There were indications last year, specifically from the community of Big Falls, that the push for Maya Customary Lands is not exactly a united front.
Members of that Toledo Village have written to the Ministry and the Commissioner of Indigenous Peoples Affairs to say that they prefer individual title and leases, rather than communal lands.
Yesterday, that conversation came up in our side-bar interview with Commissioner Ch'oc. He suggested that part of the reason for that difference of opinion within the Maya Community is a lack of proper understanding of how the 2015 Consent Order affects their current land holdings:
Greg Ch'oc - Commissioner, Indigenous Peoples Affairs
"Somebody has to create the environment for them to say, I have a lease. I have a freehold title. I live in Crique Jute. Will my freehold title be taken away? Will my lease be taken away? What's going to happen? And I've said to them, the ruling of the court, the consent order did not and has not changed what happens at the community level, in terms of land tenure. If you have a 40-acre or a 40-acre freehold title, you live in Medina Bank, you would probably have it if there is no lease, let's say go back to 50 years ago. You would have been working on that piece of land, and the villagers would respect that you own that land because under Maya Customary Law, there is what they call individual derivative rights, which is every household, every person has a right to own property. The only difference is that they have put 4 pillars and give you a title. So, it shouldn't change anything. Now, the question is how do we allay the concerns of these communities. Some communities are saying we don't want communal lands, not because it's not good, but because nobody has taken the time to sit down with them. And when I make these criticisms, they say, oh, we've been there. I have said this to the communities, this is not a 1-day or 2-day sit-down with the communities. This is a continuous process."
