Indigenous Tribe Emerges From Centuries Of Isolation To Warn Humanity About Its Impact On The Planet
Wednesday, April 10, 2019 IST
One of the few existing tribes that were living in isolation is the Arhuaco, along with their Wiwa and Kogi neighbors. Once they had to face the Spanish conquistadors back in around the 16th Century, and yet, they were able to survive and retain their culture within their wonderful homeland – the pyramid-like Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. This wonderful place full of glacial peaks and wetlands was declared as a Biosphere Reserve of Man and Humanity by the UN back in 1979 and was referred to as an irreplaceable site of the ecosystem by the Science journal.
The community of three have a rough population of around 90,000 as per Cultural Survival. They call themselves Elder Brothers. They have a spiritual connection with the world and the cosmos. These cultures are ruled over by a mamo priesthood and they have a cosmovision which helps them gain enlightenment. Most of the wise men are chosen by divination and they undergo the long spiritual process, much like the Dalai Lama. According to the founder of the Tairona Heritage Trust and a documentary film maker, they like to keep harmony among nature and act as spirit midwives. According to them, every rock and elements of nature have the thoughts and ideas of their ancestors embedded in them. That’s one of the reasons why a mamo, Izquierdo, and the rest of the community fails to understand how humans can continue to inflict such harm on this planet – as claimed by an anthropologist, Wade Davis.
The community had lived in isolation for a long time. However, the Arhuaco suddenly noticed certain changes. The snow caps of the mountains were melting and the savanna was drying up. Butterflies and amphibians were starting to disappear. It was no longer a mystery- climate change is happening and it is affecting them. For this reason, the Arhuaco tribe came out in the open and revealed themselves. They wanted to share with their Younger Brothers, us, the message of conservation. They went on to establish the Organización Indígena Gonawindua Tayrona and make changes from the government level. The Kogi tribe even invited the filmmaker Ereira to film the movie From the Heart of the World: The Elder Brothers’ Warning.
But the film lacked success. It was not taken well by most people and now, they have returned and called the filmmaker again. This time, they are in for a sequel titled Aluna. There is an urgency in their voice – things are not looking well for the planet and they are repeatedly coming in to warn others about it.
Izquierdo is one of the leaders who is trying to bring about changes in the interaction between Arhuaco and modern human communities. He is in for economic environment and ethno-tourism too. As a way to bring about more cooperation, the tribes have been producing and selling quality organic coffee since 1995. However, the changing climate has pushed them up to cooler areas of the mountain. According to Izquierdo, he wants more people to learn about their culture as well as learn how to cultivate with a proper conscience. It’s his way of saying No to pesticides and harmful fertilizers.
After getting into a cash-based economy, Arhuaco is trying to earn enough cash to buy back the ancestral lands that were taken by the Younger brothers. It’s their way of giving back something to the planet.
Now, all that is left is for us to give something back too – if we are willing to do so.
Related Topics
Related News & Articles
It could be raining molten iron on some exoplanets, according to David Ehrenreich at the University of Geneva and an international team of astronomers. The team d...
Recently posted . 530 views . 5 min read
New calculations suggested there was a 10 percent chance that an asteroid named 2019 PDC would strike Earth in eight years, unleashing enough energy to level a wh...
Recently posted . 629 views . 1 min read
Named "Email Threat Isolation", the solution helps protect users against spear phishing, credential theft, account takeover and ransomware attacks, the ...
Recently posted . 608 views . 2 min read
Stephen Hawking left a collection of articles on what he called 'the big questions' in preparation for a book that will be published on Tuesday.
Recently posted . 660 views . 1 min read
WASHINGTON: Nasa said Monday that its planet hunter satellite TESS had discovered an Earth-sized world within the habitable range of its star, whic...
Recently posted . 593 views . 2 min read
Trending News & Articles
ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...
Recently posted . 192K views . 1 min read
If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...
Recently posted . 8K views . 2 min read
In this age of terror, there might be nothing more terrifying than the thought of an attack carried out with chemical weapons. We’ve all heard the horrific ...
Recently posted . 3K views . 4 min read
Body fitness is one thing that everyone wants to maintain irrespective of age. Going to the gym and doing some great exercise always helps to maintain your body fit...
Recently posted . 3K views . 2 min read
More in Global
The Patek Philippe 'Grandmaster Chime' was sold as part of the Only Watch auction held by Christie's on Saturday to benefit research on Duchenne muscula...
Recently posted. 646 views . 1 min read
In Denmark’s Faroe Islands, the centuries-old tradition of butchering whales was in full swing last week as the waters off of Torshavn Bay were turned into a ...
Recently posted. 1K views . 2 min read
The Airforce has become the most prominent part of defense and military offense of any country. Most of the air force has arisen during the First World War. These a...
Recently posted. 1K views . 2 min read
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 509 views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views . 140 min read
Recently posted . 1K views . 49 min read
"I would be sitting with my face to the wall and he would come into the room, which was small and had no windows," 56-year-old David Hingst said.
Recently posted. 854 views . 1 min read
Emily O'Connor was asked to cover up or get off a Thomas Cook flight as the airline felt her clothing was "inappropriate" and "causing offence.&q...
Recently posted. 666 views . 1 min read