COFAN INDIANS IN ECUADOR

THE COFAN ARE REMNANTS OF A RIVERINE TRIBE THAT WAS AT ONE TIME POPULAR. THEY LIVE IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF ECUADOR. TODAY THERE ARE 2000 FOLKS. THEY HAVE TAKEN A ROLE IN A ROLE IN CONSERVING THEIR 1 MILLION ACRES OF RAIN FOREST. THEY HAVE RIGHTS TO THESE ANCESTRAL TERRITORIES THAT ARE IN THEIR NATURAL SYSTEM OF PROTECTED AREAS. THEY LIVE IN 13 COMMUNITIES. IN NORTHEASTERN ECUADOR. THEY ARE SCATTERED FROM HIGH MOUNTAINS TO RAIN FORESTS.

THEY HAVE TRANSFERRED 136,000 ACRES TO AN ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE FOR THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE. THIS IS A VICTORY FOR CONSERVATION. THIS RESERVE IS HOME FOR COMMUNITY. THEY NEGOTIATED A CO-MANAGEMENT AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH THE MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

THE TWO COFAN COMMUNITY CENTERS DURENO DOMINO, REMAIN OUTSIDE OF PROTECTED AREAS. DURENO IS THE LARGEST CENTER WITH 4 COMMUNITIES. BOTH HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY UNCONTROLLED COLONIALIZATION AND DAMAGE FROM OIL COMPANIES.. WITHOUT CONSERVATION THE ACTIVITIES OF THESE ISLANDS OF PRIMARILY THE FOREST AMIDST MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT AND COLONIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE FROM CARELESS MANAGEMENT FROM OIL COMPANIES. WITHOUT CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES THESE LANDS OF PRIMARY FOREST AND DEVELOPMENT ARE AT GREAT RISK.

IN 1999 THEY FORMED A SURVIVAL FUND TO SEE THE SURVIVAL OF THE INDIGENOUS CULTURE AND ITS AMAZON RAIN FOREST THEY WANT TO PROTECT BIODIVERSITY, CONSERVATION, AND RESEARCH AND PROTESTING THEIR BIODIVERSITY OF THEIR ANCESTRAL TERRITORY.

THE FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF COFAN SURVIVAL IS RANDY. HE WAS BORN IN DURENO AND HUNTED AND FISHED AND HE LEARNED ENGLISH AND WESTERN VALUES FROM HIS AMERICAN PARENTS. HIS EDUCATION IS A MIX OF ANCIENT COFAN AND WESTERN ACADEMIC FOUNDATION, RANDY IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE COFAN NATION'S MOST IMPORTANT LEADERS BY COFAN. AS FAR AS THEY KNOW THE COFAN CULTURE IN PROTO CHIBCHAN HUNTERS WHO WANDERED DOWN FROM COLUMBIAN AND ECUADOR. THEY ESTABLISHED VILLAGES ALONG RIVERS AND HAVE PASSED DOWN LEGENDS.

AT ONE TIME THEY WERE WARRIORS WELDED WITH THE VARIETY OF WEAPONS INCLUDING SPEARS, SWORDS, BOWS AND ARROWS. THEY HAD BATTLES WITH THEIR ENEMIES. AS TRADERS THEY TOOK CANOES DOWN RIVER TO GET CLOTH , SALT AND SEASHELLS BEADS. THEY TRADED STONE AXE, ADZES, AND KNIVES.

MANY HAVE A GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS THAT IS MAINTAINED EVEN TODAY. THEY FOLLOWED THE STARS AND PREDICTED THE ARRIVAL OF THE YEARLY FLOODS WITH UNCANNY LUCK. THEY HAD NO WRITTEN RECORDS OR HISTORY AND A LACK OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES.

THE SPANISH ARRIVED IN 1536. THE FIRST MAJOR CONTACTS DIDN'T COME FOR ANOTHER 30 YEARS WHEN THE SPANISH SETTLERS CAME TO ENTER LANDS THAT THE COFANS HAD. THE FIGHTS ENDED IN BURNING THE THE SETTLERS TOWN OF MOCOA BY COFAN WARRIORS.

IN 1602 LA JESUIT PRIEST MADE PEACEFUL CONTACT WITH THE COFAN. HE ESTABLISHED A MISSION
IN THE AREA. UNFORTUNATELY FATHER FERRER WAS DROWNED IN SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES WHILE CROSSING A BRIDGE.

THE COFANS COULD NOT COMBAT ANGLO DISEASES AND ABOUT 50,000 FOLKS DWINDLED AWAY. BY 1900'S THERE WERE ONLY SEVERAL HUNDRED. THEY HAD MALARIA, WHOOPING COUGH, SMALL POX, POLIO, MEASLES, ANF CHOLORA IN THEIR VILLAGES. DURING THE 1800'S GOLD WAS DISCOVERED AND EXPLOITED BY COLUMBIANS NEAR CASCADES.

