A STORY TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND

November 17, 2016.

To the national and international Sixth:
To those who sympathize with and support the struggle of originary peoples:
To those who are anticapitalists:

Compañeras, compañeros, compañeroas:
Brothers and sisters:

We wrote this extensive text together, Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés, spokesperson and current head of the EZLN, and I, consulting on certain details with some of the Comandantas and Comandantes of the Zapatista delegation that attended the first phase of the Fifth Congress of the National Indigenous Congress.

Although now, as on other occasions, the task of actually writing it down falls to me, it is Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés who reads, adds or subtracts, approves or rejects not just this text, but all those published as authentic writings by the EZLN. Not infrequently through these writings, I will use the first person singular pronoun. The reason for this will be understood later on. Although the primary audience of the following lines is the Sixth, we have decided to extend it to those who, without being with us or one of us, have identical concerns and similar work. Here goes:

-*-

…NEITHER OUR NIGHTMARES

Some years ago, the creativity and ingenuity of some collective of the Sixth produced a phrase which, with the passage of time, was attributed to Zapatismo. As you know, we are against copyright, but we don’t usually claim words or actions that are not ours. However, although not of our authorship, the statement does in part reflect our feelings as Zapatistas.

(Continuar leyendo…)

Read in Tzeltal here.

It Is not a Single Person’s Decision

November 2016

For the [l@s] racists:

Well, we’ve been reading and listening to everything you’ve been saying and writing.

We’ve seen all of your mockery, your scorn, the racism that you can no longer hide.

I believe that the compañeros and especially the compañeras of the National Indigenous Congress [CNI] are also reading and listening to what you say.

It’s clear that the CNI was right about what they thought and what they told us, that there is a lot of racism in society.

I imagine you amuse and applaud each other over what a good joke you made with your leftist mockery about the EZLN’s “candigata.”[i]

You celebrate your machismo making fun of indigenous women.

You say that we ‘fucking Indians’ let ourselves be manipulated, are unable to think for ourselves, and go like sheep wherever the shepherd points.

But I think when you say this you are actually looking in the mirror.

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Lee en español aquí.

M´a tuluk skop anzt, winik.

Ú´j noviembre chebj mil wuaklajuneb javilal.

Yu´un lajbanwuanejetic wuinik´etik antzetik:

Tenix ayotik taj kopinel te bin yaka´tzivayik, yakal chambeltik spisil te binkawualik y sok te vin kajtzivayik.

Spisil te ja lavanwuanejik, ja bolilik, ja chopolil tej max´uix jak´unik snakaltayel.

Jixniwuan tej joetactikon taj pisilik de anztetik, wuiniquetik ta Congreso Nacional. Indígena yakalwuan taj yilbelik skopinbelik tej vin yakal jaá ztibabelik y xchambelik tej ja kópic.

Taj meleil loók te vitil laj yalik y laj yalbotikon tej ay bayal chopol´otanil ta lumilal.

K´ax vayal lamulanik, y laj pak´jakabik jaátex yuún kax lok ja´kunik loilkop te la pasik tekawualik yu´un ayatex tajkexan te jaátex y yax labanwuanjatex sok tej “canditaga”, te yas´can ya yal skaceselwuelil yuún ezln.

Laá jpasveyik kinalul bitíl tatilatex yuún slabanel te anztetik te jotikon indigenaotikon.

Yatoj ka kutikon indios tej yakikiltaybaticon taj pikel y que mayuk bin yajnaticon te joóticon y te yax botíncon bitil chamvalam banti ya yal te canan chij.

Yuúnwuan max´xawuilabaik taj jun espejo kalal vinkawualik

Jixchniwuan lokatex vitiltatil chopolatex mayuk jaákexlalik.

(Continuar leyendo…)

Joint Communique from the CNI and the EZLN in Solidarity with the Indigenous Community of Santa María Ostula, Michoacán

November 4, 2016

To the Nahua community of Santa María Ostula, Michoacán:
To the peoples of the world:
To national and international civil society:
To the independent media:

The peoples, nations, and tribes who make up the National Indigenous Congress and the Zapatista Army for National Liberation manifest our profound condemnation of the actions carried out in unison by the bad governments and criminal groups against the Nahua indigenous community of Santa María Ostula, municipality of Aquila, Michoacán, in an attempt to crush their dignified and historic struggle.

These governments were not only complicit in the attack against Cemeí Verdía on May 25, 2015, but in fact freed those directly responsible, Juan Hernández Ramírez (then municipal president of Aquila) and José Antioco Calvillo. They [the government] imprisoned Cemeí Verdía on false charges and murdered the young boy Hidelberto Reyes García.

