Yesterday, Jane delivered a letter to the Ecuadorian consulate in Los Angeles, urging the highest court in Ecuador to defend the rights of the Waorani people. Yesterday, Wiña did the same, traveling from her homeland to Quito to defend her people’s right to be heard in a historic case.
QUITO / LOS ANGELES.— Yesterday, in a unique and moving parallel act of resistance, two respected women from opposite sides of the world, Oscar-winning actress and activist Jane Fonda and Waorani leader Wiña Omaca Boyotai, convey the same urgent message to the highest authorities in Ecuador: listen and respond to the Indigenous Peoples protecting the Amazon.
Jane Fonda. Photo: Magnus Diehl/Amazon Frontlines
Actress Jane Fonda committed to the Waorani community
Jane Fonda, 87 years old, delivered a letter yesterday to the Ecuadorian consulate in Los Angeles on behalf of Amazon Frontlines and dozens of supporters from around the world. The letter demands that the Constitutional Court of Ecuador listen to the Waorani delegation, who have traveled for days from the rainforest to the capital, Quito, to ensure that the highest court in their country hears them.
Jane Fonda delivering petition. Photo: Magnus Diehl/Amazon Frontlines
Almost simultaneously, Wiña Omaca Boyotai, pikenani -wise warrior- and spiritual leader of the Waorani people, also of the same age, led a march of over 120 members of her community through the streets of Quito to the doors of the Court, determined to make their voices heard.
This moment is more than a legal appeal, it is a turning point in a continental struggle for climate justice and indigenous sovereignty. Throughout the Amazon basin, the inclusion in national constitutions of the right of Indigenous peoples to decide what happens in their territories could change the rules of the game for the future of the rainforest and the planet. Scientific studies consistently demonstrate that lands managed by Indigenous peoples are the most effective barriers against deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change.
However, these same communities are now facing a final assault from powerful oil and mining interests, aided by complicit governments and legal loopholes. The Constitutional Court of Ecuador has the opportunity to set a historic precedent that resonates beyond its borders, recognizing that frontline defenders of the Amazon are also its rightful stewards. As the climate crisis worsens and extractive industries venture into increasingly remote areas, listening to indigenous voices is not just a legal obligation but a planetary imperative.
Jane making statements. Photo: Magnus Diehl/Amazon Frontlines
The letter they carry is signed by over 80 personalities worldwide, including renowned artists like Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchet, Gillian Anderson, Emma Thompson, and Lupita Nyong’o, human rights advocates, and international organizations. It calls on the Constitutional Court of Ecuador to defend the rights of Indigenous peoples to free, prior, and informed consent regarding any extractive projects in their ancestral lands, rights enshrined in law but often ignored in practice.
“Jane was moved to tears when she met Wiña in the Ecuadorian Amazon last March,” said Mitch Anderson, Executive Director of Amazon Frontlines. “Two women, both elders, both warriors in their own way, united by the same cause. Different lives, but the same struggle.”
Jane Fonda supporting the cause. Photo: Magnus Diehl/Amazon Frontlines
In a world often divided by politics and geography, these two women show that common purpose and moral clarity prevail. “It’s not just about Ecuador,” Fonda told Environmental News. “It’s about protecting the lungs of the planet, and respecting the people who have safeguarded it for millennia.”
Jane making statements. Photo: Magnus Diehl/Amazon Frontlines
Yesterday, the Waorani and their allies call on the Court to issue a precedent-setting ruling in case 1296-19JP, a case with broad implications for indigenous sovereignty and ecological protection, especially now that the Ecuadorian government is moving forward with a new and controversial oil auction in the southern Amazon.
As Wiña walks to the Court in Quito, and Jane to the consulate in Los Angeles, the message is clear: the world is watching, the elders are leading, and indigenous rights must be respected.
