“Coca, our sacred plant, has been prostituted”: This is the heartfelt cry of Noel Torres, leader of the Arhuaco Indigenous people of Colombia.
The Arhuaco are an ancestral people living in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, in northern Colombia. They share this land with three other peoples, the Kogis, Wiwas and Kahkuamos. They live within the “black line,” a symbolic delimitation of the Sierra Nevada territory, which they believe to be the heart of the world owing to biodiversity and spiritual richness.
Descendants of the Tayrona people, a pre-Columbian culture which goes back to the 1st century AD, the Arhuasco people live in harmony with nature, guided by a worldview that prioritizes the balance between humans and the environment. Their language, Iku, as well as their cultural traditions, reflect a deep respect for “law of origin” principles that govern their spiritual and daily life. Their mamos, or spiritual leaders, play a fundamental role in mediating between the community and the forces of nature.
Despite their cultural richness, the Arhuaco people face significant challenges stemming from external influences. They also face the loss of their sacred territories. However, their community remains as a symbol of resistance and cultural preservation, as well as a reminder of the importance of protecting nature as a legacy for future generations.
Coca, Colombia’s Arhuaco Indigenous people sacred plant has been ‘prostituted’
The cultivation of coca leaves, traditionally known by the Arhuaco as “ayu,” is an activity that dates back many centuries. “We exchange it during greetings and farewells, as a symbol of friendship, of good relationship between us, and of dialogue,” explains Torres.
“The exchange of the coca leaf is the best representation of cordiality,” says Torres of the plant, which has long been used for its medicinal qualities as well as for friendship rituals.
On the use of coca leaf to produce cocaine, Torres says that it is a shame that the plant has become “prostituted,” given it is not only “sacred for the Arhuaco, but also for the indigenous peoples of the Andes.”
For many centuries, the Arhuacos have managed and mastered the use of medicinal plants. Treatment of medical issues takes a highly personalized format within the community, because according to their customs, the right cure or remedy will depend on “the debt that the sick person has with nature.”
Within the community, there are people with specific knowledge about health and sickness. “The mamos [spiritual leaders] offer a spiritual treatment to recognize where the illness originated and locate where the imbalance was produced in that person so that nature could provoke the discomfort,” Torres explains.
A day in the life of the Arhuaco, the ancestral people of Colombia’s Sierra Nevada
There are currently around 52,000 members of the Arhuaco community. Despite the challenges that they have faced over the last two centuries, they continue to live in the highlands of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, in an area where three Colombian departments converge: Magdalena, La Guajira and Cesar.
The area in which they live is delimited by what they call the “black line.” This symbolic marker indicates the boundaries of their territory, which is recognized by the Colombian State as a collectively-owned indigenous reservation.
As adults, members of the Arhuaco community dedicate themselves to agriculture. “From about the age of 25, each family has its own plot of land, house and animals for self-subsistence,” says Noel Torres, an Arhuaco leader.
The community grows a variety of crops, including sugar cane, cocoa, coffee, bananas, medicinal plants, mango and avocado. Within a relatively small area, they are able to grow what they need in order to subsist.
The Arhuaco also have their own political authorities that watch over the social, environmental and territorial order of the community within the “black line.” This administrative body also operates in cooperation with the Colombian government.
The Arhuaco, an ancient indigenous culture from Colombia based on respect for nature
Torres is especially proud that, despite the adversities suffered by the Arhuaco people over the centuries, they have managed to preserve their millenary culture. “We have preserved our traditions, which are closely linked to the preservation of the territory,” he says.
For the Arhuaco, care of their ancestral lands includes respect not only for humans but also for all species in the animal kingdom. “We must understand what our mission is as humans in relation to nature and in relation to the care of life,” Torres confirms, saying that humans should be understood as a single being, a child of the earth.
In terms of their understanding of life and the world around them, Torres says that the Arhuaco are a polytheist community “as were the ancient Greeks.” They believe that “everything has a spirit,” including stones and rivers. “That’s why the mamos [spiritual leaders] sit next to a stone to connect with the antiquities,” he explains. Expanding on the Arhuaco understanding of deities, Torres says that the community sees them as “father and mother.”
Reflecting on other societies, Torres asserts that in rich nations, people “live locked up, they don’t see the sunlight.” He says that people in these countries have created societies which deprive themselves of freedom. He contrasts this to the “happiness” which characterizes the Arhuaco way of life.
Finally, he confirms that the community’s spiritual leaders play a fundamental role in Arhuaco society. “They are people with special preparation under the law of origin who exercise their spiritual authority and who know very well the elements we use for healing and repair with what we have in the Sierra Nevada,” he explains.
Arhuaco ‘law of origin’ focuses on development and nature
For the Arhuacos, ‘development’ is understood as keeping nature intact. They use the resources that nature and the environment offer them “to subsist, but not to commercialize.” To this end, they recognize that maintaing nature, which has always existed under the “law of origin,” is a significant and at times challenging responsibility.
The ‘law of origin” is a fundamental principle that governs the community’s worldview. According to tradition, this law is a sacred mandate transmitted by the “mamos” spiritual leaders. It establishes the balance between humans, nature and the universe; promotes harmony and respect for Mother Earth (“Seynekun”); and ensures the sustainability of life.
The Arhuaco consider their territory as a sacred space under this law, and as such they protect it from activities that threaten its spiritual balance, such as mining and deforestation. For this reason, they also work to preserve the environment for future generations.
The community’s simple lifestyle and understanding of their connection with nature is also reflected in their attire. The white color typically used in their clothes not only represents the snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains in which they live, but also symbolizes the purity of the relationship their community has with nature. Similarly, the traditional bag that the Arhuaco people usually carry hanging from one shoulder, represents their ability to hold the knowledge that nature offers.
Wounds from the past
The arrival in 1916 of a Catholic religious mission, led by the Capuchins, to Arhuaco territory is an issue that still rankles the community. That intrusion, the subsequent imposition of Western customs, and attempts to colonize the Arhuaco, is remembered by Torres as “an attempt to transform the thinking” of his people.
Under the pretext of bringing education to this historically isolated people, missionaries tried to quash the culture and traditions of the Arhuaco. The community responded by mounting protests and efforts to expel the missionaries.
“It was not violent,” says Torres, who reveals that the “Arhuaco revolution” was conducted via dance. “For the Capuchin priests, the Arhuaco people were the devils, but in reality they were the owners of the territory,” he says. Ultimately, the community managed to force the missionaries out of their territory, which undoubtedly saved their culture and customs.
Despite this victory, Torres recognizes that acculturation processes have affected the community. Many Arhuaco people have integrated Christian principles with their ancestral beliefs and way of life. He attributes this to “a lack of knowledge about their own origins and values.”
Recognition as environmental authorities is major challenge for the Arhuaco
When asked about the main challenge facing his people today, Torres says that the community has struggled to gain recognition as an environmental authority over their territory. He says that he spends a lot of time advocating for this recognition from the Colombian
“The State believes that the environmental corporations are the only ones who have the authority to decide whether or not to cut this tree,” he says, providing just one example of how the community feels that the government does not involve them in decisions that directly impact them and their land.
Torres also says that defending and maintaining their way of life is also a huge struggle for the Arhuaco people. He says that the majority Colombian society does not properly understand or respect the community.
“We prefer that the energy and roads do not reach the Sierra Nevada and [that we can] continue to be native peoples,” he concludes. “[We want to] exercise our culture, based on the law of origin, until nature itself determines how much longer we will exist.”