Colombian-Amazon: Territory, Heritage and Cosmovision

Kariuki Thuku, Porini Association

"Who [African] will receive the basket carrying Coca and Tobacco from us [Colombian Shamans]?" Shaman Boa

On my way to the Colombian Amazon, I stopped at Beijing, China to attend a one-week conference on the family institution. And while there I embarked on a pilgrimage. A journey to the small town of Qu Fu, Shandong Province located not less that 650kms from the capital. Qu Fu is the hometown of late Confucius, the great Chinese educator and philosopher. It was humbling seeing the Confucius Temple from where he taught the Confucian philosophy and his small house where he lived with his family. Next to Confucius Temple is that of Mencius, a student of Confucius who observed that ‘we are created with wonderful brains. During birth, part of our brains is lost. Then, all the education should be geared towards restoring the lost brains of the child’.

At Qu Fu one can feel the strong spirit of Confucius. It is cherished both in action and in writings. In hotels and guesthouse, there is one common question on the walls and doors. A question known by every resident. A question they repeat so oftenly. It asks, ‘Is it not good to see people from afar? This is one of the most remembered Confucius sayings. It is so common that a visitor feels at home. The query made me to think a lot about our CEG work. Our passion for an Earth-centered thinking would restore the remarkable beauty of our planet that is currently under threat. The question gave me a mental trans from China to Kenya. It took me to Giitune Sacred Forest. It reminded me of the many community meetings that we hold at the centre of this beautiful forest. I recalled the numerous instances when visitors from many Kenyan ethnic groups and countries have assembled in this forest to admire and celebrate her beauty. Is it then not good to see people from afar? Is it not good to have visitors from afar coming to admire the beauty of our sacred forests? Is it not good to see people from afar appreciating our harmonious relationship with nature? The amazing natural forest of Ethiopia, the sacred sites of Botswana, the wonderful hills of S. Africa came in my mind. I saw myself standing under a thick canopy of indigenous trees and this time round, happy trees asking me; "Is it not good to see people from afar?"

Staying in the Colombian Amazon meant living in totally different worldview that I had only imagined but never experienced. It meant living a cosmovision based on pure indigenous thinking that is too rare to find in the world. A cosmovision that governed my community a century ago before it was systematically reduced to a subject called storytelling. A worldview which most of us whom the only thinking we have known is that of the west would doubt whether it can hold the entire society of species together. Being in the Amazon is indeed an eye opener that few miles from our mono-western thinking there lies another cosmology that could hold the future of our planet.

Colombia has land size of about 114 million hectares. Nevertheless, 40 million hectares make the so-called Colombia Amazon forest. This massive forest area is managed by the indigenous communities with a bit of state co-management. The annual negotiations between the state and indigenous communities are done during the Permanent Forum for Inter-Administrative Coordination known as la Mesa. It is in Mesa that the indigenous wisdom challenges the western thinking. The Shamanic understanding of la Mesa is a big ritual where different Malocas [houses] come together to express their collective thinking.La mesa is like a party, the more the guests the better. In the world of white people issues are mostly solved through war, in our case we arrange for a ritual dance. In case a solution is not found we simply say that 'the dance failed'. Another dance is organized.

Along the Caqueta River, we visited two Shamans, Don Jose and Boa. I wish to capture briefly a few points they raised during our dialogues on Community Ecological Governance [CEG] and African-Amazon Exchange.

We belong to Nanuya community. A community that has undergone through a series of seismic problems. We experienced the slavery and genocide in around 1900 to 1930. Then came the Peruvian and Colombian rubber boom that lasted for 30 years. These tragedies left our community without elders. All men were taken by force to work in Peru. As if that was not enough, the kids left at home were forcefully put in Catholic boarding schools. They were forced to shave off their hair, restricted from visiting their mothers and forced to speak Spanish. Around 1970, two Nanuya elders managed to escape from Peru and came back home ready and determined to reconstruct the Nanuya territory and its heritage. They constructed a Maloca, the house of thinking. Today Nanuya population is slightly above 100. Every evening we sit at the centre of this Maloca to deepen and consolidate our cosmovision, thought system and knowledge.

