Native Future News

Matching Funds Challenge -- Help Native Future Raise $10,000 by September 1st

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:00:49 -1000

At the 11th hour, the Wounaan are facing their big-gest challenge yet. Local colonists are fighting against the Wounaan’s application for land title, trying to take 50% of the land and forests of the community of Maje. And Wounaan leaders are being jailed for defending their land rights . The Wounaan need our immediate help, today!

Dedicated Native Future supporters, Michael Smith and Peter Hetz, and the Native Future Board of Directors, will match your dona-tion, dollar for dollar, up to our goal. Donations will support Wounaan legal fees, transportation, and communications.

For more information, see our flyer. To donate, go to our donate page.

Winter 2010 Newsletter published

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:17:38 -1000

The Winter 2010 newsletter went out via mail and email. You can download a copy here.

Annual Basilio Perez Scholarship Fund Fundraiser Scheduled for Aug. 8th, 2010

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:55:12 -1000

Sara invites you to join her at the annual Basilio Perez Scholarship Fundraiser on August 8th at the home of Scott Thompson & Jim Duplissie in Scarborough, Maine. There will be food and drink, a silent action including indigenous arts & crafts, music, and great people. Bring your friends!

Download the event flyer for detailed driving directions and more information.

Native Future Launches E-News! Sign up Today!

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:45:14 -1000

Stay abreast of Native Future activities and developments. Sign up to get the latest Native Future news by email including newsletters, updates on special projects, announcements of upcoming events, and other important news. It’s easy! Click here to sign up. You can unscubscribe at any time and we will not share your information.

Stay up to date with what’s going on with Native Future by joining our email list today!

Fall 2010 Newsletter Published

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 18:49:48 -1000

Our fall 2009 newsletter should have arrived in you mailboxes last month. Click here to download a pdf version.

Land Tenure Program Head Zach McNish Appears on Hawai'i T.V. Station

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 15:53:48 -1000

Zach recently discussed the Wounaan’s efforts to obtain title to their lands on a Hawai’i TV program. He also talked about Native Future’s essential role in supporting their efforts. Click on the viewer below to watch the program!

Summer 2009 Newsletter Published

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:20:34 -1000

Native Future mailed out its Summer 2009 Newsletter today. Highlights include news of the new land tenure legislation in Panama, exciting developments in Native Future’s sustainable arts project, and the continued success of Native Future’s scholarship program. Click here to see the newsletter.

5th Annual Basket Show & Benefit in Santa Fe

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 02:18:24 -1000

Michael Smith Gallery is holding its 5th Annual Basket Show benefit for the Wounaan. Ten percent of the profits from basket sales will go to Native Future. Please stop by for a visit if you are in Santa Fe!

2009 Scholarships Awarded to Ñgabe-Bugle and Wounaan Students

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:31:38 -1000

Sara Archbald, Native Future Education Project Coordinator, visited Panama in February to award and oversee the disbursement of over $10,000 in NF indigenous scholarship funds. More than 100 students, from elementary school through the university level, were given scholarships for the current academic year.

Distrito Ñürun, Comarca Ñgäbe Bugle:

• 34 elementary students, El Jacinto received uniforms, shoes, supplies;
• 9 El Jacinto secondary/university students received tuition support;
• 34 secondary students in Buenos Aires, who live great distances from a school, received boarding expenses at the Centro Misionero;
• 18 students from El Tigre Abajo (and beyond) – whose families participate in a farm association - received school stipends;

Native Future Supports Economic & Environmental Study of Wounaan Communities

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 09:22:07 -1000

The results of his study show two things. First, the Wounaan do not deforest their land in the same way the colonos do. The average colono household deforested 50 hectares, compared to only 0.64 hectares for the Wounaan. Second, despite the Wounaan’s less “exploitative” approach to the land, the achieve higher revenue per household and vastly higher revenue per hectare deforested than the colonos. Thanks in part to the successful marketing of “high value add” baskets, tagua nut carvings, and rosewood carvings, the average Wounaan household contributed over $5,000 in income to the Panamanian G.D.P. This is more than double the roughly $2,000 contributed by the average colono household’s cattle ranching and pork-raising activities.

Until the passage of a communal land titling act in December 2008, Panamanian land law allowed a colono who deforested land could title that land as an individual, but an indigenous community that preferred to maintain the forest could not. Martin’s study shows that this bias toward “improving” deforested land by deforested land is outdated. In remote areas, high value add forest products and ecotourism can be much more productive economically than low-intensity cattle ranching. Stewardship of forests is the most effective path to economic development, not their destruction.

