Native Peruvians - Ashininka
Peruvian Indigenous Ashininka Struggle To Survive Logging, Oil Drilling And The Legacies Of Slavery And Colonisation
A tiny remnant of the Ashininka in Peru have fled and secured land rights in Brazil. But there are rumours of a secret return to the hidden Peruvian interior...
From 1839 to 1913 80% of the Peruvian Ashininka people were eradicated. The survivors were enslaved by rubber tappers, and their forced labour carried the rubber boom of the 19th century. Profits from this industry (dependent upon slavery) were used to build the capital on which the colonial nation was founded.
The survivors fled to Acre in Brazil, where they were able to secure land rights in a small area, to live and cultivate their "chacre" garden plots. Those survivors living on Brazilian native title land number only 600.
But in Peru, foreign disease and displacement continue to take their toll on the remnant population of Ashininka slave descendents, with loggers, oil companies, missionaries, "wilderness" conservationists and illegal colonists still encroaching on the Ashininka's dwindling territory.
However, they have fought to have a portion of their native lands declared a national park, and have generated a lot of enthusiasm and empowerment in their communities around capacity building and cultural preservation projects. These projects combine ancient knowledge with the latest technology in an effort to ensure future survival.
It is rumoured that a few bands of Ashininka have retreated into secret areas deep into the interior in order to pursue a traditional and autonomous lifestyle rather than submitting further to colonisation. But as this "undeveloped" space continues to shrink, doubts exist as to how long such groups might remain hidden.