The bad governments now intend to arrest commander Germán Ramírez, fabricating criminal charges against those who struggle to defend the land and their families. At the same time, we see the regrouping of members of the Knights Templar cartel who are already reorganized and heavily armed in the eastern part of the municipality of Aquila.

(Continuar leyendo…)

ZAPATISTA ARMY FOR NATIONAL LIBERATION
MEXICO

October 26, 2016.

To the invited and attending Scientists of the Gathering “Zapatistas and ConSciences for Humanity”:

To the compañeras, compañeros, compañeroas of the National and International Sixth:

Brothers and sisters:

We send you greetings. We write to inform you of the following:

First: Per instructions from the National Indigenous Congress, which at the moment is consulting with the originary peoples, barrios, tribes, and nations throughout Mexico on the proposal made during the first phase of the Fifth Congress, we inform you that the permanent assembly of the CNI will be reinstated December 29, 2016, at CIDECI-UNITIERRA in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.

There the CNI will hold roundtable sessions on December 30 and 31 of this year. During these sessions, or before then if the CNI so chooses, the results of the consultation will be made known. On January 1, 2017, the plenary assembly will take place in Oventik, Chiapas, Mexico, and any agreements necessary will be made there.

The compañeras and compañeros of the originary peoples, barrios, tribes, and nations who make up the National Indigenous Congress inform us that they have financial difficulties that impede their travel to this meeting, and so they request solidarity donations from the national and international Sixth, as well as from any honest people who want to support them in this way. To offer this support, the compas of the CNI ask that people communicate directly with them at the following email: info@congresonacionalindigena.org. From there they will explain where and how to send support.

(Continuar leyendo…)

To the Yaqui Tribe,
To the peoples and governments of the world,

As the originary peoples who make up the National Indigenous Congress and the Zapatista communities, we send our simple words in solidarity with the Yaqui Tribe, its traditional government, and its troops. We are with you in these difficult moments after the confrontations this past October 21 in Lomas de Bácum.

We condemn the conflict and discord that are planted and promoted in the communities by the bad governments and their overseers, national and international corporations, who want to take control over the gas, water, and minerals of the Yaqui territory. To this end, the powerful sow division as a tool to impose death and destruction in our territories. For them, we are merely a path to more power and more money.

As the peoples, nations, and tribes of the National Indigenous Congress and the Zapatista peoples, we salute the Yaqui Tribe’s defense of their territory. We call for unity in the face of a common enemy which aims to take everything that we as peoples have and which makes possible our collective organization, our history, our language, and our life.

In the various geographies of resistance of the originary peoples of this country, the bad governments are using our own people to generate violence among us in order to guarantee their ability to impose extractive projects of death, structural reforms, the destruction of communitarian organization, and terror among those who struggle. For those who struggle, in contrast to the capitalists, the life and future of the people is everything.

We call on national and international civil society, on the originary peoples, on the national and international Sixth, and on the free media to be attentive and demand the respect deserved by the indigenous peoples in their autonomous organization and self-determination.

October 2016

For the Full Reconstitution of Our Peoples
Never Again a Mexico Without Us

National Indigenous Congress
Zapatista Army for National Liberation

Source: Enlace Zapatista

Questions without Answers, Answers without Questions, Councils and Counsels.
(Pages from the Cat-Dog’s Notebook)

October 20, 2016

To Whom It May Concern:

Questions without answers:

—So what about the women murdered for the grave crime of being women? Will the fact that they have demanded that the attacks stop and, with their blood, raised the topic not just to the national agenda but the global one, make them the object of mockery, disdain, and accusations that they are playing to the right? Because they aren’t dying, they are being killed. What if they refuse to accept that this is a problem that can be solved by addressing corruption? And if they dare to say that the origin of this murderous hate is located in the system itself? What if they come up with the crazy idea to sideline men with regard to the most vital decisions (yes, as in questions of life of death)? And if they decide to take their destiny into their own hands? Would any part of that, or all of it, be a governmental maneuver to avoid… etcetera?

—What about the others (loas otroas)? Must they wait for the political class to turn its haughty gaze on one of the most vilified peoples below? Must they resign themselves to be knocked off until the murder rate finally gets high enough to attract attention? And what if they organize themselves and demand respect, if they decide they’ve had enough of the fact that being disrespected means being killed? Would they be told that their problems are not a priority, that their position is not generally politically correct and is in fact counterproductive with regard to the electoral race, and that their demands should unite and not detract?

