September Sycamore Tree

Over a year ago I began a whirlwind tour of indigenous communities in four countries over three continents. The program, sponsored by Boston University, was the brainchild of Gustavo Esteva, an independent writer and grassroots activist in Mexico, Smitu Kothari, a political organizer in tribal India and visiting lecturer at Cornell and Princeton Universities on social movements, and Peter Horsley, a environmental conservation lawyer and an advocate for Maori communities in Aotearoa-New Zealand. It is an experiment in education where students learn through participation and engaging in intercultural dialogue. The program examines issues surrounding indigenous perspectives on governance and stewardship in the: Indigenous communities of Mexico, Maori of Aotearoa-New Zealand, Tribal and Indigenous India, and Native North American nations through interaction with government agencies, businesses, international aid organizations, and local community-based groups.

Our first stop was Mexico where we stayed with Zapotec and Mixtec communities in the state of Oaxaca. We arrived in Oaxaca at a time of civil unrest; the city was in the midst of a huge teacher's strike and a call for the resignation of their Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. The entire city was littered with graffiti and all the major roads were blocked with barricades and broken city buses. It was a chaotic time to visit Oaxaca but we did learn a lot about indigenous movements from first hand observation. Some of the organizations we heard from were Gustavo Esteva and Universidad de la Tierra (Unitierra), a center for alternative learning and cultural education, Vida Nueva, a weaving cooperative for Zapotec women, and SiPaz, an international organization that works on non-violent conflict resolution and community development.

Our next stop was India where we visited the newly formed state of Jharkhand. Jharkhand was formed in 2000 in response to a long history of protest and resistance from tribal groups in the area. We were the guests of Sanjay Bosu-Mullick, the director of the Jharkhand Save the Forest organization working on community development and improving communication between state governments and rural communities. There is no way to describe the sensations, sights, and smells that began when we first stepped off the plane in New Delhi to the 18-hour train ride to anchi, Jharkhand and 6-hour jeep rides through dirt roads in the forest. We had the good fortune of being accompanied by three university students from India working for local indigenous organizations to help translate and give us a lesson in local etiquette. I think that my experience in India will be the most confusing but also the most memorable for the hospitality of the people and their willingness to share their homes and experience with us.

For the third leg of our trip we flew down to Aotearoa-New Zealand. In contrast to our first two stops we were introduced to a situation where the government had just adopted Te Reo (the Maori spoken language) as a national language and the recently formed Maori political party gave a voice to Maori Iwi (local communities) in Parliament. We often stayed on Marae, traditional Maori land, where, as part of their welcome ceremony, we sang waietas in Te Reo to acknowledge our hosts and express our gratefulness for their hospitality. It was comforting to see this example of more open dialogue between native groups and national government after a violent colonial past in contrast to India and Mexico.

Finally, we wrapped up the program in British Columbia hosted by Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish Nation. There is no way that I can talk about everything I experienced but what I took away from those interactions is a greater appreciation for home, community, and family. Indigenous communities, like any immigrant community, carry their cultures and traditions with them as part of their identity. Chief Campbell used the metaphor of a relay runner. Each one of us is carrying the history of our homes and families so that we can pass it on to future generations. As a community we must decide how best to preserve those traditions, like our Sycamore Church Bazaar, so that our future generations will still have a community to come back to. I am so grateful for the support of my parents and family. I am also thankful for my Sycamore family and your best wishes while I was away. My journal entries and photos are still posted at IHP.