“We are not only victims, we are not only a minority, we are indigenous women”

The Reframed Stories Project asks people to respond to dominant themes and issues that appear in news coverage about their communities. These stories are reflections by people who are frequently represented by others in the media. Word clouds are created using the Media Cloud platform, a data analysis tool which examines a collection of media outlets over a specific period of time, allowing participants to analyze and discuss the preliminary insights into how they might be represented in the media. The project refrains from making conclusive pronouncements about the data, and instead is a starting point that creates space for discussion about how they can help shape their own media representation through digital media.

Marbel Ina Vanegas Jusayu is a Wayuuu leader and communicator. She is currently part of the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC for its initials in Spanish) communications team. The following is a transcript of the video above about Marbel's analysis of the word cloud for the term, “Mujeres indígenas” (indigenous women).

Dominant words from 103 articles published between January 2017 and April 2018 found mentioning “mujeres indígenas” (indigenous women) within five Media Cloud collections of Colombia’s Spanish-language media outlets. (view larger image)

Con relación a lo que encontramos en esta nube de palabras y a lo que estamos trabajando de contenidos en cuanto a palabras relacionadas con mujeres indígenas, como mujer indígena creo que la representatividad de nosotros como pueblo y como toda una nación y a nivel también nacional, no nos sentimos identificados.

Yo no me siento identificada [con esta representación] porque no están los avances que se han hecho en el territorio colombiano.

No están los avances que se han hecho a nivel organizacional, lo que se ha hecho a nivel territorial, lo que se ha avanzando en los diferentes pueblos y comunidades indígenas como la población wayuu que están organizaciones como la Fuerza de mujeres wayuu que se ha ido avanzando en el tema [de participación de las mujeres], y se ha ido incidiendo en varios escenarios, tanto a nivel nacional como a nivel internacional.

As an indigenous woman, I think that we do not feel identified with the way in which we as a community and as a nation are represented [in the word cloud].

I don’t feel identified [with this representation] because it doesn’t show the progress achieved in Colombia.

The progress achieved at an organizational level and at a territorial level are missing, as are the achievements of the different indigenous groups and communities, such as the wayuu population, which has formed organizations such as the “fuerza de mujeres wayuu” (The Force of Wayuu Women), which has worked a lot in the topic [of involvement of women] and has had an impact in different areas, both at a national and international level.

Con relación a la actividad que desarrollamos, creo que incluir palabras como derecho propio, educación, inclusión, el tema de niñez indígena que va relacionado al de mujeres indígenas, es algo que se debería tener en cuenta.

Creo que hay más que decir. No solo somos víctimas, no solo somos una población minoritaria, sino que somos mujeres indígenas, y somos cultura, somos tradición, somos autonomía en nuestros territorios, somos la preservación y la garantía de que conservemos a nuestra madre naturaleza.

In relation to the work that we do, I think that we should take into consideration the inclusion of words such as indigenous rights, education, inclusion, indigenous youth, which are related to the topic of indigenous women.

There is more to say about us. We are not only victims, we are not only a minority, we are indigenous women, we are culture, we are tradition, we are land autonomy, we are protectors and the guarantee that we conserve Mother Nature.

What words or terms should an ideal word cloud representing indigenous women in the media include?

  • Territorio
  • Cultura
  • Identidad
  • Autonomía
  • Derecho propio
  • Educación
  • Organización
  • Tradición
  • Juventud
  • Seguridad
  • Comunicación
  • Desarrollo
  • Reconocimiento
  • Familia
  • Culture
  • Identity
  • Autonomy
  • Our own laws
  • Education
  • Organization
  • Tradition
  • Youth
  • Security
  • Communication
  • Development
  • Recognition
  • Family

This is part of a Rising Frames series developed with Mónica Bonilla, who organized and facilitated a workshop held on May 18, 2018 at the Center of Internet and Society at Del Rosario University -ISUR- in Bogotá, Colombia that brought together representatives from the Arhuaco and Wayuu indigenous communities to take part in this digital storytelling activity.

Mónica Bonilla assisted with the transcription and translation, which was edited for clarity and length.

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