This section looks back at the territorial and social pressures induced by the sudden resurgence of extractive and economic activities in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (oil and mineral extraction, gold mining, logging, drug trafficking, etc.).

 

• DAR, March 31, 2021. This note shows the concerns of several Amerindian federations of the Peruvian Amazon in the face of the extractive industries which, by lack of sanitary protocols, contribute to the transmission of the Coronavirus on the indigenous territories. https://dar.org.pe/reactivacion-economica-en-marcha-exige-priorizar-un-enfoque-sostenible-y-de-participacion-de-las-comunidades-indigenas/

 

• DAR, April 24, 2020. The text evokes the conditions of the recovery of the economic activities in Peru, and is concerned about a stated desire from the government to lighten several environmental norms deemed restrictive. https://dar.org.pe/infraestructuraparalavida-i-condiciones-y-oportunidades-para-incentivos-y-sanciones-ambientales-en-proyectos-de-transportes/  

 

• DAR, May 13, 2020. This note goes into detail about Decree 1500, which in May 2020 announced the restart of hydrocarbon extraction in the Peruvian Amazon. Among other things, some of the rules for citizen consultation were changed. https://dar.org.pe/no-se-incluye-voz-y-voto-del-ministerio-de-salud-para-la-reactivacion-de-proyectos-de-inversion/

 

• Ojo publico, March 13, 2021. The article deals with the assassinations of Amerindian leaders that have multiplied in the Peruvian Amazon since the start of the pandemic. https://ojo-publico.com/2558/amazonia-denuncian-asesinato-de-lideresa-ashaninka-en-junin

 

• Ojo Publico, September 16, 2020. This three-part investigation looks at the territorial threats to Amerindian communities, which have been reinforced by the pandemic. https://ojo-publico.com/2104/defender-sin-miedo-proteger-los-bosques-durante-la-pandemia

 

• Daliri Oropeza, “El Tren Maya y la resistencia en tiempos de pandemia”, May 31, 2020. In this journalistic account, Daliri Oropeza describes the main effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in the seaside towns and indigenous territories of the Yucatán Peninsula. Amerindian villages have closed their doors to foreigners, hotels have laid off thousands of Mayan workers, and the national government’s flagship infrastructure project continues despite health restrictions. https://piedepagina.mx/el-tren-maya-y-la-resistencia-en-tiempos-de-pandemia/

 

Updated 07/12/2021:

• CHASE IRON EYES, May 7 2020. “El COVID-19 y la crisis climática son amenazas entrelazadas para los nativos americanos y la Tierra”. Lakota civil rights activist Chase Iron Eyes highlights the close links between the health crisis and the environmental crisis rocking the planet. Access on the web: https://www.ehn.org/coronavirus-native-americans-2645923635/leaders-oblivious-to-science-and-indigenous-wisdom

 

• NICK ESTES & KIM TALLBEAR, 3 de junio de 2020. “Resistencia indígena contra los oleoductos durante una pandemia” is a virtual conference by two indigenous academics who discuss lessons from past indigenous activist movements to fight oil extraction during the pandemic. Access on the web: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/168-indigenous-resistance-against-oil-pipelines-during-a-pandemic 

 

Updated 08/10/2021:

• Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America, (PDF file) SALSA Statement Condemning Brazil’s Proposed Law #490/2007

 

Updated 09/29/2021:

• CHASE IRON EYES, May 7^th 2020. “COVID-19 and the climate crisis are intertwined threats to Native Americans and the Earth”. Chase Iron Eyes, Lakota activist for civil rights underscores the close links between the sanitary and the environmental crisis that affects the world. Web link: https://www.ehn.org/coronavirus-native-americans-2645923635/leaders-oblivious-to-science-and-indigenous-wisdom

 

• NICK ESTES & KIM TALLBEAR, June 3^rd 2020. “Indigenous Resistance Against Oil Pipelines During a Pandemic” is an online conference where two Native American researchers discuss lessons to be learned from passed Native American military movements against oil extraction during a pandemic. Web link: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/168-indigenous-resistance-against-oil-pipelines-during-a-pandemic

 

• Instituto Socioambiental, September 9^th 2020. Article by an indigenist and ecologist NGO about the use of traditional medecin by Native American women from the Upper Rio Negro (Brazilian Amazon) to cope with Covid-19 pandemic. Web link: https://www.socioambiental.org/pt-br/noticias-socioambientais/mulheres-indigenas-do-rio-negro-compartilham-conhecimentos-de-remedios-tradicionais-contra-a-covid-19