Indigenous Colombians proclaimed the march a mobile congress or "minga", a word for the tradition of communities joining efforts for a common goal. The minga reached Cali, the capital of Cauca region, on September 18, where they assembled in a stadium and listened to speeches by indigenous leaders.
Indigenous and other communities are concerned that the FTAA, which will expand NAFTA to all countries in the Americas except for Cuba, will threaten their territory and autonomy. They are also protesting the civil conflict between the government and FARC which has involved indigenous communities against their will. The majority of armed conflict takes place on indigenous lands and indigenous peoples are routinely injured, killed, or recruited by force. Indigenous leaders were recently announced as specific targets by the FARC, according to the Resource Center for the Americas.
Indigenous peoples present at the mobile congress included Eperara, Nasa, Guambiano, Yanacona, Awa del Sur, Embera, Embera Chami, Coconuco, Kamsù, and Inga.
A collective statement from the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples, the Association of Indigenous Leaders, and the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca prefaced a list of reasons for the march by stating: "Two of us are needed to sow a field; ten to harvest. One thousand if we are building a road. Eighteen thousand if decisions about the future are being made. Everyone if we are to rising to defend justice, happiness, liberty and autonomy."
The Nasa, who recently recovered two kidnapped indigenous leaders by peaceful protest, were primary organizers of the march. They also engaged la guardia indigena, who escorted and maintained the peace at the minga, and bicycle-mounted radio broadcasting to indigenous stations throughout Colombia. This year, the Nasa received the United Nations Development Program's Equator Prize for their models of participatory government.
At the march's final assembly, indigenous groups decided to create a tribunal to prosecute human rights violations committed against indigenous peoples during Colombia's civil war.
"We came together to send a message. We are not part of any armed organization; we ask only for respect and autonomy," said Manuel Santos, an organizer with the ACIN during a phone interview. "We expected about 20,000 but the march grew to almost 70,000 people ... we're moving forward. We want to create a new democratic process."
Smaller parallel marches of indigenous solidarity took place simultaneously across the country, most notably in Bogota. There are over ninety indigenous groups in Colombia, accounting for approximately two percent of Colombia's population of 43 million.
