A Message from the Heart of the World
Geschrieben von Mr. Burns am 01. Mai 2001 11:36:00:
The Kogi are an indigenous people living in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
mountains of northern Colombia, in South America. They are the only civilisation
to have survived the Spanish conquests and to have kept there individuality.
They are perhaps the only indigenous people in the world who, because of the
particular nature of their surroundings, have been able to keep them selves
apart and sustain their culture inviolate. And not only that. The one
anthropologist who managed to study them in the 1940's and 50's concluded that
though they are similar in some ways to the other Indian peoples around the
Caribbean, northern Central America and south to the Andes, there are such
profound differences that "in the end the Kogi stand alone".
They have survived to this day, keeping their traditions and relying upon, and
looking after, the mountain environment. They believe it is their duty to look
after the mountain which they call 'The Heart of the World'. They call
themselves the Elder Brother and refer to the new- comers as the Younger
Brother, who they believe is destroying the balance of the world.
In 1990 the Kogi decided they must speak out to the rest of the world. They
had survived by keeping themselves isolated but they decided that it was time
to send a message to the Younger Brother. They could see that something was
wrong with their mountain, with the heart of the world. The snows had stopped
falling and the rivers were not so full. If their mountain was ill then the
whole world was in trouble. The Mamas sent one of the Kogi who spoke Spanish
to contact a British film maker who was in Colombia at that time - They asked
the BBC to make a film to tell the Younger Brother about their concern. It was
called 'The Elder Brother's Warning 'or' The Message from the Heart of the
World'. Alan Ereira, the producer, has also written a book about the Kogi called
'The Heart of the World'. It was this film and book which were the inspiration
for this work in this pack.
Since the film was brought out many changes have taken place. The film had a
major impact on the Colombian Government and also on the grave robbers. The
grave robbers felt that they should stop because they felt bad about disturbing
their ancestors. There are now two Kogi members of parliament. The Tairona
Heritage Trust was set up to support the Kogi and to buy back some of the
original Kogi lands to give them a passage to the sea.
The Kogi Message
'From the beginning in Colombia
everything, everything remained as it
was
among us,
the native people;
the same belief, the same mask,
the same dance.
Everything well organised,
in order,
a terrace for every animal.
'Younger Brother was permitted in
other places,
other countries.
There was a dividing line, the sea.
'He said, 'Younger Brother that side,
Elder Brother this side.
You cannot cross it.'
Because this Colombia was the heart of
the world,
of the whole universe.
'But Younger Brother came from
another country
and immediately saw gold
and immediately began to rob.
There were golden images,
golden oracles.
The Mama prophesied with golden
bowls,
he had a golden tuma,
he had everything
and Younger Brother took it all to
another country.
'Now the Mama grows sad,
he feels weak.
He says that the earth is decaying.
The earth is losing its strength
because they have taken away much
petrol,
coal,
many minerals.
'A human being has much liquid inside.
If the liquid dries up we fall with
weakness.
This same thing can happen to the
earth,
weakness makes you fall,
weakness.
'So the earth catches diseases of all
kinds.
The animals die.
the trees dry up.
People fall ill.
Many illnesses will appear
and there will be no cure for them
Why?
'Because the Younger Brother is among
us,
Younger Brother is violating
the basic foundation of the world's law
A total violation.
Robbing.
Ransacking.
Building highways,
extracting petrol,
minerals.
'We tell you,
We the people of this place,
Kogi,
Asario,
Arhuaco:
that is a violation.
'So the Mamas say,
'PleaseBBC
no one else should come here,
no more ransacking
because the earth wants to collapse,
the earth grows weak,
we must protect it,
we must respect it,
because he does not respect the earth,
because he does not respect it.'
'Younger Brother thinks,
'Yes! Here I am! I know much about
the universe!'
But this knowing is leaming to destroy
the world,
to destroy everything,
all humanity.
'The earth feels, they take out petrol, it
feels pain there.
So the earth sends out sickness.
There will be many medicines,
drugs,
but in the end the drugs will not be of
any use.
'The Mamas say that this tale must be
learnt
by the Younger Brother.'
Die Kogi scheinen so etwas wie das südamerikanische Gegenstück
zu den Hopi zu sein, die Namen hören sich ja auch ziemlich
ähnlich an [zumindest fränkisch ausgesprochen:-) ]
PS: Ich will ja nicht ungeduldig erscheinen aber wie war
es denn so in Usurpator-City?