Native Future would like to thank Martin for his thorough academic work and his interest in the Wounaan. Martin’s complete report is available here.

Communal Land Titling Legislation Passes in Panama

Wed, 7 Jan 2009 08:59:53 -1000

The passage of a communal land titling bill by the Panamanian legislature on December 23, 2008 marked another major step forward in the Wounaan’s efforts to secure their traditional lands. The new law establishes a special procedure by which indigenous communities can secure legal recognition of their land rights and hold these rights as a community.

This legislation is an important step towards ensuring that all of Panama’s indigenous communities—including the Wounaan communities that Native Future works with—are able to continue to use their lands in the sustainable, culturally appropriate, and non-destructive way they have for generations past. The enactment of “tierra colectiava” legislation is something the Wounaan have sought for
more than a decade.

Wounaan Take Land Rights Claims to Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:46:41 -1000

Leonides Quiroz, Speaker for the Wounaan people and Native Future Higher Education scholarship recipient, participated today in a hearing on Indigenous Rights in Panama at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, in Washington, D.C.

Representatives of the Naso and Ngobe tribes were also present, and the speakers obtained the written support of the highest indigenous authorities of the four other Panamanian indigenous groups. Native Future, Akin Gump L.L.C., Cultural Survival, and La Alianza para Conservacion y Desarrollo helped the indigenous representatives request and prepare for the hearing.

The hearing began with Leonides laying out the legal case that the government of Panama had neglected its duty to ensure the indigenous groups’ fundamental right to land, equality before the law, and to the benefits of culture, as guaranteed by the OAS Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. He pointed out the incompleteness of the comarca system, the absence of mechanism to title communal lands outside the comarca, and the refusal of the government to protect indigenous land against cattle ranchers and other invaders.

After Leonides finished speaking, Felix Sanchez of the Naso tribe presented evidence of the Panamanian government’s improper granting of hydroelectric concessions and police repression of peaceful indigenous protests. The Panamanian government delegation responded to the indigenous delegations allegations, arguing that indigenous groups in Panama already have “enough” land, and that the lands did not pertain ancestrally to the indigenous groups that claimed them. The government also noted that a high-level committee on indigenous issues had been convened to address indigenous issues in Panama, and that legislation that would provide a mechanism for the titling of collective lands is currently active in the Panamanian legislature.

Finally, both sides answered questions from the 5-member panel of Commissioners. The indigenous representatives were able to rebut the governments arguments on the ancestrality of their lands and present arguments about why the proposed collective lands legislation would not adequately address their concerns.

Leonides recently completed his course of study of law at the University of Panama, becoming the first university graduate of the Wounaan tribe and first Native Future Higher Education graduate.

For rough edits of a film about the proceedings, click here or here.

For more photos click here.

Fall 2008 Newsletter Published

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:54:47 -1000

Our fall 2008 Newsletter is going out in the mail tomorrow. Highlights include a preview of upcoming testimony by a Wounaan delegation to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington, D.C., information on Native Future’s collaboration with the Funadcion para el Desarollo del Pueblo Wounaan, and announcement of the launch of Native Future’s “adopt-a-hectare” program.

A big thank-you to all of the supporters who have made it possible for us realize these activities in 2008!

You can download the newsletter here.

UN Human Rights Committee Addresses Indigenous Land Rights in Panama

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 16:31:08 -1000

The United Nations Human Rights Commission has recommended that Panama should “recognize the rights of indigenous communities tha tlive outside the comarcas, including the right to collective use of their ancestral lands.” The recommendation came as part of periodic monitoring under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the most important human rights treaty in the UN system.

A copy of the report is available here.

Mr. Membora and Mrs. Teucama de Membora could be described as the Wounaan power couple. Tonny was instrumental in organizing the traditionally independent Wounaan communities under a single national Wounaan “Congreso,” and was elected as the first Wounaan president in 1998. After stepping down from public office in 2003, he is still a highly respected and active Wounaan leader. Milda is a master weaver and was chosen to teach basket-weaving workshops to other Wounaan women. She is also Vice President of the Panamanian non-profit organization Foundation for the Development of the Wounaan Pueblo. Together Tonny and Milda own a cooperative shop in Panama City where they sell Wounaan art and other handicrafts.

The Michael Smith Gallery in Santa Fe shows and sells world-renowned Wounaan baskets and carvings all year, and donates 10% of these profits to Native Future, which is a U.S.-based non-profit organization whose mission is to protect marginalized indigenous cultures and to help them conserve the ecosystems in which they live. Generously, the gallery has promised to donate 50% of their profits from sales of Wounaan art during this year’s benefit.

