ARCHIVED PROJECTS: "The heart of the world" by Susana Vera

Kogis, Aruhacos, Wiwas and Kankuamos, the four indigenous communities that inhabit the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia, believe that the mountain range they call home is also the heart of the world. As Hermanos Mayores (big brothers) and knowledgeable of the Laws of Nature they are responsible for protecting their sacred mountain in order to keep the universe in balance. Through the spiritual work of their priests or mamos, the four ethnic groups, which are separated by language but share the same belief system, control the health of the Sierra Nevada and thus, that of the entire Earth. But the descendants of the ancient Tayrona people face the constant threat of the Hermanos Menores (younger brothers), the outsiders who operate under the Laws of Man and prevent them from fulfilling their lifetime mission. The Sierra Nevada has been for the past couple of decades a battleground for guerrillas, soldiers and paramilitary groups as well as the object of desire of marihuana and coca growers, drug dealers and multinational corporations that destroy the guts of the mountain range building coal mines and artificial dams. Displacement, invasion of territory, loss of land and crops, retaliation and mass killings shape the current life of those who were chosen to watch over the health of the world.