Pearls of Life: Amazon Colombia
Ayahuasca Tree, Amazon Jungle
Traveling in Colombia is a fascinating adventure. There is so much to learn about the country, the land, the culture and the people. I learned more about my life as a reflection of my adventures while traveling in Colombia. Colombia is a land of fertility, all around is green and natural. The population is composed of a mix of different indigenous tribes, local Colombians and Caribbean coast natives. In this blog, I will tell you about my meetings with the indigenous tribes in 2 different locations. The indigenous tribes in the Amazon River, Colombia and the indigenous tribes in Sierra Nevada Mountains in Colombia.
On my trip to the Colombian Amazon River, I took a boat from a town called Letiticia. Letiticia is a very unique Colombian Amazonian town. Sitting on the intersection of Brazil, Peru and Colombia, you can actually take a boat to all those three locations.
The Amazon Brazil area, on the border of Letiticia, goes through the town of Tabatinga. Tabatinga is a unique Brazilian town on the river bed of the Amazon River. From Tabatinga, you arrive at the indigenous communities living on the Amazon river bed. With a moto and tuk tuk, it is an adventure to travel inside those villages and see how they live. It is common to see 4 or 5 people on one motorbike, sometimes it's the whole family. In those indigenous villages, you can have fresh fish cooked on the road or you can buy it on the side of the road and cook it at home. It’s possible to enjoy a beer in a bar, which are not typical bars like we know in Europe. You sit and watch the sunset on the Amazon river while having local beer, Aguilla, and listening to Spanish music.
These days, the indigenous communities have evidence of some modernity, such as having internet connection, cell phones and TV. But in other communities, it is still very remote. The indigenous communities in the remote areas have no schools, hospitals and the children are lacking the healthcare that is needed in those areas. The Amazon people are living from the river and living with the river. They have their own beliefs and set of ceremonies. A very famous one is the phrase: “if you swim in the Amazon River, you stay in the river”. You become an Amazonians person.
In the Amazonians of Colombia, the center of the indigenous village is the Shaman house. Here, at the Shaman’s house, the indigenous come to get advice, natural medicine and just gather together. Ceremonies take place in the Maloka. Being in the Maloka and participating together with the community of the indigenous in those gatherings is an exceptional experience. I felt the spiritual and exciting experience that I was a part of in the rituals where they worship mother nature and thank God.
In the Amazon river of Colombia, the indigenous are living in different sections numbered by the Kilometers from the city town. I’ve been fascinated to be a guest and experience the ceremonies that those communities have together. Gathering together to celebrate a new Maloka, worship nature, and appreciating the fertility of the land. Those ceremonies involved planting new trees in the Amazon Rainforest and building structures of new habitation. During celebration times, drinks are prepared from natural plants and are shared among all participants in the Maloka. The Shamans conduct the ceremonies and the participants dance and sing for different spirits to conquer good luck.
During the ceremonies celebrating the building of a new Maloka, me and the indigenous community had “Mambe”, a green powder which is produced from natural coca leaves, without any chemicals. Specifically to the Amazonian region, “Mambe” is a traditional powder that the indigenous use for good energy and is commonly used in ceremonies. We also used “Rapeh”, which is a powder produced from natural tobacco leaves, used to purify the mind. The indigenous like to drink “Chicha”, a natural fermented alcohol. The drinks are taken from big barrels that are prepared specifically for those ceremonies. And believe me, you can dance all night with this!
The happiness and the energy I’ve experienced while being part of those communities is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. This experience contributes a lot to my understanding of the significance of connecting with yourself, with others and while appreciating the surrounding nature of the Amazon River and Amazon Rainforest.
In different communities, I could witness a large population of children and families with 10-14 kids in one family. They are all living with nature, and not against nature. The food is organic and the fish are fresh everyday from the Amazon River. The preservation of ancient life is a big concern to the old leaders and the young ones are being taught to keep the traditions and the simplicity of life.
One of the peaks of my travels in the Amazon River, Colombia, is the fact that on my way back I was “stuck” for 2 hours on land in the middle of the river, where you cannot communicate with no one. It was only me and one old lady, called the “aveula” and her granddaughter. We had to wait for a boat to pick us up. We sat in the middle of that amazing nature, in the middle of nowhere, but full of wild nature of the Amazon River and Amazon Rainforest. We had to be confident that someone will pass by with a boat to pick us up. Still to this day, I don't know how the indigenous know when and where to pick us because there was no communication or possibility to contact anyone. We were picked up by a small boat of indigenous fishermen. Who, from my opinion, was accidentally passing by to his community, which was in a remote area. Thank God for that salvation! I learned that these are the mysteries of living on the Amazon River.
Stay tuned for the next blog about the Indigenous people of the Sierra Nevada Mountains…:)
