The Kogi People of Columbia

There are many views on the way of life. You can be a pessimist or an optimist. You can be a hater or a lover. There are the people that take life by the horns, and there are those that sit back and watch as life comes to them. There are also those that like to take care of the Earth and can't stand the thought of pollution and harmful things that go on that are destroying wild life and vegetation. Then there are those that could care less about the Earth and contribute to the pollution without a second thought. The Kogi people of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are of the people who would like to preserve the Earth and all it has to offer.

The Kogi people of Columbia are quite a unique bunch. They have a very earthy view of the world. They are the epitome of the modern day term "tree-huggers." They believe the Earth is a sacred place and many things we do harm it in terrible ways. They see us mining, building, and polluting the Earth damaging it and disrupting their creator The Great Mother. They believe the Great Mother is the natural force providing guidance to them. They also believe that they live in the heart of the world and those not living in the heart of the world are called "Younger Brothers".

They, the Elder Brother, believe we are destroying the world. Their belief is that we do not know the Great Mother and therefore are dead because we are not connected to the Earth. They are connected to the Earth in a sense and feel they have to "right" every one of our "wrongs". They are the balance to the world in their minds. That is why they believe they are the heart of the world, it is all they know.

All of this damage the Younger Brothers do is putting fear into the minds of the Kogi people. They think the world will end soon because of us. They notice that their water is depleting, that the mountains are losing the snow, the vegetation that was once in abundance, is now becoming scarce. They blame all of this on us and our damaging lifestyle. Unfortunately there is not much they can do about it. They don't have much of an education. They don't have any useful tools. They are isolated and away from us but know that the earth is being damaged. That is why they must stay connected to the Great Mother, in their minds that is what is saving all of us.

Now while these people blame us for all of the wrongs in the world