Kichwa, Ecuadorian Amazon

Kichwa, Ecuadorian Amazon

Rosa, her brother Luis, sister Flor and daughter Gabriela are all healers working near the River Puyo, a tributary of the Amazon River. Like many other indigenous groups, the Kichwa have been challenged by the impact of COVID-19. In rural communities access to Western medical care is severely limited. Their community in particular is a one mile walk and a 40 minute drive on a partially unpaved road away from a doctor.

Over centuries the group has learned to cultivate traditional medicine to address the health challenges that they experience. But now, more than ever both their land and culture are being threatened as many elders are dying from illness. When a community looses an elder they often loose key elements of cultural knowledge as well.

The Kichwa in Ecuador collaborate with Borders Like Water to document traditional ceremonial healing practices. This process is community led and the archives are owned by the community as a way to help share traditions with younger generations.

The process of documentation becomes a learning opportunity as the community gathers to listen to the elders offer tutorials. Younger generations participate in the documentation process, using technology as a tool to support cultural preservation.

In collaboration with Borders Like Water, Kichwa participants identify core cultural values of liberation by sharing, documenting and archiving ancestral legends.