Who are we? Introduction of the Cabanas Nanambiiki and the Team

Situated in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon the Cabanas Nanambiiki offer an equitable tourism

The pillars of Nanambiiki:

Immersions between two and four days (and more if you want) The community always is the project´s centre. All the activities from breakfast, walk in the rainforest to the handicrafts are proposed by the inhabitants of Campo Cocha. The Kichwa culture as the main focus of the experience

The Team:

César: the owner

César is the owner of the Cabanas and of the territory where the museum is going to be built. As a community leader he is always searching for new projects to Support the community. He has already introduced numerous projects to Campo Cocha: Community tourism, a womens house, environment workshops.

Anouck: head of the project

Student at the Science Po University Paris, Anouck is 21 years old. She chose to do her study internship of the third year in the Cabanas Nanambiki. She arrived several months ago and know entered the project. As the curious, dynamic, persevering person she is, she is going to do everything to make the idea of the museum project become real.

Anouck is in charge of the project, she is responsible for the crowdfunding and for the search and organisation of volunteers and interns that can help with the construction process. She is the responsible one so that everything gets into the right place.

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Raul: Chef of the construction

César`s nephew, Raul has already worked in the Cabanas as a graduated tourism guide for many years. He presents the young spirit in the cabanas and doesn’t hesitate to propose new activities. What he likes: Discover his people’s culture and the one of his ancestors to which his grandmother introduced him and which he still continues discovering. It was him who originally had the idea to build a museum and it is him who is going to lead the construction work and be in charge of the museum as soon as it’s open.

The Nanambiiki family, there are many:

Ernesto, the older brother of César, is going to help us with the construction, especially the traditional Kichwa way of construction. He knows how to build houses out of palm leaves, build canoes, traditional hammocks, etc…

Ursula, the sister in law of César is specialist in handicrafts! This knowledge is passed since generations from mother to daughter. She is going to give presentations of the artisanal production in the museum together with other women of the community.

The Cabanas Nanambiiki work together with many persons from the community, everybody is participating with his personal skills. The big family of César is as well going to help constructing the museum.

The Museum: Runa Yachay, Kichwas, the People and the culture of the Amazone

Runa Yachay means the knowledge of the people. The Kichwas are the main people of indigenous inhabitants in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The main aim of the museum is to discover the Kichwa culture with the visitor.

But there are more aims…

To value the Kichwa culture by visitors and the inhabitants themselves so that the new generations continue to be aware of their cultural heritage Create options to be emploeyed for the inhabitants of the village A new project of the Cabañas Nanambiiki, always driven by the wish to promote the solidarity in tourism

The Museum is going to be organized in several small huts, every one with a special theme:

Shop and demonstration of the handicrafts The history of the Kichwa people The culture and everyday life (in former times and today) The cosmovision: the Vision of the world told by the Kichwan legends, the role of shamans…

To have several huts allows to improve them throughout the years: it is going to be easier to adjust a hut if there is a new theme to be introduced.

Around the huts there will be planted local and medicinal plants, as well as plants that are grown in the community nowadays: plantains, manioc and cacao.

On the long term the museum is supposed to be a place of culture for the community, it is going to offer a space for many acitivities connected to the Kichwan culture, for example:

Blowpipe hunting Fabrication of Chicha (a tradtitional drink) Traditional music and dances Storry telling and Kichwan legends

The place: Campo Cocha

The community of Campo Cocha is located in the Ecuadorian Amazone in the region of Napo. The closest City is Tena, the capital of the region, one hour and fifteen minutes from the community.

The community consists of 60 families, about 400 persons. It exists since 1950 and it has a school. The majority of the community’s members work in agriculture: they cultivate cacao, plantains and manioc.

Volunteering

In order to construct the museum we are searching for volunteers! We don’t have enough Money to employ workers that would do the construction that’s why we’re going to do it on our ownes. But we need help! If you’re in Latin America between april and july and also afterwards don’t hesitate to contact us for volunteering in the Cabanas Nanambiiki! If you’re a student and are searching for an internship you can also so that here. Our e-mail: nanambiiki@hotmail.com. Our new website: http://nanambiiki.wixsite.com/nanambiiki

Thank you so much for your attention and your support for our project!

Un musée chez les Kichwas - Equateur