Chavez Gives Land Titles to the IndigenousWednesday August 10, 2005 3:16 AM
AP Photo XCAR105
By THAIS LEON
Associated Press Writer
KARI'NA LA ISLA, Venezuela (AP) - Six of Venezuela's indigenous
communities received title to their ancestral lands on Tuesday in a
ceremony that Venezuela's president said reversed centuries of
injustice.
President Hugo Chavez said he hoped the government would be able to
turn over titles to 15 other indigenous communities by the end of the
year.
"What we're recognizing is the original ownership of these lands,"
Chavez said during the ceremony. "Now no one will be able to come
and trample over you in the future."
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The documents recognize land ownership by six indigenous communities
with some 4,000 people and territory covering 314,000 acres in the
eastern states of Anzoategui and Monagas.
One woman from the Kari'na community thanked Chavez, saying: "He has
been the first president who has kept his word to a people who have
been stripped of their lands."
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5201350,00.html