In Colombia’s Sierra Nevada, the Indigenous Tribe Arahuaco Protect the Soul of the Earth in Defiance of Colonization

The mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta rise with quiet authority over Colombia’s northern coast, their peaks often lost in mist as if the Earth itself prefers to keep its oldest secrets hidden there. Within this expanse live the Arhuaco people, whose traditions reach back to the beginning of memory. They call their homeland the “Heart of the World”, a place where rivers are veins and stones breathe, where everything that exists is bound by the same pulse.

The Arahuaco are the Guardians of the Sierra

The Arhuaco share this sacred mountain range with the Kogi, Wiwa, and Kankuamo nations, each committed to protecting what they believe is the planet’s balance. Their villages, built of stone and thatch, seem to blend with the land itself. Nabusímake, their spiritual capital, sits in a hidden valley surrounded by waterfalls and forest. It is both home and sanctuary, a space where life follows the rhythm of the mountains rather than the clock.

Their language, Iku, carries their worldview across generations. Through songs and oral teachings, elders transmit lessons of respect, reciprocity, and care for the natural world. Their way of life survived colonization and continues to resist the forces of extraction and modernization that threaten their territory. In their eyes, the Sierra is not a resource to exploit but a living being that sustains all creation.

The Sacred View of Life

The Arhuaco see the world as a living system guided by balance. When that balance is disturbed, the responsibility to heal it falls on humanity. Their rituals, known as pagamentos, are acts of gratitude and restoration meant to maintain harmony between nature and spirit.

Their spiritual leaders, the mamos, are chosen as children for their sensitivity to the unseen. They grow up learning from wind and water rather than books, their wisdom shaped through silence, fasting, and long observation of the world around them. Knowledge, for them, is not a theory but a relationship. Instead, it’s a conversation with the Earth itself.

Their days follow the slow rhythm of farming, weaving, and ceremony. The coca leaf, central to their practice, is used for reflection and balance, helping the mamos meditate on questions of community and purpose. Every act, whether it’s planting, harvesting, or weaving, is sacred when done with awareness.

The Arhuaco in the Modern World

You can watch Sacred Planet with Gulnaz Khan “The Heart of the World” on PBS to see this philosophy come alive. The episode follows journalist Gulnaz Khan as she travels through the Sierra Nevada with the Arhuaco, one of the few Indigenous groups that have preserved their spiritual practices after colonization. Calling themselves the Elder Brothers, they believe humanity has forgotten its duty to protect the planet and that their message offers a way to restore balance.

Their presence in the global conversation on climate change and Indigenous rights has grown steadily. They defend their land through organization, diplomacy, and education. Their schools teach both traditional wisdom and modern science, preparing future generations to engage with the outside world without losing their identity.

Their leaders speak of modern society as the “younger brother,” a people who have lost connection to the sacred. Their call is not one of confrontation but of memory, a request that humanity slow down and learn to listen again to the Earth.

The Dream That Shapes the World

The Arhuaco believe creation began with thought. Before light or land, the Great Mother, Seiankua, imagined the world into being. That act of dreaming gave birth to mountains, oceans, and all living things. To remember that dream is to keep the world in balance.

Their pilgrimages through the Sierra, from snow-covered peaks to the Caribbean coast, are journeys of renewal. Each sacred site visited is part of an invisible map that connects the physical and spiritual realms. Walking through these places is a way of keeping creation alive.

Through their resilience and clarity, the Arhuaco offer an invitation to listen. They show that wisdom is born in stillness and that survival depends on reverence for life. Their message reaches far beyond Colombia’s mountains, reminding humanity that the heart of the world still beats — and that we are all responsible for keeping it alive.