” NATURE CANNOT BE REGARDED AS SOMETHING SEPARATE FROM OURSELVES OR AS A MERE SETTING IN WHICH WE LIVE ” Pope Francis
Heard of Kogis – the guardians of the last functioning civilization alive from the past ? These indigenous people live in Columbia, South America. Ever since I heard about them from two of my visitors, I longed to learn more about them.
It’s only recently I came across a documentary film made at their request by the former staff of BBC Alan Ereira. The film is ALUNA (a 2012 documentary film sequel to the 1990 BBC documentary) done with Mama Manuel Coronado, Mama Francisca Zarabata, Mama Shibulata Zarabata – the leaders of this ancient hidden civilization. The mamas (shamans) travel with an aging Alan and 400 kilometers of gold thread to trace invisible connections in nature and show humankind how to avoid destroying the planet.
The first documentary From the Heart of The World: Elder Brother’s Warning, showed to the world an ancient Tairona civilization safeguarded by Kogi tribe (the Elder Brother) who offer their concern for people of the modern world (Younger Brother). We were cautioned to change or suffer environmental disaster. After offering the warning the Kogi retreated to their isolated community in the triangular mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, 5 miles high on the Colombian-Caribbean coast.
The Kogis have made the recent documentary film seeing us drowning in our own shit! To help us avoid the destruction of the world that they are trying to protect, and of ourselves they came up with Aluna which means conscience! Eight years after having raised their voice today we are alarmed by an insignificant virus choking our throats and lungs!!
POLLUTED PLANET
I am no more proud to say that I am native of a town on the banks of river Periyar, where I was trained to swim at very early age by my wise mother who cut banana trunks and floated as life support. The same river very soon turned into a poison lagoon where we saw the dead fishes and tortoises floating !
Living since last 3 years at Vagamon, one of the sources of river Meencahil, I got involved in Save Meenachil River movement. In order to support the cause, along with some renowned artists I organized a workshop so that new generation will resist the indiscriminate development of tourism. The mobilized students and other enlightened people have been instrumental in forming a network of ecofriendly persons through Whatsapp group. They have been very effective to see to implementation of laws against pollution, and also to protect people from floods and landslides by prompt communication and mobilization.
We have seen the urgency for an understanding of life different from what we learnt from the mechanical text book learning at school to an organic interactive education with environment where art and spirituality became resourceful.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Albert Einstein
There is a touching scene in the film Aluna, where the Kogis after a respectful moment of silence and homage by the riverside, enter into the river bare bodied. The embarassed Britisher later removes his shirt in respect. It was a moment of realization that he was standing on the holy waters. Wisdom lesson!? To relate to nature we need to strip off our “used to” habits. It takes a naked reverential attitude to reconnect our true nature with the environment.
URGENT RETHINK
Dr Leonard Shlain M.D a neurosurgeon through his research on alphabetization, its effect on civilization and human brain showed that reading and writing had some unintended consequences on literate civilizations. Would the developments of the 21st century with its preference for audio-visual communication and greater openness to other dimensions of reality lead us to a more balanced thinking?
Could Android smart phones and google mapping tools empower indigenous people to raise awareness around the world and enable them to take their destiny in their own hands? The Sotori tribe in Amazon has mapped and measured carbon in their trees on their traditional lands and have sold their offsets in the carbon market bringing millions of dollars to their tribe to resist illegal mining! Read more Chief Almira was quoted in the press as saying, “The Sotori don’t know much about technology, but Google doesn’t know much about the forests, and we do, and together we can form a stronger partnership for the benefit of the people and the environment of the rain forest.”
Thus the way forward for our world is listening to each other and rethinking together so that a common home is possible! “Every violation of solidarity and civic friendship harms the environment” reminds the papal document Laudato Si.
