CHAVEZ DECLARES OCTOBER 12th INDIAN RESISTANCE DAY

"Shamans of Venezuela's Guayu Indians on Thursday performed a special rite to defend President Hugo Chavez from evil ghosts. The ceremony opened the program of Indian Resistance Day, which is called American Discovery Day in other parts of the western hemisphere and Spanish National Day in Spain. After the ritual, Chavez opened the first visiting session of the government devoted to the problems indigenous peoples. In 2002, Chavez passed a decree making October 12, on which Columbus discovered the Bahaman island of San Salvador in 1492, the day of indigenous Venezuelans' fight for their rights, elimination of leftovers of colonialism, revival of original Indian values, and social development. "

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Moderator's note: The Guayu or Wayu Peoples of Venezuela and Columbia are sometimes referred to as the Guajiro Peoples. They are members of the so-called "Arawakan" linguistic and cultural grouping which includes Caribbean Indigenous Peoples such as the Taino and Kalinago.

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