It is a historic result presented on March 14th, 2004, in the city of Quito-Ecuador, in the celebrations of the 20 years of COICA, which was expressed by the General Coordinator, Sebastião Haji Alves Rodrigues Manchineri, “COICA is still an innovative and successful organization, since it makes part of a unique historic process: it is the fruit of the work that has involved collective memories, vigorous wisdoms, countless leaderships, diverse forms and different realities, which, as a whole, strengthen the fundamental framework of our organizational mandate during the 20 years of continuing traveling through our paths".(2) Our pre-existence as different peoples, is based on the defense of life and the Amazon as a free and peaceful space, affirming and determining to continue being the seed of the Earth (3).
We are 390 peoples with a population of 2.779.478 inhabitants, in the 10.268.471 km2 that are part of the Amazon. Our ancestral practices, since centuries ago, conciliate the socio-cultural and economic development, with respect to the biological processes of nature. For us, the Amazon is not something abstract, nor is it a demographic vacuum, or just a marketable currency. According to Jocelyn Therese, Vice-Coordinator of COICA: “The Amazon is the geographic and cultural area, of all the planet, that raises the greatest admiration. The Amazon has for centuries conquested the dreams and become a part of the spirituality of thousands of peoples. The commitment of our temporal life, that follows thousands of other lives in past times, present and future, it is inscribed in the compliance of the spiritual duty to safeguard our sacred lands”. In other words, the Amazon is a set of relations that involve the people that inhabit it. The innumerable experiences of these confronting cycles and in particular, in the 20 years of collective work, have been crucial for reaching consensus, follow up and continuity of actions and has enabled us to achieve results and important progresses in the respect and affirmation as peoples that we are in our diversity and institutionalism.
The period of 1984 to 1988, -stages of constitution and mutual recognition-, the political project of COICA was launched. A first step was the recognition of ourselves as part of a same socio-cultural universe, with our existence and diversity as peoples; the second step was that of coordinating actions, exchanging experiences, articulating national, regional and international processes; the third step and the most difficult one was that of providing answers to our needs and attending the external agenda with our own vision.
Later on, the period of 1989 to 1992, was a period of institutional consolidation- political organizational project of COICA, which was not only viable but also necessary and even more yet, advanced at a superior rhythm to our expectations. To structure organically the indigenous movement in the Amazon Basin represented a correct and timely step, since only through this way, we could cover the political spaces that were opening regarding Amazon issues.
Later on, the period of 1993 to 2004, represented a period where we affirmed our ideals as an international indigenous organizations of the Amazon Basin, reaching political, social and legal spheres as well as visible progresses at different levels. Characterized by large processes of consensus and affirmation in the framework of COICA’s entities such as General Congresses, Coordination Council, Directive Council and participation at the different spaces in issues that affect our peoples. All of these participation spaces were and are fundamental to define the organic structure of COICA’s activiies.
