"...yet it may be said that those who do choose to make the climb toward the enlightened state are the more loving individuals, whereas those who choose to maintain duality and dominance, with their many adverse effects, may be too sealed off from the cosmic energies to be able to align with them.  Those who decide to climb the Pyramid can be expected to want to include as many others as possible simply out of love.  Whether this world will end up in a paradise or in a catastrophe will not depend on the cosmic plan but on how many choose to make the climb."

"Another aspect of the climb of the Cosmic Pyramid is forging a path of action in service to the enlightenment of humanity.  Love and wholeness require including everyone and jointly working with others toward this goal.  The Mayan calendar means there is an overall purpose to the cosmic time plan, and so we all potentially have missions, paths of action, in service to the rest of humanity."

The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness

Hello Belizean enthusiasts...this comes long after my return from paradise. Re-entry has been more challenging than usual in that I experienced an early morning house fire just days after my return...hence the lateness of my update. I'm happy to report that we are safe and sound and the massive clean up is underway. How quickly our perspectives change when we are faced with possible tragedy and loss...a sobering reminder of what is truly valuable...life!!!

After almost 3 weeks in Belize my conviction is even greater to generate support and funding for education. The response I heard from parents and children all over the country is that they are not able to fund basic educational needs ie: tuition, books & school supplies, and yet the hope of a brighter future still shines in their hearts. I have seen some economic improvement among some of the families I know which is very encouraging. With the approaching end of the Maya calendar on December 21, 2012 and all of the publicity surrounding it, it is my belief that this will generate interest and bring more tourism to Belize, particularly to the Todedo district, the heart of Belize's Maya culture.

The Prensa de Paz church, located on our property, celebrated it's first anniversary. An estimated 400 Ketchi Maya from Belize and Guatemala gathered once again for a weekend long celebration. The women worked tirelessly night and day in the outdoor kitchen making tortillas on the "kumal", preparing "caldo", the traditional Maya soup, making hundreds of "poch", cornmeal wrapped and steamed in a waha leaf, all the while laughing and chatting in their native Ketchi language. We butchered another cow, roasted a pig and feasted on "chicharones", the best pork rinds you've ever eaten! Three church members were baptized in our creek and the church services ran late into the night with music, dancing, singing and prayer. A cultural experience to say the least!!

Construction continues on "Winding Creek Maya Lodge" with a goal of opening for business late in 2012, just in time for the winter solstice and the end of the Maya calendar. The windows are now in, the pipe has been laid for the water, the veranda ceiling and soffits have been finished off with beautiful pine boards, bed frames are being hand-make by Ponciano out of local wood from the jungle...the progress is all very exciting!!

Belize has certainly become my second home. From Caye Caulker to Punta Gorda I am greeted with a warm "welcome back Bonita"! Whether I'm fishing with Charlie at the reef, visiting with Rina and her mom, Ms. Emma, at the shrimp farm, sitting by the seaside with the local PG boys drinking rum & coconut water (yum!), or listening to the night sounds of the jungle while I drift off to sleep, I am wrapped in a sense of belonging and contentment. Given my delightfully precious family here in Maine and the opportunity I have to experience my beautiful Belize, I am truly one joyously blessed woman.

Mangos, Marimbas & Mayas

Bonita has just returned from a two week visit to her beloved Belize and the timing was perfect. Punta Gorda hosted its 5th annual "Cacao Festival", an event where local cacao growers show off their Maya Gold...chocolate that is! The festival kicked off with a wine & chocolate tasting garden party at a seaside inn. There were samples galore from chocolate with chili to ginger chocolate and everything in between. The turn out was great, about 400 people, and I got to rub elbows with some of the community's leading citizens. This event was in total contrast to the typical social gatherings I usually experience there. Meanwhile, back at my hacienda, my Maya family and I got caught up on each others lives as we swung in the hammock on the veranda. We hosted an occasional overnight guest who had traveled from a distant village to attend our church service. Since the opening of the Prensa de Paz Church in January there has been significant growth. I attended church a few times while there and even led the children's fellowship on Sunday morning! Most of the service is in Ketchi and my Maya family is convinced that they can teach me to speak it...thus far I can say "good, thank you, and beautiful"...it's a start...when in doubt I just say "good"!

I stopped by Miss Emma's shrimp farm in Hopkins and found the fruit trees dripping with mangos, wax apples, papaya, and jack fruit. We spotted a toucan while filling our bags to the brim with ripe, juicy mangos. It is so exciting to see tropical birds in the wild. And the colors of the birds, flowering trees & shrubs are beyond description. The flamboyant tree has flaming orange blossoms that dominate the landscape. When I think of Belize I think of brightness and color and lusciousness.

Being a former British colony, Belize still celebrates the Queen's birthday. All the children had a holiday from school so Elvira and I packed a picnic lunch of burritos and off we went with a car load of children to Blue Creek. The waters are clear and blue and you can see a variety of fish swimming below the surface. It is truly a spectacular river with cool, sparkling deep pools and cascading waterfalls. Swimming against the current the kids and I would stand under the falls and let it massage our backs being careful not to let it rip our "bab" suits right off!