When we talk about CEG do we know what we are searching for? We need to be clear about what we want. This way the CEG path will become clear and clean. It will be so difficult for us to succeed in this process if we do not know the 'origin of our search'. Once we are not sure of what we are seeking for we as well tend to easily forget the needs we are asking for. We, in CEG, ought to think more deeply about spirit driving our work. The CEG spirit has to be clarified.

Spirituality does not stay in the air. It rests in our personal commitments. But, how can we speak about commitments if we cannot define issues? Do we have the power and knowledge to describe our own present situations? Our thinking is born in our territory. Nature is the mother of our thinking. That is where our spirituality comes from. The natural world informs Shamans. And, Shamans only act as intermediaries between humans and spirits of species. Where is our spirituality if we cannot understand the term 'Mother Earth'? Earth has a living spirit that connects all the species. We need to name our spirit and thinking. Every spirit has a name. And, the CEG path must have a local name since it is a spirit. Languages connect when spirits connect.

We are the people of the centre. Our centre is pure. This part of Maloca where the thinking takes place is our centre. It is a place of dance and rituals. This is the space of elders. A place where knowledge about the origin of different plants, animals, humans, spirits, and dances is generated and shared. Animals and plants have their sites of origin that humans cannot understand. The sites of origin of life are what you call sacred sites. They carry distinct energies. These sites act as the territory sensors. They help to inform the Shaman about nature-human relationship. Sites of origin of life are all connected since earth is a community of energies. Every territory has owners and thinkers who remains constantly connected to these sites. Every being has a grandfather. The sites of origin of life are as well the houses of our grandparents. These sites carry the mystery of the origin of life and they deserve a lot of respect. When we destroy sacred forests we destroy the houses of grandparents of uncountable species. The spirits of grandparents we extinguish are coming back to punish us. How can we protect these houses without our Maloca? Do you have your Malocas in Africa? Are your Malocas clean? What attention are you giving to your Malocas? Are you serious in this path? Or, is this just another white-man's project?

This process is not a game. Threats are so big and real. The written constitution is our prime problem. It can change any time. But our spiritual beliefs and connection to our territory won't change. That is our strength. Papers are just papers. We are taught by the spirits of our territory not their papers. Papers do not matter in our thinking about our territory. We know our thinking and spirit. We know our vision is broad. Our cosmovision cannot fit in their papers. You will record my words on the paper, fine, how will you take my spirit and thinking? Maloca is not like the missionary schools. Moreover, school is a Spanish word. School for us is the Maloca, the forest, the rivers and the Shangila [farm]. Our education system is based on the manifestations of nature. Western education is one of fire. It is causing immense problems like global warming yet they are now telling indigenous communities to take care of the forests. How can they cut down the forests and still expect the rain to come, rivers to flow and mothers to plant? Western culture is tempting yet it is a mere illusion. It is attached to nothing. We have our God of Cold. He is the God of healing and calmness. Are the white people trying to understand that minerals are the blood of God? Do they have elders and thinkers? Do they have rituals and dances? If they have eyes can't they see what is happening globally?

Who taught us what we know? We need to understand our thoughts clearly. Then speak out the thoughts. When a clear thought is spoken it carries energy. It translates into action. These are the principles we used to revive our culture. We cannot get solutions when fixed in unclear thoughts. How can this process confront the western challenges if those involved are not unified in thought and vision? Will it even be possible to apply the knowledge we are giving you? You shall lose your time and we shall lose our energy. We might lose persons but not the thinking. Thinking does not die at all. It keeps on germinating. That is the reason why this process [CEG] is achievable. Were it not so, the entire thinking would not be in your brains in the first place. The path of the sun is the orientation of our evolving wisdom. Thus, the process ought to be discussed each day. And, one morning the 'Sunrise of the Word' will come. The Sunrise of CEG. The Sunrise of our Spirit and Thinking. The Sunrise of the Process. But, the pertinent question is, we have the basket full of Coca and Tobacco. The Basket of Knowledge and Wisdom. Whom shall we give it to in Africa?

