Saturday, May 20, 2023
I’ve been following the dispute between the villages of Laguna and Yemeri in the Toledo region, or district. The situation seems very touchy, very delicate, and it appears that one wrong move might lead to violence between these two communities! I am aware of the fact that the CCJ has ruled in favor of the Mayans regarding their rights to these lands, their tribal territories, so to speak. I am very torn in my opinion on this matter, considering how the native Americans were treated by their colonizers. Their lands were taken from them, along with everything else, and they were forced to go live on reservations, with little or no natural resources on them. They were given “autonomy” over these settlements, and then, only to a certain degree. They do get to own casinos on these lands, tax-free! I’m being sarcastic in my enthusiasm about this fact.
Like the Native American Indians, the Mayas have lived in what is now Belize for thousands of years. They were swept up in the colonization of their territories by the Spaniards and then by the British. Their assimilation into a society that was comprised of the English, African slaves and the Mestizos from the Caste Wars in Mexico has been a very slow process. They mostly stuck to themselves, their way of life in Toledo, Cayo, and in the northern districts. I remember when I lived in San Estevan in the late 50s, the majority of the older population still spoke Maya, exclusively. They dressed, cooked, ate and farmed the old way, a tradition older than all the new ways that slowly encroached upon them.
The reason I’m torn regarding this dispute is because I believe that every Belizean should have the right to live wherever they choose, without restriction! I really believe that, or maybe with some restrictions, not disregarding or disrespecting the customs or mores of these ancient people. Our new colonizers do it everyday! They buy land and settle wherever they wish, with little or no pushback from anyone. Hopkins was a Garinagu village, Placencia was a Creole village; now they’re American. They even celebrate Thanksgiving! That irony can’t be ignored. I can’t imagine how I would feel if I wanted to live in a certain spot in the Jewel and couldn’t because I’m not a Mayan! Maybe I’m trying to simplify a much more complicated issue, I don’t know. What I do know is that some of the Mayas living in some of these villages are not Belizeans, but from across the border. It seems to me that they have more choices on where to live in Belize than our own do!
In America the indigenous peoples were forced to live on reservations. In Belize, it seems to me, the Mayans are creating their own!
Glen