Honduras recognizes Miskito Tribe's land rights in 1859 treaty

Friday, September 13, 2013  

The government of Honduras is living up to a treaty promise to recognize the land rights of the Miskito people.

The government granted title to more than 1.6 million acres to Miskito communities. That's in addition to 265,000 acres that were granted last year, the Associated Press reports.

“That is our tradition; our duty is to protect the forest,” Norvin Goff Salinas, the president of a Miskito organization known as MASTA, told The New York Times.

Under an 1859 treaty with the British, Honduras agreed to grant title to the Miskito people and recognize their self-governance rights.

Get the Story:
Honduras grants Miskito Indians title to huge swath of coastal, border lands they occupy (AP 9/12)
Honduras Grants Land to Indigenous Group, in Bid to Help It Protect Forests (The New York Times 9/13)