Oil Development on Traditional Lands of Indigenous Peoples: Coinciding Perceptions on Two Continents

Two unrelated indigenous rainforest cultures are compared in relationship to their experiences with the oil industry in their territories. Despite their geographic separation, in Central Africa and western Amazonia, the acculturation process and its outcomes have been quite similar for the Bagyeli and the Waorani. In both cases, expectations for improvements in quality of life were high as the oil industry arrived but tremendous disappointments soon followed. Typically, indigenous people blame oil companies for creating unrealistic scenarios and for not following through with promises. To get its future neighbors on board with coming changes, enticements are a frequent part of conversations prior to establishment of industrial infrastructure and operations. Subsequent to development, indigenous people feel that they have been drawn into a negative situation, that they end up essentially abandoned by their governments, and that the oil companies come through with only a minimal proportion of what was originally offered.