In the Siekoya Remolino community, in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon, the Keñao Women’s Association gathers 26 Indigenous women from the Secoya Nation of Ecuador and Peru.
Keñao takes its name from an ant that symbolizes strength, resilience, and collective work. Inspired by it, the women of the association work to preserve the Siekopaai culture, worldview, ancestral knowledge, and territory.
Their work unites memory, organization, and the future. Through initiatives such as traditional pottery, the Keñao Laboratory, self-directed education, reforestation, and community connectivity, the association promotes local bioeconomy alternatives that strengthen families and protect the Amazon rainforest.
The Keñao women have decided to conserve and safeguard more than 21,000 hectares of forest—a territory rich in biodiversity, history, and life. Drawing on their knowledge, their hands, and their organization, they assert the role of Indigenous women as guardians of culture and the rainforest.
Keñao embodies collective strength, ancestral memory, and a commitment to Amazonian life.
