Kogui

A VISION for the HEART OF THE WORLD ALLIANCE

The Kogui have always been considered one of the highest spiritual indigenous tribes in the world. For thousands of years, they have been guardians of the Sierra Nevada in Northern Colombia. These mountain clans were guided by their strong spiritual practices to listen to the hidden language of the Earth and to assist in her healing with careful offerings and prayers of gratitude, and loving respect for all forms of life.

The Sierra Nevada was named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1979 and is now under consideration to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite this, in recent times, this area has been menaced with proposals for more than 390 mining projects, the introduction of some 25 industrial ports, and for a number of hydroelectric dams. If these projects come to pass, this area will suffer colossal damage. There will be an important loss of species diversity, significant adverse climate changes, and the destruction of the ways of life of the four distinct indigenous guardians of this area --the Kogui, Arhuaco, Wiwa, and Kankuamo—who are all natural stewards of these beautiful mountains that touch the sea.

Today native elders and leaders, international permaculture designers, ecologists, humanists, artists, healers and nature protectors need to come together to form an intercultural and multidisciplinary platform, a Heart of the World Alliance, to protect the region. 

The Sierra Nevada may be one of the most sacred regions in the world. Positioned on the crown of South America between two hemispheres and two immense oceans with the Atlantic on one side and the Pacific on the other, it is a crossroads for planetary vibrations that are both healing and vital for our planet. 

For many centuries, the Kogui have attempted to protect this sanctuary by keeping alive the sacred ancestral practices that respect nature. But these are difficult times. 

It is our responsibility to protect this region, and all regions, where indigenous people live. We need to remember that it is they who suffer the most from climate change but have done very little to contribute towards it. 

Au contraire, indigenous people living honorably on the land are the last of the ancestral protectors and we have much to learn from them about the importance of respecting and safeguarding Mother Earth. 

MARTI PHOTOS