Constructing Autonomy – Stories of Indigenous Governance in Peru

A video about indigenous autonomous governance in Peru, looking in detail at the Wampis and Awajun Autonomous Territorial Governments.

Many indigenous peoples in the Americas are implementing their own governance systems. Among them are the Wampis and Awajún, who control and manage large territories in northern Peru. Their territories are not only some of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, but also some of the most threatened by mining, the oil industry, illegal logging, and the effects of climate change.

Through their autonomous governments, the Wampis and Awajun are confronting these threats, protecting their territories, representing their populations before the Peruvian state, and implementing projects for the benefit of their people. When communities are able to use their deep ancestral wisdom to manage and protect their territories, the benefits are not only for the communities themselves; when water, forests and biodiversity are protected, the benefits are clearly for the country and, indeed, the whole world.

This film looks at what these autonomous governments are, why they were created, how they have been managed, their achievements, the challenges they face and their visions for the future.

This video is also available in Spanish