"What do you mean by Forest Management Plans? How can you manage a forest? For us we call it life-plan" Shaman Don Hose

Before we started our community schools we sat down and asked ourselves; what kind of education do we want? What kind of study plans shall we develop? Do we want plans and curriculum based on the state calendar? Shamans sat on their stools of thinking for nights and nights. Thinking around this issue. Seeking for wisdom. Seeking for the right solution. If our territory is the mother of our spirit and thinking what kind of education do we want? The government of Bogota could not understand our questions. Our struggles to generate and design our own education system. They insisted that we adapt the government curriculum. But their thinking is different from ours. They are enslaved in the thinking of management plans. The one shaped by 365 days of the year. Not the ecological calendar of life. How can the two thinking meet? Can’t they see that we operate in two distinct concepts of time? We realized that we needed Indigenous Education Thinking (IET). Not anything else. Not the education syllabus of the government. Our Indigenous Education Thinking is based on the ecological calendar of our territory.

You Africans, you are asking us to connect with you. To connect our sites of origin of life with yours. Do you know the meaning of time and seasons? The problem we are trying to solve is right here. It starts with you. If you are not deeply aware of the meaning of each ecological season, how can we connect? How can the energies of our thinking and sites flow? Do you have your Indigenous Education Thinking? Winter is a sacred season. Time for the sacred ritual of Yurupary. Time when taboos are observed strictly. Time when animals are unhappy. How can you hunt and eat unhappy animal? In our IET children are sent to participate in Yurupary. To learn the rituals and taboos. We have the season of crickets. A very dangerous season. Time when many illnesses afflict our people. Time when rivers, animals, trees and people shed off the accumulated unhappy energies of winter. In this particular time, children are taught about cure and prevention of diseases. The season of frogs is relatively cold. Animals undergo their rituals in this particular time. Summer is the season of leisure. Only small animals are hunted for food. Finally, the season of celebration is the season of beauty. The season of good mood. The time of making masks and ink. The season of song and dance. Our IET takes into account all the seasons. How can you claim to understand the language of nature if understanding time is a problem?

We have a Nanuya story that Mokani (sic), our God, created many worlds. He created the world of people, trees, insects, animals, name it. Each world got a stool of thinking. He then made the sun. He gave the sun all the wisdom. He asked each world to protect its thinking. At one point, creatures in the different worlds started to exchange the thinking. They established relationship. Then, some started challenging the knowledge and misusing the relationship. Trading started. Does man know the difference between trade and relations? Why is man so disrespectful of the stools of thinking of other species? Why are humans destroying their own stool of thinking? For example, we have a tree called Belbesco (sic). It grows near rivers. At a particular season, Belbesco sheds off its leaves. Once they fall on water, they poison the fish. Fish die in numbers. Nevertheless, the dead fish are fit for human consumption. They are not poisonous to humans. We collect the fish and eat them. We do not fish when Belbesco is shedding its leaves. Can’t we see the relationship between the Belbesco, water, fish, man, river, air and much more? Do you need nets and Belbesco at the same time? Man has lost his peace for seeking knowledge of trade not relationship. Knowledge whose only aim is to generate wealth. Knowledge of building granaries. Knowledge of creating banks for everything. Our safe and protection comes from our territory. Our rivers and forests. Why are white people searching for irrelevant needs?

I have come to read what people in this meeting are thinking. Not to speak. To hold the space of silence. A space of aligning the thinking as people speaks. Tobacco is the plant that represents the thinking and spirit. Coca is a symbol of word and work. Thinking has to be translated into word. And, word into action/work. Do you know the importance of space of silence? In Nanuya, we think, talk and plant. To plant means viability of our actions. Crops are representation of soul and life. Shangila (farm) represents the characteristics of the people. Acting and planting are one. What is man planting on earth? What elements are you planting in Africa? What are your elements of thinking? Here, we plant coca and tobacco. Plants of thinking, word and work. You say you want to connect with us, what elements are we exchanging with you? We have our coca, tobacco and Manikwera (beverage made from cassava that represents feminine principle), these are our elements. We have given them to you. What elements represent your spirit and thinking Africa? We know white people have their elements too. Theirs are made of fire. Mokani, our God gave us fire and instructions of using it. He said fire is for burning the Shangila in order to plant. To plant the elements. Why is man misusing fire? Why is the white man burning forests for other purposes other than planting the elements of thinking? Where will they get sacred fire to do their rituals?

Man needs nature and nature needs man. Mother Earth cannot ask human beings to offer her sacrifice. No. Not at all. We do our ritual for three reasons. First, to strengthen our social relations with other species. Second, to close a certain task like planting. Third, to close a season. We would really like to come to Africa. To meet your elders. To know your elements of exchange. In particular, to meet the elders in charge of dances and diviners.