2012 Fundación Escuela Sintana y Tierra Negra is Formed.
When St. Augustine resident Bill Hamilton saw the BBC movie, From the Heart of the World - The Elder Brothers’ Warning, he was impressed by its message, and felt a calling to help. Then he met Fernando and Kathryn Arango, who had moved to St. Augustine after living for several years within the Kogi community. Fernando’s first visit to the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern Colombia as a teenager in the 1960’s changed his life. To know there were still dignified people living a simple life with integrity, in harmony with the natural world, was an inspiration. Kathryn and Fernando agreed with Bill that something should be done to help them maintain their culture. Together with Jairo Vargas, who has lived in the Sierra Nevada for over forty years, they formed the Fundación Escuela Sintana y Tierra Negra.
Because of the Heart of the World movie, many people have now heard of the Kogi and want to meet them. This however, puts their culture at risk. In 2012, Fundación Escuela Sintana y Tierra Negra was formed to create a buffer zone, a place where the mamas (the spiritual leaders) can come to teach those who are interested in learning from them, rather than the outsiders going into Kogi territory.
The Foundation aims to create a school where the mamas can teach us, the Younger Brother, about their way of life; weaving, planting, harvesting and preserving food, terrace making, and building in ecological ways. There is much to learn from them and their philosophy of stewardship of the Earth.
When St. Augustine resident Bill Hamilton saw the BBC movie, From the Heart of the World - The Elder Brothers’ Warning, he was impressed by its message, and felt a calling to help. Then he met Fernando and Kathryn Arango, who had moved to St. Augustine after living for several years within the Kogi community. Fernando’s first visit to the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern Colombia as a teenager in the 1960’s changed his life. To know there were still dignified people living a simple life with integrity, in harmony with the natural world, was an inspiration. Kathryn and Fernando agreed with Bill that something should be done to help them maintain their culture. Together with Jairo Vargas, who has lived in the Sierra Nevada for over forty years, they formed the Fundación Escuela Sintana y Tierra Negra.
Because of the Heart of the World movie, many people have now heard of the Kogi and want to meet them. This however, puts their culture at risk. In 2012, Fundación Escuela Sintana y Tierra Negra was formed to create a buffer zone, a place where the mamas (the spiritual leaders) can come to teach those who are interested in learning from them, rather than the outsiders going into Kogi territory.
The Foundation aims to create a school where the mamas can teach us, the Younger Brother, about their way of life; weaving, planting, harvesting and preserving food, terrace making, and building in ecological ways. There is much to learn from them and their philosophy of stewardship of the Earth.