Five Indigneous Women Share Tales of Suffering in Americas

Five women spoke about their suffering at the hands of government at a panel held last night at the Graduate School of Education.

About 100 people attended the panel, titled "Political Empowerment: Lessons from Indigenous Women."

The women had been forced to leave their homes--in Hawaii, Alaska and Mexico. From a massacre by the Mexican government to an influx in Hawaiian tourism, each woman had a different story to tell regarding her displacements.

Jennifer Schirmer, a lecturer on social studies and the panel's moderator, said she hoped the evening would make women more aware of gender issues, which are "often ignored" in the world.

She said the panel was designed to show "what women, indeed all of us, can learn about political empowerment from indigenous women." Each of the women who spoke is a leader in the fight for rights of her indigenous community.

At the beginning of her presentation, Hawaiian poet and activist Haunani-Kay Trask asked to see how many in attendance had been to Hawaii as tourists. About 10 raised their hands.

"That's too many," she said.

Trask spoke of the plight of the indigenous Hawaiians, who she said are abused by the American government.

"We have never been asked whether we want to be American," she said. And the ratio of 30 tourists to each native Hawaiian is, she said, unacceptable.

"Please do not come here," she pleaded. "We do not want any more tourists."

The three Mexican women, who spoke through an interpreter, told of their displacement at the hands of paramilitary forces in Chiapas, Mexico. All three blamed the Mexican government, specifically the army, for their suffering.

"Right now what is causing the most damage in our community is the presence of the Mexican army," said Lorenza Gomez Gonzalez. Gonzalez, a displaced Tzotzil woman from Chiapas, also blamed the Mexican army for bringing drug addiction, alcoholism and prostitution into her town.

"They've only come to divide us in our community," she said. "We know that they want to weaken us and weaken our institutions. We have to stay strong."

Carmela Gomez Hernandez, also a displaced woman from Chiapas, blamed the Mexican government for a military massacre that she said killed 45 villagers, including 21 women and 15 children.

"We're suffering a lot of pain and sadness," Hernandez said.

A Mexican woman who identified herself only as "Laura" spoke next and said the government was trying to "crush" the indigenous people.

"The government wants to step on us and wants to eliminate us," she said.

Dr. Rosita Worl, who teaches at the University of Alaska, also blamed the American government for driving the native Alaskans off their fishing and hunting lands.

"As American people, you need to look at what is happening not only in other countries," she said, "but in this country as well."

"This is something we need to be keenly aware of."

The panel was sponsored by Cultural Survival, a group dedicated to defending the human rights and cultural autonomy of indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities.