9: Contemplating a Caribbean Rematriation: Indigenous Women’s Organizing

Hello lovely audience! Here are our show notes for our Episode 9: “Contemplating a Caribbean Rematriation: Indigenous Women’s Organizing”. Possible triggers include child abuse, child marriage, child pregnancy, intimate partner violence, and working with the police. The organizers and organizations featured in this episode are:

  • Amira Teul of Belize’s Toledo Maya Women’s Council, based in Belize’s Toledo District. The Toledo Maya Women’s Council (TMWC) is one of the first organizations established in Belize to create a safe space for indigenous women and girls and enable their participation, representation and leadership in public policy and decision-making spaces, mostly at the community level. Founded in 1998, the organization’s mission is to break harmful norms, advocate and educate on rights while respecting the identity of women and girls, giving them a voice and providing them with networks through community outreach. Visit them on Facebook and on Instagram @tmwcofficial.

  • Paulette Jacobs-Allicock and Gloria Duarte of Makushi Research Unit, based in North Rupununi, Guyana. The Makushi Research Unit (MRU) is an independent collective founded in 1995, that is self-led by indigenous women and which conducts social, economic and ecological research within North Rupununi, Guyana. The organization is part of the North Rupununi District Development Board, which is a representative umbrella organization of 20 indigenous villages and communities in North Rupununi. MRU plays an important role in understanding and promoting local knowledge systems and cultural affirmation and indigenous leadership. Visit the North Rupununi District Development Board’s website.   

  • Immaculata Casimero of Wapichan Women’s Movement, based in South Rupununi, Guyana. Wapichan Women’s Movement (WWC) is the women’s arm of the South Rupununi District Council, a representative indigenous organization in South Rupununi. WWC was founded in 2017 and it is led by a working group consisting of 10 Wapichan and Macushi women of various ages and experiences, from across the Wapichan Wi’izi community, who have been involved in community organizing, capacity-building and livelihoods projects. WWC represents the interests of women and its mandate is to bolster the role that indigenous women play in protecting the land and natural resources, retaining cultural identity and addressing the social issues affecting indigenous women’s rights. Visit South Rupununi District Council on Facebook, and visit Immaculata’s Twitter (@ImmaCasimero)!

You can read Guyana’s 2006 Amerindian Act, which Immaculatta references, here and here. Read the Caribbean Court of Justice judgment for Maya Leaders Alliance et Al v Attorney General, the case which Amira references. You can also read more about the case on the CARICOM website and the United Nations’ Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) website.

As mentioned in the episode, we are grateful to the All my Relations podcast and team for informing our thinking on this episode. The following episodes were especially instructive for us:

“Black Native History with Dr. Tiya Miles” (March 18, 2022)