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Autonomy and the Miskito Indian Community of Nicaragua Penelope Andrews

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Autonomy and the Miskito Indian Community of Nicaragua Penelope Andrews digitalcommons.nyls.edu Faculty Scholarship Other Publications 1988 Autonomy and the Miskito Indian Community of Nicaragua Penelope Andrews Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/fac_other_pubs Vol. 2 ALB No. 32 June 1988 page 7 AUTONOMY AND THE MISKITO INDIAN COMMUNITY OF NICARAGUA The following article continues ALB's comparative examination of the struggles of other indigenous peoples. Penelope Andrews places the Miskito Indianfight for autonomy within the historicaland political context of the Sandinista revolu- tion. Much can be learntfrom the recent initiative of the Sandinista government in drafting the Autonomy Law which recognises the right of its indigneouspeo- ples to self-determination. Introduction The American government was dis- enthusiasm for progressive change in pleased with the Sandinista governmen- Nicaraguan society has all but been In 1979 Nicaragua experienced a t's official policy for a whole host of halted. national revolution when the Frente reasons, and these reasons all pointed Sandinista de Liberation National towards Washington's fears about los- The Nicaraguan government and (FSLN) captured the capital, Managua, ing influence in Central and South people have in the last few years and the dictatorship of President America. The administration in the utilised valuable resources in an Anastasio Somoza abruptly came to a White House therefore set in motion a attempt to survive amidst the economic halt. The Somoza family had ruled sophisticated and concerted ideological and social chaos and suffering that have Nicaragua for resulted as a con- many decades and sequence of the had during that contra war. time unleashed Human rights and great suffering civil liberties (of and misery on individuals and almost the entire groups) have been Nicaraguan popu- a heavy casualty lation. of this war. The official The focus of policy of the international Sandinista gov- attention on ernment was developments in based on the intro- Nicaragua in the duction of a more last few years egalitarian system has, inter alia, into Nicaraguan highlighted the society, and plight of certain indeed the victory indigenous of the Saninistas groups. More brought a host of specifically the radical changes to rights of the the country. These Miskito Indian changes were population on the most prevalent in A Miski to woman at Tasba Pri, 1982 (Photo: Cordelia Dilg) Atlantic Coast the areas of has engendered health, education considerable and land reform. (1) Unfortunately, and material effort to thwart the legiti- debate as the community has found attempts on the part of the government macy and the very existence of the itself emeshed in the conflict between to institute these changes in Nicaragua alleged "Soviet backed communist gov- the contra rebels and the Nicaraguan were met with a hostile response by the ernment" in Managua (2) The government (3) The Reagan adminis- administration in the United States; an Washington-orchestrated war by tration has found it propitious to focus administration bent on undermining the counter-revolutionary forces or contra on the tensions between the Sandinista plans of the Sandinista government. rebels has meant that the initial spurt of government and the Miskito communi- Vol. 2 ALB No. 32 June 1988 page 8 ty as an example of their (the obtained permission from the Miskito Coast. (10) Sandinista's) oppressive policies and king (who still had the authority to have touted this as a flagrant violation grant land titles) for the expansion of One of the first activities that the of human rights. This opportunistic and banana plantations throughout the Sandinistas undertook with the indige- simple explanation ignores the very Atlantic Coast region. This heralded nous people was the establishment of complex political reality of the Atlantic the beginnings of United States eco- an organisation, MISURASATA, which Coast and its historical relationship nomic and political involvement, which brought together the Miskito, Sumu and with the Pacific Coast. (4) soon came to dominate not only the Rama people on the Atlantic coast. In region, but Nicaragua itself. In fact, as 1980, MISURASATA, put forward its A Brief History an insignia to their intentions, the programme and claims in a document United States Marines invaded entitled General Directions, a document The Atlantic Coast comprises half Nicaragua in 1912 and remained there which affirmed Nicaraguan sovereignty the land mass of Nicaragua. Tensions on and off until the Somoza dynasty over the Atlantic Coast.