86 CultureShock! Bolivia
hundreds of Guaraní who opposed the devastation of their
habitat. New threats by cattle ranchers earned the Izozog
Guaranís the support of Bolivia’s Ministry of Sustainable
Development and international conservation organisations,
but cattle interests induced a bureaucratic snag in the goal
for a national park.
In 1994, this Guaraní community became Bolivia’s fi rst
‘Indigenous Sub-Municipality,’ enfranchised by the new
‘Popular Participation Law.’ The empowerment fi nally paid
off; on 21 September 1995, the Bolivian government declared
the Kaa-Iya Gran Chaco a national park. The Indians had, for
once, defeated the cowboys.For Love of the Environment
Kaa-Iya Gran Chaco is the fi rst Bolivian national park
conceived by the inhabitants themselves, who thus became the
administrators of the park.As isolated as the Guaraní seem to be, during the gas
‘war’ of the early years of the 21st century, groups of
Guaraní in proximity with oil corporation installations
joined the national movement in defense of gas
reserves, going as far as to occupy oil installations of
multinational corporations.Artisans
Bolivia’s talented artisans work with materials such as
silver, tin, hides, wood, paint and textiles to create jewellery,
utensils, wallets, musical instruments, clothing, furniture,
sculpture, paintings and masks. On Calle Sagárnaga, behind
the San Francisco Church in La Paz, a multitude of artisans’
shops coalesce into a great street collage.
There seem to be more artisans than tourists to buy their
wares. With such keen competition, it is hard to imagine how
they manage to make a living.
“The life of an artist is pretty hard,” says the master
furniture craftsman, Julio Hinojosa, “especially in Bolivia.
Most of the time you do it for yourself, for the soul.”