Native Future has been working with the Wounaan since 2003 and collaborating with the Michael Smith Gallery since 2005. Managed by an all-volunteer board, Native Future works with the Michael Smith Gallery to raise over $25,000 a year for the Wounaan cause. These funds are directed to support Native Future’s core programs.

The Michael Smith Gallery is located at 526 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico. To find out how you can participate in the gallery benefit or purchase a Wounaan benefit basket please visit www.michaelsmithgallery.com, or write to us at contact@nativefuture.org.

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Indigenous Leaders in Santa Fe, July 10th-17th for 4th Annual Basket Show Benefit

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 06:30:30 -1000

From July 10 – 17, 2008, the Michael Smith Gallery will host Tonny Membora and Milda Teucama, leaders of the Wounaan indigenous tribe of Panama. Tonny and Milda, two of the most influential Wounaan, will be in Santa Fe to demonstrate how some of the finest hand-woven baskets in the world are made, and talk about the plight of their culture. They will be at the gallery at 5:30 pm on the opening night, July 10th, and every day from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm and 3:00 -5:00 p.m. when they will give basket-weaving demonstrations and be available to talk with visitors through a translator.

Mr. Membora and Mrs. Teucama de Membora could be described as the Wounaan power couple. Tonny was instrumental in organizing the traditionally independent Wounaan communities under a single national Wounaan “Congreso,” and was elected as the first Wounaan president in 1998. After stepping down from public office in 2003, he is still a highly respected and active Wounaan leader. Milda is a master weaver and was chosen to teach basket-weaving workshops to other Wounaan women. She is also Vice President of the Panamanian non-profit organization Foundation for the Development of the Wounaan Pueblo. Together Tonny and Milda own a cooperative shop in Panama City where they sell Wounaan art and other handicrafts.

The Michael Smith Gallery in Santa Fe shows and sells world-renowned Wounaan baskets and carvings all year, and donates 10% of these profits to Native Future, which is a U.S.-based non-profit organization whose mission is to protect marginalized indigenous cultures and to help them conserve the ecosystems in which they live. Generously, the gallery has promised to donate 50% of their profits from sales of Wounaan art during this year’s benefit.

Native Future has been working with the Wounaan since 2003 and collaborating with the Michael Smith Gallery since 2005. Managed by an all-volunteer board, Native Future works with the Michael Smith Gallery to raise over $25,000 a year for the Wounaan cause. These funds are directed to support Native Future’s core programs.

The Michael Smith Gallery is located at 526 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico. To find out how you can participate in the gallery benefit or purchase a Wounaan benefit basket please visit www.michaelsmithgallery.com, or write to us at contact@nativefuture.org.

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Spring 2008 Newsletter Published

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:05:41 -1000

Native Future’s Spring 2008 Newsletter went out in the mail yesterday. Highlights include a description of the mapping work recently completed by the land tenure program in Panama, information on the $10,000 in scholarship funds disbursed by the Education program, and an update on upcoming events in Santa Fe. To download a copy, click here.

Native Future Land Tenure Challenge Campaign a Success

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:41:58 -1000

Thanks to your generous support, Native Future’s 2008 Land Tenure Challenge Campaign raised $36,702.37 between November 27, 2007 and January 31, 2008 for the Wounaan Land Tenure Project! Together, we reached beyond our $30,000 goal, and met our sponsors’ $15,000 match!

Native Future’s 2008 Land Tenure Challenge received the generous support of more than forty old and new friends, many of whom gave substantially. Mona Threlkeld, Kenneth & Carol Louder, Gerry Lutes & Marsha Zellem, David & Karen Cowan, Steve & Tammye Erb, and Paul & Gwen Ueoka – thank you for your belief in our cause.

A very humble and special thank you to the Semilla Fund of Community Foundation of Sonoma County for your exceptional $10,000 grant. Your support put us over the top!

Finally, to the sponsors of the Land Tenure Challenge Campaign - Michael Smith, Peter Hetz, Douglas & Gale McNish, Jean Lujan, Clive Kincaid and Joel & Leslie Dendy – thank you for your commitment to the Wounaan and belief in Native Future.

We never could have reached our goal without all of you! Your support is critical to the Wounaan's future.

