The Ancestral System of Knowledge of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is a sacred mandate that maintains harmony between the physical and spiritual universes in which the four indigenous peoples live (Arhuaco, Kankuamo, Kogui, and Wiwa). It is estimated that about a thousand kilometers north of Bogota lies a mountain range called the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. There have been indigenous tribes living there for 500 years. There are sacred customs held by the indigenous peoples of the Sierra. It is believed by the Kogis who inhabit the land that visitors must make an offering before climbing the mountain. Climbers earn protection on their way up by giving gifts, whether spiritual or material. It is believed that the Kogi are descendants of the Taironi, one of Latin America's largest pre-Columbian societies. Since the Sierra is being deforested, the Kogis have moved higher up in the mountains.
After many years of dedication, the knowledgeable men (Mamos) and women (Sagas) have acquired the skills and sensitivity needed to communicate with the snow-capped peaks, tap into the knowledge of rivers, and discern nature's messages. According to the Law of Origin, a philosophical concept that governs how humans relate to nature and the universe, the Ancestral System of Knowledge includes retributions and offerings to spiritual powers as well as caring for sacred sites and participating in baptisms, marriages, traditional dances, and songs.
Indigenous wisdom is believed to play a crucial role in protecting the Sierra Nevada ecosystem and preserving the cultural identities of the four peoples. By practicing cultural practices, engaging in community activities, using the indigenous language, and implementing religious mandates, the Ancestral System of Knowledge is transmitted from generation to generation. In addition, to understanding Mother Nature and sacred sites, the transmission process involves physical and spiritual relationships. Non-Indigenous people, whom the Kogi refer to as "younger brothers," are destroying the Earth (exploiting sacred practices and destroying ecosystems), according to them. In their own homes and in droughts, they see evidence of this. Kogis believe themselves to be Elder Brothers and Earth Guardians, as explained in Cultural Survival. They believed that the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the heart of the world by the four indigenous groups living there.
Through daily meditation, ritual offerings, prayers, songs, and mental discipline, the guardians of the earth maintain and restore the balance of the earth, despite corruption and distress from people harming the sacred land. As a result of commercial plantations, mineral extraction, logging, and drug-crop cultivation, they are at risk and have been involved in violence.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/ancestral-system-of-knowledge-of-the-four-indigenous-peoples-arhuaco-kankuamo-kogui-and-wiwa-of-the-sierra-nevada-de-santa-marta-01886) (https://latinarepublic.com/2021/12/08/the-ancestral-knowledge-of-the-indigenous-people-of-the-sierra-nevada-de-santa-marta/) |Subject=Belief, Ritual |Country=Colombia |SDG=(03) Good Health and Well-being, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, (13) Climate Action, (15) Life on Land }}