Posted in Blog on Oct 31, 2024.
Jacinto Zarabata, the young Kogi from Colombia (seen in the foreground of this picture), approached the Tairona Heritage Trust for assistance showcasing his short film ‘Home Among the Clouds’ at the biodiversity COP16 in Cali, Colombia (Mon, 21 Oct 2024 – Fri, 1 Nov 2024).
Like many Indigenous people, Jacinto has deep-seated concerns about the environmental changes impacting his community and felt driven to share a message in the hope of reshaping perceptions of the physical world.
The Kogi are guardians of ancient Indigenous wisdom and maintain that they have divine responsibility of caring for the earth, given to them by the Great Mother, Aluna (trans. spirit) from the dawn of time or when the world was born from her thoughts. For the Kogi, life must be achieved in line with maintaining balance through their ancient cultures and traditions including ritual, dance, song and ceremony. They maintain that their connection to Mother Earth, who is alive beneath our feet, is crucial for keeping the world in balance, ensuring all species can thrive.
Life is sacred and must be protected. Everything is connected. Everything has an important function to maintain balance. Human beings are part of this natural order. It is vital to live in peace and harmony with Nature. And to respect Nature's changes. The Kogi message is simple - We must take care of our planet because it is the Home of All.
This image above shows a group of mamos, who are spiritual leaders, walking the Linea Negra or Black Line that surrounds the Kogi ancestral territory to support the sacred sites along it. The black line as explained by the Kogi website: https://gonawindwa.wordpress.com/territorio-ancestral/linea-negra/
Jacinto’s film offers a raw and authentic Indigenous perspective on the climate crisis, presenting a youthful plea and message of hope, reminding us of what sustains our existence. Happily, the Tairona Heritage Trust managed to get it shown at the COP16.
Watch ‘Home Among the Clouds’
Dr Luci Attala, UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition, has been working with The Kogi People (Kogui-Malayo-Arhuaco Indigenous Reservation)and the Tairona Heritage Trust, both members of the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition and working together to realise a transdisciplinary conservation restoration project called Munekan Masha - "let it be (re)born".
To find out more about Munekan Masha in the BRIDGES Mapping (of Humanities-led Sustainability Science) brochure, follow the link here:
BRIDGES Coalition Project Mapping of Humanities-led Sustainability Science - BRIDGES - on P23/69.
Also of interest, Tairona Heritage Trust recently streamed a talk by Narciso, son of Mamo Manuel, a Kogi spiritual elder, about the work that needs to be done to heal the environment and ourselves. The talk was hosted by the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland and is available on YouTube.
The Tairona Heritage Trust’s mission is “to magnify the voice of the Kogi people, to help them defend their culture, to assist in the recovery of their ancestral territory and to learn from them how to better protect the planet we all share.”
The Kogi, in their role as the caretakers of the Earth, warn that modern civilization has taken us to the point of disaster for the natural world. This message is a serious one but there is much hope and loving kindness in the words shared here, the live stream of this talk can be watch on Youtube here:
