The women of the Amazon are uniting together. Recently Patricia Gualinga a prominent woman of Sarayaku had rocks thrown in her window and was threatened by men surrounding her home. The women of the area have begun meeting weekly in Puyo to be united to protect one another.

Ecuador owes China over $30 million dollars. As part of repayment, the government of Ecuador has allowed Chinese fossil fuel corporations to drill in the Amazon. According to Kevin Koenig from Amazon Watch, “"Those projects, led by Chinese and Canadian companies, have resulted in the forced removal of indigenous communities and clashes with the police, culminating in a state of emergency in 2016 that paralyzed the project for months.” More here: Ecuadorean Referendum

Gloria Ushigua Santi, a leader of women in Sarayaku, has discussed the dangers that everyone, but particularly women, face that is resulting in physical violence because of the oil industry in their territory. Oftentimes, these are men who work for the fossil fuel industry. They are outsiders without any ties to the Indigenous communities and there are no means of holding them accountable. Women are constantly in fear of violence and assault from these men.

For those who have been working in the environmental justice sector or have a passing knowledge of what the fossil fuel industry does to communities, the term 'man camps' is recognized. These man camps are located near oil extraction projects. Workers, exclusively men, are brought in to these fossil fuel projects. They are isolated in these camps for long periods of time. The result is a correlation between the camps and indigenous women who are raped, kidnapped, murdered or oftentimes simply go missing without a trace.

The reality of the Sapara women being afraid of the danger of assault is familiar if not the exact same fear of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (#MMIW) movement here in North America, Canada and Mexico. There cannot be a continuance of indigenous women becoming victims and no accountability for perpetrators. There should not be this common fear amongst indigenous communities of men working in these extractive industries whether in the North or the South.

There is much talk throughout indigenous communities about bringing together the North and the South and how that will bring about this great change when Indigenous people rise up together to take a stand for their rights, their women, their culture and safety. When I first began my journey the idea of bringing together the North and the South seemed like a huge task, and it still is a huge task. The question for me, personally, has always been what can my part in this be? I feel like I walk a line between the North and the South because I live in the North but my blood comes from the South, even though I don't have the connection yet. I wish there was a word to describe the "excitement" I feel to finally feeling like I have something to offer to help bring together my South to my North. It's not "exciting" but more of a profound feeling of hope that I feel.

My name is María Dorsey.  I am a member of Idle No More SF Bay, a volunteer with Amazon Watch, a signer of the Indigenous Women of the Americas Defending Mother Earth Treaty, a massage therapist, an artist and
a two spirit woman trying to find her place here in the world.  *Through this blog you will be able to follow my footsteps as I return to South America, specifically Ecuador to live with Gloria Ushigua Santi and the
Sapara Nation in the Amazon.  I was adopted with my sister from Colombia by my parents who raised us in Urbana, IL.  I am consulting with my parents about having my adoption records opened so I can find out any information there might be about my biological family as this journey began with me trying to find my people and where I came out of the Earth from.   Join me on my journey of reconnection and joy while also staying informed on the work Gloria Ushiga Santi as we continue to spread how the government is essentially colluding with the oil interests of China.  If this continues it will surely poison the soil, the water, the air, disturbing sacred burial sites and endangering the very existence of multiple tribes not only the Sapara Nation.  Welcome to my journey,  I'm happy to have you with me.