Intertribal peace building in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
WE THE TREES
“The forest is not separate from indigenous people and indigenous people are not separate from the forest. Environmental protection needs to include cultural revitalization.
We thrive when the forest thrives and the forest thrives when we thrive. Our traditions are technologies developed over centuries. Our languages are codes of environmental activation and celebration.”
Orlando Gualinga (Kichwa Shaman) sings a traditional song of love about the Macaw bird.
-Tribal elder and project lead Freddy Gualinga
Waorani people lead a dance honoring the Kichwa matriarch at our March Equinox gathering. This was the first time these tribal elders had met.
We the Trees is an intertribal peace initiative:
Colonization perpetuated intertribal divisions between the Waorani, Kichwa and Shuar for decades.
Now tribal leaders are coming together. They are using art and revitalizing ancestral cultural practices to timeline jump into more favorable multiverses, for themselves, the Amazon rainforest and the entire cosmos.
A Unified Vision.
These three tribes are connecting on a shared vision to steward the water, plants and wildlife, the very energies that unite their DNA and future/ past ancestors.
Using art, meditation, traditional storytelling, participatory action research and design justice we are building a vision for an intertribal and intercultural peace. This vision will become a global model for indigenous led eco-cultural tourism and social enterprise.
Freddy Gualinga and Ixchel explain why land purchase is critical to this program’s success.
Land Rematriation is Critical:
Part of our shared vision is to rematriate numerous hectars of primary and secondary rain forest. We will build an intertribal peace sanctuary and a teaching center for cultural revitalization. Programing will include teaching local tribes about reforestation practices, language revitalization and traditional building. The land will be co-stewarded by all three tribes.
Image of land neighboring our proposed project site and the river that connects our tribal partners.
At the Center is the Water, and Love.
Participating tribes are finding common purpose in defense of the water and the desire to heal the conflicts of their ancestors. Our gathering at the March Equinox was the first time that members of all three tribes had sat together to share food, song, dance and ideas.
The tribes realized that they had a common concern: water pollution that was impacting all three communities. As part of our shared vision for the future we also imagined (and began planning) a shared campaign to increase regional awareness on the impacts of poorly maintained sewage systems and oil drilling. Tribal leaders are building this campaign with a frequency of love and respect for the water, instead of anger towards those causing pollution.