The indigenous cultures
of the Colombian Amazon know very well the limitations of the soil and the fragility
of the use of rainforest resources. Because of this they have developed an adequate
use of the medium for their survival and this knowledge is passed from generation
to generation.
The environmental and social problems caused by bad management in relation to
the conditions have been detected in various regions of the Colombian Amazon
and have necessitated the search for alternatives of development based in the
traditional systems of the native communities and the ecological processes that
rule.
The knowledge of the indigenous systems adapted to the region are hardly being
investigated. In the Amazon the most common form of agriculture before the arrival
of the whites was migratory agriculture which prevailed in the areas of firm
ground and was based upon the process of 'slash and burn.' This is considered
to be the form of use most significant and most applied in the tropical zone
of Caqueta. This system of shifting agriculture involves the cutting down of
small areas of jungle and several years use for crops such as corn and yucca.
After this period of use the land is left to regenerate and the family or community
will move on… often they will plant the used areas with useful trees that
they can return to collect fruits or fibres from.
It is said that more than 260 million people in the world depend on this form
of agriculture and that in Latin America it sustains 50 million people.
The other traditional form of agriculture in the Colombian Amazon involves the
semi-intensive cultivation of 'Vegas'; this is the land that borders rivers.
Such land is higher in fertility due to deposits of sediments from the rivers.
In these places the people normally cultivate crops such as plantain, yucca
corn and a variety of fruits.
In reality the indigenous groups of the Amazon use these two systems depending
on the terrain with some modifications due to the influence of modern culture
and changes suffered since the arrival of the white people.
In the face of the apparent inevitability of the advance of colonization in
the rainforests and the repeated failure of political intervention in these
zones, various environmental groups have shown their concern and have become
occupied in a search for new models of conservation and preservation of the
Amazon eco-systems.
Many of the models proposed for the alternative use of the jungle show a technical
bias and are more occupied in basic agricultural and ecological concerns without
giving equal attention to the cultural and social processes that affect the
use of space and resources of the jungle. In other words, they treat the Amazon
as if it were an empty space and don't examine the guidelines for management
in the indigenous world.
In this sense the studies of the relation between man and nature in the Amazon
that consider the anthropological, ecological and symbolic aspects as equal
to human geography have helped to clarify the panorama for a better comprehension
the problem of the utilization and conservation of the Amazon jungle.
The SEAC has among its objectives,
the study in these zones of these problems, keeping as part of our study, not
only ecological and environmental factors but also the social processes and
symbolic aspects that underlie the management of this eco-system. We believe
that the agricultural systems of the indigenous are more sophisticated and complex
than we imagine and that their methods have a lot to offer for the design of
sustainable agro-systems.
The indigenous have clearly learned to live in the rainforest without destroying
it. They have a detailed knowledge and a long experience of the management of
a large variety of eco-systems. Although the science of ecology related to the
Amazon jungle has progressed, the indigenous knowledge should be incorporated
rather than ignored in the search for ecologically suitable and viable alternatives.
The Relationship between Man and Nature among the Indigenous of the Amazon:
Our experience and knowledge
of some of the native communities of the Colombian Amazon in Caqueta and Putamayo
has given us the conviction that the management of the jungle can not be reduced
to experimentation with techno-economic or normal ecological models. Its management
has been articulated by the indigenous in forms of social organization and conceptualizations
that order the experience through archetypes. These are portrayed through myth
and religion or in vernacular expressions that combine classifications and behavioural
aspects of flora, fauna, soils, waters and landscape. These forms have been
used from generation to generation to orientate the relationship between man
and nature.
The sophisticated taxonomy by the indigenous of the soils, ethnobotanical classifications
and so on show a profound knowledge and experimentation in their search for
adequate management of the jungle.
The landscape is a result, in part, of the adaptation of man and is a cultural
product at the same time. Man is influenced by the landscape, it is not separate
from him and as a result of his interaction with nature he obtains experience
and knowledge of natural medicine, the laws of nature and social organization.
The rites of indigenous shamanism show a knowledge of the cosmos that is very
different to the materialist and scientific concepts of technological society.
Contrary to that proposed
by many ecological organizations and state entities, including the propositions
of some anthropologists we believe that we cannot impose our parameters and
concepts upon the indigenous communities because these parameters are products
of the rationalist and technocratic mind that has made a civilization characterised
by the unbalancing and destruction of Mother Earth.
We have much to learn and discover from the indigenous in relation to the adequate
management of the jungle and its resources. The inscription of the medium and
the territory as an essential part of the organization of the cosmos, work as
an expression of integration with the medium, the principle of reciprocity as
a base of relations in the society and with nature and social behaviour expressed
in the characteristics of certain animals are some forms.
We cannot ignore shamanism as an intermediary between man and nature and as
a source of knowledge and medicine. Indigenous mythology is also a source of
accumulated experience and knowledge of the relationship between the society
and nature. Shamanism and its mythology amount to a demonstration of the indigenous
philosophy in relation to management of their environment and the active interaction
with the different elements present in nature.
This meeting of experiences and knowledge is fundamental to the way in which
native peoples manage their environment.
The preservation of the environment is not only a matter of conservation of
the medium and modern society without there being guarantees in relation to
the survival of societies with alternative forms of development, which respect
their right to have dynamic and proper relations with other societies.
This doesn't only include the opportunity to learn their knowledge, it also
includes the obligation to respect their right to opt freely for the path they
wish for in the future.
The relevance of the ancient
knowledge of our indigenous ancestors in these days is not only in relation
to Pachamama (The Earth) but also in relation to medicine, shamanism and social
organization.
Our aim is to rescue this knowledge before it is lost, not only out of a passive
curiosity, but through a practical project of social, economic and ecological
organization that will form a centre of investigation for the implementation
of similar models in other places where needed.