The Murui indigenous leader from the Putumayo River calls for strengthening women’s autonomy, defending Amazonian territories, and forging alliances among indigenous peoples, the Church, and society.
“Without us, there is no territory.” With this powerful statement, Rubiela Ríos Bunaijima sums up a conviction that runs through her history, her leadership, and the daily struggle of hundreds of Indigenous women in the Amazon.
At 41, Rubiela is an Indigenous woman of the Murui ethnic group, a daughter of the Amazonian territory and the Putumayo River, the living border between Peru and Colombia. She is a mother of three, a widow, a community leader, a social work student, vice president of the Federation of Indigenous Border Communities of Putumayo (FECONAFROPU), an Indigenous pastoral agent for the Vicariate of San José del Amazonas, and Peru’s delegate for Indigenous peoples to the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA).
Her life is deeply intertwined with the defense of her people and the Amazon.
“I am a daughter of the jungle, of the Murui ethnic group, of the water that gives us life. I carry the history of my people in my skin and the strength of my grandparents in my voice,” she says.
Indigenous Women Facing Multiple Challenges
In the context of International Indigenous Women’s Day, Rubiela notes that indigenous women in the Amazon continue to face significant challenges.
Male chauvinism is one of them. But it is not the only one.
Compounding this reality are the threats that directly affect Indigenous territories: river pollution, illegal mining, indiscriminate logging, illegal fishing, and various illicit activities encroaching on the Amazon.
On the Putumayo River, these issues have profound consequences for the communities.
“We are experiencing the pollution of the Putumayo River caused by mining, neglect by the state, the loss of our language and our traditional knowledge, and the violence that displaces our families from the land where we were born.”
For Rubiela, defending Indigenous women and defending the territory are inseparable struggles. It is impossible to speak of a dignified life for Indigenous peoples while their territories are being destroyed or violated.
“We Need to Gain Access to Decision-Making Forums”
Despite their fundamental role in community, family, and organizational life, many Indigenous women continue to face barriers to fully participating in decision-making.
Rubiela points to the lack of resources, educational opportunities, and advocacy forums as some of the major challenges that remain.
“We lack funding, and we lack decision-making forums for Indigenous women.”
The remoteness and historical neglect of many Amazonian communities have also limited access to education.
However, Murui, a community leader, insists that education is a fundamental path toward autonomy.
“Education has no limits or age restrictions,” she affirms.
For this reason, she decided to pursue a degree in social work. Her goal is to serve as a bridge between indigenous communities and institutions.
She is studying to defend her people’s rights to territory, identity, a dignified life, spirituality, and autonomy; but also to support the women and children in her territory.
Autonomy Is Also Woven
Rubiela’s story is also a testament to autonomy.
Without a formal profession for much of her life, she learned to build her independence using the resources and knowledge of her own community.
By weaving crafts, preparing traditional meals, and working within her territory, she has demonstrated that Indigenous women have the abilities and opportunities to forge their own paths.
“We have the ability and the opportunity to work and demonstrate our independence, our worth, and our capabilities as Indigenous women.”
For her, autonomy does not mean walking alone.
It means recognizing one’s own dignity, strengthening one’s capabilities, and taking on responsibilities within the family, the community, organizations, and society.
That is why one of her main commitments is to support other women in Putumayo so they can strengthen their self-esteem, their cultural identity, and their leadership skills.
“I want to help more women become stronger, so they have higher self-esteem, a more solid cultural identity, and the skills to be good leaders in their communities.”
Defending the territory is defending life
In the Indigenous worldview expressed by Rubiela, the territory is neither an empty space nor a property separate from life.
The territory has memory. It has history. It has spirituality.
It is the home inherited from the ancestors and the place where biodiversity, culture, and ancestral knowledge are preserved.
“If we don’t have our territory, we are nothing. Our ancestors have left us our territory.”
That is why defending it cannot be reduced to a struggle against external threats. It is also about protecting a way of life and a way of relating to nature.
“We need peace of mind; we need a dignified life and dignified work, just as we have always lived as Indigenous peoples.”
For Indigenous women, protecting biodiversity and preserving ancestral knowledge are part of the same responsibility.
A River That Unites Beyond Borders
Rubiela lives in a region where the Putumayo River marks the border between Peru and Colombia. But for Indigenous peoples, political borders cannot divide a shared history, culture, and relationship with the territory.
“We indigenous peoples have no boundaries or territory; we are simply divided by the border.”
Her message is directed especially at the peoples living on both sides of the river and at the indigenous communities scattered throughout the Amazon.
Drawing on her experience as a leader, she calls for overcoming machismo, strengthening women’s independence, and opening new spaces for women’s leadership.
In recent years, Rubiela has traveled and shared experiences with other Indigenous women, convinced that coming together and listening to one another are essential for strengthening community processes.
Growing stronger together is also a way to defend the territory.
The Church, Indigenous Peoples, and Society: Weaving Networks to Care for the Amazon
Rubiela also issues a direct call to the Church and civil society.
Her proposal is clear: to walk together.
Indigenous communities need allies who respect their processes, recognize their knowledge, and put their capabilities at the service of defending life.
“Let’s continue working together, united, walking together, and being allies to help care for our territory.”
For this indigenous leader, it is necessary to unite and weave networks, especially to bring visibility to the realities of women living in the most remote parts of the Amazon.
This call resonates deeply with CEAMA’s mission: to build a Church with an Amazonian face, close to the peoples and committed to the defense of life and our Common Home.
“Let’s Not Give Up”
In closing her message, Rubiela offers words of hope to her sisters and brothers from the indigenous peoples of Colombia, Peru, and throughout the Amazon.
It is an invitation not to give up.
Not to let ourselves be defeated by neglect, violence, discrimination, or threats against our territories.
“Let’s not give up; let’s unite, and we will always achieve our goal: our freedom and our autonomy in our territory.”
On this International Day of Indigenous Women, Rubiela Ríos’s voice reminds us that the Amazon is not defended solely through institutions or major political decisions.
It is defended within communities.
It is defended within families.
It is defended by preserving a language.
It is defended by passing on the wisdom of our elders.
It is defended by educating new generations.
And it is defended when an Indigenous woman decides to raise her voice.
Because, as Rubiela affirms, without Indigenous peoples, there is no territory.
And without Indigenous women, the Amazon loses one of its deepest, bravest, and most essential voices.
Women who weave autonomy. Women who safeguard memory. Women who defend life. Women who unite territories beyond borders. Indigenous women who continue to walk so that hope may have a future in the Amazon.
On International Indigenous Women’s Day, Rubiela Ríos Bunaijima, a Murui leader and delegate of Peru’s indigenous peoples to CEAMA, shares her struggle against machismo, violence, and threats to Amazonian territories. Her call is clear: to strengthen women’s autonomy, weave networks, and defend life beyond borders.