In June 2003 the historical city of Cusco will host the Aboriginal Summit of Andean Fisrt Nations Peoples. The event, organized by the Andean aboriginals, is independent from any party, organization or movement, and its purpose is to discuss, analyze and think about the present perspectives and issues after more than 5 centuries of colonialist and neo-colonialist oppression. Today we are inaugurating the CUSCO JUNE 2003 CAMPAIGN, with the purpose to promote this important event and sensibilize the International Community to the fight for our fundamental rights.

CUSCO JUNE 2003 CAMPAIGN
First Press Release-January 12th 2003

The time has come for us, the aboriginal people, to rise our voice out loud and to traduce it into concrete actions. It came with the Pachakuti[2] Era, of which we are living the eleventh year, eleven years during we finally broke silence, engaging ourselves in the path of total emancipation, where we left ineffaceable traces. A new wind is now blowing, the youg voices of Mother Earth’s children are rising throughout the Andes; Faces, images, sowing the seeds of Hope; Strong movements touching the heart of the History; new pages filled with oral tradition being turned by peoples from all the Continent; Vigourous arms clearing the path leading to the brothers, the sisters; Hands, thoughts, heart, instinct and spirit, filled by infinite energy, initiating the Earth’s healing process. Here we are, just like more than five centuries ago, and the time pronounced its verdict : we are attending to the fulfillment of the Amawtas’s [2] sacred prophecies.

The Cusco Summit initiates a new phase in our millenary people’s persistent progression. Brothers and sisters belonging to the ancestral Andean land, we will meet from June 10th to June 21th to think, analyse and discuss about our peoples and communities’ destiny and perspectives. Based in Cochabamba, La Paz, Cusco and Quito, we are linking the Andean chain of our ancestral land’s rebirth. Blood circulates again through our history’s veins and the hands are newly joined to form the sacred circle of Peace and Balance.

The first Aboriginal Summit TAWA INTI SUYU- ABYA YALA- PACHA of First Nations’ Peoples and Youth has gone through a long and natural maturating process which today has come to term, just like the potatoes, corn and quinua maturate in the Earth, Us, the children in the distance who live far away from our Land, have decided to join this historical Summit. With this press release we formally inaugurate the CUSCO 2003 CAMPAIGN, with the purpose to promote this event of tremendous importance and to sensibilize the International Community to the significance of our fight for fundamental rights.

This Encounter-Summit qualitativrly distinguishes itself by particular characteristics which make it an historical premiere. The new blood, the youth do not want to conform to the line of another organization, whether it be a political party or an aboriginal confederation. The event cannnot be attribuated to any political party, ideology that doesn’t belongs to us, ecclesiastical current, peasant or aboriginal organization .

These particularities are providing the event with an additional innovative worth; This is why we are working hard to promote this Summit that will be attended by thousands of delegates from all the Andean region and tens of fraternal delegates from all teh confines of the Abya Yala[3 ] continent. We are fraternally calling to all the international community, aboriginal and no-aboriginal, to join to our cause and share our objectives, which plan will be systematized and schematized during the Summit. Soon will be diffused the necesary documents and key elements of the Campaign.

We Shall Come to Cusco With the Strenght and Spirit of Our Ancestral Knowledge.

¡¡¡Jallalla Wiñaymarca !!! ¡¡¡ Causachun Wiñayllajta !!! [4]

Ivan Chullpa Ignacio
Campaign Coordinator for Canada and the United States.

[1]Pachakuti: From the Aymara words « pacha », Earth , and « kuti », return . According to the Andean Ancients’ prophecies, it is the return to the Earth in harmony and without harm. 1992 marked the beginning of the Pachakuti Era.

[2] Amawtas : Wise and knowledgable men and women gifted with outstanding foretelling abilities or powers.

[3] Abya Yala : words in the Kuna language (Panama), choosen by the World Aboriginal Peoples Council to name the whole American. It means at the same time Land of Blood, which refers to the colonial and neo-colonial genocides, Choosen Land, Land of Big Rivers, Men’s Land; the Kuna having populated various areas, the words’ signification changes according to the region.

[4] ¡¡¡Jallalla Wiñaymarca !!! from the Aymara : triumphal exclamation, litt : « Hurray for the Eternal Peoples !!! »
¡¡¡ Causachun Wiñayllajta!!! :from the Quetchua, same signification as previous.