Seydukwa, the cultural experience with indigenous Arhuaca (2024)

Welcome to Seydukwa, where a family of indigenous Arhuacos welcome you for a cultural immersion into their daily lives. Welcome to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the “heart of the world” for the indigenous people who inhabit these mountains, a sacred territory where all humanity was born.

Seydukwa is a window onto a culture that, even after your two days of immersion, will keep its secrets. Sekydukwa is an invitation to listen, learn, understand, share and exchange.

Contents

1. Preparing for the Sierra Nevada

2. Walking as a prelude to Seydukwa

3. Entrance to Seydukwa

4. At the heart of the world with the Arhuacos

5. Sunrise over the Sierra Nevada

6. Responsible tourism

7. Contact for an alternative to Seydukwa

8. Where to stay in Palomino

Travel Poster “La Sierra”

Buy our beautiful prints to get a taste of Colombia at home

Go to Shop

Disclaimer: we apologize in advance for any grammatical or syntactic errors, as our native language is not English (we're a Colombian-French couple), so we hope you'll forgive us and still enjoy the information we share with you! Please note that all the information on our blog is based on our own experience, and is checked and updated regularly.

Preparing for the Sierra Nevada

SEYDUKWA TOUR with an indigenous family

Seydukwa, the cultural experience with indigenous Arhuaca family of Sierra Nevada

Early in the morning, we meet up in Palomino with our guide Isaïas, who is coming to take us up the mountain to Seydukwa, an Arhuaco hamlet nestled in the mountains on the banks of the Palomino River.

When he arrives, we discover a young man in his early twenties, with ebony hair and lively eyes. Electric blue soccer jersey, work pants, boots and machete – Isaïas is not wearing the traditional Sierra native garb, the immaculate white tunic that is instantly recognizable.

Here, to begin with, is a salutary challenge to the long-awaited indigenous “folklore” that tourists want to see, that tourists want to take photos of, the very folklorization of the indigenous figure that the agency wants to combat .

But why doesn’t Isaïas wear the traditional outfit? Quite simply because the fabric of the tunic is very heavy, so it’s more practical to wear light clothes for walking in the mountains, carrying equipment and so on.

Walking as a prelude to Seydukwa

Discovering Arhuaca culture with an indigenous agency

Isaïas tells us the menu for the hike ahead: the path will include 5 climbs, two of them quite steep, for a hike of around 2 hours (depending on your pace).

Nothing major in itself, except that what’s different here is the heat. It’s hot, very hot. And it’s humid, very humid.

I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much in my life – I must have lost 100 liters of water on that walk! Especially as I had to carry all my camera equipment, the drone and 3 litres of water for the two days.

The walk was intense, but the view was already there. Beautiful views of the Rio Palomino punctuate introspective passages through dense, lush forest.

We’re a little behind schedule, with so many questions burning our lips, and so much breath to catch… let’s face it!

Isaïas is infinitely patient, carrying Angélica’s bag, waiting, walking at our pace, answering any questions he can, and always retaining an air of mystery that will hang over us throughout these two exceptional days.

MAMO IN ARHUACA CULTURE

Isaïas is training to become Mamo. As Mamo’s son, he has been chosen to take over from his father.

As with all Sierra peoples, whether Koguis, Wiwas or Kankuamos, the Mamo is the most important figure in the Arhuaca community. He is the community’s guide and spiritual leader.

To become a Mamo, you have to learn a great deal about the history of the Arhuaco people, their traditions, nature, plants and animals. It takes several years of training before the future Mamo is ready.

Isaïas is only at the beginning of all this, his initiatory journey will be punctuated by learning from his father, the Mamo of Seydukwa, and pauses to live his own life experiences.

We finally arrive at our destination, Seydukwa, on the banks of the Rio Palomino. With the river in front of us and the village children bathing, the moment is powerful and symbolic: it’s as if we’re facing a gateway to a new world, with the river as a ritual of passage..

All we have to do is cross the river, bags over our heads for the bravest, and buoys pulled by Isaïas for the less daring. There’s no judgement here: everything is designed to make the experience accessible.

We enjoy our first swim, just enough time to recover our senses, let go of the effort of the hike and prepare to meet the Arhuaca family of Isaïas and Adrian. The connection with nature is total.

Entrance to Seydukwa

Entering the heart of the Arhuaco world

It’s already late as we enter Seydukwa.

Chickens, black pigs, a few trees sheltering a wooden bench, and traditional palm-roofed houses. One of the houses is reserved for guests. A room with an earthen floor, hammocks, even a bed and blankets for those who wish to retain a semblance of Western comfort.

Once again, the aim here is not to make life more difficult than necessary, but on the contrary to welcome us with as much kindness as possible.

Adrian, whom we’re seeing for the first time since our chat the day before in Palomino, is waiting for us on the bench under the palaver tree. In the center of the hamlet, the kitchen and dining room. We’re not allowed into the kitchen, where Isaiah’s mother and Adrian’s wife Seyani (Isaiah’s sister) are preparing the meal.

We quickly introduce ourselves, shyly, and wait beside Adrian. We soon realize how incredibly lucky we are to be here, but also how strange the situation is, as the tourist figure seems to have no place in such an environment.

