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Nemonte Nenquimo: “The jungle is our home, our pharmacy, our market, our temple”
Posted On 08 Mar 2021
The childhood of Nemonte Nenquimo, an indigenous Waorani activist, developed in the middle of the Amazon jungle, along with plants and animals. She accompanied her mother to the farm and her uncles who sang and told stories, her life passed “happy and free”, between the farm and fishing, she says in an interview with the newspaper El Telégrafo.
Nemonte Nenquimo: “The jungle is our home, our pharmacy, our market, our temple”
His community, Nemponpare, is located in the province of Pastaza, near Arajuno. It is on the banks of the Curaray River, and is rich in natural resources, located very close to the jungle. Eight families live there, about 20 people in all.
At the time of playing, she did it with animals such as squirrels, chorongos and turkeys that they had domesticated; the plants were also his friends; There was no swing or slide, but there were caimito trees where she would climb to catch the fruit that she ate with the other children in her commune, including her cousins, with whom she spoke in the Wao Tededo language, although she also speaks Spanish.
“Who climbs the fastest and who takes more fruit”, that was the challenge then. Of course, like all children, they were not free of accidents, because many times they fell from the trees, but that remained a secret stealthily kept to avoid getting into trouble.
Living in the middle of nature, in the Amazon rainforest, allowed him to understand how important all human beings are, especially “with those who live in the jungle.”
“We live in the jungle with freedom and we have everything we need; the jungle is our home, our market, our pharmacy, our temple. It is what gives us life and makes us what we are. Living in the jungle is looking at the stars every night, being able to admire the sunrise or sunset and listen to the sounds of the animals. Connecting spiritually with nature is a connection with wild animals, respect for that connection ”, Nemonte emphasizes when describing his environment.
Living in the jungle – he reiterates – allowed me to learn to respect Mother Earth; Respect is born by watching happy children play and learn freely, respecting water, animals, plants and the thoughts of our Pikenani (grandparents, wise men, warriors), because they guide us and remind us of the importance of our territory.
