Multi-Scale Dimensions of Indigenous Land Tenure in the Amazon

Abstract

This study demonstrates the importance of scale in understanding the common property institutions of indigenous groups in the Amazon. Using the example of the Pueblo Kichwa de Rukullakta, an ethnic Kichwa group in the Ecuadorian Amazon, we analyze land tenure arrangements at the household, community, and territory levels using a common property framework. The specific bundle of rights identified by the framework is held at the household level but households rely on community and territory level arrangements for their enforcement. Land claims at the community and territory level also serve to define the pool of legitimate rights holders at the next lower level. Due to the importance of scale in understanding indigenous land tenure generally, we suggest an adaptation of the common property framework to explicitly recognize the role of scale. This adapted framework identifies the function, characteristics, and means of enforcement for land claims at each scale of analysis.