wayfinders circle governance report english - Flipbook - Page 30
d) The Wampis Nation |
PERU
The Wampis territory is in the Peruvian northern Amazon headwaters near the Andes, one of the world's
most richly biodiverse regions. The Wampis culture embodies a wealth of history and stories going back
thousands of years, which are interwoven with the ecosystems and landscapes of their territory. Wampis
territory spans the Santiago and Morona rivers, includes the Kampankis mountain range that divides the two
rivers and rises to 1600 meters (rare in the Amazon), and is populated by swamps, lakes, waterfalls, and caves.
01
TROPICAL FORESTS
The Wampis are the first Indigenous people in Peru to collectively build an autonomous governance
structure based on an entire Indigenous people occupying a single collective territory: The Autonomous
Territorial Government of the Wampis Nation. Governance is based on The Statute, which lays out the
Wampis vision for the future in all areas of life including religion, spirituality, education, language, and
recovery of ancestral places. The Statute is based on Peruvian law, built strictly on the obligations of the
Peruvian state to respect the rights and autonomy of Indigenous peoples. The Statute requires that any
activity that could affect Wampis territory must secure the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent of the Wampis
Nation. Specifically, this means that the Government of Peru cannot authorize concessions that allow oil or
mining companies to enter Wampis territory without a prior consultation and consent process.
The Wampis Statute and autonomous government were the result of a multi-year, bottom-up process
including 50 community meetings and 15 general assemblies (with representation of all Wampis). The
Statute delegates responsibility to the Wampis government so that no community may take a unilateral
decision that affects others—for example, no one community can sign a deal with an oil company, as has
happened with neighboring Indigenous peoples in the past. There are leadership roles for the environment,
women, youth, and in other areas. There is also an elevated role in a kind of moral council for "visionaries," or
people who have completed several challenges and sought visions through their ancestors in the sacred
waterfalls. The Wampis have included specific provisions in The Statute to guarantee the participation of
women in governance and the respect of women's rights in their communities. The Statute includes environmental management of their territory, including regulations for land use and planning, as well as setting aside
sacred sites and other areas for conservation.
The Wampis example of self-determination and self-implementation of an autonomous territorial government is inspiring other Indigenous peoples in northern Peru to begin their own processes toward establishing autonomous territorial governments.
Wampis
NATION
ANNEXES
|
TROPICAL FORESTS
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