The cultural context of biodiversity conservation - Oapen

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The cultural context of biodiversity conservation
As to the state of such currents evolving at present, indigenous movements should be
mentioned, which partly emerged in conjunction with the growth of indigenous rights
organisations in the 1980s. 90 Playing a crucial role in the political arena, the so called
pan-Mayan movement involves reclaiming traditional religious ceremonies and themes
in Mayan spirituality, teaching indigenous languages in schools, presenting indigenous
candidates for political offices and other assertions of ethnic identity and cultural affirmation.
Ten years ago, Siebers (1996) wrote that there was hardly any basis for talking
about ›the Mayas‹ as a relevant social category among the Q'eqchi'. Pointing to the
fact that only a minority of Q'eqchi' speakers can communicate in Spanish, thus preventing
most of them from establishing relations with members of other Mayan
groups, he questioned the tendency of many groups within the indigenous movement
to use the term Maya as a central category to refer to all Maya groups.
In comparison, the more recent work of Schackt (2004) gives evidence of a shared
Mayan identity as a phenomenon of prevailing relevance. In the aftermath of the civil
war, he observes that the term Maya is currently in everyday use. 91 Although many
have an ambivalent attitude, there seems to be a tendency among the Q'eqchi' to identify
themselves as descendants of the ancient ancestors. Equally, Wilson (1995) refers
to an overt, conscious ethnic identity as a relatively new social concept varying according
to location and context. Nevertheless, in his book Maya Resurgence in Guatemala.
Q'eqchi' Experiences, he has undertaken to demonstrate that there is no single, coherent
ethnic identity: »Instead, many social actors, internal and external to Q'eqchi' communities,
compete for the right to determine what is to be Q'eqchi'. This means that
there is a plurality of dissenting discourses on history that cannot be worked into one
coherent version« (1995: 16). In the wake of the current revival of Mayan culture, the
role of religion and spirituality has been of particular significance. Schackt (2004) asserts
that many Mayan groups maintain an awareness of ancestral connections with
the land and its associated gods and spirits and maintain a ritual relationship with the
ancient ruins that exist in their territory. According to Secaira (2005), this spiritual
realm is experiencing an unprecedented revival, especially among young intellectuals in
search of ways to distinguish themselves from mainstream society and reaffirm their
Mayan identity. Looking forward, he states that although poverty, discrimination,
technology and cultural change have all modified the relationship of the Maya with nature,
they still have a basic ethic and attitude different from ladino peoples, who have
been subject to more ›Western‹ influence.
90 Within this movement of ethnic revivalism there are different factions. Among them, a particular
grouping emerged that is engaged in the field of environmental protection. For this, see Secaira (2000).
91 Linked to the peace process of the 1990s, the government accepted the term Maya as the official
ethnic designation for all of the 21 different groups classified on linguistic grounds. As established in
the AIDPI, ›Mayan Identity‹ is officially defined as a set of elements, including direct descent from
the ancient Maya; language of common Mayan heritage; a view of the world inherited from their ancestors;
common culture including philosophy, scientific and technological knowledge, artistic and
aesthetic conceptions, communal organisation and a sense of their own identity (Amry 1999: 61f.).