For most of us, the close roar of a black panther would provoke instant fear. For the Siona Indigenous people of the Buenavista reserve, the proximity of big cats to their territories is exciting. It means the calls from the communities’ Taitas, or spiritual leaders, are being answered: The panthers have arrived to defend their ancestral Amazonian territory.
At the invitation of the Siona Guardia Indígena, who hosted the second convening of Amazonian Indigenous guards between Colombia and Ecuador, we arrived in Colombia in late November. Over the last week, Amazon Watch completed the field visit to the Colombian Amazon, which for many on the team has been an ambitious dream finally brought to fruition. The delegation was led by Advocacy Director Andrew Miller and Climate and Finance Director Moira Birss as a follow-up to the last visit in May of this year. They were joined by Amazon Defender’s Fund (ADF) Associate Leny Olivera and Communications Director Ada Recinos to strengthen relationships with grassroots defenders of Colombia’s rainforests.
The Siona of Buenavista are a beacon of resistance against incursions of oil companies like GeoPark into their territories. This is dangerous work for their leaders, who have operated under intimidation and threats. Solidarity from Colombian and international allies can be crucial to their success. Whereas over the last two years Amazon Watch has been supporting the Siona through international advocacy campaigns and media exposure – in collaboration with other ally organizations like Amazon Frontlines – there is no substitute for a visit to their communities to strengthen the person-to-person relationships upon which all the work is built.
Being in territory over the course of several days, we now better understand their vision to protect their ancestral territories – including through intense spiritual practices – and their specific needs in the near term. Supplementing our regular communications with elected leaders, we were able to hear from a broader range of community members, including spiritual elders and youth voices. It was truly an honor and privilege to represent Amazon Watch, both our fellow staff members and thousands of supporters.
Financial backing from our Amazon Defenders Fund has been an important part of Amazon Watch’s contribution. Over the last year, we have supported the construction of Buenavista’s Casa de Gobernanza, a central meeting space where community assemblies make decisions regarding their autonomous government, the current construction of a new ceremonial house far out in their territory for spiritual rituals, and fresh research to support legal and advocacy strategies to take on the territorial threats confronting the Siona.
Seeing their work in action was inspiring and proved once more that this type of urgent and flexible funding by the ADF is transforming communities by directly responding to the needs from the ground up. For ADF Associate Leny, the lessons learned directly from the communities about their immediate and long-term needs to complete their defenders’ work is invaluable and will inform the strategic direction of new funding for Colombia’s defenders, particularly in strengthening the work of women.
When we arrived on the shores of the Putumayo River to board our small boat to Buenavista, we were picked up by one of the Guardia’s youngest members, a 12-year-old apprentice. We were told that adolescents that join the guard are very respected in the community for choosing to take this type of role and their assignments are a representation of the trust the Siona have in them.
Visits to Indigenous communities like this one are key to establishing a relationship of trust, which is something Amazon Watch takes great care to do. We are thrilled to continue our solidarity work with the Siona of Buenavista and are excited to find out what the communities will assign us next.