One afternoon we heard that a cow had strayed onto our neighbor's land. Apparently the solution is not to try to herd it back to it's own farm but to shoot it. As time went by we heard the fatal shot and Ponciano ran off to lend a hand with a few of the older boys in tow. A short time later, Carlos, 9, came sauntering down our drive proudly holding the liver and heart...our supper! With great enthusiasm, Elvira immediately took to chopping up this fresh delicacy which would later become the key ingredient for a delicious soup. I was more interested in seeing what the men were doing with the cow so off I went following Carlos across the pasture and into the bush. By now dusk had fallen and I had reservations about walking through the bush in the disappearing light, but my curiosity got the better of me. We approached the area where the motionless carcass laid as Abelino busily completed the butchering. Two of the boys offered to carry the head by it's horns while it took two grown men to carry the hind quarter on their backs. Somehow I just couldn't picture any of the men or children I know enthusiastically carrying bloodied cow parts. The beauty in this somewhat gruesome scene is that every morsel of this cow would be eaten and nothing left to waste. These people have known hunger all too often and celebrate the opportunity to fill their bellies.

Right now it's the dry season in Belize and the perfect time to go "striking" for fish. Most the the village men and a few of the young boys paddle down the river and spend an entire day in search of tuba fish and snook. They don't use poles and hooks but a sling shot type contraption with a spear on it that is tethered by a string. They dive under crocodile infested waters and hunt for these fish, keeping a watchful eye out for any crocs that might be in the vicinity. Is that not unbelizeable?? The men make light of it with me and tell me that there are no crocs in the river but I know differently. Siliano, a villager and registered guide, told me they exist. I spoke with him after he had been "striking" and he said that it is dangerous and that one must be vigilant at all times. Ponce & Alberto have promised to take me striking...I'll be content to watch from the dorey and keep a lookout for any crocs lurking below the surface.

"Winding Creek Maya Lodge"... our goal is to be open for business by January 1, 2012. Ponciano says he is able to make much of the furniture out of local wood and is beginning to collect the wood now. We still need to finish the kitchen tile work, cabinetry, and bring water to the building. We can at least offer rooms to guests at a reasonable price if things are not 100% complete. I trust that Ponce & Elvira will be terrific hosts. Ours is not going to be a lodging experience for everyone however I am convinced that guests who prefer this type of accommodation will leave enriched and renewed by the interactive nature of what we will offer.

Belizeans love their music...it is as varied as the many distinct cultures that exist in this diverse Caribbean country. The marimba, a primitive xylophone, is a traditional musical instrument of the Mayas. Rina, Toto & I were fortunate to attend a performance where 3 young Maya men created the most melodic sounds as they each hammered out different rhythms. It seems that no matter how many times I return to Belize I am continually introduced to new cultural experiences which lead me to a deeper appreciation for the Belizean people and their history.

February 10, 2011

Hey everyone...a lot has happened since my last installment 2 weeks ago. After 2 days at sea with my new fishing friends Johnny "Too Bad" and "Jilly" I felt renewed and ready to dig in and work on the house. But before I got too serious about work I enjoyed the Punta Gorda Day celebrations...vendors, music, local food and good family fun in the park in the center of town. The celebration culminated in an evening of Garifuna drumming and music in honor of one of Belize's greatest icons, the one and only Paul Nabor. Paul was recognized for his contributions that have been instrumental in keeping the Garifuna culture alive in Belize. He was also celebrating his 83rd birthday and in honor of his life's work the government of Belize awarded him $500 a month for the rest of his life...may you live long and well Paul!

The following day I traveled to Hopkins and spent the day with my Filipino friend Rina...there was a huge party for her Mom's 69th birthday held at the shrimp farm, a 4 square mile farm with shrimp ponds, fruit orchards, fragrant flowering gardens and food galore from gibnut and stewed goat to exotic Filipino dishes, cohune nut salad, king fish cerviche...what a spread!

Now down to business. Early the following week we traveled 4 hours to what is called "Spanish Lookout", a vast Mennonite community that is a slice of America where you can find all kinds of building supplies, groceries, dairy products, animal feed at the most reasonable prices in the country. This proved to be a very worthwhile trip and I was able to buy a front door for the house and select the windows. As luck would have it we found Fransisco who was willing to deliver the door for a mere $12 Belize ($6 US). With the clock ticking and the day of my departure soon approaching we set to work getting the door installed. Johnny "Too Bad" knows anyone who's anyone in Belize and in no time we had a talented contractor installing the door. He arranged for a master electrician to check out the wiring and I can now rest easily knowing the wiring is properly installed and safe...which wasn't exactly the case beforehand...it seems the guy that originally did the job really did some shoddy work.

Next we got the kitchen sink plumbed and have lined up someone to bring water to the house from the existing pump by the road. Using a 1000 gallon cistern, a submersible pump and mother nature's rain water the entire property will be supplied with water...it's so exciting to see things finally coming together!

