Peruvian Indians Travel to Paris to Fight for Their Existence

From left, Hector Martin Manchi, Esther Diquez Rojas and Lyndon Pishagua Chinchuya, representatives of the indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon, are advising the negotiators from Peru attending the climate talks in Le Bourget, north of Paris. Credit Christophe Ena/Associated Press 

 

LE BOURGET, France — They live in the jungle, wear their traditional attire every day, not just on special occasions, and though many of them have never traveled this far from home, they don’t have much time for sightseeing.

The 21 Peruvian Indians attending the Paris climate talks this week (about 30 more are expected to arrive next week) have traveled more than 6,300 miles to fight for their survival.

“The reason for our existence is our land, where we have our own governance, economy and cultural practices,” said Lyndon Pishagua Chinchuya, 43, of the Yanesha community in the Peruvian Amazon. “We are here at COP 21 to show the world the importance of recognizing land tenure as a method of climate mitigation,” referring to the climate talks.

With their face paint, beads and feathers, the Peruvian Indians stand out in a gathering of more than 40,000 people who are mostly wearing Western business suits.

Their attire is part of their strategy.

Like most people attending these climate talks, the Peruvian Indians are not among the negotiators, though they are advising the Peruvian negotiating team. They are here to raise awareness for their situation. Their visit was financed by a grant the government of Norway made last year, when Peru hosted the annual United Nations climate talks, now in their 21st year.

Peru is rich in biodiversity, but land degradation, water pollution and deforestation are endangering the homes of the Yanesha and others. Conflicts with companies that seek to exploit the region’s minerals and timber are on the rise.

Though Peruvian law ostensibly recognizes the land rights of indigenous communities, much of the title to the land has not been formalized, making disputes hard to resolve. Arbitration and litigation are expensive and difficult to access.

Esther Diquez Rojas, 32, a member of the Ashaninka indigenous community, said that her village was already seeing more intense and severe flooding, less predictable rainfall and a decline in the population of the bagre, a kind of catfish eaten in the community.

None of the four Peruvians had ever traveled to Paris, or ventured this far from home.

Hector Martin Manchi, 49, joked that he had been “to the moon” — but only after drinking ayahuasca, a plant-based medicine known for its psychoactive properties.

Mr. Martin Manchi, who is also from the Ashaninka community, said he had traveled to the end of one of the Paris subway lines just to see what he would find, but had no time for museums. “It’s expensive to tour Paris,” he said.

Miguel Samaniego Arroyo, 34, an activist with the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest, said he opposed the distinction between “developed” and “developing” people — one of the most common themes of the climate conference.

“We don’t want the private-sector way of life imposed on us,” he said. “Everyone develops in their own way.”

Asked what he hoped to impart to the powerful decision-makers meeting here, Mr. Samaniego Arroyo responded: “What we want the most is for people in the city to respect the jungle — to know that the jungle is here and that people are living here. The Amazon is a living being, not just resources.”

Gesturing at this reporter’s laptop, he added: “You have to highlight that if nature disappears, we disappear.”