Shuar Federation

From NativeWiki

One of the earliest and best-organized of the Indigenous movements in the Ecuadorian Amazon was the Federación de Centros Shuar (Shuar Federation). The Shuar, located in the southeastern Amazonian provinces of Morona Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe organized a Local Association of Jívaro Centers in 1961. With the assistance of Salesian missionaries, activists subsequently legalized the Shuar Federation with the government in 1964.

The Shuar Federation’s goals were to advocate for self-determination, economic self-sufficiency, defense of their lands, bilingual education, health care, and civil rights. The federation also used new tools in their struggle, including the broadcast of bilingual education programming over the radio and Mundo Shuar as an editorial press that played an important function in preserving Shuar identity. Through these efforts the Shuar sought to preserve their heritage, project a positive image of their culture to the outside world, defend their lands, and confront encroaching white colonization.

The Shuar Federation is part of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE).