For 40 years, Colombia has been plagued by drug-fueled internal conflict, pitting guerilla groups, paramilitaries and government forces against one another. The result is an enormous population of refugees in the country. Estimates put the number of internally displaced persons since 1985 at nearly 4 million, with 200,000 new IDPs every year.¹ According to the U.N. Refugee Agency, Colombia contains the most IDPs in the Western Hemisphere, and the second-most in the world (after Sudan).² Due to discrimination, indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by the displacement, often being forced to abandon their traditional ways of life. A large community of refugees—including many from indigenous groups—has settled in the 400,000-person city of Neiva, where they have little economic opportunity and are still subject to hostility from the armed conflict. In Neiva, as in other parts of Colombia, tagua harvesting and crafts are valued as a productive alternative to the more lucrative, though dangerous and illegal, drug trade.

1 Refugees International, “Colombia,” [http://www.refugeesinternational.org/where-we-work/americas/Colombia].

2 United Nations Refugee Agency, “The State of the World's Refugees 2006,” [http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=search&docid=4444d3ce20&query=Colombia].

Seed Jewelry

Tagua is the ivory-like nut from a species of palm native to parts of Central and South America. The tagua nut contains a very hard, white seed increasingly used as an alternative to elephant ivory. When dry, the white seed can be carved in the same manner as elephant ivory, making it a socially conscious substitute for ivory figurines, jewelry and beads. The seeds are generally picked up from the ground after they have naturally fallen from the palms and after animals have harvested on the edible outer layer. The seeds are sanded, drilled, polished and assembled into contemporary accessories. The artisans work together to craft each bracelet, necklace, or pair of earrings in the Opitagua workshop.

Region: Northern South America
Capital: Bogotá
Population: 44,379,598 (July 2007)
Size: About twice the size of Texas
Independence: From Spain on July 20, 1810
Currency: Colombian peso
Languages: Spanish

Literacy rate: 92.8% (2004)
Education: Free and mandatory between the ages of 5 and 15
Primary School Enrollment Rate: 83% (2004)
Life Expectancy: Female, 76.2; Male, 68.4 (2007)
Infant Mortality Rate: 20.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2007)
HIV/AIDS Prevalence Rate: 0.6% of the population or 190,000 people (2005)
Poverty Rate: 49.2% of the population lives below the national poverty line (2005)
People living on less that $2 a day: 17.8% of population (1990-2004)
People living on less that $1 a day: 7% of population (1990-2004)
Access to Clean Drinking Water: 93% (2004)
Access to Proper Sanitation: 86% (2004)
Doctor to Patient Ratio: 135 doctors for every 100,000 people (2004)

All statistics from CIA World Factbook 2007 & UNDP Human Development Report 2006

Colombia today is unfortunately best known for violence and drugs. Since the 1960s over 200,000 Colombians have died and three million have lost their homes in the fighting that first began as a struggle for land and social equality. In Colombia, the people of European ancestry have enjoyed the most wealth and the best opportunities for jobs, education, and healthcare while the majority of the indigenous, African, and multi-racial populations live in poverty. In the late 1960s this inequality led to the formation of two rebel groups that wanted to take over the government, claiming that they would run the country with the interests of the people in mind. But instead of helping to improve Colombia and conditions for the poor, the two main rebel groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) only brought more violence and unrest. In response to the creation of these groups, the United Self-Defense Force of Colombia (AUC) was formed by citizens claiming to protect the state and themselves. Ultimately, all three groups have been involved in kidnappings, massacres, assassinations, and torture, leaving the average Colombian caught in the middle of violence that has lasted over 40 years. Today the AUC, FARC, and ELN are all on the United States' list of foreign terrorist groups. The government of Colombia is working to engage all sides in peace talks. The US has a close relationship to President Uribe and the current government of Colombia.

Colombia's civil war is difficult to resolve because of the involvement of the AUC, FARC, and ELN in the illegal drug trade. Colombia is the leading producer of cocaine in the world and it supplies 90 percent of the cocaine found in the United States. Crime related to drugs is the second highest cause of death in the country, and the sale of drugs provides the money the AUC, FARC, and ELN need to continue fighting and buying weapons. Although the government of Colombia has tried to put a stop to cocaine production, efforts have not really worked so far because of the high demand for illegal drugs around the world. In addition, growing coca (the plant used to make cocaine) is often the most lucrative way peasant farmers can make enough money to feed their families. Because farmers make a lot more money selling coca than other legal crops, it is hard to convince them that they should stop growing it.

In recent years the US has sponsored the destruction of coca fields in Colombia in order to stop the flow of drugs into the US. This project has been harmful for rural farmers because of the effects on the environment, human health, and their ability to earn a living. Many complain that the chemicals used to destroy the coca fields also poison the soil, not allowing farmers to grow anything at all, and because the poison is sprayed from planes, it often destroys surrounding crops as well as coca plants. In addition, many argue that the destruction of coca is unfair since the plant has traditional use in medicines and religious ceremonies. Fortunately, in some regions, with the help of various nonprofit organizations, peasant farmers have begun to turn to different agricultural and income generation activities such as the production of arts and crafts. Growing and harvesting certain plants indigenous to the region allow farmers and artisans to distance themselves from the drug trade and the violent civil war and slowly move their country towards peace.