Ecuador Eco Volunteer

Archive for the ‘Environmental Sustainability’ Category

Huaorani Children after Christian Missionaries Westernized their Tribe

Few of these Amazonian tribes live as they did as little as 50 years ago and fewer still remain uncontacted by what we egotistically refer to as “civilization.”

The uncontacted tribes that remain in the Amazon are under threat as illegal loggers, poachers (and in Ecuadors case the Oil Companies) ruthlessly push further and further into the jungle. Another of the biggest dangers to these tribes is that their immune systems have been sheltered from the innumerous diseases and infections of modern civilization and something as small as the common cold can wipe them out like they did to the Australian Aboriginies and other indigenous groups in world history.

We need to do more to protect these peoples so that history does not repeat.

Uncontacted Tribes of the Ecuadorian Amazon

Because Ecuador has the fastest rate of deforestation in the entire Amazon basin and the largest oil reserves outside of Venezuela the rich and magical cultures of the Kichwa, Shuar, and Huaorani have had no choice but to change and adapt to an increasingly brutal and unjust world to survive.

The majority of these tribes have had to abandon the nomadic lifestyle and setup small villages to protect their territory from illegal land grabs and sadly in the worst effected areas some of these tribes have abandoned their native religion and language as well.

Ecuador does however have as many as five tribes living in voluntary isolation that have refused to be eaten up by the modern world. These tribes are of the Huaorani ethnicity and are called the Tagaeri, the Huiñatare, the Oñamenane, and two groups of the Taromenane that currently live the naked and nomadic life of their ancestors inside the Yasuni Biosphere and along the border of Peru.

The impending drilling of the giant oil fields inside Yasuni National Park will change all of that.

Today in Ecuador many people doubt these tribes still exist and the oil companies with vested interests in the Yasuni have rigorously tried to push this view. A friend who works in the Ministry of Environment in Coca has seen aerial photos taken by the Ecuadorian Military that prove their existence but the government will not release them – the optimist in me hopes this is to conceal their location instead of attempting to conform to the oil companies powerful point of view.

From time to time other evidence emerges that is too hard to refute about the existence of these tribes – like the body of a illegal rare wood logger found in Yasuni National Park with 7 spears in his stomach. Or reports that these illegal loggers murdered five uncontacted tribes people and cut off their heads to intimidate them.

Uncontacted Tribes of the Brazillian Amazon

We know very little about the language and cultures and even whereabouts of many of the Amazons uncontacted tribes. Sadly a few of South Americas governments like Peru have used this as an excuse to claim they do not even exist. To counter this stupidity a documentary with some fascinating footage of an uncontacted tribe in Brazil has been released to defend the rights of these people. You can see part of it here:

You can help by signing this petition addressed to President Humala of Peru to step up and protect the human rights of these people.

Yasuni National Park is a very controversial topic at the moment because this stunning natural treasure of the Amazon is not only the most biodiverse region on the planet but also the location of Ecuadors largest untapped oil reserves.

Ecuador already has one of the poorest records in the world with regards to environmental safety regulations for oil drilling mostly due to environmental catastrophies caused by Chevron / Texaco during the 28 years of their unregulated drilling often called a “Chenobyl in the Amazon”

Under Rafael Correas current administration environmental protection has improved drastically but Ecuador still has the highest level of deforestation in South America. In 2007 the government endorsed a plan called the “ITT Initiative” named after the Ishpingo, Tiputini y Tambococha rivers inside Yasuni National Park where the giant oil reserves were discovered.

This plan calls on rich first world nations to pay Ecuador 50% of the prospective value of the oil reserves in exchange for leaving the 846 million barrels of oil in the ground. The ITT Initiative was met with world wide applause and a sincere effort to raise the money but after the Global Financial Crisis there is serious doubt that first world nations will be able to fund the plan.

If by the 31st of December in 2011 the ITT Fund has not raised 100million dollars from the international community the plan will be scrapped, the money already in the fund will be returned, and one of the most pristine and beautiful places on the planet will be pillaged in the name of progress.

The drilling will cause an estimated 407 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emmissions and the release of another 800 million metric tonnes from the resulting deforestation.

The future looks bleak for Yasuni.

To find out more read this translation of a very pessemistic interview of the ex-president of the Yasuni ITT Commission Roque Sevilla

Here is what Caroline Ely from the UK fthinks about her time volunteering in the Amazon at the Animal Rescue Center – But first the shortened version: “After finishing my 6 month travels through all of South America this was by far the high light of my trip and i hope to one day return.”

I spent 2 months volunteering at the Animal Rescue Center in Ecuadors Amazon rainforest and had the most amazing time there. Its hard to put into words how magical the place is. When i first arrived i was picked up in Puyo by the owner named Merdardo, who was very friendly and chatty and it was easy to see that he was very passionate about the animals which he looked after.

After a quick trip to the supermarket we went to the Animal Sanctuary in the jungle where i was welcomed by an amazing group of other volunteers all willing to show me around and let me know what there was to do on a day to day basis.

There was a big mix of animals at the sanctuary, all of which were on their own journey to being rehabilitated back into the wild. I was fortunate that whilst i was there a little 3 year old spider monkey had been rescued from the black market in animal trafficking and i was lucky enough to be appointed the “mother” of this adorable little monkey.

