A Letter from the Executive Director

6/12/08

                                        The Mayangna of MATUNGBAK

Welcome to all those following the MATUNGBAK indigenous land titling project. Here we are in Nicaragua waiting for our funding from both Oxfam under their "Fondo Comun" grants and IBIS Dinamarca - of the Danish Government. The Somer's family of Kaua'i made a generous donation covering approximately 8% of the project costs, which enabled us to get started in the first phase of our project with MATUNGBAK.

Within the territory of MATUNGBAK, members of the community Mukuswas (one of 9 communitities w/in the territory) are confronted with armed colonists threatening to sell lands upon which they have squatted. Attempts to gain assistance from the Municiple Mayors of Bonanza and Rosita, the police, and military have failed miserably thus far. Since this year is an election year, virtually all politicians are too afraid to take any kind of political stance on any controversial act. Additionally, the YATAMA-Sandinista representatives appear to be bent on controlling virtually all of the autonomous regions (the Atlantic half of the country - making up approximately 60% of Nicaragua) regardless of their autonomous and sovereign nature - reminding many of the Sandinista-Contra War era. It becomes obvious as to why, when one examines the rich characteristics of the rainforest, pine forest, and mining regions of these areas. However, with careful negotiations of international agencies like Alistar, Oxfam, and IBIS Dinamarca, a repeat of such history can be avoided.

For those of you interested in learning where this indigenous territory is located, go to google earth and look up the following towns: Siuna, Rosita, and Bonanza. MATUNGBAK, an area encompassing approximately 150,000 acres, is located between these three towns known as "las minas" or the mines, named for the abunant gold mining activities in the towns from North American, British, and Canadian colonial powers. MATUNGBAK is currently home to approximately 4,500 Mayangna indians, and an unfortunate compilation of 2,000 colonists. According to Nicaraguan laws 445 and 28, however, there exists a legal mechanism by which these colonists can be removed and resettled in non-indigenous areas. The United Nations Human Rights Commission has been helpful in this process with other indigenous territories of this region.

University of Hawai'i - KCC nursing student Aisea Taukave is also in country for this project volunteering his time with Alistar-MATUNGBAK. His role in this project is both as our statistician for data collected by the community members participating in the study, and he serves in the capacity of our field nurse for our diabetic Principle Investigator, Dr. Anthony Stocks. Aisea's presence is greatly appreciated by both Alistar staff and community and territory members of MATUNGBAK.

In addition to this land titling project, Alistar also seeks assistance in covering the salaries of 7 highschool teachers of the MATUNGBAK community of Mahalwas - providing education to 200 students. Unfortunately, as is often the case within the federal government ministries, the Ministry of Education (MINED) failed to provide salaries for any of these teachers for the entire scholastic year (from January to December of 2008). Community and territory leaders claim that this is due to overt racism against the Mayangna indigenous peoples. Because of this, we are soliciting assistance from any and all that can contribute to their cause. Even a donation of U$50 is a tremendous contribution. The salaries of all 7 teachers total U$1,500 per month (that's for all seven teachers - as they receive only U$215.00 per month each). They have been volunteering from January through May, with June's salaries being covered by yours truly. We graciously ask for your assistance for these dedicated teachers, whose families are suffering nutritional problems due to no income from their parents.

Continue to check back with this website to follow our progress over the summer, another update is soon to be attached. And, for those able to contribute to these projects, please write checks to "Alistar International" and mail them to: P.O. Box 223641 Princeville, Hi. 96722. Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nan Greer