Brainstorm Week 8

These movements in Ecuador and Bolivia as well as other countries are very much connected to the practice of resilience in la pachamama as well as convivencia and Chicanxfuturism. First of all, the movements are primarily centered around fighting against neoliberalism and colonialism that indigenous communities face from the government: "with  the  mobilizations  by  indigenous movements  against  free  trade  agreements  and  the  posturing  of  the “culture of life” to counter the “culture of death” that is the neoliberal project. " (Walsh 3). Specifically in the case of Ecuador, the movement is very much related to the practice of resilience of mother earth because it gives rights to nature and fights for the right to live harmoniously with nature. It is even explicitly stated in Ecuador's constitution: "in diversity and harmony with nature and to reach el buen vivir" (Walsh 4). The indigenous movements also relate very much to convivencia because they fight for a right to coexist harmoniously, which is a lot of what convivencia is about: "and in collective coexistence...leave the colonial,  republican, and neoliberal state behind"(Walsh 4). In reading about these movements, it becomes very clear the parallels with the Chicana feminist movement in the borderlands, they surround many of the same issues that mostly arise from a government based in neoliberalism, which ignores the needs of indigenous peoples and values profit over equality and rights. The TIPNIS issue reminded me a lot of the Dakota Access Pipeline here in the U.S. In the both cases, the government wanted to build a road (or pipeline) straight through indigenous lands, wrecking their habitats for moneyed interests. It was also interesting to read about the mining and palming projects taking place that serve to take away the rights of nature and of communities to live harmoniously with nature. Mining and palming and many of the industries controlled by countries like the U.S. and Canada have serious impacts on the land, which has serious impacts on indigenous communities. It was interesting to hear about the side of the country subject to the actual labor, rather than the U.S., which outsources it. The mining, palming, and TIPNIS road are all examples of the government denying the rights of indigenous communities and nature, all through a practice based in neoliberalism, just like the U.S. government towards Chicanx.