FOIN

From NativeWiki

The Federación de Organizaciones Indígenas del Napo (FOIN, Federation of Indigenous Organizations of Napo) in the organization of the Napo Kichwas. It is part of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE).

[edit] History

In 1969, leaders in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon formed the Federación Provincial de Organizaciones Campesinas de Napo (FEPOCAN, Provincial Federation of Peasant Organizations of Napo) under the influence of Josefina missionaries. Initially the Napo organization was affiliated with the conservative Catholic labor federation CEDOC’s national peasant federation FENOC, but over time it came to embrace a more radical and explicitly ethnic agenda and began to distance itself from both the Josefina missionaries and the FENOC. Nevertheless, it maintained relations with national organizations in the belief that the Indigenous movement needed to present a unified face to the government.

In 1973, FEPOCAN changed its name to FOIN. It advocated for civil and citizenship rights, defended land ownership, and fought against economic exploitation. By the 1980s, their main goals had evolved to an emphasis on a defense of their territory, languages, and cultural traditions, thereby linking territorial rights with ethnic identities.