Los Yanakona: Culture, Healing, and Cosmovision in Colombia
Share
Today majority of the indigenous Yanakona people live in the south-east of Colombia, in Cauca. There are aprox 33.000 Yanakona people.
In the 16th century they settled in the Colombian massif. Colonialization and invasions forced many to leave, others were used as labor force in the gold mines.
In the 19th century the catholic church forced the implementation of the Christian religion and Castilian language (Spanish). The violence against and exploitation of the Yanakona people contributed to the loss of their identity, and with it their language.
Today the Yanakona culture is a mix of ancestral traditions and catholic religion.
In the Yanacona cosmovision/world view, the cosmos is divided in three worlds: The world at the bottom where the tapucos live, the intermediate world where the people live, and world above which belongs to God and the saints, and above all the sun and moon. These three worlds are explained with expressions such as warm/cold, up/down, human/savage, and are guidelines of knowledge to give meaning to social and natural events.
Health is in the hands of knowledgeable people:
The herbalist prepares the adequate medical infusions for each specific illness. The “sobandero” treats dislocated bones and performs massages to alleviate muscles. The “parteras”, doula, takes care of the becoming mother and the child in the womb. The healer is in charge of healing the fears and expel the bad spirits when they take over people, houses or chagras.
The Tawa Chakana, known as the Andean cross, represents balance and harmony between the different realms of existence and the elements of nature. It is a central symbol of the Andean culture and represents the union of the human, terrestrial and celestial worlds, as well as the four cardinal points.
Our collaborating artist Yuly Marcela Cordoba belongs to the Yanakona people. Her brother, Taita Edwin Dorado, his wife Wendy and their two children come and visit us in Europe this summer to share their culture, healing practices, art and music.
…More to come…
