By: Alexis Campbell, Shaiann Desvignes, Marian Heredia, & Shaelin Nixon-Mosee
The Awa Kwaiker
Northern Ecuador, Southern Colombia
History |
Cultural Belief |
The Awa Kwaiker, also known as the Awa were originally introduced to the world by Spanish conquistadors who named them "Kwaiker", the name of the river which they were first discovered at. The population is about 30,000. Their reserve was first established in the northwestern equator in 1987. The reserve combines the people with the forestry land so that they can manage their own land. Originally, they were hunter-gatherers and collected fish, while cultivating plants. Today, they farm the livestock such as chickens, pigs, ducks, and guinea pigs.
Role of PlantsThey grow plants and use them for both medicine and food. They like to use natural medicine with plants and will not go to a doctor until it is absolutely necessary. The Awa practice intercropping which is growing two or more crops in the same space but in rows. They grow many different varieties of manioc and plantains.
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The Awa have many myths and symbols that they believe in. One example is that they believe the jungle in which they live in has spirits that control their lives. These spirits are in charge of watching over people, and organizing the world in the order that of values that are considered important to the Awa. They also have traditional doctors who use traditional medicine and base their knowledge off of info that has been passed from generation to generation.
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