IN THE 1940'S SHELL OIL CAME. THEIR POPULATION INTERMARRIED AND THEIR WAS A CULTURAL ROSS FERTILIZATION. THEIR LOW POPULATION TURNED INTO SEMI NOMADIC HUNTER AND FISHERS. THEIR AGRICULTURE REVOLVED AROUND YUCCA AND BANANAS AND THEY USED A RANGE OF MIND ALTERING DRUGS.

THEY WORE ELABORATE HEADDRESSES AND COSTUME FOR FESTIVALS. MANY FOLKS WACKED TRAILS THROUGH THE FORESTS. MANY OTHER LARGE GROUPS HAD OTHER IDEAS. SOME WERE THINKING OF BUILDING ROADS. THE ELDERS DID NOT LIKE THIS IDEA.

DURING THIS TIME IN THE 40'S . SHELL PULLED OUT AS OIL COSTS WERE LOW. THE NEXT CHANGE WAS IN 54 WHEN MISSIONARIES FROM THE U.S. CAME TO WORK. THEY WANTED TO LEARN THEIR LANGUAGE, DEVELOP AN ALPHABET, AND LEAVE MATERIALS TO TEACH READING AND WRITING TO COFEN. THEN TRANSLATE THE BIBLE FOR THEM.

HOWEVER MEDICAL NEEDS WERE OF PRIMARY CONCERN. THEY PROCURED OUTSIDE MEDICINE TO EASE THE EPIDEMICS AND REDUCE MALARIA.

THEIR TRANQUILITY CHANGED DRAMATICALLY WITH TEXACO. AND GULF OIL PRICES WENT UP IN THE
60'S. THEY BUILT A ROAD, AT AIRPORTS AND MOTOR DRIVEN BOATS FOR THE RIVER. THEY FLEW IN ALLTHINGS - FROM POTATOES TO DYNAMITE. YOUNG MEN WERE URGED TO WORK FOR THEM. WOMEN WERE RAPED. ALCOHOL FLOWED FREELY. THEIR ENTIRE FABRIC WAS BROKEN APART. THE OIL CONTAMINATED SOME RIVERS KILLING FISH . IN 1974 A MAJOR FLOOD BROKE THE OIL PIPELINE AND DESTROYED BRIDGES IN THIS REGION. ONE WELL NEAR DURENO PUMPED OVER A MILLION BARRELS OF OIL. IT PRODUCED TOXIC WASTES. THE NATIVES WERE NEVER COMPENSATED FOR THIS LOSS OF LAND AND RESOURCES.

BY 1979 A GROUP WAS INVOLVED IN TOURISM. THEY LOOKED AT THE ZAMBALA COMMUNITY WHICH WAS A GOOD FOREST STILL. BY 1984 THE GROUP WAS INVOLVED KNOWN AS ECOTOURISM IN THIS SITE. THEY GOT INVOLVED IN ZONING LAWS AND IT WAS CALLED THE CUYAHENO WILDLIFE RESERVE IN 1991.\\

THE LARGE OIL COMPANY CAME THERE THINKING THEY COULD BUILD A HELICOPTER PAD THERE. THE COFANS DEMANDED AUTHORIZATION. THE ZAMBALO ARRESTED THEM AND THE WORKERS WERE PULLED OUT. FINALLY IT BECAME A NATIONAL PROBLEM WITH COVERAGE ON T.V. THE OIL COMPANIES DECIDED TO GO THROUGH PROPER LEGAL ROUTES. THEY HAD TO GET ALL THEIR STUDIES DONE IN MUCH MORE STRICT SUPERVISION THAN ANY OTHER OIL COMPANY. THESE REGULATIONS BECAME NATIONAL LAW SHORTLY AFTERWARDS.

ANOTHER OIL COMPANY TRIED TO INVADE THIS AREA AS WELL EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD NO PERMITS AND THE ZAMBALO RALLIED AGAINST THEM IN SIX MONTHS THEY SOUGHT A PEACEFUL SOLUTION AT GOVERNMENT LEVELS.


HOWEVER, FORCE BECAME THE ONLY ANSWER . TWENTY ARMED WARRIORS MOVED THE WORK CREW OUT. CHAINSAWS AND GUNS WERE TAKEN. A SECOND FORCE OF WARRIORS TOOK OVER ANOTHER ILLEGAL 0IL CREW. IT MADE FRONT PAGE NEWS. THE OIL WELL WAS CAPPED AND THE EXPLOITATION OF ZAMBALO LANDS WAS PERMANENTLY STOPPED.

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