Voices from the forgotten indigenous nations of Bolivia
Before they were nations, they were tribes.
Large close families with their own ways of life.
Who sailed without borders, without haste.
Then came the state apparatus, and later, modernity.
They are not part of universal history, nor of the official one.
Today they continue to live from the forest, from the river, because they decided so.
Their voices echo from their ancestral territory.
They were not born with rights, they conquered them.
Today, they continue to resist extinction, oblivion.
Today, they are the ones who write their history.
These are the voices of the forgotten indigenous nations of Bolivia.
Like a broken omen, the Guarasu’we people resist the extinction announced in the 60s. Today, members of this great family from both Bolivia and Brazil, a people without borders, take the reins of their history, permanently leading a peaceful struggle to recover their ancestral territory, conquer their rights, honor the legacy of their ancestors and not let their tongue die in silence.
On the banks of the Iténez River and within the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, a multifaceted leader stands out. In addition to being the chief of the community, he plays key roles in the local school as a teacher, administrator, and, on some Sundays, officiates the religious ceremony in Bella Vista. His involvement is part of the cultural richness of this Amazonian region.
The Guarasu’we are human beings, of Bolivian nationality; although Bolivia forgot about them, they lived apart from civilization in the jungles of the Bolivian east, and despite that, they have been its victims. It is the obligation of every Bolivian to know the history of these people, as we all share the guilt of their extinction» (Jürgen Riester, 1978), This is a journey through time, through the curious gaze of Jürgen Riester (+2019), whose expeditions in the 1960s marked him forever and created in him a commitment to the defense of the rights of the indigenous peoples of lowland Bolivia.
There are places in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where nature bears witness to ancient stories, such as the one of the man who sails alone or of the rain that, after the rain, never stops falling. In Revista Nómadas, the millenary voices of the indigenous people become six illustrations that tell microchronicles that should never be forgotten.
A sensitive work that takes us on a journey deep into the wilderness, to get to know the daily lives of three women in Guarasu’we territory. The short film created by Javier Badani in Bolivia is a visual journey into the tireless efforts of the Picaflor community to revitalize their language and keep their identity alive.
Amidst the majesty of the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, Ignacia Montero, Luis Carlos Rocha, and Benedicto Durán, fight with determination to preserve their cultural legacy and the rich biodiversity of the Bolivian Amazon heartland. Resistance against extinction takes on new meaning in this region, where nature and tradition intertwine.
She is the coordinator of the Guarasu’we Language and Culture Institute. She feels a great need and concern to recover the living words of her people, which are in danger of extinction.
The indigenous amazon people whom Yaneramai created from the seed of a pumpkin, are facing difficult days in the territories of Bolivia and Brazil. But the strength of a culture whose accomplice is life without haste is stronger than the threats to their territory.