WHO ARE
THE ARHUACOS ?

The Arhuaco people or Ika descend from the Tayrona society, one of the most ancient and important pre-Columbian civilizations of South America. Along with the Kogis, the Wiwas and the Kankuamos, they cohabit on the lands of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Situated in the North-East of Columbia, it is the highest coastal mountain range of the world (5775 m), the majestic starting point of the Andes cordillera. For the four native tribes of this region, the whole territory is sacred, they consider it as the heart of the Earth.

At the origins, the Arhuacos are semi-nomadic people, frequently traveling between villages, following the rhythm of the seasons. They are a profoundly peaceful people, committed to the preservation of the natural habitat of the Earth, living from agriculture, cattle-rearing as well as their craft that is renowned for its quality all over the world.

Two events have profoundly impacted the Arhuaco history : the Spanish conquest and the evangelization by capuchin missionaries between the end of XIXth and the beginning of the XXth century. In addition to a large number of deaths at the time of the Spanish conquista, the major part of the Arhuaco lands are taken away from them by the colonists. The survivors take refuge in the inhospitable territories of the high plateau of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, turning step by step to a sedentary life.

The arrival of the capuchin settlers endangers not only their socio-political organization or  their language but goes as far as affecting the original cosmogony of the Arhuaco people, thus carrying out a true ethnocide