Ecuarunari
From NativeWiki
ECUARUNARI (Confederación de Pueblos de la Nacionalidad Kichwas del Ecuador) is the Ecuadorian highland regional affiliate of Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE).
History
In 1972, Ecuarunari grew out of progressive sectors of the Catholic Church in the context of a struggle between conservatives and Christian Democrats for control of CEDOC and its peasant wing FENOC. Its name comes from a Kichwa phrase Ecuador Runacunapac Riccharimui, which means to awaken the Ecuadorian Indians. The organization unified eleven highland organizations, one coastal organization, and one Amazonian organization. Ecuarunari promoted the formation of cooperatives and associations at the grassroots level, and functioned as a development organization which sought to modernize agriculture, develop bilingual education, and work on other similar projects.
