Pearls of Life: Lifestyle of the Kogui and Wiwa Indigenous Tribe, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains in Colombia

Yoga overlooking the Indigenous Tribe of Wiwa, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia

Exploring the lifestyle of the Indigenous peoples in Colombia and in South and Central America is an opportunity of a lifetime. There is no general accepted definition of indigenous people. The only core of definition is focused on their self-identification, culture difference, their interrelationship in society, traditional territories and dominant culture model of the current habitation. 

I’ve been traveling in South America and in Central America and I’ve met various indigenous tribal people that are so different from each other. Each tribe has its own self-identification, such as the indigenous habitation in the Amazon River on the Colombian side is different from the indigenous habitation on the Caribbean coast. In this blog, I would like to share with you my experience with the Kogui and Wiwa people, the indigenous groups that reside in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains in Northern Colombia. Their culture has continued since the pre-Colombian era. There are 4 groups of indigenous living in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, as this area of the mountain and the coast is considered a magical natural sanctuary for the indigenous communities. The names of the indigenous tribes are Kogui, Wiwa, Arhuacos and Kankuamos, all rich with spiritual culture and environmental importance. 

Beautiful next generation of the Wiwa Indigenous Tribe of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia

Visiting the indigenous communities offers an opportunity to experience the wisdom of nature and to understand the importance of living with the environment. The indigenous people of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are keeping their traditions, ceremonies and rituals in connection to the land. Each tribe has its own way to preserve their legacy and to transfer to the future generation. 

Indigenous Tribe Village in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia

Visiting the Wiwa indigenous community near Mundo Nuevo at the Sierra Nevada Mountains was an amazing experience. We were welcomed by the young generation and the women of the indigenous tribe. Specifically, this tribe is living with the nature of the mountains by not having electricity and the cycle of the day goes by the sunrise and the sunset. The water is being taken from hiking down to the river and carried up by the young generation and the women. They eat what they grow in the terra and they prepare jewelry in order to sell to the Colombian population and the tourists. From up the hill, you can see that the women and the daughters are busy with keeping the village clean, preparing the food and preparing the jewelry. The men are more involved with the outside world, they are the ones that are doing the trip by walking to the main towns such as Minca and other towns in the line of the Caribbean coast, such as Palomino. 

Aerial view of the Indigenous Community of the Wiwa in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of Colombia

Exploring the tradition of the other indigenous community, Kogui, was only by having a tour guide and getting there by hiking and motorbike. The Kogui all dress in white, men and women, being inhabited in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountain around 1000 CE. They were able to keep their villages in the mountains and preserve their traditional way of living. Today, they have income also from producing those beautiful bags and connect with other tribes. Buying bags from the indigenous communities by the tourists helps them to preserve their living sources. The bags are prepared by hand with all natural colors and materials, and each one is made as a unique bag custom made as the only identical product. You can identify the indigenous tribes by the design of the bag, the way the stripes are inserted, and the materials that are being used. The men and the women of the Kogui carry bags on their shoulders and inside they usually carry all kinds of natural ingredients for their spiritual ceremonies. As a lifestyle, they wear only pure white clothing, as the white symbolizes the purity of nature. They gather together in the Maloka which they call “nuhue”, the temple. In that temple, they prepare their ceremonies, make village decisions and perform marriages. The decisions that take place are based on wisdom and knowledge passed from generation to generation and are conducted by the consultations among members of the village and the Shaman. 

The temple of the Indigenous Community Wiwa of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia

Design of Indigenous Community Hand-Made Custom Design of Bags

Marriages are arranged by those Shamans or “mamos” that are part of the community and have the wisdom and knowledge how to make sure that the marriage will be fruitful. The household is usually transferred from generation to generation, from mother to daughter and father to son. They usually have a common crop of sugar, panella, coffee and vegetables.

The living of the indigenous communities is sustainable and can be a model of inspiration to the western world.

White dog enjoying the sustainability living of the Indigenous Community in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of Colombia