With words by Nina Gualinga.
@tawna_cine| this is not an ayahuasca ceremony,jayak waskawould be taken when in need privately.
@eli.virkina| the forest is alive'‘a phrase often said by elders in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
By Nina Gualinga
Those who have lived intimately, socially, and emotionally with their forest home understand this.
@tawna_cine| Water, silence my mind so my heart may speak.Photo by Nina Gualinga.
@sanimont5456@boloh_|Puma Uma Elodia Dagua (Andwa-Kichwa elder) wears a jaguar mask she created with clay.
Clockwise“Ñuka Shuti Man”narrates how the daughters of Carmelina Ushigua, from the Sapara people, recovers their memory after her forced migration from the jungle to the city, where she rebuilds a community resembling her childhood.Caption & Photo by Colectivo Tawna “Ñuka Shuti Man” / Digital Photography. Ecuador.@tawna_cine| ‘this is not an “ayahuasca ceremony”,jayak waskawould be taken when in need privately. Photos were taken during a conversation about various bitter plant medicines while tasting some during an evening in the Venecia Derecha (Kanua-Yaku) Kichwa community.Jayak waskais humble, it knows it is part of a larger ecosystem where all plant medicines hold a special role.Caption & Photo by Elizabeth Virkina Swanson/ Digital Photography. Ecuador.@eli.virkina| ”the forest is alive'‘a phrase often said by elders in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Those who have lived intimately, socially, and emotionally with their forest home understand this. It is beautiful to listen to elders communicate, their wisdom is valuable and their communication often mimics the sound of the land with a dance of joy and tragedy, reflecting the complexity of life in the Amazon. The forest is alive and it knows us for it knows all those who came before.Caption & Photo by Elizabeth Virkina Swanson / Digital Photography. Ecuador.@eli.virkina
Jaguars are keystone species in the Amazon Rainforest and hold significant cultural meaning for many Indigenous people.
For many, jaguars are kin.
Elodia is a descendant of jaguars.To our Jaguar kin, we have not forgotten you.
ClockwiseÑuka Shuti Mannarrates how Carmelina Ushigua’s daughters recover their Sapara memory after her forced migration from the jungleto the city, where she rebuilt a community resembling her childhood.Caption & Photo by Colectivo Tawna “Ñuka Shuti Man” / Film Photography.Ecuador.@tawna_cine| “Water, silence my mind so my heart may speak”.Photo by Nina Gualinga.@ninagualinga| Piatúa Yaku,is one of the most beautiful and last free flowing rivers of the Ecuadorian Amazon. To the Kichwa people who call these lands home, the Piatúa is not merely a river but a living, breathing being—a vessel of ancestral wisdom and along its banks sacred stones rest.Photo by Nina Gualinga Ecuador/ Film Photography.Ecuador.@ninagualinga
Photo by Elizabeth Virkina Swanson / Digital Photography.Ecuador.
*Clockwise“Blooming in the Heart of the Jungle"captures Lila Shacay, a young woman from the Shuar people walking in the forest, taken by her older brother, Tsunki Shacay.Caption & Photo by Tsunki Shacay / Digital photography. Ecuador.@tsunki_@lila.shacay|“The forest in its purest expression”portrays Enoc Merino of the Kichwa Amazonian People.Photo by River Claure, Enoc Merino (caption) / Film Photography.Ecuador.@riverclaure@iru.aya| Ñuka Shuti Mannarrates how Carmelina Ushigua’s daughters recover their Sapara memory after her forced migration from the jungleto the city, where she rebuilt a community resembling her childhood.Caption & Photo by Colectivo Tawna “Ñuka Shuti Man” / Film Photography.Ecuador.@tawna_cine*
*ClockwiseWayutsentsacommunity, Achuar territory.Photo by River Claure 2024 / Film Photography.Ecuador.@riverclaure| “Uyantza"festival in theSarayaku territorybrings together men, women, young, and old in a joyous celebration of abundance. Istaku, returning from a successful hunting trip with the men of the community, beats his drum he crafted with his own hand, setting the rhythm of the festivities.Photo by Nina Gualinga/ Digital Photography.Ecuador.@ninagualinga| I come fromthe roar of the ARITIAWKU, listening to the songs of my grandmother.Photography by Sani Montahuano and Boloh Miranda / Digital Photography.Ecuador.@sanimont5456@boloh_|Puma Uma– Elodia Dagua (Andwa-Kichwa elder) wears a jaguar mask she created with clay. Jaguars are keystone species in the Amazon Rainforest and hold significant cultural meaning for many Indigenous people. For many, jaguars are kin. Elodia is a descendant of jaguars.To our Jaguar kin, we have not forgotten you. Photo by Elizabeth Virkina Swanson / Digital Photography.Ecuador.@eli.virkina*
