{"id":427,"date":"2017-10-15T04:53:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-15T04:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pachamamitaecu-org-720647.hostingersite.com\/2017\/10\/15\/alicia-cahuiya-iteca-los-ancianos-dejaron-en-mi-sus-voces\/"},"modified":"2024-05-27T22:20:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T03:20:54","slug":"alicia-cahuiya-iteca-los-ancianos-dejaron-en-mi-sus-voces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pachamamitaecu.org\/en\/2017\/10\/15\/alicia-cahuiya-iteca-the-elders-left-their-voices-in-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Alicia Cahuiya Iteca: the elders left their voices in me"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hueiya Alicia Cahuiya Iteca (Photo Plan V<\/a>)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Testimony of\u00a0<\/span>Hueiya Alicia Cahuiya Iteca (<\/span>defender of human rights and nature), which was presented in Washington DC in<\/span>\u00a0the hearing of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>to denounce the actions of the Ecuadorian government against them.<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\t
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My name is Hueiya Alicia Cahuiya Iteca, I am 38 years old and I identify myself as a Waorani woman from Ecuador. I do not have a permanent partner, he is in another community. I have four children, the youngest is eight years old and the oldest is 16 years old. I was born in Yasun\u00ed, in the province of Orellana, in the community of Gabaro. I currently live in the community of \u00d1oneno. I grew up with my grandparents and went out to study, where I got to know the outside world. My grandmother gave me advice and told me \u201cyou must return and defend your territory, where you were born, you have to defend.\u201d <\/span><\/div>\n
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I studied with the missionaries until sixth grade, but I was educated by my grandmother who taught me the use of traditional medicine as well as the defense of the territory. Then I returned to my territory, where they had built a road through my grandparents' cemetery. I wanted to go see the body but it was no longer there. That is why I started working, to defend the rights of my grandparents. My community is located in the forest far from the road and next to the Shiripuno River, which is polluted.<\/span><\/div>\n
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I started participating very young, at 16, in the Organization of the Huaorani Nationality of the Ecuadorian Amazon (ONHAE), an organization made up of three provinces: Pastaza, Napo and Orellana. Approximately 18 years ago, men, women and children went to Quito to march against oil exploitation. Then male leaders came out and signed with the oil companies and divided the people. They want development, while those of us who live in the jungle do not need help because we have everything with the jungle.<\/div>\n
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At the ONHAE, men made the decisions and women could not make decisions. I said that we could form an association of Waorani women to manage our territory, doing projects in crafts, tourism, reforestation, planting for crafts and environmental education. The creation of the association received the support of all the women of the three provinces: Pastaza, Napo and Orellana. That is how the Association of Waorani Women of the Ecuadorian Amazon, AMWAE, was born, which I founded and of which I was president. When I started at ANWAE I heard the voice of the elders: \u201cAlicia, you have to say enough of the oil companies because they are polluting.\u201d There is a reduction in territories. They left their voices in me.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\n