In the beginning everthing was aluna (ánugwe), everything was in Sén (Sé), every element in the world has its origen in this Law. We, the People of the Sierra Nevada - Kogi, Wiwa, and Arhuaco - fulfill a mission, a mission to understand and care for the Law, the spritiual Law which makes the material world possible. The universe maintains itself in permanent relation with the Law that is at its origen. Our thoughts and our actions have to be in harmony with this Law and that is why we understand that the world depends on us. Our Mamas (Mamos) have transmitted this knowledge from century to century, they have taught us to meditate and reflect on what is good and what is bad for the world. The different moments that mark our lives - birth, initiation, marriage and death- are strictly related with the vital mission of maintaining the universe in balance.

The world began when Serankwa (Seyankwa) crossed two cotton strings. The four points of the strings signify the four cardinal points as well as the four peoples who guard the Sierra nevada and the world. (Historically there are four traditional peoples of the Sierra Nevada, the fourth being the Kamkuanos. But, sadly, due to the impact of religious and cultural imposition by the Catholic and evangelical churches over the last century, the Kamkuanos have lost much of their cultural identity, their language and their knowledge of the Law. The Kamkuanos are today struggling to regain what is lost.)

In the center of the cross formed by the two cotton strings, the Gonavindua peak was formed, stone was formed, which serves as the spindle, or axis, that gives structure to the planet. It is for this reason that we consider the Sierra Nevada to be the Heart of the World.

When we see the ecological destruction that has taken place on the Sierra Nevada, the felling of primary forests, the sedimentation of the rivers, and, above all, the disappearance fo the snows on the high peaks, we are worried not only for our own survival, but for that of the entire planet. When our Mamas (Mamos) do not have access to the Sacred Sites to make the payments that the Law of Origen requires, the world itself enters into disequilibrium.

Contact us: Email: gonawinduatayrona@yahoo.com