NEWS OF THE INDIGENOUS INTERCONTINENTAL CONFERENCE FOR 2007

The Zapatista movement has put an Indigenous Intercontinental Conference on the table for later this year. The news comes out of a gathering in Mexico just concluded. The gathering included amongst others indigenous representatives from tribes in Sonora, Mexico and tribal members from Arizona Indian tribes. On hand were O’odham from Sonora, Yaqui from Rio Yaqui, Sonora, Mayo from Sinoloa and Raramuri from Chihuahua in Mexico. Coming from the United States were O’odham, O’otham, Navajo, Apache and Hopi.

Subcomandante Marcos said he hopes the Intercontinental gathering will “touch the hearts and recuperate the souls” of Indigenous people struggling throughout the continents. “When Indigenous Peoples come together from all regions, they will realize that money means nothing when compared to the values of Indigenous Peoples.”

The declaration for the Indigenous Intercontinental Conference, signed April 22, states that it has been 515 years since the invasion of ancient Indigenous territories and the onslaught of the war of conquest, spoils and capitalist exploitation.

The press conference where the announcment was made was held at the Rancho Penasco, biodiversity ranch, 11 kilometers south of Magdalena, on the main highway to Hermosillo. Magdalena is less than a two-hour drive south of Nogales, Ariz..