ABSTRACT
This chapter presents part of a communal body of experiences and ideas that has been developing over the past years in indigenous communities and organizations of Ecuador. It grows out of the struggle to achieve basic rights and guarantees for the legitimacy of indigenous autonomy and independence, which have been under attack by the dominant classes of Ecuador throughout history. In the face of this situation, the indigenous peoples and organizations of our country have struggled, day by day, to transform the cause for equal rights and a respect for our culture, language, organizations and historical traditions into a living reality.
