Dear Reader,
Examining indigenous cultures is naturally eye-opening to the reality of exploitation, colonization, and the destructive forces of modernity. The exhibit Amazonia did exactly this for me, causing me consider how intensive the exploitation of land, resources, and people can really be. I began to question the innate morality of humans and the danger of our ongoing power relations. Will we ever learn to live in an equilibrium with other cultures and countries?
While visiting the exhibit, I was particularly drawn to the Kamëntsà Headdress. The description below the display credited the piece to Basilio Juajibloy, one member of the 5,000 in the indigenous group, Kamëntsà, located in Colombia. It explains that the group had fallen under the Inca Empire in 1492 and later became occupied by the Spanish in 1542. This then eventually led to Catholic missionaries governing the Sibundoy Valley where the Kamëntsà people resided. There was a consistent trend, as with nearly every indigenous culture, of controlling powers forcibly seizing and “governing” land and peoples. This was a prominent topic in my Anthropology 100 course taught by Ethnobotanist Wade Davis. A primary focus in our studies was on the harmful repercussions of governing powers recognizing the biological potential of the Amazonian natural resources, therefore, a reason to occupy (generation of wealth).
Similar to many other tribes in the Amazon, the Kamëntsà’s have a significant cultural respect for natural resources and Mother Nature. When their land was originally occupied, over time there was undoubtedly a mass exploitation of resources and people. The Kamëntsà Headdress was made to be used in the indigenous group’s Catholic ceremony, a celebration in which thanks Mother Nature for all that she has provided. The underlying nature of the “Forgiveness and Reconciliation Carnival” caused me to question if it was truly a “Catholic” ceremony; in the absence of worshipping a divine being, would it still be considered religious? In reality, the indigenous practice predated Catholicism, which likely meant the missionaries took claim of the cultural ceremony. Knowing this, I personally found that the Kamëntsà Headdress symbolizes a sense of resilience and unwavering commitment to their cultural values. My only connection to the Indigenous Kamëntsà group may be simply sitting in an Anthropology course, listening to a professor recount his experiences and studies, but I consider my absolute enthrallment with inspiring Amazonian cultures, like the Kamëntsà, to be a connection.
