From Page 13:

Indigenous Maya woman tours Maritimes to increase mining awareness

From Jackie McVicar, Coordinator, Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Solidarity Network

Crisanta is an indigenous Maya Mam woman who has been

struggling for the past ten years to make Canada’s Goldcorp

Inc. accountable for it’s gold mine in her backyard. Events in

Ottawa at the time of Truth and Reconciliation Closing Events,

Montreal, Fredericton, Charlottetown, Halifax, Tatamagouche

and Toronto were diverse and spoke to the ongoing struggle

for justice and accountability in San Miguel Ixtahuacan and all

communities surrounding Goldcorp’s projects in San Marcos.

It also made so clear the message that “No to Mining in our

Territory!” is a just, valid and necessary right for indigenous

peoples to declare in face of large scale projects that threaten

to destroy a way of life, of sacred water and Mother Earth. As

Crisanta said a number of times, “When I speak of territory, I

mean life.”

and resilience and almost twenty years of deceit, lies and

destruction that the Marlin mine has brought. She also spoke

about community transformation, support and commitment.

Meetings with indigenous leaders and activists on Turtle

Island was also a significant part of her experience and

BTS is grateful for having the opportunity to make the links

between common struggles for justice, dignity and respect.

Thank you to those who took the time to meet with Crisanta

and for sharing your own experiences of criminalization and

struggle and your vision and commitment to a better future

for us all. It was important for her to get to know the land and

the struggles; she told me it made her stronger and that she

would go home remembering she wasn’t alone.

Crisanta recently returned to Guatemala and we look

forward to continuing to support the work of communities

in resistance in the weeks and months, and unfortunately,

probably years, to come. But we do this together in solidarity

as we listen, act and grown together to make this a world

where all life is respected.

Defending the land comes at a cost but choosing not to isn’t an option.

Crisanta Perez and Annie Clair, land defenders and indigenous elders.

Crisanta was also the key-note speaker at the Maritimes-
Guatemala Breaking the Silence Solidarity Network Annual

Gathering at Tatamagouche Centre, June 12-14. There,

she spoke a heartfelt message about watching the sacred

medicines from the nearby mountains be destroyed and how

she would weep when she told her kids that they wouldn’t

have what she once had; that it was destroyed for the gold.

She talked about being threatened and intimidated by state

security forces, the municipal mayor and neighbours. She let

us know that 14 of the 18 communities that were ordered

to have potable water by the Inter-American Commission

on Human Rights still don’t have it, and those who do have

had to pay for it. She spoke of courage, fear, uncertainty

Crisanta on the ferry from PEI to NS. In Charlottetown, Crisanta spoke along with Darcie Lanthier, of the PEI Coalition for clean water.