Pancho, April 4th, 2012
JUAN MANUEL SANTOS
President of the Republic of Colombia
Bogota
Greetings:
I am writing to you from Pancho, a Wayuu village made of mud houses with zinc roofs, that exists on the right hand side of the banks of the Ranchería river, the only river in the Mid to High Guajira.
Tens of settlements exist in Pancho because we, the Wayuu people live throughout this dessert God gave us.
The people that inhabit this area still practice artisan fishing with homemade nets, the children still fish lizas, bagres, bocachicos,* and shrimp as they are our nourishment.
The women pick cherries, iguarayas, mamoncillos cotoprix, wild coas**, and they sell them throughout the streets of Riohacha. A little ways up in the river’s meadow, one can find olives, jamanar, ciruela jova**.
The Fall, with it’s thunderous noise, let’s us know the rain is coming, and then, we prepare the fields for the beans, watermelon, auyama, and corn. Harvesting these is an indescribable joy.
Some Wayuu have permanent fields alongside the river. With great effort, they carry buckets filled with water to take care of each and every plant. They are indigenous people with an agricultural vocation, they live off of the land and bring good nourishment into their homes.
Other Wayuu people take the mud and with water from the river they knead and form blocks that they then cook in ovens. They produce bricks for the construction of city housing.
Because the vegetation alongside the river is thick, a group cuts the branches of the tupillo trees (they grow back quickly) and they make charcoal out of the wood. It is a form of income because the charcoal is sold to the arijuna restaurant owners.
From the forest alongside the river we take the wood to cook. We do not use gas or electric stoves.
Some men go along the banks of the Ranchería river and hunt for blue crabs. They remove their claws and return them to their lair. The claws get sold in the market.
The majority of the Wayuu people raise goats. The herds are numerous and go to the river to drink. Some have cows and horses. Here in Pancho we see the livestock of the indigenous Chispana and Buenavista go by.
The sight of the enormous High Guajira Wayuu goatherds camping alongside the river will never cease to amaze us. At the height of summer, they walk tens of kilometers driving their herds to water. They stay in made up shacks and remain there until the dry season comes towards an end and then leave.
The Ranchería river is the only river for the Wayuu people. The only water current that crosses this ancestral territory, giving life to our lives.
To the river, we go to bathe. It is elating fun. There, youth can be found, falling in love, creating long lasting friendships. Mothers washing clothes, in the same place where the little ones learn to swim. Among the Wayuu people, there exists a great deal of water-related games.
With the soft mud from the riverbanks little girls build their own toys: dolls, cups, and plates, which they bake under the sun.
We, the Wayuu people do not have theaters, movie screens, Ferris wheels, roller coasters or amusement parks; all we have is the Ranchería river, filled with myths, legends, stories and charms.
Thousands of birds sing at dawn in la Guajira. It is the most beautiful music in the world. The birds go to the river to quench their thirst, just the same as the donkeys, pigs, monkeys, zorros chuchos, mapuritos***, and all the other animals that accompany us on this trip though life.
The Ranchería River never dries up. At the height of summer the water level drops. The ocean then comes up the river bringing us an offering of ocean fish for us to nourish ourselves. It is then that we move one kilometer upriver to find fresh water.
In a book by Cerrejón entitled: “Summary of the expansion project for interested groups” on page 60 it is stated that global climate change (GCC) will affect us: “the climate in La Guajira could turn cooler and drier, with a reduction pluviometry of 5-10 percent. The glaciers of the sierra Nevada Santa Marta could disappear by 2050 which would affect the availability of water springs in the region”.
What would life be like for the Wayuu people without the Ranchería River?
On March 28th, 2012 Cerrejón employees arrived in Pancho and informed the community that they are projecting the diversion of the river by 26 kilometers starting at the charcoal mine.
They advised us that the river would dry up in the summer time. We spend nearly all summer long in the river. We are going to suffer greatly if this becomes true.
They added that they would possibly build a reservoir on the Palomino River (Barrancas) to supply us with water over the summer time. However, in their book, on page 48 it is written that this water resource would also disappear during the dry season. How can a dry creek provide us with water?
They announced that the 500 million tons of coal under the river would generate royalties. In 30 years of exploitation of the mineral the royalties have not helped La Guajira one bit.
Still no one in the population of this area have an efficient enough aqueduct. In Riohacha, the capital of the department, the water comes to Barrio Centro three days a week, but it does not reach the peripheral areas of the city and we collect water only once a week.
Hospitals remain halted because people don’t get paid for months at a time, and the lack of healthcare technology is overwhelming. Our education occupies the last place in the country. According to research done by the Bank of the Republic, 50% of Wayuu children suffer from malnourishment.
This year, the Department of National Planning, the World Bank and the ECLAC informed that the department of La Guajira has the highest level of poverty and homelessness in Colombia, reaching a staggering 64%. I see that these royalties have helped us none.
Why would we trade our only river for royalties?
At the end of the meeting they concluded that it would be a great piece of engineering and that everything would remain the same. To this, a young woman from the community asked:
“If all will remain the same, why do you want to compensate us?
Our lives in the peninsula of La Guajira are directly related to the river, he is the grace and life here.
Please, do not allow the transnational company Cerrajón to destroy the aquifer that sustains the Ranchería River and dry out the only source of water we possess.
If the transfer is allowed and we begin to suffer the damages there will be no turning back, the damage will be irreversible.
Please help the Wayuu people.
VICENTA SIOSI PINO
Wayuu clan of Apshana
* lizas, bagres, bocachicos are fish common to the area.
** iguarayas, mamoncillos cotoprix, wild coas, jamanar,
ciruela jova are fruits common to the area.
*** zorros chuchos, and mapuritos are animals commonly
found in the area.
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