The unheard voices of Costa Rica's indigenous people

Costa Rican indigenous protesting for their land

Costa Rica is known for the broad cover of rainforest and its wildlife, it is known as a country committed for its environment. However, the Costa Rican community of indigenous people is hidden from the picture and often also ignored by the rest of the national population. Why? Firstly, the indigenous community is not that big. It counts as the 1.7% of the country's population, which means approximately 63,000 people. In comparison the indigenous people of Panama, neighbour country with similar land and population, counts 285,000 people. So, because they are a very small community, the main indigenous association is a regional association that includes all of the countries of Central America and it is called Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB). Indigenous groups and community forestry organisations in the Alliance seek to strengthen their own dialogue, to manage the natural resources, seeking jointly to influence governments and international cooperation strategies for biodiversity conservation and for the climatic mitigation (1).

The indigenous people of Costa Rica are the descendants of the Mayans and the Indians from the Amazonian forests. In the reserves, Indians live as they have for centuries, in isolated little groups, hunting and working on their land, making handicrafts. Costa Rica still counts eight different small ethnic groups: Chorotega, Gutatuao/Maleku, Huetare/Quitirrisi, Terraba, Cabecare, Bribri, Guaymie and Boruca. These people usually live in the forest, near the volcanoes and white sand beaches on both sides of the Atlantic and the Pacific (2).

The Boruca Indigenous Group

The Boruca group lives in Southern Pacific zone of Costa Rica and is the most numerous and active indigenous community of the country. Susan Atkinson, Boruca representant, explains that the Boruca people are very proud to have survived struggles between the native tribes and Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s with their village and sense of identity intact. "Boruca is built on faith in the wisdom of elders and the Boruca legends they tell, passed down for centuries. The identity of Boruca reflects a deep respect for the stories told, the nature that surrounds them, and the community they share". Today, 80% of the Borucans are artisans and nearly all either are carvers or weavers. They create the classic Boruca masks very popular in all the region. "They demonstrate that a tribe cannot be defeated if its culture is still alive today," continues Atkinson. "Boruca is very much alive and fighting to preserve their identity."

A Member of the Boruca Indigenous Group wearing a Mask prior to 'The Dance of Devils' Ritual

Fighting for their lands

Costa Rica began offering special protections to Indigenous people and their lands in the 1970s. But the eruption of violence has been simmering for decades because the government policy were poorly enforced. The indigenous of Costa Rica have always suffered from discrimination in the land inhabited by their ancestors long before the Spaniards arrived. They are still fighting to keep their ancestral land from the farmers who also claimed it. It is not unusual to see agitated farmers came out on horseback or motorbikes armed with machetes, sticks and firearms, while the hopeless indigenous leaders implored the police to come help. Environmental journalist, Sebastián Rodriguez explains that they also have similar issues that the rest of the country, increased by the fact they live isolated and without a national representation: "They do not have access to land, they have a lot of social issues such as very high crimes rates and very high health problems and lack of access to health programmes and government institutions."

Protecting the environment

On the other hand, indigenous people in Costa Rica play an important role for the country and especially its environment. "They oppose mega projects that would either invade their territory or cause injury to their farms," explains Rodriguez. "A lot of these projects have been built without permission on their lands. The hydroelectric damps, for example, even though they reduce the emissions, if they are not built correctly they really have more a social impact that its environmental imprint. And so they are really oriented in discussuing climate change to a human right perspective as well."

Some people call it a humanitarian crisis. Cindy Vargas, a member of a group of Bribri women called Ruta de las Aves, tells The New York Times that Costa Rica was sold as a multiethnic and multicultural country, but that it did not extend much beyond folklore. “They see Indigenous people as the ones who dress up, make traditional food and dance,” Vargas says. “Costa Rica is a country with a double standard. They only care about the folklore, but not about applying rights in Indigenous territories" (3).

However, the Indigenous are not only artisans but they work hard to protect the forests which is their home. The Boruca's mission is to restore their lands to their original nature complete with birds, monkeys, native wildlife, native forests and trees of cultural significance. Trees for Boruca is an environmental project started last year where 1,150 native trees were planted on three properties owned by Boruca landowners. More than 60 species of trees were planted including culturally significant species. In 2020, they hope to expand the program to include new landowners and to increase the number of trees planted to 15,000 (4).

"We speak for our forests"

However, climate activist, Sofia Hernandez, believes that there is not enough national and international knowledge and recognition about what indigenous people are doing for the environment: "We have a lot of people doing concrete work for our environment, the problem is that we don't know their names. We can talk about what the indigenous people are doing here in Costa Rica and in the entire globe. But they are not being heard."

In the neighbour country of Nicaragua the situation is starting to get tenser. Carlos Hendy is the father of an indigenous youth leader, Miskitu, who was found dead in January in his home in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. Handy explains to The New York Times that even before the police investigated the case, the local government-affiliated radio station had declared it a suicide. “We speak for the land, for the forests, and to silence us, they kill us,” Hendy says. “That is the only way to shut us up” (3).

The indigenous groups strictly rely on tourists which come to visit their communities and buy the artisans objects they make. However during the months of less tourism, it is a struggle to provide the things they need and that they cannot grow, such as the necessary school uniforms, books, fees and medicines.

(1) - Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests

(2) - 8 Indigenous Groups

(3) - Conflicts Over Indigenous Land Grow More Violent in Central America

(4) - Trees for Boruca