Remote tribe in Paraguay lose their land
The last remote tribe of Indians in the South American country of Paraguay, have lost their fight to win back their land from cattle ranchers and multinational companies. For years the Ayoreo – a nomadic hunter-gatherer tribe – have been systematically forced out of their land in the forest of Western Paraguay. Much of the land has now been harvested for its timber products or cleared for cattle farming. A bill rejected by Congress last week would have changed all this by forcing land owners to sell the land to the government who would then transfer it to the Indians. Supporters of the Ayoreo are disappointed with the decision. They say it makes a mockery of the injunctions on the land and is also a clear violation of the constitution which supports indigenous land rights. Jonathan Misower is the campaign co-ordinator for London – based Survival International, an organization supporting tribal people. He spoke to Paulina Vidal about the thinking was behind the decision.