To pay, heal, and repair Mother Earth in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta: Experiences of indigenous women’s reparation in the implementation of the Colombian Peace Accord
| Author | Angela Santamaria,Paula Cáceres,Morgana D’amico,Roxana Sefair,Fabián Rosas,Laura Restrepo,Laura Carianil,Gabriel Moreno |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/02697580221132568 |
| Published date | 01 May 2023 |
| Date | 01 May 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/02697580221132568
International Review of Victimology
2023, Vol. 29(2) 170 –198
© The Author(s) 2023
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DOI: 10.1177/02697580221132568
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To pay, heal, and repair Mother
Earth in the Sierra Nevada de
Santa Marta: Experiences of
indigenous women’s reparation
in the implementation of the
Colombian Peace Accord
Angela Santamaria
Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
Paula Cáceres
Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
Morgana D’amico
Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
Roxana Sefair
Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
Fabián Rosas
Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
Laura Restrepo
Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
Laura Carianil
Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
Gabriel Moreno
Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
Corresponding author:
Angela Santamaria, Centro de Estudios URINTERCULTURAL, Escuela Intercultural de Diplomacia Indígena (EIDI),
Universidad del Rosario, Calle 12 C No. 6-25 piso 2, Bogota, Colombia.
Emails: angela.santamaria@urosario.edu.co; santamariaangela@yahoo.fr
1132568IRV0010.1177/02697580221132568International Review of VictimologySantamaria et al.
research-article2023
Article
Santamaria et al. 171
Abstract
This paper describes collaborative research with Wiwa and Arhuaco women concerning local
reparations with an intersectional perspective on the Colombian post-conflict agreement.
Our central argument is that indigenous women’s processes, experiences, and expectations of
reparation reflect a wish to engage in a dialogue with the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP)
through its Works, Projects or Activities (TOAR) so that their perspectives on and complex
conceptions of harm and reparation, as well as their relationship with social orders, bodies,
and territory, can be recognized and considered in managing the risks of the revitalization of
patriarchy during the post-accord period.
Keywords
Reparation, indigenous women, Colombia, post-accord
Introduction
The armed conflict in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) has generated multiple types of
impact on the rights of Wiwa and Arhuaca indigenous women. These women have been highly
affected at the individual and collective levels in terms of their rights as women, spiritual healing
processes, sacred sites, rituals, and cultural rights. The communitarian, familial, personal, and ter-
ritorial orders have likewise been affected. In these two cultures, there is a particular relationship
between women and territory. They constitute the symbolic and material representation of Mother
Earth, generating a two-way causal effect. Therefore, it is crucial to name and make visible the
multiplicity of damages and harms from their perspective, thus deepening the notion of territory as
‘a subject of rights and as a victim of human rights’. We thereby seek to contribute to the maximi-
zation and recognition of the transformative potential of the reparation programs of the Special
Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP)1 and the expectations of victims in the Works, Projects or Activities
(TOAR)2 with respect to their reparative or restorative content. TOAR are practical tools for parties
to contribute to reparation, guaranteeing that it is a restorative process.
These projects should consult with indigenous women to integrate their expectations for repara-
tions. Doing so is the only way to recognize the profound consequences of the harms suffered by
SNSM’s women and their territories during the armed Colombian conflict and the post-conflict
era. Our central argument is that indigenous women’s processes, experiences, and expectations of
reparation show a wish to engage in a dialogue with the JEP through TOAR so that their perspec-
tives on and complex conceptions of harm and reparation as well as their relationship with social
orders, bodies, and territory can be recognized and considered in managing the risks of the revitali-
zation of patriarchy during the post-accord period.
Review of the literature
Kimberly Theidon (2004, 2006) is a scholar working on violence and reproductive justice for
indigenous women in the context of armed conflict and post-conflict circumstances in the Andean
region. She affirms that Colombia is one of the few countries to recognize indigenous women and
children born of sexual violence (SV) as victims and as subjects for reparations.3 However, such
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