The U’wa People Essay, Research Paper
The U’wa people strive in the cloud forests of Colombia, they are being threatened by an American based oil company Oxy (occidental) who are starting to invade the territory to drill. The U’wa are a
Non-fighting tribe, they believe that oil is the blood of the mother Earth. On the edges of the territory Oxy (occidental) has started to drill against the wishes of the U’wa but the wishes of President Clinton and President Pastrana (of Colombia) and Al Gore. The U’wa said if Oxy drills they will commit mass suicide of a sacred cliff. In Colombia there is a war between FARC (the armed forces of Colombia) and the ELN and the Para military which are rebel gropes who fight against each other about the way things should be and oil development, and coca (cocaine) money. These several gropes are constantly killing each other, and any one in their path. Some of the gropes like FARC who are happy about the oil, other like the ELN are not and they are blowing up the pipe lines. Then the oil floods into the only water source the U’wa have and they have no choice but to drink the contaminated water. My brother was working to stop Oxy from drilling, he would travel to Colombia to talk with the U’wa about what he should do to stop the project from happening. On his last trip he took to Native American leaders with him the U’wa were asking for a school where the children can learn Spanish and English because they speak only U’wa their traditional language. On their way back they were kidnapped by the FARC and killed. Recently the U’wa were sitting blocking the dirt road up to the drill sight so the trucks couldn’t get through and the police came and pushed the U’wa into the river and three U’wa children drowned and 11 U’wa adults were missing. The same people who killed my brother were escorting the Oxy people into the cloud forest and that company knew who my brother was they could have been behind the whole thing.