Sisters Without Borders Report Back: Spring 2003
By Tohanash Tarrant, age 19
Spring 2003
In the two months I spent in Nicaragua, I traveled and made more connections with people than I had ever thought possible. In Puerto Cabeza, where I began my work, I learned about the governments that encompass the Miskito people. I interned in the North Atlantic Autonomous Regional Government offices in Puerto Cabeza, meeting and interviewing members of the government to discuss their situation. It is often said that the Atlantic Coast is so rich, but yet so poor. International lumber and mining companies prosper greatly as only 25% of profits are given back to the national government to give what they will back to the autonomous region. A law was passed in January of 2003 regarding the rights of the Indigenous Peoples of the Atlantic Coast, recognizing the status of owning communal lands as is in keeping with their traditional way of life.
At Casa Museo everyday brought new action and guests to this museum/inn. The inn transformed into a museum dedicated to the life and history of the coastal peoples of the North Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua in memory of Miss Judith Kaine. Throughout the house hang the original oil paintings of coastal life done by Miss Judith. Miss Judith was a very active community member. In that spirit Casa Museo hosts an array of events from book fairs, lectures, and various courses. I was able to facilitate a two week class with a local artist, Gay Jaentschke. After a morning of interning in the Government Office, I would come home to Casa Museo to a yard full of children waiting for their drawing class. If the chairs were not set up, they would set them up. The children were so enthusiastic some would even work through their break. The drawings and supplies were put away at five o'clock, but that didn't stop them from staying and playing kickball until the sun went down. The drawing class was not only a place for them to explore shading techniques but also the beauty of their culture. Speakers came to talk to the children about Miskito and Creole culture as well as their environment on the coast. At the exhibit opening the children performed traditional songs and dances of the Miskito and a round dance I taught them from my people, the Indigenous Peoples of North America. After the class ended I saw "mis hijos" (my children as they came to be called) and got a few lessons in Miskito.
For the two weeks following the drawing class, I taught a class on beading. With supplies brought by MADRE from New York, I taught eight women from the community some techniques used by North American Indians. Beading in Native culture dates back before the time of the settlers. However, when settlers did come, they used glass beads for trading. Native Americans were able to use these beads to adorn clothing, bags, and survive by selling their goods. This was the first time I have ever taught a class on beading. I learned from my mother and aunts and they learned from our grandmothers. To teach this art to Miskito women was my honor and hopefully they can use this to generate income and remember the ties we share as Indigenous Peoples.
In March when a MADRE delegation came from Fordham University, we traveled to Waspam. There we met and talked to representatives of the municipality and representatives from different women's organizations talking about their concerns for the area. We traveled through rural villages, painting schools and talking to people we met along the way. The more of the coast I saw, the more I wanted to see.
I traveled to Bluefields, in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region, rich with Rama and Creole culture. In Pearl Lagoon (a 45 minute speed boat ride away) I saw the annual baseball championship series along with a large number of people that traveled for miles and miles from all over the coast to see the series. Pearl Lagoon's population more than doubled over those two weeks.
After spending two months with the people of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, my studies on autonomy for the Miskito People only touched the surface. Life and politics are not two separate issues. As in Indian Country USA, laws that are made for the protection of the people are not always enforced by the lawmakers. Life did not separate itself from politics, yet the politics never entirely overshadowed the beauty and culture of life on the coast. I am grateful to have stayed there and learned about the people and shared my culture as an Indigenous woman from the North. My hopes are that one day many youth from my tribe and other North American tribes will be able to work with the Miskito People and Indigenous Peoples of Central America building bridges of communication and combating discrimination and oppression as a team.