On the last night in my house on the Papishaw Road, which I have grown to love immensely, I threw a party for my family and our neighbors. Chicken caldo, corn tortillas, hotdogs and marshmellows on the fire (the kids loved that!) watermellon cole slaw. Lots of fun...music, dancing and I wore the traditional Maya clothing for the event! Personally I don't find it flattering at all but those Mayan men love it!

Tearful good byes as I left the following morning and headed to one of the northern most villages in Belize, Consejo Village, a small seaside village and border town to Chetumal, Mexico. My friend Johnny, who traveled with me, grew up there as a child, his dad was English and a customs officer, his mom a Belizean Garifuna. What a delight to meet the people he knew as a small boy. Their gracious hospitality and genuine warmth and affection was profound. I pampered myself and stayed in the only accommodation with a pool and hot water...I figured I was due after a month without running water and a house without windows! I'm not complaining...it was a rather pleasant experience even without those conveniences!

I wrapped up my trip in Belize City with a visit to BC, my long time friend at the Swing Bridge who makes Rasta bracelets. He's getting it together these days and I was happy to see that and am proud of him. One thing I truly believe is that one cannot judge a book by it's cover...so many of the people I associate with in Belize at first glance may appear to be undesirables. And yet when you give them an opportunity to share and recognize their value, the beauty of who they are is wonderful to behold.

I arrived home late last night...it's good to be home and yet my heart yearns for the simplicity and rawness of Belize. I return with a stronger sense of purpose and conviction that Winding Creek Maya Lodge will succeed and that Belize will always be my happy place. By God's grace I will enjoy many more visits to this small yet remarkable country that I now consider my home.

May God bless us all in our way!

Brenda Bonita

February 2, 2011

Hola family & friends!

Been having some difficulty getting internet access this past week so you'll have to wait for the cow, fishing, armadillo and iguana eating photos. Once I get back to the states I'll share more of the amazing adventures I've been having here...Belize it or not, I'm no where near ready to leave! Don't worry Jasper.....I'm coming home!!!

Today we are hanging the front door on the house which is a huge blessing as it will keep the dogs and chickens out where they belong!

I had the pleasure of having a meeting with the country director of Sustainable Harvest International and learned a great deal about how to create a more productive and eco-friendly farm here. They are doing amazing work in the 30 or so indian villages here.

I'm back next week and I'm not quite sure what that's gonna be like...I am so in love with Punta Gorda and all the loving, kind, helpful people I have come to know. I'll miss the sea breeze and the warmth...the lovely people and the children...as my friend Johnny says..."I'm too blessed to be stressed!"

love to all...

Brenda Bonita

January 27, 2011

Hey all,

Well, I survived the opening of the church! For 3 days and nights we had bus loads of people arriving for the worship, music and food. Each evening folks were splayed out all over the house sleeping on the floor...it was crazy. There was dancing and singing and prayer...I'd say we had 500 people there Sat & Sun! We slaughtered our cow and had massive amounts of meat, bean, rice. We sold soda and chips and sweets to raise money...it was like a mini concert scene! The people were wonderful and had such a great time...nothing like this has ever reached this part of Belize!

Now that we are all cleaned up and back to semi-normal (I say that because there is always something happening like today when I got stuck in some mud taking a neighbor home) I have taken some time to relax and enjoy the sea. I met a couple of fishermen who took me out to the Cayes for 2 days of fishing and we also visited a Garifuna settlement up the coast called Punta Negra where only 8 families live. We were invited for a wonderful lunch of red snapper, rice and beans and enjoyed great conversation. Our fishing trip wasn't as successful as we would have liked and we only filled one of the 3 coolers with fish but what a blast! I caught a baracuda and I even snagged an eagle when he swooped down and grabbed my bait as I was trailing my line!!! Trust me, after 2 days fishing at sea with no fresh water I was definitely stinky!! We brought all the fish back for my family and shared it with everyone! While out on the sea I saw rays, dolphins, starfish, many beautiful birds. A toatally cool experience.

I'll be spending the next week working on the house and I may take another overnight trip to Punta Negra to visit my new friends Miss Paula and Miss Sue, two very nice Garifuna women who are raising 7 children in this remote place where the only access is by boat. There is a school with only 8 children who attend. I am loving the fact that I am exploring more of the area and it's feeling more and more comfortable with each passing day.

I'll post pictures tomorrow...I just realized I brought the wrong cord to the internet cafe...ugh!! I've got some amazing photos!

Sending peace, joy and love from PG!

Brenda Bonita

January 17, 2011

Hello family & friends,

As you know I am in Belize and partnering with a Maya family. We own land together and are working to develop a guest lodge and farm to provide food & income for them and their extended family. Because there was a need for a church in the local community, the villagers and my family have built a beautiful open air church on our land. This weekend we will host Mayans from 30 or so villages from the Toledo District of Belize and across the border in Guatemala. They will come for a 3 day celebration of worship, music and fellowship...there may be up to 100 people.

