It’s three in the morning and at Unión Base, headquarters of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE). In the province of Pastaza or anywhere in the Shuar, Kichwa, Siecopay, Siona territory, the rumbling of the drums indicates that something very important is about to happen. People come from here and there — they are the people of the towns and nationalities of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE). They are the same people who have responded to the call of the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA), to start the NUMI Restoration Project, «Restoring Territories of Life».
Due to the importance of this cultural meeting, people gather at dawn to celebrate and practice the ceremony of «taking the Wayusa.” The Wayusa is an energizing and sacred plant according to the Amazonian peoples, which is prepared and shared with family, friends, with the community and constitutes a space for reflection about daily activities. The plant also serves to recognize, advise and question the actions of members of the community. During this event, topics of interest are also analyzed and the activities of the day are planned. In this special ceremony, they are informed about the important COICA project, NUMI.
NUMI is an Indigenous Amazonian initiative that started after the 2019 forest fires that arose in much of the Amazon and gravely affected the lungs of the world. The footprint of this disaster has left irreparable environmental and socio-cultural damage: human inhabitants, species of fauna and flora, sites, soils, sacred watersheds, are now diminished and in distress. These fires have seriously threatened the survival of Amazonian cultures, and with that endangering the existence of systems of traditional and spiritual knowledge, governance, traditional medicine, and all the ancient ancient knowledge linked to the uses and customs of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin.
The fires in the Amazon have revealed a point about degradation to all the peoples and nationalities and their territories. In particular, the ancestral territories of the Ecuadorian Amazon have experienced the degradation of the forests for many decades. Currently, the are suffering constant harassment of their territories by extractive activities and it is this that has significantly altered the way of life of ancestral peoples. There is great concern and the Indigenous Peoples feel that Mother Earth is sick. Hundreds of trees disappear every day, our rivers are polluted, animals and our medicines disappear. Grandfathers and grandmothers reflect on what to do in this serious situation that affects not only the Amazon, but the entire planet. The United Nations has recognized the fundamental role of Indigenous Peoples and communities to combat climate change. We are the guardians of the forest and based on our traditional systems of land use, organization, life systems, ancestral knowledge we have been able to maintain, conserve, protect and preserve the mega-diversity of the Amazon Basin.
Currently, NUMI contributes to a pioneering initiative to recover the Amazon ecosystem and the Indigenous territories deforested by the industrial invasion, extractivism and bad management policies of natural areas, among others. NUMI encourages reforestation with native plants: fruit trees, medicinal plants, timber, etc. These activities are carried out with the joyful and effective participation of children, young people, elders and especially with the great participation of the women of the communities, based on ancestral community work, the «MINGA», and with the support of CONFENIAE. This initiative is being carried out with the nationalities and territories: SHUAR, KICHWA, AI COFAN, SIECOPAI and SIONA.
