At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the disease and its impacts were described as ‘the great leveller’ for the way that the entire global population was affected. Since then, many have disputed this claim, highlighting the disproportionate effects that the pandemic has had on vulnerable communities, including Indigenous peoples.
Official data on the impact of Covid-19 on Indigenous communities in Central and South America is at its best, incomplete, at its worst, non-existent. However, what we do know is that in Amazonia, by the middle of July 2020, 172 out of 400 Indigenous peoples had reported cases of the coronavirus in their communities.[i] In Peru, where Indigenous people make up approximately a quarter of the population, a third of the fatalities in health departments were of Indigenous individuals.[ii] The available evidence, therefore suggests that Indigenous peoples have been disproportionately affected. With the historic impact that infectious diseases from foreign lands (such as measles and smallpox) have had on Indigenous communities, it is understandable that this pandemic has brought up many long-harboured concerns.
Of major concern, is that once Covid-19 reaches an Indigenous population, it is likely to spread quickly due to communal ways of life. This poses a particular risk to Elders who hold traditional knowledge regarding language and history. Such knowledge is normally passed down to younger generations orally, but if Elders die prematurely these understandings can be completely lost. [iii] Therefore, for Indigenous peoples, Covid-19 does not just threaten the health of individuals but also the cultural identity of entire communities.
Over the past year, the continued illegal use of Indigenous people’s land and resources has added an additional layer of threat. There has been concern that these illegal invasions could bring Covid-19 into Indigenous territories where it may spread quickly amongst the populations living communally and in multi-generational households.[iv] Some have shared concerns that the pandemic has actually encouraged more invasions of Indigenous territory because of reduced policing of land.[v] Not only are these invaders continuing to illegally exploit the resources within Indigenous territory, but they are also irresponsibly risking the health of the communities who they continue to exploit.
In response, the Yanomami people have campaigned to expel 20,000 gold miners who have continued to operate illegally during the pandemic.[vi] Similarly, the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis nation, has filed a criminal complaint against GeoPark, an oil and gas company that have continued working without testing staff for Covid-19.[vii] Other groups, such as the Siekopai nation have chosen to travel to their ancestral heartland in order to escape potential transmission of Covid-19 to their group.[viii] It is crucial that central governments recognize the prevalence of illegal invasions and the additional layer of threat they pose during this pandemic.
It is also important to recognize how legacies of colonialism and racism have negatively affected Indigenous Peoples during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many Indigenous communities have felt a lack of support from their central government, after being left behind in the distribution of crucial resources such as Covid-19 tests and personal protective equipment.[ix] Limited access to healthcare is another factor that puts Indigenous peoples at greater risk, and even when they are able to access healthcare services, racism and discrimination are likely to affect the quality of care that they receive.[x]
Overall, it is clear that many Indigenous peoples have been left vulnerable during the Covid-19 pandemic, often due to inaction or exclusionary practices from their central government. A ‘one size fits all’ response to pandemic completely fails to recognize inequalities and the specific needs of Indigenous communities. Therefore, the governments of Central and South America should work collaboratively with Indigenous peoples, to ensure that their response to the pandemic is sensitive to the particular needs of these communities.
[i] Oxfam. (2020). Averting Ethnocide: Indigenous peoples and territorial rights in crisis in the face of Covid-19 in Latin America. https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/bp-avoiding-ethnocide-210720-en.pdf
[ii] REPAM. (2020). Impact of Covid-19 on the indigenous peoples of the Amazon Basin. https://redamazonica.org/covid-19-panamazonia/pueblos-indigenas/
[iii] Hansen. (2020). Indigenous peoples tend to be at higher risk from emerging infectious diseases. Covid-19 is no exception – and some experts say it could destroy whole nations and communities. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200727-how-covid-19-could-destroy-indigenous-communities
[iv] Power et al. (2020). Covid-19 and Indigenous Peoples: An Imperative for Action. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7272911/
[v] Davies & Castano. (2020). Indigenous peoples of South America face ‘genocide’ as coronavirus pandemic exposes historic inequalities. https://abcnews.go.com/International/indigenous-peoples-south-america-face-genocide-coronavirus-pandemic/story?id=71256909
[vi] Survival. (2020). Yanomami launch global campaign as goldminers and Covid-19 endanger entire tribe. https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/12405
[vii] Davies & Castano. (2020). Indigenous peoples of South America face ‘genocide’ as coronavirus pandemic exposes historic inequalities. https://abcnews.go.com/International/indigenous-peoples-south-america-face-genocide-coronavirus-pandemic/story?id=71256909
[viii] Amazon Frontlines. (2020). The Siekopai’s ancestral remedy to the pandemic in the amazon. https://www.amazonfrontlines.org/chronicles/siekopai-plants-medicine-covid-amazon/
[ix] Curtice & Choo. (2020). Indigenous populations: left behind in the Covid-19 response. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31242-3/fulltext
[x] United Nations. (2020). Covid-19 and Indigenous Peoples. https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/covid-19.html
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