I am writing with a request for help. Many of the people are traveling far to come and worship. We are preparing for their arrival. Everyone who is attending is bringing something to contribute...a sack of corn or sugar...beans...rice...even though they have very little with which to feed their families. We would like to purchase a cow ($500US) to feed the people who will be coming. The men have been chopping firewood, cutting waha leaves used to wrap the tamales, and walking long distances with heavy loads on their backs. The women will be making tortillas night and day and cooking over the fire.

We are believing that God will supply our need. If you are so inspired to help us it would be a huge blessing if you could wire, through Western Union, $10 or $20 or whatever you can do. I have wired money to my family here and it is easy. Just go to Hannaford (in Maine) or your local supermarket and fill out the Western Union form and select "Money in Minutes" and you can send it to me in Punta Gorda, Belize. You will then receive a 10 digit number that I will need in order to pick up the money which you can either send to me via e-mail or text 207-749-9310.

There is need all over the world, even in our own backyard in Maine, so I understand that you may not be in a position to give. Please lift these people in prayer and I know God will be faithful to meet our needs. I really don't know what else I can do other than put this request out there...

So, warm and happy greetings from Belize...and blessings to you all!!

Love & Joy!!

Brenda Bonita

Greetings from Belize

January 16, 2011

Wow...almost been here a week and so far it has been packed with adventures! The house, which we have decided is to be called "Winding Creek Lodge" is wonderful. Ponciano & Elvira have completed a lot of work...magnificent tile floors...both bathrooms are tiled...still lots to do before we can open for business. There is always a lovely breeze in the land and the house stays nice and cool. Although we have no windows yet, I haven't been bothered by mosquitos and my room even has a cute little branch with Chrsitmas lights on it. Elvira and her family sleep on the floor...they have a nice bed for me which I really appreciate.

Later today we will do laundry in the river and later tonight we will build a fire by the "little crik" and roast hot dogs...the kids will love it!

Each day if we travel into town I am "Bonita's taxi"...it is nothing for me to transport 5 adults and 10 kids at one time!! Oh, I want to share that I ate a local delicacy...stewed iguana and iguana eggs!!! The iguana meat is very tasty and the eggs taste like chicken eggs altho I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of this pregnant iguana!!! When our friend Roberto caught them he tied the legs so they cannot move...I got to hold the live one!!

In my absence the local community has built on open air church on the land. Next weekend we will be hosting Ketchi Mayas from 30 villages in Belize and Guatemala. It is a weekend long event...huge amounts of food will be prepared...we will be butchering a whole cow!!! Five children will be dedicated and there will be worship music and dancing. Ponciano tells me that I will go with him to the Guat border to carry people to the land...I think I have to ride a horse!!!

I am reconnecting with many of the people here I know and that has been great! I was in Hopkins the other day when two people hailed me..."Brenda Brenda"...they remembered me from my last visit...it's so welcoming and friendly here.

From Belize to London

I am partnering with a Maya family in Belize. We are building a home on ten acres in the jungle where we plan to offer visitors a place to stay where they can enjoy a genuine Maya experience. Visitors will be taught how to cook traditional Maya food, weave, make jippi jappa baskets etc!

Ponciano Choc is the 32 year old father of four who is overseeing the construction. His wife Elvira is our fabulous Maya cook and Super Mom who does everything else! Now...about the discovery...

Yesterday, while searching the web for news articles relating to a recent event that involved the procurement of leaves for my roof (that's another story), I stumbled across some astounding information...

Sometime in the early 1990's a woman by the name of Chloe Sayer visited the village of Santa Elena which is where Ponciano grew up. She obtained from Ponce, who at the time was around 14 years of age, a homemade football. The football he made out of plastic and twine was then given to The British Museum in London, England in 1994 as a cultural artifact and today is part of their Africa, Oceania & the Americas collection!! Wow!!

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=3012006&partid=1&output=People%2F!!%2FOR%2F!!%2F150275%2F!%2F150275-2-46%2F!%2FMade+by+Ponciano+Choc%2F!%2F%2F!!%2F%2F!!!%2F&orig=%2Fresearch%2Fsearch_the_collection_database%2Fadvanced_search.aspx&currentPage=1&numpages=10

CJ rules for Maya; implications “huge”

The Maya community of Southern Belize scored a landmark victory in the courtroom of Chief Justice Dr. Abdulai Conteh Monday morning – a victory that is bound to have far-reaching implications for that part of the country, including how the Government proceeds with logging, mining, and petroleum concessions in what the Maya community claims is over 500,000 acres of ancestral homeland.

The Chief Justice also made it clear in this morning’s ruling that Maya customary land tenure – which he re-emphasized has long existed and continues to exist in Southern Belize – also reasonably extends to the five Mopan Maya villages of Stann Creek.

The judgment requires the Government of Belize to put the brakes on any leases, grants, concessions and contracts that would affect Maya land rights in the Toledo District; however, attorneys for both sides differ on the true implications of that cease order.

Of particular interest are concessions for petroleum granted to US Capital Energy, which nearly completely overlaps with the territory in question, spanning a large stretch of Toledo, as well as the December 2008 concession for Belize Hydroelectric Development & Management Company Limited for the development of the hydro potential of Belize’s majestic Rio Grande basin, which has been formally opposed by villagers of San Pedro Columbia, San Miguel, Silver Creek, Golden Stream, Medina Bank, Indian Creek and Big Falls.

