In Their Own Words: Ecotourism in Lowland Kichwa Communities

Abstract

Edison, my guide, unties the canoe, and we row across the 8-foot stream. He exchanges greetings with an old man who is sitting among the reeds, smoking, his machete on his knees. As we walk toward the settlement, he explains that this side of the river—the one we are on—is the land allocated for “pure Indians.” They have titles to it and may build houses on it, but they are not allowed to sell it to non-Indians. Mestizo migrants to this area, referred to as colonos by Kichwa themselves, live on the other side of the river (Figure 5.1).