Last Updated on April 10, 2025
Under Rich Earth (Bajo Suelos Ricos) tells the story of a small agrarian town in northern Ecuador, and their struggle to defend the land against the Canadian mining company Ascendant Copper.
Confronted with the prospect of eviction, the town of Junin came together and risked their lives to stop the mining company.
In 2006 Ascendant Copper sent paramilitary troops to terrify the town so they would give up their land. But the town didn’t simply cower away as Ascendant had hoped. Instead, they charged out and caught 56 of the armed men, who were shooting bullets into the air and pepper spray into the faces of anyone that went near them.
Under Rich Earth, which resembles the film, Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, reconstructs the events of this day, which ultimately led to victory for the People of Junin.
Above and beyond this day, Under Rich Earth is an “indictment of governmental largesse, environmental exploitation and corporate greed,” says Jesse Wente.
It is also a reminder that, despite the tactics of industry and government, which are so often designed to humiliate, divide, compromise and terrorize us into submission — the reward for standing up and doing what is right is always greater than the cost of accepting the unacceptable.
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
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support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
