Recognizing Indigenous Miskitu Territory in Honduras

Abstract

For five decades, indigenous Miskitu communities have fought for legal title of their lands in the Muskitia region of eastern Honduras. The central geopolitical force of this territorial movement has been the Miskitu federation, MASTA (Muskitia Asla Takanka, or Unity of Muskitia). This descriptive case study shows how Miskitu engagement with state and other actors, amid a sea of powerful and sometimes dangerous local and global forces, has led to the peaceful development of twelve new indigenous territorial jurisdictions (ITJs). These ITJs, called concejos territoriales (CTs) or territorial councils, have newly designed intercommunity titles that recognize the overlapping land uses and broader functional habitats (subsistence zones) of Miskitu communities. These features—inherent in their customary practices—were first plotted through participatory research mapping (PRM) in 1992 and thereafter becoming requisites for titling. The Miskitu example demonstrates how indigenous territoriality can be peacefully accommodated within the context of the state.