Who are we?

Cofán are among the oldest indigenous cultures survive in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We share our home with the primary forest, wild and pristine rivers and thousands of species of plants and animals, making it achieve one of the most biologically diverse in the world. The approximately one thousand Cofán remaining are the guardians of many valuable and irreplaceable knowledge and more than 400,000 hectares of ancestral land in the heart of the "hotspot" located in the tropical Andes. Most of this land is protected by international agreements and national indigenous territory and under the National System of Protected Areas in Ecuador. Our forests are not only essential for the survival of the Cofan nationality as a people and culture but also as a vital environmental legacy for Ecuador and the world. We live in ten communities throughout the Amazon region in northeastern Ecuador.  Historically, we have fought hard to protect our territory and to preserve our culture. The communities that thrive today have survived attempts at colonization, first by the Spaniards and most recently the oil companies that discovered oil sources that were below our territory. They crossed paths opened destroying our forests places important to us. Despite the legal protection that the area has remained under constant threat from hunting, fishing, the logging activities hidrocarbuferias and illegal colonization.  We are dedicated to preserving our culture through the preservation of our ancestral lands. Our efforts are aimed at ensuring our rights on this earth to ensure their protection and conservation. Without a home, the people and the Cofan culture can not survive. Espagnol