I got to spend my days with her in the cage building up her trust so i could then let her out of her cage daily for her to roam around the jungle as she wished before returning with me to the cage. This was so very rewarding knowing that id helped her become more confident not to be scared of the outdoors (as she was previously a pet kept indoors!) I also feel i need to mention Lucero, Merdardos wife who is the kindest person i have ever met and works so hard to keep everything going, and is always around if you need help for any reason.

The Animal Sanctuary is in a beautiful place in the Amazon surrounded by animals and amazing rivers to wash in and i would class it as a very tranquil experience. After finishing my 6 month travels through all of South America this was by far the high light of my trip and i would hope to one day return.

The most important archeological site in Ecuador is the pre-Incan pyramid built 2400 years BC on the peak of a mountain in the Andes. The pyramid is called Puñay and is 450 meters long and 40 meters tall and built at 3245 metres above sea level making it the highest located pyramid in the world.

To this day most tourists who visit Ecuador are unaware of its existence. Its recent discovery in 2002 means it has yet to be developed and protected by the government as a tourist site.

And this is both GOOD and BAD.

GOOD because while all the tourists are visiting the much smaller Inca Ruins of Inga Pirca by the busload we get to explore the structurally superior and much more beautiful pyramid of Puñay all by ourselves.

BAD because grave robbers have taken advantage of the lack of government controls at the rarely visited sacred site by desecrating the pyramid in search of gold and ancient artifacts.

Having visited the Andean Pyramid over 20 times first as a tourist and then as a guide ive come to have a great affinity with this mystical place. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited in my travels around the world and it pains me to see these holes dug by grave robbers all over the pyramid.

At this point in time the best we can do to protect the pyramid is to spread the word of its existence until the Ecuadorian government gets its act together to protect it. There isnt much information on the internet about Puñay so ive decided to write the most comprehensive article ever written on the pyramid in English to date right here.

Construction and History

It is believed that the temple was once an ancient astrological observatory where Amautas and Yacchas (Andean wisemen and priests) worshiped the God of the Sun “Inti” who is sacred to all of the Kichwa cultures in the Andes. Carbon dating and topographical mapping by the School of Ecotourism in the University Politecnica de Chimborazo verifies the pyramid was built 4,657 years ago and constructed in the form of a Macaw or Guacamaya.

There is little doubt that the pyramid was constructed by the Cañari people who were one of the most advanced pre-Incan cultures in the Andes because of the technology utilized in its construction.

An archeological investigation discovered that the stones and clay used to construct the pyramid do not occur naturally on the mountain and were carried from nearby mines in the valleys surrounding Puñay.

At the very top of the structure there are twin truncated pyramids which are very similar to many other Mesoamerican Pyramids and believed to be dedicated to worshipping the sun and the moon.

In the photo above you can see several of the steps or terraces on one side of the pyramid. The photo to the left is of the moon pyramid at the peak of the structure taken from the slightly larger sun pyramid.

One of the reasons that Puñay has laid undiscovered for so long is because of erosion and the build up of biomass on the surface of the site which has slightly affected the temples structure making it appear to be an extension of the mountain when viewed from afar.
 

Rediscovery and Consequent Desecration of the Pyramid

A Kichwa myth about a lost pyramid containing golden artifacts located somewhere in the Ecuadorian highlands lured both archeologists and grave robbers to the area in search of Puñay. In 2002 Christian Aguirre, a teacher in the School of Ecotourism in the University Politecnica de Chimborazo, helped “rediscover” the pyramid. He also conducted the first archeological study of the temples dimensions and created a topographical map of the site which showed the temple has the formation of a giant Macaw, a bird sacred to all Andean Cultures.

In an interview Christian said with regards to the many holes in the pyramid “These holes were made about 50 to 70 years ago by gringos. Nobody knows what they took but many people here say there used to be a lot of gold”

In 2003 Eudoro Flores the former mayor of the nearby city of Chunchi was noted as saying “If you want gold, go to Puñay” but added he was impelled to promote the place for tourism to help its conservation and prevent grave robbers from further desecrating the site.

“Spiritual Patrimony of the Peoples and Nations of Humanity”

On The 21st of June 2007 an “Ancestral meeting for the arrival of new times” was held on Puñay to celebrate Inti Raymi which marks the winter solstice. The Minister for Tourism in Ecuador at the time, María Isabel Salvador, along with the main authorities of Chimborazo province and indigenous leaders from the Sierra Centro described the event as a “symbolic act of enormous importance to the Andean people” and declared Puñay as the “Spiritual Patrimony of the Peoples and Nations of Humanity”

This was a step in the right direction to strengthen the tourism and cultural potential of The Lost Pyramid Puñay and ensure its future conservation. Four years later today however and it seems like the Ecuadorian government has forgotten about the sacred site which means we have to take matters into our own hands to protect it.

Hey guys I apologise for that last email sent out with the mangled bits of code. I was experimenting with a new Photo Gallery plugin for wordpress and needless to say the experiment failed spectacularly hehe.

Right now im writing from the beautiful city of La Paz in Bolivia. It kind of reminds me of a few cities in the Ecuadorian Andes, like a cross between Quito, Latacunga, and Cuenca – but it is definitely a unique and stunning city.

This is the first time i’ve been able to hook my macbook up to some wifi for a month so here are some photos of a few of our volunteers when we went on a horseback riding trip around the Ecuadorian Andes mountain of Chimborazo.