“I would say it would require the government to go back and to re-examine whether those existing concessions were done under the parameters that the Chief Justice laid down in his judgment, and I am pretty certain that they were not – meaning that they were [not] done with the consultation and consent of the land holders, which are the Mayan people. So I would think that it will necessitate the government to go to the now affirmed landholders and speak to them about the existence of these concessions on their lands,” said Antoinette Moore, SC, who represented the Maya in court. Much depends on how GOB interprets what the CJ said, Moore added.

“I think what has gone in the past stays as valid, and I think his [the Chief Justice’s] judgment is not retroactive; it’s going forward,” said Government’s attorney, Lois Young, SC.

“Personally, I don’t think there is any other way we can go but to appeal [the CJ’s decision]. It’s a judgment that’s so huge that it has to be tested in an appellate court,” Young added.

Dr. Conteh described the case as “enormous:” There were five boxes of 51 affidavits, including statements from 23 alcaldes, maps and historical documents.

Notably, the book, Maya atlas: The struggle to preserve Maya land in Southern Belize, published in 1997 by North Atlantic Books, was used by both sides in the litigation over Toledo Maya land rights. That atlas claims that there are a total of 42 Maya villages in Southern Belize. At the time of the publication, the population of the Maya was numbered at 14,000.

The Chief Justice ruled on a similar case on October 18, 2007, when he declared, in a suit brought against the Government by the villages of Conejo and Santa Cruz, that the Maya of Southern Belize retain the land rights as indigenous to the area. The Government of Belize, however, took the view that the Maya now living in Toledo can claim no such rights, because they are recent migrants from Guatemala and not descendants of the Chol Maya who had occupied Toledo before the colonial period.

It was that impasse, the Chief Justice noted, which brought the Maya back to the doorsteps of the court, with the new case claiming rights for all Maya villages of Toledo.

“Belize—Guatemala are, in my view, post colonial constricts of what was part of Mesoamerica,” inhabited by the Maya groups, the Chief Justice read from his judgment.

Thirty-six of the Maya villages were the litigants in the case for which the Chief Justice delivered his ruling today: “I, therefore, find that from the evidence, there is in existence in Maya villages in Toledo District customary land tenure by which the villagers have rights and interest in villages that – for the avoidance of doubt – this conclusion is not limited only to Conejo and Santa Cruz villages…but includes as well – as of course it must, given the representative nature of the instant claim – the other Maya villages in the Toledo District.”

Dr. Conteh also said: “There are an additional five villages in the Stann Creek District. ...It is, therefore, reasonable to extend the existence of Maya customary land tenure to the five Maya villages there [in Stann Creek] as well.”

He went on to clarify that, “…this has not been contended for in the claim form and I make no finding on that.”

In making his decision, Dr. Conteh put a lot of weight on the evidence submitted by the expert witnesses for the Maya, particularly American anthropologist, Dr. Richard Wilk, whose evidence Conteh described as “very compelling and helpful.”

Wilk contended before the court that the Maya of Toledo are the same as those who had occupied the area before colonization.

Government’s contention was that the indigenous Maya were forcibly removed from Belize by Spanish colonizers; today’s Toledo Maya are not indigenous. Expert for GOB was Dr. Jaime Awe, director of the Belize Institute of Archaeology.

Conteh said in his ruling that he is satisfied with the evidence that, “there are historical, ancestral, social and cultural links between the original inhabitants of what is today Toledo District and the claimants. I find that these links continue and endure to this day.”

In summarizing his decision, Chief Justice Conteh first re-affirmed his 18 October, 2007, judgment on Conejo and Santa Cruz, and declaring “…that Maya customary land tenure exists in all Maya villages in Toledo and where it exists, gives rise to collective and individual property rights under 3(d) and 17 of Belize Constitution.”

He furthermore said that the Government of Belize has an obligation to adopt affirmative measures to identify and protect the rights of the Maya, and went on to order the Government to work along with the Maya to develop legislative, administrative or other measures necessary to identify and protect Maya customary lands, in conformity with traditional practices.

“It is in the interest of all Belizeans that the process of reconciliation begins,” Conteh said.

Finally, the Chief Justice said that for the period of time that the Government and the Maya are working to sort out the system for the identification and protection of land rights, the Government shall cease and abstain from any acts that might lead agents of the Government or third parties to offend the existence, value, use and enjoyment of lands occupied and used by Maya in their villages, without their informed consent.

According to the Maya Atlas, Pueblo Viejo, one of the oldest settlements, was established in 1840. The atlas says Toledo was comprised of 36 Maya villages: 24 Ke’kchi, 6 Mopan, 6 mixed; and Stann Creek 6: 5 Mopan Maya villages and 1 Ke’kcki village.

The Toledo Maya Cultural Council had in the years following Independence called on the Government to recognize a 500,000-acre homeland.

Chief Justice Conteh awarded cost of court to the Maya, but did not grant them the damages they were claiming against the Government for alleged breach of constitutional rights against the Maya.

