The Cofan, named after the Cofa Na’e (“Important river”) or Aguarico River, also known as the a’i (“Human”), are the last surviving remnants of the native tribes of the Amazon basin. They live in harmony with the forest, masters and keepers of it’s secrets. Since oil and gold were discovered in their lands almost a century ago, the area has been devastated by western companies and the fragile ecosystem endangered. Today, the Cofan are fighting for their rights to protect their traditional lands and culture.
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S America
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Tropical
Discover one of Ameridian’s main ethnic groups, Mapuche—‘mapu’ meaning ‘of the land’ and ‘che’ meaning ‘people’. The Mapuche are fearless defenders of their territory and traditions; hunting and harvesting their holy lands and praising the spiritual gods through celebrations of music and storytelling.
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S America
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Mild
Venture across the oases and valleys of the Atacama salt basin and Loa River and learn to live off the land like the Atacameños do. The Atacameños are also known as apatamas, alpatamas, kunzas, likan-antai or likanantaí which translates to 'the inhabitants of the land’. For years the communities have made the northwest of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia their homes.
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S America
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Arid
Venture across the Chiloe Archipielago in the Chilean Pacific coast to meet the distant discentents of the Chono people. The Archipelago gives them their current name. Chiloé comes from the Mapuche word chillwe, meaning "seagull place". The first human settlers on Chiloé Island came to the island around 12,000 BC, and they were followed by the nomadic ethnic group called Chono. Their population went extinct in the late 1800s and a branch of the Mapuche people, called the Huilliche, settled on the island. Today, there are around 150,000 people living on the islands, especially in the capital city Castro. Fishing remains a popular industry on the island today, but tourism is also starting to become an important source of income for local people.
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S America
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Mild
Wander the plains, guarded solemnly by the peaks of the Andes. This is the ancestral home of the remarkable Pehuenche people. The Pehuenche (sometimes Pewenche) get their name from the seed of the monkey puzzle tree, which has been their primary food source for generations.
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S America
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Mild
Experience stunning festivals full of dance, music, color, and costumes as you delve into the culture of these South American warriors. The Yampara are a social-political group spanning across a number of towns. Established before the Spanish colonization and the main ethnic group within Bolivia, they’re now rebuilding their ancestral originality.
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S America
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Mild
Isla Amantani, Isla Taquile, Distrito de Atuncolla, Distrito de Capachica, Comunidad de Luquina Chico, Chucuito and the floating Islands of the Uros, are just some of the communities living on the Lake Titicaca in Southern Peru. From different cultural origins and historical backgrounds, some populations identify themselves as Quechua, Uros, Puno or Aymara. Their millennial traditional knowledge and culture are expressed in their textiles, gastronomy and traditions. Each community celebrates their culture with pride and social responsibility to preserve the ancient culture of their ancestors. The incredible lake of Titicaca is the home to millennial history, culture, lifestyle and community.
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S America
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Tropical
The Mosetén are a population of horticulturalists living in the Bolivian lowlands. They are one of the 36 pueblos indígenas recognized by the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Members of this community live in three the departments called Beni, La Paz, and Cochabamba. They are also owners of two areas of protected tribal lands called the Tierras Comunitarias de Origen. Government censuses estimate that there are approximately 8,000 members of the Mosetén tribe (Pueblo Indígena Mosetén). They have close historical connections with the neighboring community called Tsimane, they share the official language and subsistence practices of mixed horticulture, hunting, fishing, and gathering.
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S America
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Tropical
The origin of the Kollas can be traced back to the shores of Lake Titicaca, in Bolivia. They emigrated in Argentina principally in Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca where they live, however some communities inhabit the Atacama region in Chile. Today, there are several indigenous groups that identify as Kolla.
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S America
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Mild
The Kuna people, also Cuna and Guna, refer to themselves as Dule or Tule, meaning "People "in Kuna language. The Gunas live mostly in the San Blas Islands, in north-east Panama, where they own three politically autonomous comarcas, sort of reservations, the Guna Yala , Madugandí and Wargandí. Some migrated to the country's main cities and others live in Colombia. In total, there are around 60.000 Gunas in the world.
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S America
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Tropical
Embera means "good man –friend- people", they are also known with numerous other names, principally "Chocó". The same is for the Waunana, who also goes by several names all mean "people ". This ethnic group belong to two major groups: the Embirá, of upper Atrato and San Juan rivers (Colombia), and the Wuanana of the lower San Juan River (Colombia). Eight Emberá groups and the Wounaan live in the Colombian Chocó while other groups live in Panama, in the Darién Province at the border with Colombia.
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S America
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Tropical
Ngäbe – Ngobe or Ngöbe, previously known as Guaymí, means "people" in Ngäbere language. The Ngäbe inhabit the region Ngäbe-Bugle in the Western Panama provinces of Veraguas, Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro. Their land is around 6,000 square kilometers. Most Ngäbe live below the poverty level, and many choose to live isolated from the rest of the world. Many communities can be found in Costa Rica as well. They are divided into two large groups: those of the coastal lands on the Atlantic Ocean and those of the tropical forests of Veraguas and Chiriqui. They are the most numerous indigenous group in Panama.
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S America
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Tropical