The Rio Curaray. Photo from Captain Phoebus via Wikimedia – GNU-Free.

“And our message to our friends,” says Manari Ushigua, sitting within the Amazonian rainforest which is alive with the sounds of life, “is that the world and nature can come together, united, to defend our lives as human beings and the life of planet earth.”

UNESCO formally recognized the wealth of cultural and indigenous-knowledge of the Sápara in 2001 as a “Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity.”

This from Earth First Journal:

“For the Sápara Peoples of the Ecuadorian Amazon, “Sinchi”, or “sacred” is the term that best describes their ancestral language and forests. Though abundant with meaning, the Sápara never had a word for “sacred”. There was simply no need for it until they faced the threat of possible extinction. The term “sacred” became crucial in the Sápara’s battle to garner attention and support from those around them.” [Link below]

Gloria Ushigua, shímano (spiritual leader, shaman) and president of the Association of Sápara Women, Ashinwaka. Image: Global Spirit TV – link below.

Read the full story of the threat to the Sápara homelands — and what’s at stake, and what’s of value, for all of us — on Earth First.

Find another rich, insightful article on the Sapara, the wealth of insight and experience they offer the world, and an interview with Gloria Ushigua, at Cultural Survival.

Big Love,

Jamie

Manari Ushigua. Photo: Daniel Cima/CIDH. (CC)

Featured photo 1: Manari Ushigua, President of the Sápara Nation in Ecuador. Photo: Daniel Cima/CIDH. (CC)

 

 

 

Gloria Ushigua, a shaman and president of the Association of Sápara Women, Ashinwaka. Image: Global Spirit TV – link below.

Photo 2 of Gloria Ushigua, Global Spirit TV – Earth Wisdom for a World in Crisis.