Organização política na Amazônia Peruana: análise da Central Asháninka del Río Ene (CARE)

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the academic and political debate around the territorial rights of the indigenous people of the Americas. This field of study was approached through the study of the indigenous politic organization in the Peruvian Central Amazon (Selva Central) based on the case of the Ashaninka people in the Ene river. Based on this approach, we intend to relate the organizational process of the Ashaninka interethnic politics with the subsequent events that implicated on territorial lost, and that led to negotiations of the Ashaninka with other sectors of the Peruvian nation. This work was dedicated to exploring, from the history and actions of the Central Asháninka del Río Ene ”“ CARE, the organizing sophistications that emerge in a context of the change of the interethnic situation from 1980, mainly the efforts of this organization to build its legitimacy with the communities that CARE represent. In this process, we highlight the performance of Ruth Buendía Metsoquiari, president of CARE since 2005, feminine leadership that has a key role in the establishment of the legitimacy of CARE, and in maintaining a cohesive position in the Ene River to stop the entrance of extractive companies and the installation of a hydroelectrical project.  Finally, the intention of this work is to draw out some factors that permit us to enlighten or address the discussion about the extremely changing and volatile interethnic scenario, that continuously calls the indigenous organizations for new challenges. On the other hand, these organizations are not passive in this process, because their initiatives (are they alliances with external agents or not) also determine new paths ”“ at least desired ”“ to this system of relations.