A'I (Cofan)
Son 600 agrupados en las comunidades Sinangué,
Doriño, Dureno y en los alrededores del río Bermejo
(Amazonia Ecuatoriana). Parte de su territorio
coincide con la Reserva Cayambe-Coca. Su idioma
es el A'lngae.
The Cofan number 600 and are assembled in the
communities of Sinangué, Doriño, and Dureno and
along the Bermejo river in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Part of their territory is included in the
Cayambe-Coca Reservation. Their language is
A'lngae.
Sono 600 riuniti nelle
comunità di Sinangué,
Doriño, Dureno e nei
dintomi del fiume Bemmejo
(Amazzonia Equatoriana). Parte del loro territorio coincide con la
Riserva Cayambe-Coca. Il loro idioma è il A'lngae.
The traditional dress of the Cofan (sometimes referred to as A'I, from the name of their language
A'Ingae) is an important part of their identity, and includes the characteristic perforations in their
noses and ears for the wearing of feathers, flowers, and other materials. Until the 1950s when the
Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) missionaries began efforts to evangelize them, the Cofan
had remained relatively isolated from Western society. Since that time, outside forces have devastated their culture along with the Sionas and Secoyas. The region which they occupy has been an
area of intensive petroleum exploitation, especially in the 1970s with the Texaco-Gulf consortium.
Roads, pipelines, and penetrating colonists all have had a ravaging effect on their territory.
Colonization of Cofan territory led to an increasing disruption of their traditional society which led
to a further breakdown of their worldview.
Cofan, Guardians of the Rain Forest (The
Cofan web page)
Mensaje de los pueblos indígenas del valle del Guamuez y San Miguel Putumayo a la humanidad (agosto 19 de 2002)
Problema Plan Colombia, propuesta de la Organización Indígena Nacionalidad Cofán del Ecuador, OINCE (2 marzo 2001)
Denunciation of the Assassination of Indigenous Cofan Leader of Putumayo and of the Fumigation of Traditional
Crops in Indigenous Territories and of the Acts of Violence that Worsen the Grave Situation of Human Rights in el
Putumayo, Colombia (Sat, 20 Jan 2001)
Comentarios y Sugerencias / Comments and Suggestions: Marc Becker (marc@yachana.org)
