MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

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  GALlamosa

  Wot, no Argentines standing up for the rights of indigenous people ?

  Sep 24th, 2014 - 11:01 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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  malicious bloke

  @1, but they ARE indigenous people. That they speak spanish, all have spanish names and look a lot like swarthy thieving mediterranean pikey types is purely coincidental.
  
  They're amerindians really, honest guv.

  Sep 24th, 2014 - 11:09 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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  zathras

  From Wiki, worth a read...
  
  Argentina has a total population of 40 million. The Additional Survey on Indigenous Populations, published by the National Institute for Statistics and Census, gives a total of 600,329 people who see themselves as descending from or belonging to an indigenous people
  
  For a number of reasons the different indigenous organisations do not believe this to be a credible survey: First, the methodology used in the survey was considered inadequate, as a large number of indigenous people live in urban areas where the survey was not fully conducted. Second, many indigenous people in the country hide their identity for fear of discrimination. Moreover, when the survey was designed in 2001, it was based on the existence of 18 known peoples in the country, today there exist more than 31 groups. This increase, reflects a growing awareness amongst indigenous people in terms of their ethnic belonging
  
  As many Argentinians either believe that the majority of the indigenous have died out or are on the verge of doing, or 'their descendants' assimilated into Western civilisation many years ago, they wrongly hold the idea that there are no indigenous people in their country. The use of pejorative terms likening the indigenous to lazy, idle, dirty, ignorant and savage are part of the everyday language in Argentina. Due to these incorrect stereotypes many indigenous have over the years been forced to hide their identity in order to avoid being subjected to racial discrimination
  
  As of 2011 many natives were still being denied land and human rights. Many of the Toba Qom native community had been struggling to protect the land they claim as ancestral territory and even the lives of its members. A leader of the Aboriginal Community Felix Diaz claimed that his people were being denied medical assistance, did not have much access to drinking water and traders keep raising food prices. He also claimed judges would not even hear the native's complaints.

  Sep 24th, 2014 - 11:32 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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  Kirk Nelson

  I have to correct the statement made by Patricia Gualinga . The current government of Ecuador does not respect all its citizens. So meztisos and blacks and indigenous cannot speak up about their rights, I mean the rights to protest, the rights to claim opportunities to work for the government.
  At the present time in Ecuqador and in Bolivia there are not a single blacks nor indigernous working in the government force, so this alone, it is a clear indication that job oportunities and education are not for this group of citizens, the descrimination factor is wide open .
  The interpretation of Socialism from Ecuador and Bolivia governments are out of its basis. Soialism means more opportunities and money and education for the government authorities, while to the rest of the population just the residues, the waste.
  
  Kirk Nelson,
  New York, USA

  Sep 24th, 2014 - 01:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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  Jack Bauer

  “Morales opens indigenous peoples conference in New York blasting capitalism”..
  Pathetic. No one is forcing Capitalism on Boliland.....and
  what happens in 'other' countries is none of his damned business....isn't that what he says when someone else talks about Boliland's domestic issues ??
  
  Then he goes on to claim “the protection of life, land and peace — are constantly threatened by capitalism and a model that seems to pursue the end of life and mother earth,” ......
  I'd like to ask the moron what he has to say about the tons of coke that he and his indigenous pals produce and export to the world ? That yes, is a model that ”persues the end of life”....
  And he is running for a third term ??? Shitty lil' dictator.

  Sep 24th, 2014 - 06:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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  zathras

  Here's the big question...
  Could the People of the Falkland islands apply for Indigenous status?
  They can trace there ancestors back to the Islands being unpopulated, and have lived continuously on the Islands.
  They have lived on the Islands longer than Argentina existed as a country.
  Any thoughts?

  Sep 25th, 2014 - 10:09 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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  GALlamosa

  #6....think it might need to go back a bit further than that, but nice idea. Interesting to note that Argentina used to claim that an “indigenous Argentine population” was expelled from the Falkland Islands, but that piece of lies has disappeared from the rhetoric. Bit too close to the other truth to risk.

  Sep 25th, 2014 - 01:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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  zathras

  I am not a number I'm a free man.
  
  #7
  Sorry Couldn't resist.
  
  But yes it is an interesting point that how long do you have to live in an area to be considered indigenous.
  For instance there are no indigenous Peoples on the South Sandwich (including South Georgia) Islands.
  Now when they go off on one Argentina claims not only the Falklands but the South Sandwich islands, which are what ~1000 miles further away. And of course they were discovered by Captain James Cook.
  So in fact Argentina laying claim to these further weakens anything they say about the Falklands, something the ICJ would take note of.

  Sep 26th, 2014 - 12:23 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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