We feel a mixture of curiosity, a desire to know, to understand, to hear, combined with a feeling of “not wanting to disturb”, a respectful distance, which won’t leave us for the next two days.

It has to be said that this is a special moment for us, but also for Adrian’s family. For several days, the Mamo and the whole family had been engaged in intense spiritual work, which required a great deal of energy.

The end of this work marks a need for everyone to rest, and we’re just at that moment when everyone needs to find their privacy and space again.

At the heart of the world with the Arhuacos

Discover the culture of the indigenous Arhuacos

Our first meal marks the beginning of our immersion in Arhuaca culture.

As I write these lines, two conflicting feelings are at play: the desire to tell you all about it, and the need to let you discover and experience it for yourself. But since Adrian is sending the two-day program to all participants, we’re going to tell you a little about the activities on offer for two days at Seydukwa.

We’ll be exploring the daily lives of the indigenous Arhuacos of the Sierra Nevada. We’ll be learning more about their food crops, growing cocoa and coffee for trade, the traditional cultivation of the Ayu (coca leaf) and its significance, building traditional houses, discovering the trapiche and how to make panela, using maguey to make mochilas..

It will also be a time for living, eating together, swimming in the Rio Palomino, walking in the forest and enjoying unforgettable views of the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada..

You’ll learn about ceremonies and spiritual work, the role of the Mamo and the workings of Arhuaca society, soul cleansing in a sacred waterfall and discussions, discussions, discussions..

We won’t have the chance to chat with the Mamo in the evening, for the reasons given above, nor to receive the “aseguranza de la Sierra”, the protection of the Sierra symbolized by a bracelet with a pearl.

But on our evening in Seydukwa, unable to speak with the Mamo, we had a long chat with Adrian under a star-studded sky. It was a time for reflection and introspection, about what makes us different, what binds us, our ways of living, our ways of seeing the world, our beliefs, our cultures..

We were able to learn more about the unique cosmovision of the Arhuaco people and, more broadly, of the indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada.

SIERRA NEVADA, “THE HEART OF THE WORLD

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is considered by the Arhuacos and all the peoples of the Sierra (Kogui, Wiwa, Kankuamo) as the origin and heart of the world that is concentrated around it.

But the Sierra is also its “summary” and “support”. In the mountains are concentrated the fathers and mothers of all that exists. The existence of the world and the balance of the universe depend on care for the Sierra.

For the Arhuacos, the Sierra is like a human body, with the snowy peaks as its head, the trees as its hair, the lakes as its heart, the earth as its muscles, the rivers as its veins… a body as sacred as the entire Sierra territory.

Sunrise over the Sierra Nevada

Tour of Seydukwa

The next morning, it’s the howler monkeys that wake us up, and we get up at sunrise to discover one of the most beautiful spectacles nature has in store for us. It’s early in the morning, but that’s the price we have to pay to get ahead of the clouds and perhaps have the chance to see the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada.

The moment is simply exceptional.

Here, a few kilometers from the Caribbean Sea, in one of the hottest regions on the planet, seeing these snow-capped peaks at over 5.000 m altitude is an unreal and overwhelming vision. Overwhelming, because it leaves an imprint on the soul, like a hand squeezing our shoulder, to imprint the message of the Sierra, the message of the indigenous people..

Responsible tourism

Discover Arhuaca culture with an indigenous agency

Adrian’s agency is a rural and community-based tourism project run by an indigenous Arhuaca family. The project was born in response to the negative effects of the tourism boom in Palomino since 2010 on the area’s indigenous communities.

Responding to the dangers of predatory tourism

The indigenous families of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta face many problems, and Adrian’s family had to deal with issues of exploitation of their “indigenous image”, an imbalance in the relationship with tourist agencies, cultural appropriation, a form of voyeurism linked to backpacker tourism..

Taking back the reins

The agency wants to show that the indigenous people themselves can take back control of their destiny, develop a quality professional project and offer a different kind of tourism, an initiative that comes from the community itself and is not imposed from outside.

The idea is to take the gamble that travelers are ready to understand and accept to discover indigenous culture in a respectful way.

Having an impact on the community

The agency involves the maximum number of members of a (large) Arhuaca family from the Palomino cuenca in the provision of services: guides, cooking, path maintenance, accommodation, security, etc.

It’s a project of territorial and cultural reappropriation: it’s the natives themselves who bring the travellers and ensure they have a good experience, it’s they themselves who talk about their culture and share it, without intermediaries.

All profits benefit the project and the extended Arhuaca family. The project also shows other members of the community that “it can be done”.

Responsible tourism

Coming to Seydukwa means supporting a responsible tourism project in which the indigenous Arhuacos are the actors. It’s a direct experience between the traveler and an indigenous family, without intermediaries.

The agency’s idea is to offer an experience of sharing and cultural exchange, and in so doing, convey their message of environmental preservation.

As this is a project of reasoned tourism, only 8 people per week are admitted to the family, so as not to overload the family’s daily routine.

In view of the tour’s success, areas outside the family’s homes are being built to avoid altering the balance of their daily lives.

Seydukwa, the cultural experience with indigenous Arhuaca family of Sierra Nevada