A Quiet Revolution: Land justice for Miskito Indigenous peoples in Honduras
Author(s)
Cordova Arauz, DianaPublication date
2020-11-26Country
HondurasMetadata
Show full item recordPublisher(s)
OxfamSeries
Inspiring Better FuturesDocument type
Case studyDescription
This case study tells the story of the Miskito Indigenous people’s struggle in Honduras to regain land taken from them during the colonial period which has benefitted around 90,000 people. The eventual restoration and legal protection of their rights to ancestral land and to self-governance has righted a historical injustice and provided them with more secure access to land. It was achieved in a country where Indigenous rights had been long ignored and violated in the face of violence and opposition from a range of vested interests. Land titling was scaled and accelerated in recent years due to effective influencing and leveraging of national and international laws combined with community mobilisation. The case study shows how dogged pursuit of justice can eventually bear fruit. It also provides an example of how land reforms can be peacefully negotiated between Indigenous people and the government.