La Guardia Indígena Nasa: Formas de defensa de la Vida y la Madre Tierra en Toribío-Cauca

Abstract

It is a common thing that the end of a stage of university studies demands a research exercise. But the present work goes beyond that. More than a requirement, it emerges as an effort to put in dialogue what has been learned in the classroom - the theory - with the lived life - the practice. And it will have to be from this perspective that the present research will have to be conceived. My personal and professional life has been closely related to the indigenous world. I was born in Caquetá, a department with a significant indigenous presence. My hometown, Solano, has among its inhabitants, countless indigenous communities scattered throughout its territory. Since I was a child, I learned to interact with indigenous people, both in public and private spaces. As a missionary, I had to work in places with a strong indigenous presence, such as Toribio, Cauca. It was precisely in this Resguardo and its surroundings where for the first time I came into serious contact with the indigenous world. In Toribio I heard stories and witnessed indigenous struggles. In Toribio I lived with indigenous people and learned to appreciate their vital world. Yes, in Toribio I really came into contact with the indigenous world. And one thing really caught my attention: the fighting spirit. Daily life at the side of the indigenous Nasa allowed me to discover their almost natural inclination to the preservation of their own and of the land; a reality that gave birth to a boundless curiosity in me. What does it mean to be indigenous in these lands? Why in these territories does life always demand community struggles? Who is the one who commits himself to these struggles? What do these struggles contribute to humanity in general and to Colombianity in particular? - I wondered to myself.