On International Indigenous Women’s Day, Patricia Gualinga highlights the struggle of women who, from their territories and in their own voices, defend life, their peoples, and the hope of future generations.
Every September 5, the world commemorates International Indigenous Women’s Day, a date that goes beyond a mere celebration. It is a recognition of the historic struggle of women who have resisted invisibility, discrimination, and multiple forms of violence while defending their peoples, their territories, and life.
For Patricia Gualinga, an Amazonian Indigenous leader, former vice president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), and member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, this date represents a profound acknowledgment of those who have been at the forefront of defending territories and ecosystems.
“It is a recognition of the struggle of women who have been rendered invisible; of the women leaders who have been on the ground defending those spaces, defending those ecosystems, and defending the integrity of their communities.”
A struggle that also exists in silence
September 5 does not merely recognize Indigenous women who hold public office or are widely known. It also shines a light on those who, from within their communities and in their daily lives, work silently to protect the territories of Indigenous peoples and prevent ecosystems from being violated.
These are women who advocate from their own spaces, who dare to speak with their own voices and express their thoughts, feelings, and realities.
“This date also honors women who may not be as visible, but who are working within their own spheres to advocate for change,” says Gualinga.
Their presence and their voices are essential to the defense of the Amazon and indigenous peoples. This defense cannot be separated from the protection of life, human dignity, and the integrity of creation.
Remembering the Women Who Paved the Way
The commemoration is also an act of remembrance. Patricia Gualinga honors the women leaders who preceded today’s generations and who even gave their lives to pave the way for dignity and resistance.
“It also honors those women leaders who came before us and who gave their lives so that we might follow that path.”
Today, it falls to the younger generations to continue on that path. But the responsibility does not end in the present: the struggle of Indigenous women is focused on the future.
The challenge is to pave the way so that new generations can continue to participate, advocate, and protect life and their territories.
Indigenous Women: A Beacon of Hope Amid Despair
In a world marked by profound social, environmental, and humanitarian crises, Indigenous women stand as bearers of hope.
For Gualinga, their presence is indispensable in a context where despair often seems to prevail.
“It is important for Indigenous women to be at the forefront, advocating for a better world, so that there may be that hope that is so often denied—especially to Indigenous women.”
However, this hope is born in the midst of a daily struggle. Indigenous women face discrimination, racism, poverty, mistreatment, invisibility, and various forms of abuse.
Their struggle also seeks to ensure that future generations do not have to endure the same suffering.
They fight so that their daughters can grow up in a world where their participation is not minimized, where their identity is not a source of discrimination, and where their voices are heard and respected.
A Multi-Pronged Struggle
“The struggle of Indigenous women is much more than just an ordinary struggle,” says Patricia Gualinga.
It is a struggle that simultaneously confronts different forms of exclusion: stigmatization, racism, poverty, discrimination, and, in many cases, abuse.
But despite these realities, Indigenous women continue to move forward, resist, and bring about change.
That is why this September 5 must be understood as a call to awareness and commitment.
It is about remembering that Indigenous women are here. That they have a voice, a history, a memory, and a fundamental role in shaping the present and the future.
“It is a reminder that we are here and will continue on the path of struggle and of transforming this world,” concludes Patricia Gualinga.
On this International Day of Indigenous Women, CEAMA joins in recognizing all indigenous women who, drawing on the strength of their peoples and the wisdom of their territories, continue to defend life.
Women who resist. Women who protect. Women who preserve memory. Women who sow hope. Women who continue to transform the world.