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Wounaan Land Tenure Program Announces Challenge Campaign

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:57:04 -1000

In response to Professor Alavardo's consulting trip (report in Spanish available here; executive summary in English here) and the elaboration of the Land Tenure program's two year project plan (available here), some of Native Future's closest friends are sponsoring a challenge campaign. To reach our goal of $30,000, all donations of $100 or greater targeted to the Land Tenure Program before January 31, 2008, will be matched dollar-for-dollar through our Land Tenure Challenge Campaign. This is a great opportunity to support the Land Tenure program!

To donate with a credit card, please go to our donation page. To send in a check by mail, print out a copy of our Challenge Campaign form.

Native Future would like to thank the sponsors of the challenge campaign for their generosity:

Michael Smith
Douglas & Gale McNish
Joel & Leslie Dendy
Jean Lujan
Clive Kincaid
Peter Hetz

Basilio Perez Scholarship Fundraising event a success!

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 12:13:17 -1000

The Basilio Perez Scholarship fund raised over $3000 at an exceptional event. On the Scarborough, Maine marsh, sun blazing, live fiddle music playing, over 70 people gathered to have a good time... and support Ngabe Bugle and Wounaan students. Thanks to many local businesses, a silent auction raised most of the funds. For the coming school year in Panama, 2008, the fund hopes to raise $10000 to buy uniforms and shoes for elementary students - and with great celebration, support the fund's first university student, teacher-in-training, Marisol Martinez.

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Article on Leonides Quiroz Published

Sun, 4 Nov 2007 13:54:58 -1000

The Panama News, Panama's English Language Newpaper, has published a profile of Leonides Quiroz. Leonides is a tireless advocate for his people. He receives a scholarship from Native Future to fund his higher education. The story is available here.

Fall 2007 Newsletter Released

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 12:59:50 -1000

Click here to download our fall 2007 newsletter. Highlights include Land Tenure programming news and a message from Native Future President Marsha Kelogg.

Wounaan Basket Show & Benefit at Michael Smith Gallery

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:50:54 -1000

To protect and secure their native forests and culture, two Wounaan Master Weavers from the rainforests of Panama will show their world-renowned baskets at the Michael Smith Gallery, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 11 – 21, 2007. The Wounaan are a small tribe of indigenous peoples from Panama fighting to protect their native lands from colonizing farmers who cut down their primary rainforest for ranching and other unsustainable activities. The weavers, Francisca Garcia and Marcela Piraza, along with the Speaker of the Wounaan People, Leonides Quiroz will be at the gallery to talk about their challenges and the future of the Wounaan Indians. To benefit their efforts to conserve their land and culture, the Michael Smith Gallery shows and sells Wounaan baskets and carvings from hundreds of artisans, year round, and donates 10% of the proceeds from basket sales to Native Future, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Wounaan cause.

The Wounaan are one of seven indigenous peoples (Bribri, Bugle, Emberá, Kuna, Ngäbe, Teribe and Wounaan) who live within the Republic of Panama. One of the smallest and most marginalized of the indigenous groups in Panama, they are beginning to gain recognition as some of the finest basket makers and carvers in the world. During the past few decades, the Wounaan have transformed their traditions of weaving practical baskets and carving wood figurines into veritable art forms. Today, most of the Wounaan women (and some men) spend days sewing thousands of stitches using naturally harvested, dried and colored palm fibers (Carludovica palmata or “naguala” for foundation fibers and Astrocaryum standleyanum or “chunga” for outer design) to make tight rainforest baskets which depict colorful local designs derived from traditional bodypainting or local rainforest animals.

The majority of the 6,800 Wounaan live in the Darien, Panama's largest and wildest province. They also live in and around Panama City and other increasingly urban neighborhoods along the Pan American Highway, and in three villages in the East Panama Province nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Maje Mountain Range. Native Future is working closely with these three villages and the Wounaan leadership to secure land title and conserve the forests and watersheds of the Maje Range on which the Wounaan depend for water, food, the materials for their baskets and handcrafts, and the foundations of their culture.

Native Future has been working with the Wounaan since 2003. Managed by an all-volunteer board of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, Native Future has collaborated

Closely with the Michael Smith Gallery to raise over $25,000 a year for the Wounaan cause. A principal supporter of Native Future and the Wounaan, the Michael Smith gallery donates a percentage of the proceeds from Wounaan baskets throughout the year.

These funds are directed to three important programs: Native Land Tenure, Native Leadership, and Native Education.

Native Future’s Native Land Tenure program has enabled the Wounaan to successfully petition the Panama Government to temporarily halt deforestation of the Maje Mountain Range. Native Future is also actively working with internationally recognized land tenure lawyers to secure Wounaan ownership of their lands.

