The Cofán: Hope in the Midst of Tragedy

Straddling the Ecuadorian-Colombian border reside the semi-indigenous communities of the Cofán. Calling themselves the a’i, this horticultural group is dependent on the waters of the Guamués and Aguaricó rivers as well as the surrounding forests for their way of life (Townsend 2743). Today, the Cofán face intrusion and destruction of their territories by outsiders; petroleum companies and commercial farmers pose the greatest threat to the Cofán lands (Caesar). Currently, the Cofán are working to maintain their traditional beliefs and lifestyle while learning to navigate Western politics and tourism for their own benefit as well as to survive. The Cofán have seen some progress in achieving government recognized land rights and reparations for damage caused by exploitive intruders (Mena 1832). The major question facing the Cofán, however, is not just what will be the impact of outsiders on their land and traditions, but what will happen to their culture as they are forced to adapt to Western politics and environmental rhetoric in order to protect their land and lifestyle.

Much of what is known about the Cofán is what has been recorded since the time of the European’s arrival in the “New World.” The Cofán region is in northeastern Ecuador and a small portion of southern Colombia, along two major rivers, the Aguarico and Zábalo. The Cofán territory was likely much larger in the past (Townsend 2743). The Spanish appeared in Cofán lands in the mid-1500s, but the colonizers’ attempt to take over land and to set up missions was largely resisted (Cardenal). The Europeans did have an impact, however, through the introduction of diseases: the spread of smallpox, polio, measles, cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, and whooping cough devastated the Cofán in the years after the Spanish arrival. Only about two thousand Cofán are currently living, and few of them, if any, are not multiethnic. Cepek, an anthropologist who has extensively studied the Cofán, was surprised when he “investigated the family histories of Zábalo residents and found not a single ‘pure’ Cofán” (Essential 205). Despite their mixed ethnicity, the Cofán still identify as a’i (which can mean “human”, “Cofán”, or “indigenous person”), and individuals who are able to speak A’ingae (the Cofán language) and participate socially can be considered a’i, even if they are not entirely ethnically Cofán (Cepak Essential 205).

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Krista Scheffey