Whose Islands Are They?

GALAPAGOS, Ecuador— “Indigenous” is a word in vogue today—a way to describe local peoples manipulated, depopulated, or even replaced as the main inhabitants of a region In many places, the struggle for indigenous rights is a hot-button issue. Conservation and development both imply restraints on local economies and growth, forcing governments to work to balance interests. Yet, travel a thousand miles west from the South American mainland to Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, and indigenous becomes an even more difficult word.

When the famous Galapagos first emerged through volcanic activity, it had no living inhabitants. Eventually, more intrepid animals made the journey there by riding on one of several currents that approach the islands from the mainland, from the northeast and southeast. These travelers included the now-famous finches favored by Darwin, as well as tortoises and many other species now unique to the islands. Their protection and preservation is an enormous task and responsibility handled by both Ecuador and the Charles Darwin Foundation.

Their work is serious, even dangerous. As I venture from island to island on one of the motor yachts which are the preferred method of exploration (with the province’s government providing itineraries and carefully monitoring tourists), Fausto, our confident, loquacious guide tells us stories of local fishermen kidnapping CDF staff. The inhabitants of the Galapagos, a few thousand, relay on tourism and fishing for their welfare. The paradox here: The presence of these “indigenous” people jeopardizes the pristine ecosystems on which tourism—and therefore the inhabitants themselves—depends.

These residents’ status as indigenous, even, seems dubious. Although the Galapagos were discovered in the sixteenth century, the islands were left abandoned and uninhabited until 1832, when Ecuador, the nearest mainland nation, claimed possession. Settlement before some 30 years ago was on a piecemeal scale. Several plantations cropped up, but they were fueled mostly by forced and temporary convict labor.

The Galapagos Islands have provided a perfect setting for the evolution of specialized seabirds, finches, and lizards. They are not, however, a naturally forgiving environment for human settlement. Only the relatively recent rise of tourism has brought fishermen and others to live here. Thus, one does not see the traditions and specific culture so critical to indigenous cultures on islands settled less recently, such as Hawaii.

Currently, several islands of the Galapagos have significant communities, while others are off-limits to human activity—at least for now. Yet, as Galapagos-born children grow up and have children of their own, the communities will inevitably expand. While many inhabitants recognize the importance of their surroundings, continued development and economic expansion— including fishing the islands’ protected, rich waters—will cause deepening challenges for the true indigenous residents of the islands: the native wildlife species.

Ecuador must respect those currently living in the Galapagos, but these people cannot claim the kind of rights and legacy of other truly indigenous groups. True, one cannot simply tell the current settlers that their new homes are a mistake. But future human occupation of the islands must be regulated as closely as the tours that allow for its presence. All tour guides are also trained park rangers. It is time that the people of the islands take on a second identity as well, as more active conservators of their adopted home.


Alexander R. Konrad ’11, a Crimson editorial writer, is a history concentrator in Quincy House.