PBI-Mexico accompanies meeting of Rarámuri communities as they present a development plan for the Sierra Tarahumara

On July 26, PBI-Mexico tweeted:

“On July 12 and 13, 11 communities from the municipalities of Bocoyna and Urique in the Sierra Tarahumara in #Chihuahua presented the ‘Nátiga Busuré Development Plan’ with the accompaniment of @CONTECAC. PBI accompanied the meetings.”

Raichali further reports:

“Eleven Rarámuri communities of the Sierra Tarahumara, presented on Tuesday [July 12] the Nátiga Busuré Regional Development Plan, a project created through dialogue between them, which analyzes and proposes solutions to the different problems that are lived in their territory, and with the intention of responding to the ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) that ordered the government since 2012 to take into account the affected communities for the tourist project in Barrancas del Cobre.

The ruling of the SCJN was given by the breach of the obligations contracted by the federal and state governments on December 10, 1996, related to the creation of the Advisory Council of the Barrancas del Cobre Trust, which was not formed until 2016.

The information gathered from the inhabitants of these villages, through workshops and assemblies that began in June 2021, exposes how after 26 years the two types of government [state and federal] have not fully complied with the agreed commitments of development and social investment for indigenous peoples.

For the Rarámuri, development means having a quiet, balanced and autonomous life. That is, there must be a respect and harmony with nature, where they can inhabit and plant their own food, recover and live their traditions, while creating stable jobs hand in hand with tourism, while exercising their autonomy as a people, free of violence.

In this context, Nátiga Busuré, which means “waking up dreaming” or “waking up thinking”, is raised from 6 fundamental axes, which were explained by the inhabitants of the communities: education, health, environment, security, tourism, and economy (agriculture and housing).

During the presentation of the plan, the representatives of the Rarámuri communities made it clear that each of the axes on which it was built are equally important, since none has been properly attended since 1996.

In terms of security, the regional development plan seeks to guarantee the safety of families in the mountains and their access to justice. Activities such as the defense of its forests against illegal logging, sustained and increased during the pandemic, has aggravated the situation of disappeared and forced displacement.”

The full article can be read in Spanish at Comunidades rarámuri presentan plan de desarrollo regional “Nátiga Busuré”, denuncian olvido histórico del gobierno.