• Gift Catalog
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships:
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs:
      • Appalachia – West Virginia
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rosebud Reservation – South Dakota
      • Española – New Mexico
  • Projects
  • Give
    • Giving Options:
      • Donate Now
      • Gift Catalog
      • Ways to Give
      • Philanthropy
  • Impact
  • Blog
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Culture and Traditions Worldwide, Free Time Options Ecuador

Waterfalls and Rainforest with the Shuar People

Many indigenous groups live in the Amazon region of Ecuador, including the Huaorani, the Shuar, the Cofán, and the Secoya, to name only some. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the economy of these peoples was based essentially on silviculture and horticulture. They extracted dyes from the achiote plant for face paint and curare poisons for blowgun darts from other plants. These peoples developed complex religious systems, many of which incorporated the use of hallucinogenic plants.

The Shuar are an indigenous people who live in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador and Peru. The Shuar are renowned both by the scientific community and the public for their shamanistic practices. Until the 1950s the Shuar, were a society of male hunters and female gardeners. To preserve their culture and lands, the Shuar (which today number 40, 000), formed the first ethnic federation in Ecuadorian Amazonia in 1964. Traditionally, they were semi-nomadic, practicing small-scale slash-and-burn agriculture, planting crops (such as yucca and sweet potato), moving on before the soil was depleted. Like other Amazonian groups, Shuar shaman administer ayahuasca, a psychoactive infusion, to reach higher planes of consciousness in spiritual practices. Thanks to the work of the Federation of Shuar centers, Shuar identity is very strong; nevertheless, most Shuar also identify strongly to the Ecuadorian nation-state and have entered Ecuadorian electoral politics. Since the discovery of oil in the upper Amazon, the Shuar have been forced to defend their lands from the collective threat of oil extraction.

Our Ecuador Country Manager, Maggie Bjorklund, visited two Shuar communities in a recent trip to the province of Morona-Santiago in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The first order of the day was to give a formal Shuar welcome.

DSC_0517

Maggie being welcomed with a Shuar ritual

Following the welcome ritual and a small chat, the Shuar guide, Diego, took us on a walk in the forest, pointing out many plants and what they are used for.

1

Following our guide, who is much more comfortable walking barefoot in the rainforest

We arrived at the waterfall Kintia Panki, which is sacred for the Shuar people. Diego prayed that the waterfall would give him strength.

DSC_0560

Praying for strength

With the use of medicinal plants, the Shuar medicine man then performed a limpia, or a cleanse, on Maggie to rid her of any bad energy.

DSC_0572

Maggie having a ‘limpia’ done

Following the cleanse, we bathed in the water and swore we had never felt such clean, pristine water before. The view of the surrounding rainforest is indescribable.

Bathing in the waterfall

Bathing in the waterfall Kintia Panki

We then returned to have a delicious lunch of ayanpaco – a traditional Shuar dish of fish, yucca, and plantains cooked in a banana leaf over a wood fire. Eaten with your hands. So healthy. So good.

Shuar hut

The Shuar hut where lunch was served

 

Ayanpaco

‘Ayanpaco’

This was truly a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Shuar culture, their struggle to maintain their traditions, and their views on the opportunities for tourism in the region.

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
April 22, 2014/0 Comments/by Maggie Bjorklund
https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png 0 0 Maggie Bjorklund https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Maggie Bjorklund2014-04-22 16:23:542016-11-14 13:20:35Waterfalls and Rainforest with the Shuar People
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

You must log in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Partner Communities

  • China 66
  • Cook Islands 43
  • Cuba 115
  • Ecuador 87
  • Greece 67
  • Italy 54
  • Montana 42
  • Nepal 15
  • Peru 96
  • Poland 77
  • Portugal 42
  • South Dakota 8
  • St Lucia 57
  • Tanzania 132
  • Vietnam 42
  • West Virginia 24

Categories

  • Boomer Volunteers
  • Conversational English
  • Couples Volunteering
  • Culture and Traditions Worldwide
  • Development Impact
  • Family Volunteers
  • Free Time Options
  • Global Volunteers
  • Group Volunteering
  • Impact Stories
  • Individuals on Teams
  • Projects for Professionals
  • Reaching Children's Potential
  • Repeat Volunteers
  • Retiree Volunteers
  • Staff Worldwide
  • Student Volunteers
  • Uncategorized
  • Volunteer Voices
  • Women volunteers

Tags

alumni volunteers American Indian culture Appalachian culture best destination peru Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English cook islands economy covid-19 covid-19 consequences Cuba people-to-people donate for children Earthbox gardens economic support Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects lgbt program peru resume resume high shcool retiree service-learning share food Spring break summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering
  • About Us
  • Board of Directors
  • Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe receive notifications of new posts and updates by email.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is an apolitical, non-sectarian, non-profit (501C-3) tax-exempt organization.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
April 21 – An Enterprising Day in Appalachia! volunteer work in West Virginia A Well-Spent Week Serving and Learning in Appalachia
Scroll to top
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.