The Original People

Original people are those considered to be the earliest settlers of a region, having generations of intertwined tradition and ancestral wisdom all connected to their lands. With this long standing relationship comes a natural respect for their environment. The land provides food, water, spiritual wisdom and sacred knowledge, which is passed down from generation to generation. In return for this great gift, original people stand in guardianship over their land, protecting and preserving its sacredness, ancestral traditions and their way of life.

The Amazon rainforest is truly magnificent, spanning Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela, each of these regions providing a home for many original communities. Original people have thrived alone here for millenia. Now, with the arrival of the modern world, they have been forced to adapt their old ways to the new. Yet, living in such isolated locations, communities are often forgotten, with a lack of modern day resources to support their sustainability and future survival. Accessing educational resources and medical care are some of the biggest barriers they face. You may say that this is their choice, for wishing to maintain a traditional way of life, but what would the world look like without original communities in place?

Guardians of the Amazon

We have seen a rapid decline in the Amazon rainforest. Since 1978 deforestation has seen the loss of 185 million acres of forest. Soon the Amazon will no longer be able to support its many ecosystems, damage that will soon become irreversible. This situation directly links to the many changes witnessed in our climate globally, changes which have now reached a point of crisis. Slowing the decline are the original people who are on the front line, facing many threats to their lands. They are the people who stand and protect the Amazon against extractive companies, gold miners, illegal loggers, ranchers, soy farmers, all set for exploitation and profit. Faced with damage to waterways caused by oil spills, fires on their lands, acts of violence and sexual assault, some pay the ultimate price with their lives as they fight for their voices to be heard. A once harmonious and peaceful way of life, now lost and under attack, battling against the advances of the modern world.

The Kurikindi Foundation wishes to create a bridge between the ways of the original people and the modern world. One that does not impose its own agenda on marginalised communities, but instead aims to create a united agenda where all people are valued. An agenda which provides fair and equal access to resources for all citizens, where knowledge and wisdom is shared, both traditional and modern. A dialogue that respects the sovereignty and ancestral connection original people have with their lands. One which values the lives and contributions of all people, creatures and that of our living, breathing planet.

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