The Tsachila

My co-worker Stephen has put up a flicker site with many pictures from orientation. He's much more artistic, so it's worth a look:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42829697@N06/

Yesterday I found out more about the Tsachila people. They were nomadic forest dwellers until the 1960's, when mestizo agriculturalists moved in and started clearing the forest. Most now engage in some sort of agriculture. It is a passive culture, usually moving away from conflict and adults traditionally spoke back to back. Their cosmology was centered on the human relationship to the forest, so there has been an extreme culture shock in the last fifty years with the introduction of agriculture and the building of a paved road.

The group leaders will be staying in the cultural center, whose mission is to preserve their culture. The students have home stays in the neighboring villages. We're re-foresting areas that have been degraded by agricultural practices in an attempt to try and rebuild some of their traditional culture. Having studyed a bit of botany the last two years, I'm excited to talk with people that understand trees in such a radically different way.