We Are Legal!

After eight years - depending on who you talk to - the communities of Patujusal 2 and Taruma have the title to their land. When these communities are started the people 'squat' on the land since there is no means by which to get title. There is also the legal aspect that this probably is part of the national reserve but no one will say that it is illegal to take reserve land. As the communities are settled, the work on legal status is started. Do I understand it? No.

Last Wednesday we saw a parade of motos, bikes, and people on foot heading to Taruma. Quickly we learned that the titles were to arrive that day. A delegation from Santa Cruz was coming to present them. There was not a quorum for the meeting in Patujusal 2 to arrange for a meeting with the delegation so their title was delivered to the president. However, Taruma held a grand fiesta to which we were invited.

The title is a document that gives a certain number of hectares to the sindicato. It does not give each person a title to their own land. All our land is held communally and the members of the community have the right to decide what is happening on each other's land, including if the land can be sold. In some sindicatos there are laws saying that only a certain number of hectares can be cleared each year. Others, such as Patujusal 2, does not want any land sold to people who do not live in the community; that is, to people who live in Yapacani or Santa Cruz and will rent out their land.

Before the title was handed to the officials, the man from INRA (the government agency that regulates land titles) carefully explained what was on the document and explained that it is the wish of the government tha the people take care of the lands for their children and their granddchildren. That fits in with our vision for these communities.

Now that the community title is in our hands, the next step will be the divison of each sindicato into separate parcels and obtaining titles for each parcel. When -- and I am not holding my breath -- this happens, the families can obtain credit from the bank.

We are glad that we live in a legal community.