It saddens us to announce the retirement of Alan Ereira, the Tairona Heritage Trust’s founder, after many years of energetic and determined work. Without doubt, it was his vision, insight, dynamism and creativity that kept the Trust animated for all these years.

In November 2022 the Trust presented the Kogi project Munekan Masha at the public launch of UNESCO-BRIDGES at the University of Wales, Trinity St David in Swansea. A Kogi, Jose Manuel Mamatacan, spoke there. He had been trained as am emissary by the Mamas.

Learn more about his visit to London by watching a talk that Alan Ereira gave to the Learning Planet Festival.

In July 2022, the Tairona Heritage Trust team, accompanied by two environmental scientists, Ingrid Olivares and Rodrigo Camara Leret, visited the Kogi in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia.

The purpose of their visit was to conduct field work necessary for the preparation of the Munekan Masha: Reviving Water in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta project.

Our very own Trustee, Luci Attala, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, has contributed to Tchendukua's newsletter with an amazing short piece entitled "Relationships with Water".

For Luci, water is not an ordinary resource, but rather a shapeshifting one. Drawing from indigenous understandings of water, she briefly explores the value, materiality and culture of sharing that surrounds water.

Introducing the "Munekan Masha: Reviving Water in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta" project!

The project aims to bring indigenous knowledge and “mainstream” science together for better and more inclusive climate solutions.

Click the link below to read more about the project's work so far and to find out how you can help!

It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of José de los Santos Sauna Limaco, fourth Cabildo of the Organización Gondawindúa Tayrona, which acts for indigenous rights in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and represents Kogi interests in particular before the Colombian state.

The screening of Aluna at the Medicine Festival and the zoom session which followed with Alan Ereira and Mama Senchina boosted our Food appeal so successfully it enabled us to give very generously to the Kogi trapped in their mountain retreat. Thank you for donating!

To protect themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire Kogi People have isolated themselves in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta for three months initially, and closed it off to outsiders. They do not descend, and even travel between Kogi villages has been restricted by their authorities to prevent any contagion. As a result, the variety and amount of foods that they can grow and acquire has been drastically reduced, a situation exacerbated by raging wildfires in March that affected many parts of the Sierra, and because govermental assistance has been limited.

We are pleased to report that since drawing this violation of indigenous rights to the attention of the authorities, action has now been taken to suspend the construction work taking place as the builder was found not to have an appropriate licence. This is great news and means that government protection for the Kogi ancestral lands is actually working! Thanks is due to support from the German Ambassador in Colombia, half a million protests on social media and pressure from various prominent journalists and organisations like our own working together to support the OGT. So well done everyone - we must keep up the good work!

Thanks to everyone who helped us fund a vital meeting in the Sierra with the Kogi. This was called to agree an alliance to help ensure the defence and protection of the Kogi in the Sierra. Representatives of many of the organisations supporting the Kogi attended.