Young, Government’s attorney, said she was relieved no damages were levied against the Government. “The repercussions will be deep and far-reaching,” she conceded.

Right after the Monday morning ruling, the Maya Leaders Alliance’s Cristina Coc spoke in her native language with over 100 Maya villagers assembled inside the Chief Justice’s courtroom. Afterwards, the triumphant litigants traveled to one of the northernmost Toledo villages, Indian Creek, to hold their grand victory celebration.

Maya Leaders Alliance responds to government actions threatening ancestral lands

On May 19, in what is the latest affront to the Maya peoples’ rights to our ancestral lands and natural resources, the Forestry Department confiscated 2,400 bay leaves which had been harvested by Conejo villagers on Conejo lands – lands to which the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that Conejo owns the title - and ordered villagers to leave the remaining 4,600 harvested bay leaves untouched on the ground.

Lying bundled and exposed to the elements, the leaves are now ruined, a lamentable waste of the bounties of the earth. Mr. Ponciano Choc from Cuxlin Ha village had sought and obtained permission from Conejo village to harvest these leaves to build a roof for his house. With the help of Conejo villagers, the leaves were cut and bundled for transport.

After he left Conejo lands, a Forestry official stopped him and confiscated the bay leaves because they were cut without a government permit. Maya people have been harvesting bay leaves for roofing for centuries, and have developed our own rules to ensure conservation of this resource. These rules are part of our customary land tenure system, and Maya villages have a customary right and responsibility to control the conditions under which their resources are used. The confiscation and destruction of Conejo’s bay leaves is the most recent example of the Government of Belize treading on Mayas’ human rights.

Oil exploration concessions, land grants for hydro dam development and logging also pose major threats to the Maya people of Toledo District by endangering our ability to continue with a way of life that has sustained us for countless generations. Like indigenous peoples worldwide and other peoples who depend on their lands and natural resources to provide them with daily sustenance, the continued destruction, loss and diminished quality of those lands and natural resources jeopardize not only the Mayas’ sources of nourishment, but also our health and survival of our culture.

Oil exploration concessions have been granted in at least two Maya villages, San Antonio and Jalacte, and were made without any notice to or consultations with village leaders. Oil exploration could have major consequences for people living where it occurs; the decisions to grant these concessions should not be made without consultation of the affected villages. Belize must not repeat the experiences of indigenous peoples around the world who have found themselves the unwilling hosts to oil extraction activities on their lands and witnessed the destruction that such activities cause.

The Maya of southern Belize stand in solidarity with other Belizeans who object to off-shore oil drilling in Belize’s waters, particularly in light of the Deepwater Horizon disaster off the U.S. coast.

Recent activities surrounding the potential development of a hydroelectric dam on the Columbia River near the Maya villages of San Pedro Columbia and San Miguel has already resulted in the looting of two Maya archeological sites and significantly impacted the two villages.

Not only did Belize Hydroelectric Development and Management Company Ltd. illegally bulldoze acres of forest and set up labor camps in forests used by the two villages without getting the necessary permits nor an environmental impact assessment, but the government sold lands surrounding the river to the company without first verifying whether those lands are already the property of surrounding Maya villages.

The villages were not given notice of nor consulted about the project or the sale of land. In fact, several Maya villages customarily use these lands and as the government well knows, the Maya Leaders Alliance currently has a case before the courts seeking an injunction against sales of such lands.

Logging also continues to pose significant threats to Maya lands and natural resources. Since April 2010, significant logging of rosewood and bulldozing of lands occurred in community lands of Santa Ana village, restricting villagers’ access to the river, road, and their farmlands. This was done without the consent of the village and without even documentation from the Government.

Similarly, a developer recently informed San Jose village that he would begin logging operations within their lands. He asked permission to extend a logging road into their lands, while at the same time indicating that he would seek a permit from the government to do so regardless of the village’s position.

This Maya village has a long history of rejecting logging on their lands, including the logging activities of a Malaysian company in the 1990s. Over a decade later, the government continues to ignore and facilitate these threats to Maya land and lives.

Some of these threats and activities affect not only Maya villages, but also all Belizeans and our unique and pristine shared environment. The loss and destruction of national nature and forest reserves impacts all of us to some degree, but the direct effects of oil exploration, the damming of rivers, and unsustainable harvesting of natural resources threatens the cultural and spiritual wellbeing of the Maya people, as well as their physical survival.

In 2007, the Supreme Court recognized that this kind of interference violates our constitutional rights to life, security of the person, and protection of the law. Does the government care nothing for the lives of Maya Belizeans, or for the Constitution?

The Maya Leaders Alliance expresses its frustration with the continued manner in which the Government of Belize disregards the rights of the Maya peoples and refuses to even engage in the most minimal acts of recognition and respect, such as consulting with Maya villages about activities taking place on their lands without their consent.

