wfn.org | NCCCUSA TIES OF COLOMBIA MURDER VICTIM

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2227

26NCC3/10/99    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AGRICULTURAL MISSIONS BOARD MEMBER AMONG THREE KILLED IN COLOMBIA

 NEW YORK, March 10 ---- Ingrid Washinawatok, one of three people
murdered in Colombia during a recent visit to meet with U'wa
Indigenous People, was an active board member of Agricultural
Missions, a National Council of Churches program, and a member of the
NCC's Racial Justice Working Group.

 Ms. Washinawatok and two other Americans, Terence Freitas and
Lahe'ena'e Gay, were abducted on February 25 in the Colombian state of
Arauca, near the Venezuelan border.  Their bodies were found and
identified March 5 by the Venezuelan judicial police, just across the
border from Colombia.

Agricultural Missions works with rural organizations and non-
governmental organizations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin
America and with rural groups in the United States in the areas of
sustainable agriculture, appropriate technology, rural legal
assistance, gender equality and training.

Ms. Washinawatok, a member of the Menominee tribe in Wisconsin,
first became involved with Agricultural Missions in 1985 and joined
the Board in 1990.  In 1993, she facilitated an opportunity for the
Board to hold its "Annual Study Session" on the Lac Courte Oreilles
Reservation - an experience that participants found deeply affecting,
recalled the Rev. Eva Jensen, Agricultural Missions' Executive
Director.

"She brought to the board and staff of Agricultural Missions her
deep commitment to facilitating understanding between human beings and
all race and ethnic groups - Indigenous Peoples, African Americans,
Asians, Hispanics and European Americans," wrote the Rev. Jensen in a
statement released today on behalf of Agricultural Missions.  (Text
follows.)

"She helped to foster solidarity in advocacy and action for
social, economic and political justice. Ingrid was instrumental in
bringing women's perspectives and gender sensitivity to Agricultural
Missions, beginning in 1985 when she began serving on the Women's
Committee.

 "We feel the deep loss and pain that Ingrid's death brings to
us," she said.  "Our memories of Ingrid and her witness in life to
human compassion, understanding and the work of social justice will
live long and continue to sustain us in hope and life."  Agricultural
Missions, at its 1999 Annual Study Session (April 8-11 in Southern
Georgia), will honor and remember Ms. Washinawatok's life and gifts,
the Rev. Jensen said.

Ingrid Washinawatok, member of the Board of Directors of
Agricultural Missions, was killed in Colombia during a recent visit
to meet with U'wa Indigenous Peoples

Report by Eva Jensen, Executive Director, Agricultural Missions:
March 9, 1999

It is with a profound sense of loss and pain that we report the murder
of Ingrid Washinawatok. Her body was found and identified last Friday,
March 5, 1999 by Venezuelan judicial police, just across the border
from Colombia.

Ingrid was in Colombia, traveling with two other Americans, Terence
Freitas and Lahe'ena'e Gay, under the auspices of the Hawaii-based
Pacific Cultural Conservancy International, to meet with U'wa
indigenous peoples and determine whether they might be able to assist
them in their efforts to retain control of their land and natural
resources. In 1997, the U'wa nation of approximately 8,000 indigenous
people, won a legal battle against Occidental Petroleum that prevented
the Los Angeles-based company from exploratory drilling on traditional
U'wa territory. Ingrid, Lahe'ena'e, and Terence were abducted in the
Colombian state of Arauca, near the Venezuelan border, on Thursday,
February 25 by two masked gunmen wearing civilian clothes, after
spending a week with the U'wa people.

At this time, it is unclear who is responsible for the abduction of
Ms. Washinawatok, Ms. Gay and Mr. Freitas. An U'wa representative who
was with them when they were abducted, said he suspected the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country's largest
and oldest rebel group. Others suspect the involvement of right-wing
paramilitary forces operating in the area. No one has been able to
confirm who is responsible and no one has claimed responsibility.

Ingrid Washinawatok, age 41, lived in Brooklyn, NY with her husband,
Mr. Ali-El-Issa, and son, Maeh-Kiu-Kesek. She worked  for the Fund of
Four Directions in Manhattan, a foundation that supports Native
American Culture.

Ingrid was a member of the Menominee tribe in Wisconsin, where she was
born and grew up. Together with her father, James, a prominent tribal
judge, Ingrid was an advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples in
many places from within her own community in Wisconsin. In 1975, she
came to New York City as an Intern with the International Treaty
Council, an organization that monitors indigenous rights in the
hemisphere. She was a founding member of the Indigenous Women's
Network in 1985, a coalition of Native American women that applies
indigenous values to contemporary problems.

It was in 1985, when she was working with the International Treaty
Council, that Ingrid became involved with Agricultural Missions. She
brought to the board and staff of Agricultural Missions her deep
commitment to facilitating understanding between human beings and all
race and ethnic groups - Indigenous Peoples, African Americans,
Asians, Hispanics and European Americans. She helped to foster
solidarity in advocacy and action for social, economic and political
justice. Ingrid was instrumental in bringing women's perspectives and
gender sensitivity to Agricultural Missions, beginning in 1985 when
she began serving on the Women's Committee.

Since 1990, Ms. Washinawatok has served as a member of the
Agricultural Missions Board of Directors. In 1993, she facilitated an
opportunity for the Board to hold its Annual Study Session on the Lac
Courte Oreilles Reservation - a watershed experience for participants
who were welcomed into the community life, culture and spirituality of
the Lac Courte Oreilles band of Lake Superior Chippewa of the Ojibwe
Nation. The values, wisdom and spirituality of the Lac Courte Oreilles
transformed and deepened participants' perspectives of themselves,
others, the world, and our commitments to facilitating sustainable
development. All were renewed in their respect for the traditions of
Native American people and strengthened in their commitment to support
Native American sovereignty rights.

During the 1993 gathering, Lac Courte Oreilles tribal member and
educator, Art Tainter, said: "Every person is a part of our life. We
are all related. We lose something if we lose one of us." Today, we
feel the deep loss and pain that Ingrid's death brings to us. Our
memories of Ingrid and her witness in life to human compassion,
understanding and the work of social justice will live long and
continue to sustain us in hope and life.

At the April 1999 Annual Study Session of Agricultural Missions, we
will honor and remember Ingrid Washinawatok's life and the many gifts
she shared. Her vision and values will continue to inform the work of
Agricultural Missions to facilitate community-based initiatives for
sustainable development and network relationships among peoples
organizations so they can share local knowledge and expertise with one
another as well as solidarity in advocacy for social justice.

We offer our thanks to her people; her mother, Mrs. Gwen Washinawatok;
her sister, Jeanne Washinawatok; and her husband, Mr. Ali-El-Issa, and
son, Maeh-Kiu-Kesek; who shared with us their life with Ingrid. Cards
and letters may be sent to Ingrid's family c/o Agricultural Missions,
Room 624, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115.

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