The art of indigenous struggle. The strategies of the Awas Tingni and Sarayaku communities in their international fight for land rights

Abstract

Indigenous peoples have been repressed for centuries, unheard by states which disregarded their rights. This research is an analysis of the strategies local indigenous movements in Latin America have used since the 1990s to appeal for their rights in the highest instances of the Inter-American System. Two noteworthy case-studies shape the analysis: the Awas Tingni community in Nicaragua and the Sarayaku community in Ecuador. This research identifies the ways in which two communities shaped international law through a set of effective strategies in order to fight against extractivism and assure their land rights were respected, protected and fulfilled. Through an analysis of primary sources, secondary sources and semi-structured interviews, valuable conclusions have been reached that showed: a positive trend in the international recognition of indigenous rights, and a remarkable gap of implementation, where theory of indigenous rights protection prevails over practice in real life.