About a year ago, I was able to meet a wonderful lady, Cornelia Chumpi. Cornelia is a member of the Shuar federation here in Ecuador, one of the fourteen indigenous groups of Ecuador. The Shuar occupy the Western area of the Amazon where they often interact with the Achuar indigenous group. The Shuar has traditionally been stereotyped as a violent and unruly group by government officials to support natural resource and mining exploitation deals with foreign countries. Despite the complicated and multifaceted relationship between the Amazonian people, the state, and foreign interests, the Shuar persist in their efforts to preserve their traditions and communities.
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| Cornelia and I posing for the camera |
In December of last year, I was able to visit Cornelia and stay in her community of twenty-two thousand inhabitants. It was quite a trip from Guayaquil, Ecuador including a 10 hour bus ride to Macas and then a four-hour bus ride to the community. Once there, Cornelia immediately took me to one of my favorite places: the community school. Since 1988, the indigenous groups of Ecuador won the right to a bilingual education that includes teaching in their native language and according to their worldview.
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| Cornelia leading the morning assembly with words in the Shuar language |
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The roof of this tiny dwelling is representative of a traditional Shuar house
After I witnessed the morning assembly, Cornelia then took me to her home, a short walk from the school. I was able to see all her beautiful earrings that she makes by hand and original spears that were given to her and her husband. I stayed for four more days in the community and was able to spend so quality time getting to know the nearby lakes and waterfalls with her relatives. On the last day, I was able to attend the school beauty pageant for Christmas. Like any typical school assembly in the U.S., the students were thrilled to cheer for their favorites and perform in front of their peers.
Just this past weekend, Cornelia continues her efforts for quality education in the community. To celebrate Mother's Day, the school held a festival on May 12 where the grades prepared typical foods from the Amazon area and recited poems for their mothers.
Ishkay Yachay means "two wisdom or knowledge" in Kichwa. It represents bilingual education's efforts to place both indigenous and western worldviews as equals. Cornelia and many other indigenous people in Ecuador continue to fight for their right to be equally represented and heard in an rapidly-changing society.
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