What are we doing?
We will help build three Kankurwa's in a small Arhuaco community. A Kankurwa is perhaps the most important institution within the Arhuaco culture. It is a space where the leaders and traditional authorities of the Arhuaco culture are created. It is there, where the Mamos (male authorities) and Ati's (female authorities) teach the new generations of Mamo's and Ati's. They will be the new bearers of knowledge for the Arhuaco people.
Why are we doing it?
The aim is to try to stop the threat of cultural loss. For this purpose, a number of objectives have been defined:
- Improvement of the indigenous social and cultural structures for a better community cohesion, more autonomy and direct representation before the national and international community.
- Implementation of the traditional form of the creation of new generations of Mamos (spiritual leaders), of cultural authorities and of keepers of traditional knowledge. This is important for the preservation of the cultural identity and to safeguard the sacred knowledge that has fallen into disuse.
- Reviving the own skills which in the past have stimulated the culture and can now offer alternatives for sustainable development for the environment and the biodiversity.
This is thus a project for the construction of the society as understood by the own affected community. An important aspect is to achieve independence and auto-determination through the putting in place of the own governance. The central objective is to achieve more empowerment within the community and develop the necessary tools to;
- Be in a better position to directly interact with the Colombian State as well as the International organizations.
- Be stronger as a group so the cultural and political structures can be maintained and the territory can be protected and the ancestral knowledge preserved.
Who are we?
Foundation Protect our Cultures aims to help indigenous groups in Colombia improve their overall well-being, while preserving their customs and traditions. In order to achieve this, Protect our Cultures focuses its efforts on three pillars: sharing of information and global awareness: collection of donations for specific projects: selling of arts and crafts.
Help us preserve indigenous cultures
You can donate by selecting a reward from the list on the right. Thank you so much for your support!