Indigenous groups in Ecuador

There’s around 55 indigenous groups nowadays in Ecuador or in other words is a plurinational country and they are control and represent by the CONAIE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador) and it was establish by the followings demands to the government:

▪ “A public declaration that Ecuador is a plurinational country (to be ratified by the constitution)

▪ The government must grant lands and titles to lands to the nationalities.

▪ Solutions to water and irrigation needs

▪ Absolution of indigenous debts to FODERUMA and the National Development Bank

▪ Freezing of consumer prices

▪ Conclusion of priority projects in Indian communities

▪ Nonpayment of rural land taxes

▪ Expulsion of the Summer Institute of Linguistics

▪ Free commercial handicraft activities

▪ CONAIE protection of archaeological sites

▪ Officialization of Indian medicine

▪ Cancellation of government decree that created parallel land-reform granting bodies

▪ The government should immediately grant funds to the nationalities

▪ The government should grant funds for bilingual education

▪ Respect for the rights of the child

▪ The fixing of fair prices for products”[1]

These are some of the examples how there are treated in my country that somehow is very similar to Native Americans.

The Natives from my country have a lot of political power and influence over national issues that affect all the country and they tried to get benefits only for them, they expect benefits from the government without reason only because they are indigenous groups, they are really different from the Native Americans because the Native Americans have suffered a lot of things but the natives from my country expect to have different laws and benefits from the state.

To be part of a native group of my country one of the requirements is to be son or daughter of one native at least and work for the community.

Here are some examples of native groups in Ecuador:

Valdivia

Tsachila

Shuar

Saraguros

Otavalos

[1] Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved September 19, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_of_Indigenous_Nationalities_of_Ecuador