Colonialism has marked the world we live in, introducing lines of violence and injustice, granting priviledge some while dispossessing others. It is our responsibility to acknowledge our position within this unjust system, especially when it is a position of priviledge, and to work towards justice in the face of oppression.
The privileges that I was granted by having being affiliated with UC Berkeley are rooted in settler colonial history. UC Berkeley is located in xučyun (Huchin), the unceded land of the Chochenyo speaking Ohlone people. The university was established within the land-grant university system under the Morrill Act of 1862, a violent settler colonial act which was built upon — and helped realize and justify — the dispossession of indigenous tribes and nations from accross what is now known as the United States. Indigenous tribes whose land was stolen through this Act received little to no financial compensation—in the case of the University of California, tribes did not receive any financial compensation (see, e.g., the discussion in this report).
Despite this painful history, the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and other descendants of the Verona Band of Alameda County continue to reside in their traditional homelands, practicing the Chochenyo-Ohlone language and customs, and they continue to assert their political and territorial sovereignty. The Muwekma Ohlone website is a wonderful resource to learn about the topic, including learning about the ways one can support the tribe’s sovereignty. Moreover, the voluntary Shuumi land tax helps support the rematriation of Ohlone land through the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust.
Climate, environment, colonization
I want to place emphasis on the point that climate justice, environmental stewardship, and indigenous rights are intimately linked. Because of this, climate science and environmental science must be placed within their historical context, and we must strive to produce climate solutions that support and empower indigenous tribes in their ancestral lands.
Land acknowledgement for Costa Rica
The town of Escazú, Costa Rica – where I grew up – is located in the land stolen from the Huetar people. Huetares have a rich cultural history and oral tradition, and though the Huetar language has disappeared, many aspects of this tradition are still alive among the indigenous peoples in the Mora, Parrita and Puriscal counties. Their history includes a long resistance against Spanish colonialism, with the leadership of King Garabito still being remembered hundreds of years later. Because literature on Garabito’s life is sparse, I want to recommend the recent book El Rey Garabito, Defensor de la Libertad on the topic.
Since 1977, Costa Rica has had the Indigenous Law (Ley 6172 or Ley Indígena) in place to protect officially recognized indigenous lands from being sold to members outside the community. This law has faced attempts to be repealed in the recent past and in 2022 the constitutional court (Sala IV) ruled that there was no legal basis to repeal the law on constitutional grounds. This law, however, has been implemented at a glacially slow pace, and little protection is granted to indigenous people exercising their right to land. Even international bodies such as the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) and the UN have interjected on the topic. (For more information on this, see the ruling on precautionary measures by the IACHR in 2015, and a report by the UN on indigenous rights violations in 2022.)
Today, indigenous rights activists in Costa Rica still face life threats. Recent tragic instances of this were the 2019 and 2020 assassinations of Sergio Rojas (a Bribri leader of the U̱niwak clan) and Jerhy Rivera Rivera (a leader of the Brörán Peoples)—both crimes being direct reactions to their efforts in protecting and recovering indigenous lands.
Currently, some of the organizations with which indigenous people protect their lands and rights in Costa Rica are: the Mesa Nacional Indígena de Costa Rica, the Frente Nacional de Pueblos Indígenas (FRENAPI), the Red Indígena Bribri-Cabécar (RIBCA), the Asociación Regional Aborigen del Dikes (ARADIKES), the Foro Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas and the Movimiento Indígena Interuniversitario (MIINTU). In many instances, these organizations have played a key role in environmental stewardship.
For more information on current indigenous perspectives and realities in Costa Rica, the UN document Soy indígena en Costa Rica y esta es mi historia is a great resource.
Felipe Montealegre-Mora, PhD 