(Continuar leyendo…)

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San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas. Reunidos en el CIDECI/Universidad de la Tierra Chiapas en el Quinto Congreso Nacional Indígena, delegados de 33 pueblos, naciones y tribus originarios de México y la Comandancia General de EZLN decidieron en asamblea iniciar una consulta “en cada una de nuestras geografías, territorios y rumbos” para nombrar un Consejo Indígena de Gobierno “cuya palabra sea materializada por una mujer indígena” como candidata independiente para las elecciones del 2018, para contender a nombre del CNI y el EZLN. En otras palabras, un gobierno indígena, anticapitalista y antipatriarcal, horizontal y colectivo, cuya voz se haga escuchar por medio de una mujer indígena, para ejercer el “mandar obedeciendo” a nivel nacional.

En la asamblea se aclaró que la lucha no es por el poder, sino por la organización de los pueblos originarios y la sociedad civil para detener la destrucción que se vive en nuestro país y “construir la paz y la justicia rehilándonos desde abajo, desde donde somos lo que somos”.

La decisión surge de un análisis de la situación que se vive en el país, reflejada en los espejos que son los pueblos organizados en el CNI. En el pronunciamiento final de la asamblea, acordado la noche del 13 de octubre, se documentan los mecanismos de despojo, violencia y represión que sufren los pueblos originarios del CNI a manos de los gobiernos, empresas y la delincuencia organizada, así como las formas de resistencia y de construcción y reconstitución de la vida: “fortalecimiento en los espacios colectivos para tomar decisiones, recurriendo a recursos jurídicos nacionales e internacionales, acciones de resistencia civil pacífica, haciendo a un lado los partidos políticos que sólo han generado muerte, corrupción y compra de dignidades, se han hecho alianzas con diversos sectores de la sociedad civil, haciendo medios propios de comunicación, policías comunitarias y autodefensas, asambleas y concejos populares, cooperativas, el ejercicio y defensa de la medicina tradicional, el ejercicio y defensa de la agricultura tradicional y ecológica, los rituales y ceremonias propias para pagar a la madre tierra y seguir caminando con ella y en ella, la siembra y defensa de las semillas nativas, foros, campañas de difusión y actividades político culturales”.

La decisión de lanzar un Consejo Indígena de Gobierno en la figura de una mujer indígena para la presidencia del país es la respuesta de los pueblos originarios ante la violencia y el despojo, para “construir una nueva nación por y para todas y todos”.

Es el tiempo de la dignidad rebelde… ¡Que retiemble en sus centros la tierra!

Lee el pronunciamiento aquí.

MAY THE EARTH TREMBLE AT ITS CORE

To the people of the world:
To the free media:
To the National and International Sixth:

Convened for the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the National Indigenous Congress and the living resistance of the originary peoples, nations, and tribes of this country called Mexico, of the languages of Amuzgo, Binni-zaá, Chinanteco, Chol, Chontal de Oaxaca, Coca, Náyeri, Cuicateco, Kumiai, Lacandón, Matlazinca, Maya, Mayo, Mazahua, Mazateco, Mixe, Mixteco, Nahua, Ñahñu, Ñathô, Popoluca, Purépecha, Rarámuri, Tlapaneco, Tojolabal, Totonaco, Triqui, Tzeltal, Tsotsil, Wixárika, Yaqui, Zoque, Chontal de Tabasco, as well as our Aymara, Catalán, Mam, Nasa, Quiché and Tacaná brothers and sisters, we firmly pronounce that our struggle is below and to the left, that we are anticapitalist and that the time of the people has come—the time to make this country pulse with the ancestral heartbeat of our mother earth.

It is in this spirit that we met to celebrate life in the Fifth National Indigenous Congress, which took place on October 9-14, 2016, in CIDECI-UNITIERRA, Chiapas. There we once again recognized the intensification of the dispossession and repression that have not stopped in the 524 years since the powerful began a war aimed at exterminating those who are of the earth; as their children we have not allowed for their destruction and death, meant to serve capitalist ambition which knows no end other than destruction itself. That resistance, the struggle to continue constructing life, today takes the form of words, learning, and agreements. On a daily basis we build ourselves and our communities in resistance in order to stave off the storm and the capitalist attack which never lets up. It becomes more aggressive everyday such that today it has become a civilizational threat, not only for indigenous peoples and campesinos but also for the people of the cities who themselves must create dignified and rebellious forms of resistance in order to avoid murder, dispossession, contamination, sickness, slavery, kidnapping or disappearance. Within our community assemblies we have decided, exercised, and constructed our destiny since time immemorial. Our forms of organization and the defense of our collective life is only possible through rebellion against the bad government, their businesses, and their organized crime.

We denounce the following:

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