High in the Sierra
Nevada mountains in Colombia live the Kogi people, an isolated, indigenous
tribe that have preserved their customs and lifestyle for the past five hundred
years. They’ve come out of isolation in the past few years to share their
knowledge of and worries about climate change, and to try to protect their
series of sacred sites along the coastline of Colombia which they refer to as “el
Corazon del mundo,” or the heart of the world.
I met with the governor of the Kogi people, Jose de los Santos Sauna,
and one of the spiritual leaders, or mamas
of the tribe, to hear their thoughts and insights about two major ideas.
First, what is happening to the world today and why is it happening, and second,
what can we do about it? Their ideas were both simple and revolutionary.
When
I interviewed the Kogi, we met around a small round table in the courtyard.
Both Jose de los Santos and the mama
were dressed in white, almost robe-like outfits, which we were told they had
made themselves. This particular mama was
well known for his gift for making clothes. Additionally, the mama held a small, hollowed out,
bowl-like nut, which he used to hold coca leaves for chewing. When chewed, coca
leaves act as a stimulant, and are also nutritious and help to ward off diseases.
They both wore hats which came to a point at the top of their head—these
symbolize the mountains where they make their home. Despite having spent at
least a month in the United States, travelling around and giving talks about
their mission, neither Jose de los Santos Sauna nor the mama had bought any manufactured items or western clothes. They had
refused to accept any gifts of western items from anyone who had offered, and
had not wanted to buy anything that they’d seen. They had looked at our
consumer culture and decided that they didn’t want to be a part of it.
During
the interview, I would ask a question in English, which would then be
translated into Spanish so that Jose de los Santos could understand. He in turn
would translate the question into the native Kogi language, so that the mama, whose ideas hold together the
tribe, could understand and answer the question. Mamas spend their first nine to eighteen years living in total
darkness without exposure to daylight. However, when they are deemed ready,
they are taken during the night up to the top of the highest mountain in the
Sierra Nevada, so that they can watch the dawn break over the sea, coast, and
mountains. It’s surely a sight that is incredible and unforgettable, especially
as someone’s first experience of daylight. The mamas then are in charge of the spiritual side of tribe life, while
the governor is in charge of the material side. Through a union between these
two, the tribe remains happy.
The
Kogi people have a unique way of viewing the world. To them, everything in the
world is interconnected, just as all parts of a body are interconnected. If one
part of the body gets sick, the body will not function as well. Similarly, if a
part of the body is lost, like an arm or a leg or even a finger, it will impact
the rest of the body. They believe that the way that current society is acting,
waging war, consuming more than we need to survive, and taking resources like
oil and natural gas out of the earth is like a sickness. “You’re taking the
blood and the bones from our mother,” said Liliana Madrigal, when asked to
explain the Kogi viewpoint on what our society does. They believe that sooner
or later, the effects of what we are doing to “our mother” will make her angry.
Western civilization, or the “younger brother,” needs to stop the abuse of the
earth before it goes too far.
However,
the tribe does not make dire and apocalyptic predictions for the future. The
Kogi believe that we can and will change, and that anyone, no matter what their
background, can learn to live in harmony with nature and with themselves. “If
the desire is in your heart, then you can change,” said Governor Jose de los
Santos Sauna. In fact, the future success of the change in ideology and way of
living that the Kogi are trying to help create depends on people who have not
grown up in isolated tribes to recognize and change our ways.
For
the Kogi, the most pressing matter is reclaiming their sacred sites along the
coastline of Colombia. They’ve been involved in several legal battles and have
managed to obtain one, securing it against the threat of being drilled or
turned into an amusement park. Through the sale of their ecologically harvested
coffee, they’ve been able to raise enough money to buy back that one site. It’s
up to the rest of us to spread their message to the rest of the world.
By Kate Iida
