An Ecuadorian indigenous community has emerged victorious in a legal battle to reclaim its ancestral territory in the Amazon, more than eight decades after being displaced during a war.

The Siekopai nation secured support from an Ecuadorian appeals court for their claim over Pë’këya, a biodiverse region in northeast Ecuador bordering Peru. The court ruling, provided by the nonprofit organization Amazon Frontline, revealed that the Siekopai were displaced during the Peru-Ecuador war in the 1940s.

With a membership of around 800 individuals, the community filed a lawsuit in September against the Ecuadorian state, alleging violations of their right to ancestral property.

In a historic decision last Friday, the Provincial Court of Sucumbios granted Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment a 45-day deadline to issue a property title for over 104,000 acres of land to the Siekopai people, as indicated in court documents.

Elias Piyahuaje, President of the Siekopai Nation of Ecuador, expressed, “This is a historic moment for the Siekopai Nation. The land of Pë’këya has always been and will always be ours. For over 80 years, we have been fighting to get our land back.”

This ruling is noteworthy as it represents the first instance of the Ecuadorian government awarding a land title to an indigenous community within a protected area. Amazon Frontline emphasized that it establishes a significant precedent for indigenous peoples globally who are striving to regain their lands.

Piyahuaje emphasized the cultural importance of the territory, stating, “We are fighting for the preservation of our culture on this planet. Without this territory, we cannot exist as Siekopai people.”