Native Future’s Native Leadership program helps defray travel and communication expenses of the Wounaan Foundation and leaders. In October 2006, Native Future supported the first Wounaan Convention with the University of Panama. Over 400 Wounaan women, children, men and leadership attended, along with University of Panama professors, Panama government officials, and the media.

Native Future’s Native Education program supports the primary and secondary education of indigenous children of Panama. It continues the important work begun by Native Future board member, and Returned Peace Corps volunteer Sara Archbald and has supported the education costs of more than 30 indigenous students. The Native Education program also supports Leonides Quiroz, who will be joining the two weavers at the Michael Smith Gallery. He will be the first Wounaan law school graduate and also currently serves as the Vice-President of the Wounaan Foundation.

The Wounaan and their baskets will be in New Mexico July 11 – 21, 2007. They will be presenting their baskets and story at the Michael Smith Gallery, 526 Canyon Road, Santa Fe July 11 – 17 and 20 – 21. On July 18th, they will be at A Shared Blanket in Durango, Colorado (www.asharedblanket.com) and on July 19 they will visit native leaders on the Navajo Reservation. For further information on the gallery show, Native Future and the Wounaan please visit, www.nativefuture.org, www.michaelsmithgallery.com. You may also call Marsha Kellogg at 802-236-7992 or Michael Smith at 505-995-1013.

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International Indigenous Rights Expert Travels to Panama

Thu, 24 May 2007 13:02:36 -1000

Native Future President Zach McNish accompanied Professor Lenny Alvarado to Panama this week on a Native Future-sponsored legal consulting trip intended to help the Wounaan assess the national and international avenues by which they might pursue legalization of their land claims.

Professor Alvarado teaches indigenous studies at the University of Northern Arizona and is an expert on the international human rights of indigenous communities. For the last several years, he has represented the Nicaraguan community of Awas Tingi, helping them implrment a landmark judgement that they won in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Under circumstances very similar to those that the Wounaan currently face, the Court ordered the Nicaraguan government to give Awas Tingi communal title to over 90,000 hectares of its traditional land.

With that in mind, Native Future invited Professor Alvarado to Panama to meet with Wounaan leaders, tour the communities and the deforestation sites, and consult with Native Future´s Panamanian attorney and advisors. Professor Alvarado is preparing a report for Native Future that will include recommendations for the Wounaan´s legal team and an action plan for an "international strategy" that could be pursued by the Wounaan should they exhaust all domestic remedies without obtaining title to their land. (Download a copy of his report in Spanish here, or the executive summary in English here.)

Sara Delivers 2007 Basilio Perez Scholarships to Ngabe-Bugle Students

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:26:57 -1000

This year more than $7000 was raised for the Basilio Perez Scholarship Fund, compared to last year’s $5800.

32 children (up from 23 in 2006) from the farm co-op families received two uniforms of the best quality, two pairs of shoes (sturdy black and sneakers), gym clothes, underwear, notebooks/pens/pencils, and matriculation fees.

$3000 (up from $2000 in 2006) was given to the boarding facility for secondary students in neighboring Buenos Aires. It costs $2.00/day to house and feed each child. Each family is asked to pay at least $10/month but many are unable – and that fee only covers a week of expenses!

Six high school students are being helped with room, board, matriculations expenses in the city. Students are asked to show Sara their report cards which gives her a great opportunity to talk with each student about classes, interests, progress.

The spirit of community activist Basilio Perez lives!

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Wounaan Leaders Stage Cultural Event in Panama City

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 12:39:24 -1000

Wounaan leaders held a forum today in Panama City today using Native Future funds and the cooperation of professors from the University of Panama. Over 500 people participants attended, including over 400 Wounaan, professors from the University of Panama, representatives of the Panamanian government, and reporters from the Panamanian news media. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness about the existence of the Wounaan community and present its art, culture, dance, and other traditions.

A Wounaan participant said of the forum: "for me it was really something impressive, something that will leave an impression forever in my life and my community. I was so excited to see the adults and children alike come from so far to support the event and express--with the full force of their lungs and in front of all those that were present--that after 514 years: 'Here we are--the Wounaan'."

La Prensa, a Panama newspaper, published an article (in Spanish) about the event.

Wounaan and Colonos Clash in Rio Hondo

Tue, 17 Aug 2004 11:30:14 -1000

La Prensa, a Panamanian newspaper, reported today a tragic confrontation between Wounaan community members and the cattle ranchers who they say have invaded their land. Several men from both sides were wounded.