011.Santa Marta 02.Village of the Koguis (Colombia)

2022-09-09

The northern slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Malta Mountains are the area where the Koguis live.

See Tabiaka village where I stayed. Grasslands spread around the village. The white pillar on the front is the gate to the village. Smoke of shifting cultivation rises on the slopes of distant mountains.

"Your Spanish isn't good, so I can't permit you to go any further," said the deputy chief of super twink on the back of a white horse. It was the morning on the 4th day. It didn't matter what the reason was.

I was in the Koguis village, Tabiaca, on the northern slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Malta Mountains. It was the first village after a １.5-day walk from the mountain foot and a 7-hour walk from the last pioneer's house, walking up and down the mountain path. I stayed there to get permission to go to the innermost village, half imprisoned except a short walk to a nearby village.

On the 1st day, I made a little communication with locals, but as the days went by, most came to avoid me. I decided to go away and put origamis as a gift outside the hut I stayed in. For a while, torn origamis were thrown into the hut, and children ran away. It was their answer.

"Closed community" was a faint scream, will, and power. Near Tabiaka was a small school, and I heard salsa at a faint sound. Seven hours of distance, traditional life, and a stubborn attitude were their way against the civilization. That was in 1991.

In 2008, the government built an emergency road from the mountain foot to the school as a contact point. It was for the education and vaccination of children. Beyond here, only a mountain path still continues. Looking at Google Maps, the village that was located near the end of the road and where I was imprisoned disappeared unexpectedly.