Maya villages’ rights to their ancestral lands and their natural resources must be respected and before the government makes any decision which may affect Maya villages, including the government’s current initiative to establish community and village boundaries, it must engage in meaningful consultations with the Maya leadership and obtain th

Chickens, pigs and sting rays! Belize 2009

Upon returning from our second two week long visit to Belize in the last two years, my friend Celia and I made a confession to each other...we admitted that secretly we believed that there was no way in God's green earth that this trip could top last year's adventure...and people were we ever wrong! From the moment we stepped off the plane the universe aligned to create the space for us to have yet another epic adventure.

Maybe we are more aware or simply more open while traveling in Belize, but things just seem to come to us during our travels there. People come from seemingly out of nowhere to help us and provide information...like the 9 passenger van we drove for free from the airport to our car rental agency which then happily stored our bags for free for several days while we hung out on the island of Caye Caulker. Ah...Caye Caulker where the motto is "go slow". There Celia & I were reunited with our friend Mandingo, a local celebrity and Garifuna drummer. He is well connected on the island and instantly we were off on boating excursions to the reef and beyond, swimming with the rays and drinking our One Barrell rum. Evenings we would listen to the drumming while the steady wind blew in from the reef.

In dramatic contrast to Caye Caulker we then traveled south by car to spend a week with our Maya friends Ponciano and Elvira and their four children Magdalena, Carlos, Marcelino and Chrelina in Cuxlin Ha, a small village in the Toledo District. This was our second time living with them and my fourth time visiting the village. Elvira is the consumate hostess preparing each meal in the traditional Mayan style. Homemade corn or flour tortillas, rice and beans, fry jacks are the main stays of their diets. Elvira has an expanding garden with bananas and papayas, peppers and cilantro. Her brother Alberto fishes in the Jacinta River that flows past their village and catches tuba fish and snook for the families. He also grows coco yams and cassava and has a rice and pineapple plantation up the river.

Celia and I jump right in to help with the chores and cooking. It's always fun to do laundry in the river while the kids splash and swim. Celia got real proficient with washing dishes at the "pipe", the outdoor spigot. Many days we are either traveling to town in Punta Gorda to pick up fresh meat or vegetables or we are visiting relatives in other villages. At one point during a visit to Elvira's sister Martha's, forty miles away on nothing but bumpy dirt roads, we had 8 kids, 7 adults and 2 chickens jammed into my 5 passenger SUV...2 pigs and one more adult made the return trip!! This experience gave new meaning to the term "chicken bus"!

While I was in Belize in January 2008 Belize's "Artisit for Peace", Andy Palacio, died suddenly at the age of 47. He is known for resurrecting the Garifuna language and culture through his music and for bringing a global awareness to this unique music style. I had just been introduced to Andy's music in Januaray of '08 and for some reason his passing hit me hard. So, we (Celia, Ponce, Elvira, Cheri and myself) made the pilgrimage to Andy's home, the village of Barranco, a Garifuna fishing village close to the Guatemalan border. When we arrived we were welcomed by Ferman, a local guide, who walked with us throughout the village, sharing the rich history and culture of the Garifuna people. For me this was somewhat of a spiritual journey...and at Andy's grave Ferman and I held eachother as I wept...Next stop in Barranco was Flavian the drum maker. I was on a mission to buy a local drum for Mandingo and found the perfect one beautifully made out of mahogany and deer skin. At this point I had my sights set on Garifuna Settlement Day, November 19, and Celia and I were determined to celebrate in a big way on Caye Caulker.

Returning to Caye Caulker after our week in Cuxlin Ha we were warmly welcomed by our island friends. Right away plans to celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day were set in motion. The drum and marachas Celia & I bought were key to the celebration. Just before dawn we gathered at the water taxi dock, rum in hand, and set off for the northern end of the island to make our preparations. Penny, Jay, Charlie and Mandingo made their way into the interior of the island and returned with salt water palm fronds. Dingo began making his signature hats and skirts while Charlie, Jay and Penny decorated the boat. Celia and I wandered the beach looking for horse eye seeds and sea hearts as we watched dawn break over the reef.

Adorned in our palm frond wear we cast off and the drumming began, honoring the day, over 150 years ago, when the Garifuna first came to Belize. Taken as slaves from Africa they were shipwrecked in 1635 on the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean and intermingled with the Caribe and Arawak Indians. For political and cultural reasons the Garifuna were eventually forced to relocate to Honduras, Nicaragua and in the early 1800's Belize. Today the Garifuna culture is very strong with great emphasis on music, dance and story-telling and with its own brand of religion consisting of a mix of Catholicism, African and Indian beliefs.

So there we were, our boat full of compadres circling the island of Caye Cauker, all the while drumming and singing, drawing tourists and locals out to their docks and onto their beaches, waving as they acknowledged our procession. For me it was very spiritual and I felt a great sense of honor to participate with my Belizean friends. The drums echoed the tribal rhythms of the Garifuna's African ancestors as the celebration continued all day and into the night with much punta dancing and rum drinking!

On our last full day on the island Celia, Mandigo and I hopped on Charlie's boat and were taken to a private island off shore. A delightful day was spent basking in the sun and water while Mandingo brought Celia and I our Belikin beer upon demand. We were the island goddesses! Later we tried our hand at spear fishing and snagged enough fish for a meal which was cooked seaside with coconut milk and rice. As were made our way back to Caye Caulker reality was setting in...tomorrow we must leave.

