Peruvian Ministry Honors Eight Indigenous Women Leaders

Why this is here: More than 51% of people who identify as Indigenous in Peru are women, totaling approximately three million individuals.

Peru’s Ministry of the Woman and Vulnerable Populations honored eight Indigenous women leaders with the ‘Order to the Merit of the Woman’ in a ceremony coinciding with National Indigenous Women’s Day. The ministry recognized the women for defending territories, preserving culture, and caring for natural resources across Peru.

The awards ceremony took place in Ayacucho, with Minister Edith Pariona Valer joining via video call. Leaders Rosalía Clemente Tacza of Junín and the Machaca Mendieta sisters of Ayacucho received honors for advocating for rural women’s rights and improving water management with ancestral knowledge.

The ministry also recognized Olinda Silvano Inuma, Liz Chicaje Churay, and Avita Celeste Taricuarima Dreyfus from Loreto for preserving the kené art of the shipibo-konibo people and defending their Amazonian territories. Nicole Yuliana Ccorimanya Huarhua of Cusco received special recognition for strengthening women’s economic autonomy.

Over three million women in Peru identify as Indigenous, representing more than 51% of the Indigenous population. The ministry has awarded the ‘Order to the Merit of the Woman’ to roughly 500 women nationally, but continued challenges remain in fully recognizing and supporting Indigenous women’s leadership.