commission, which will present reports of the progress of these recommendations at the next conference. Our earnest desire is that, once and for all, this matter be placed on our national agendas so that finally it might be understood that Indian culture is not the equivalent of a guer- rilla movement. In the long run, the only thing that can save us as individuals in an increasingly homogenized world is precisely to share our different worlds with those who today are the "last in line." A six-digit bank account might give us a feeling of importance, but only a culture that allows us to "walk in another man's shoes" can really make us important. TONSKY01.ART