Due to climate change, indigenous people on the island’s houses are sinking underwater, marching at the Cop26 site in Glasgow, aiming to “cure the legacy of colonialism.”
Groups from Panama, Amazon, Patagonia, Alaska, and the wider United States crossed the streets with activists and heard the sound of drums and wood pipes.
They marched along Clyde from Glasgow Green to Cop26 campus, where they were initially denied entry.
island
Soon after, a small number of indigenous people were allowed to attend the meeting, where they planned to meet Alok Sharma, Chairman of Cop26.
The 31-year-old Agar Iklenia Tejada came to Glasgow from Panama and is a member of the Guna people who live mainly on coastal islands.
When it came to the plight of her family, she began to cry. “Our three islands are already underwater,” she said. “We have moved from the island to the mountain or coast.”
She added: “One of the islands is where I was born and raised, so even talking about it is very emotional.”
She said that her grandmother refused to leave this partially submerged island, and the loss of her home made her very angry.
Colonialism
“However, we will continue to work hard to protect and preserve our traditions, our origins and who we are,” she said.
She said people are polluting, mining gold and cutting trees. “All these will affect our daily life on the island,” she said.
With the help of the NGO Geversity Foundation, Agar brought to Glasgow the largest “mola” in history, a traditional hand-sewn cloth applique unique to the Guna people.
She and her native compatriots took it across the streets of Glasgow to the global gathering place.
Machi Jorge Kilakeo of Chile’s Mapuche Nation said that they came to Cop26 with an “open heart”. He said: “We are here to heal the legacy of colonialism, invisibility and violence.”
This author
Daniel Harkins is a journalist based in PA Scotland.