(11) between the country's two main regions came to power in 1936. (8) (the Pacific and Atlantic coasts) have In the first year after the setting up their origins in the 17th and 18th cen- Over the succeeding decades, of MISURASATA relations between it turies when the Miskitos allied them- United States companies and the and the government were good. In selves with the British to defend against Somoza families business interests 1981, however, problems began to sur- incursions by the Spanish. Both parties plundered the region's natural resources, face. The reasons were complex and saw the alliance as expedient: the which involved massive quantities of varied, but it appears that a fundamen- British to protect their commercial gold, silver, lumber and seafood. tal source of the conflict was the per- domination of the Caribbean region; Resistance to the pillage was met with ceived insensitivity of the central gov- and the Miskitos sought protection brutality (on the part of Somoza's ernment towards the indigenous peo- from the British against the ravages of agents) or co-option (access to United ples. When Sandinista representatives Spanish imperialism. (5) States goods and relatively high wages) arrived on the Atlantic Coast they and United States cultural values were assumed the social and economic poli- The British secured their position reinforced by missionaries and the cies devised in Managua could apply to in this alliance by entrenching the posi- intense campaign provided by the the Atlantic Coast. In their enthusiasm tion of the Miskito monarchy and for Alliance for Progress in the 1960's and and zeal to implement these policies, several decades a line of Miskito kings, 1970's. (9) they ignored the traditions and indeed educated in England and loyal to the the complex history of the region. Their British crown, served British interests The National Revolution narrow focus on redressing economic on the Atlantic coast. Britain supplied In Nicaragua and social problems came to a clash the Miskitos with arms and ammuni- with a growing sense of ethnic identity tion; all the while the resistance of the By the time the Sandinista govern- among the Miskito community, an eth- indigenous peoples was channelled ment came to power in 1979, the nic identity which in fact burgeoned against Spanish colonialism in favor of Atlantic Coast legacy was one of aban- during the days of the struggle for lib- British interests. At the same time the donment and dire deprivation. The eration led by the Sandinistas. This seeds of distrust and prejudice against standard of living of the majority of the conflict was immediately utilised by the Pacific coast, which was to linger inhabitants was miserable, there was indigenous leaders, who, playing on for several decades, was being sown. hardly an infrastructure and in fact the traditional animosity between the coun- (6) indigenous population had no concept try's two coasts, pmmoted a separatist of, and in fact, no faith in the central movement (which the Reagan adminis- In 1838 Nicaragua gained its inde- government in Managua These decades tration found expedient to encourage pendence and in 1860 the Treaty of of neglect had a dual consequence:- and support).(12) Managua was signed between Britian firstly, because they were so isolated, and the new republic. This effectively the coastal peoples were able to devel- It is important to point out that meant that the Atlantic region came op their own traditions, customs, lan- even though the Sandinista government under the sovereignty of the govern- guage, religious and cultural patterns appeared insensitive to the cultural and ment of Managua. The area was desig- which were distinct from those devel- related needs of the Miskito community nated a Miskito reserve and the Miskito oped on the Pacific Coast. Secondly, while implementing their policies of King retained the authority to grant there developed a justifiable mistrust national development, they did achieve land titles. In 1894 the Miskito reserve for the authorities in Managua, which significant improvement in the material was abolished and the Atlantic coast was to prove problematic for the conditions of the community. For incorporated fully into Nicaragua. (7) Sandinista government when they example, for the first time in Between the late 1890's and the attempted to introduce their national Nicaraguan history the central govern- early 1900's, United States companies agenda for development on the Atlantic ment genuinely took full responsibility Vol. 2 ALB No. 32 June 1988 page 9 for the education and health system of Law was passed in 1987. the waters, forests and communal lands the Atlantic region. (13) for the benefit and enjoyment of the The Autonomy Law Atlantic peoples. To certain sections of the Miskito leadership, however, this was not suffi- The principles on which the 4) Promotion of national culture, as cient and in 1981 armed Miskito and Autonomy Law was based were encap- well
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