The Stroessner Regime and Indigenous Resistance in Paraguay

Abstract

Historians have long considered Paraguay a mestizo nation. Little thought or consideration is given to the indigenous population that remains. This failure has been corrected by René D. Harder Horst in his new work that not only reveals the existence of Indians in Paraguay but demonstrates that this population has resisted integration and demanded rights and protections from the dictatorial regime of Alfredo Stroessner, 1954 – 89. The text explores how the indigenous populations of Paraguay secured constitutional rights and protections under the 1992 Paraguayan constitution.Framing his study around the Stroessner regime, Horst illuminates how policy was implemented in one of the least-studied dictatorships in Latin America. In order to direct this investigation, Horst depends on oral testimonies, newspapers, and government documents. His narrative focuses on how the Stroessner government attempted to make the indigenous population disappear by integrating the population into the larger peasant population of Paraguay. The government attempted to settle Indians onto agricultural colonies under the direction of the Departamento de Asuntos Indígenas (DAI). This agency worked with various religious institutions, including the Catholic, Mennonite, and Anglican churches, to carry out the policy. During the early years of the Stroessner regime, these Christian organizations proved to be willing supporters of this policy. While the DAI was successful in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in later years it would face increasing criticism for its practices.This attempt to culturally, if not biologically, obliterate indigenous groups in Paraguay proved challenging as missionaries and international human rights groups brought attention to the abuses of the regime. As a result of the Second Vatican Council, Catholic missionaries in Paraguay began to cut funding for DAI-sponsored activities. Furthermore, as Horst narrates, foreign anthropologists played an important role in bringing charges of genocide against the regime, further delegitimizing the integration efforts of the government. Of significance is the work of Mark Münzel, who came to Paraguay from Germany to study Ache culture. Münzel documented abuses at the hands of Jesús Pereira, the man charged by the DAI with resettling the Ache, and charged that the project of resettlement was nothing less than genocide. When outside NGOs and human rights groups learned of the allegations by Münzel, the government responded by having him ejected from the country. Münzel, however, continued to publish his accusations against the Stroessner regime and his message reached such notable activists as Elie Wiesel. Forced to respond on an international stage, the Stroessner government denied the charges of genocide but nevertheless changed the direction of the integration project.As a result of international pressure, the Stroessner regime was forced to “reorganize the DAI and promised to respect indigenous cultures” (p. 99). This change in direction from the DAI gave indigenous groups the opportunity to organize and resist the government policies of integration. As a result, indigenous groups were able to create a space where they were able to bargain for better treatment. Ultimately, as a result of the struggles against the dictatorship, the indigenous peoples of Paraguay were able to organize themselves into a pan-indigenous movement whose work culminated in the 1992 Paraguayan constitution. This document provided the Indians of Paraguay with certain rights and privileges, including the right to own land communally and exemption from compulsory military service.Horst’s narrative does not focus on any one indigenous group in Paraguay. Rather his narrative weaves together the experiences of the many tribes found within the national boundaries. This approach allows for a greater appreciation of the numerous indigenous groups in the country and the challenge that each faced when dealing with the state, landowners, and missionaries. Horst carefully reminds the reader of the different challenges, histories, and cultural backgrounds of each group. For example, Horst explains the challenges faced by the Nivaklé of the Paraguayan Chaco when dealing with patriarchal Mennonite settlers as a result of the Nivaklé’s female leadership. Horst also adds perspective and depth to his study by incorporating oral testimonies into the narrative. As a result of these oral testimonies, specifically the interview with Enenlhit leader René Ramírez, Horst gives voice to the indigenous actors who participated in the long struggle for cultural survival and political rights.In conclusion, the text is a well-researched effort on the part of Horst to understand the workings of the Stroessner dictatorship. This investigation will be of particular interest to students of indigenous rights, dictatorship, and missionary history. By bringing to the fore the interests of indigenous peoples Horst demonstrates that Paraguay is much more than a mestizo nation.