Kogi village

This is a traditional Kogi village I passed hiking today. The Kogi are the living ancestors of the Tayrona, the civilization that built the lost city I am here to see. The Tayrona civilzation was destroyed within about 70 years of the Spanish arrival here, killed off by new diseases and guns. Among many other amazing accomplishments they knew how to mine and work gold which was commonly worn by their people and also helped fuel the myth of "El Dorado", the great city of gold that helped fuel the Spanish plunder of the Americas.

With the collapse of the Tayrona civilization their collective culture was lost like so many others, but the Kogi today are still here. They have known of these "lost" ruins long before the first white man "discovered" them back in the 70's. They worship and maintain them as the holy places where the spirits of their ancestors dwell even in the midst of the ongoing crossfire between the military and guerrillas in the Sierra Nevada.

To this day the Kogi are one of the most traditional, elusive, and enigmatic indigeous groups in South America. Their all white dress, coca gourds, and fascinating cosmology make them compelling and mysterious to the outside world of whom they still rarely mix. What I find most fascinating is the way their cosmology and religion is so intertwined with nature and ecological processes. They call us literally "the younger brother" and warn of the imbalance we are causing to destroy the world. I hear ya brothers....

I count myself privileged to see how they live, meet some of them personally, and get a glimpse into their world. If you have the slightest curiousity these articles from Smithsonian and National Geographic captures the Sierra Nevada well and is a good place to start for more about the Kogi and their message.