ELVIRA

A cheerful, hard working, twenty six year old devoted mother of four, Elvira epitomizes the qualities of a bare-footed traditional Kekchi Maya woman. At daybreak you’ll hear her sweeping or washing the previous night’s dishes at the outdoor spigot otherwise referred to as the “pipe”. By the time you rise and head out to the open-air kitchen for breakfast the water is on for instant coffee and fry-jacks or tortillas are in the skillet on the open wood fire. Keeping her home neat and tidy and bellies full whenever possible are Elvira’s top priorities...not to mention keeping four very active children in crisp clean clothing that’s she’s laundered in the nearby Jacinta River! Other duties include gathering firewood in the bush, tending to her garden, managing the family finances, and caring for the needs of her children and extended family.
San Benito Poite, where Elvira was born, is a remote village deep in the “bush”, a dusty and bumpy forty mile drive from Cuxlin Ha where she now lives with her husband Ponciano and children Magdalena, Carlos, Marcelino (Marc), and Chrelina (Cheri).

ROSARIO

Rosario is a quiet Maya woman who came to Belize from Guatemala. Like her mother-in-law, Catalina, you will always see her in the traditional Maya dress and is most often barefoot. Rosario is married to Elvira’s brother, Alberto, and they have four children, Oscar, Benjamin, Alicia, and Brenda. They live a stone’s throw across the road from Elvira & Ponciano in Cuxlin Ha Village.
Rosario grew up in Guatemala and speaks primarily Spanish and Kekchi. She depends on her husband and sons to communicate with visitors. She is a skilled crafter and somehow manages to find the time to make baskets, hand bags, belts and jewelry. Like every Maya woman, Rosario is very hard working and takes great pride in caring for the needs of her family.

PRIMA

Along the Rio Blanco River in the village of Santa Elena, an hour’s drive into the bush from Cuxlin Ha, lives Ponciano’s brother Eucebio with his wife Prima and their four children. Eucebio is a farmer and the “chairman” of the village. His father, Hillario, lives in the village too. Hillario is a gentle man who has recently lost his vision so he depends a great deal on his family. There is no electricity in Santa Elena.
Prima is kind, soft spoken and shy until she gets to know you. There are few visitors that come to her village so the opportunities to sell baskets and other crafts are few. Many Maya women in remote villages like Santa Elena will leave on the bus long before dawn and travel a great distance to a tourist town in the hopes of selling some items. Quite often their sales are not even enough to cover the bus fare. They will sit all day without food or water asking passers-by if they would like to buy something. Then, returning to the village after a long day, the women will resume their duties of preparing the evening meal and tending to their family.

JIPPI JAPPA

The Jippi Jappa palm grows wild in the rainforest and often in abandoned fields of the southern Toledo District of Belize. The shoots and flowers are edible and the young palms can be used as a material to be woven into beautiful baskets.
The young palm frond is first stripped of its “bark” or covering and then very thin strips are peeled away just like a stalk of celery. Once the strips are thin enough to fit through the eye of a needle, the palm is boiled for 15 minutes and then dried in the sun for 2-3 days.
A bundle of fibers (maybe 6 to 8) are then held tightly together while another is twisted around the outside of the bundle. Once a few inches of a rope-like covered bundle are produced a tight coil will then be formed and thus the bottom of a basket begins to take shape.

THE ANCIENT MAYA

The earliest known inhabitants of southern Belize were the ancient Maya. Great Maya cities and ceremonial centers grew and flourished throughout the region until about 900 A.D. Eventually, these great cities disappeared beneath the dense jungle canopy. The reason for the collapse of the Maya Civilization is hidden in the mists of time. Some sites still remain relatively unexcavated and others have only recently been discovered, such as Nim Li Punit (“Big Hat”) in the 1970’s.
Throughout the 16th and 17 centuries a group of people called the Manche Chol Maya remained unconquered in southern Belize, resisting attempts by the Spanish to rule them. Disease and small pox eventually all but eliminated the Chols and in the 18th and 19th century the entire population of Chols was transported to the highlands of Guatemala by the British.
After this forced exodus out of southern Belize, the Toledo District was mostly unpopulated until the mid 1800’s. In the late 19th and early 20th century two distinct groups of Maya Indians, Mopan and Kekchi, began migrating into southern Belize from Guatemala, fleeing oppression and heavy taxation. The Mopan Maya settled the uplands of Toledo. The Kekchi Maya spread out into the isolated lowlands and along the many rivers.
Today the Mopan and Kekchi Maya comprise the largest percentage of the population in the Toledo District of Belize and have remained the most traditional and culturally distinct. The Mopan and Kekchi Maya have together formed over thirty communities throughout Toledo. The foundation of Mayan society is still based mostly on subsistence agriculture, family units, communal assistance, and self-government. They subsist on staple crops of beans, corn, rice, tubers, cacao and sugar cane. Increasingly they are becoming involved in cash crops of citrus and rice.