Preserving Indigenous Culture: The Cofán in Ecuador
By The ArchivesPreserving Indigenous Culture: The Cofán in Ecuador
By The ArchivesLike the Zapara, the Cofán are an indigenous group in
Like the Zapara, the Cofán ‘s most recent struggle has been with oil companies. In 1966, Texaco struck oil on their land. As oil production stepped up, traditional Cofan territory was taken over by the government for oil drilling, and jungle was cut down to make room for oil rigs.
Hugo Lucitante is a student in
And Felipe Borman is also from the Cofán community of Zabalo. He is the son of Randy Borman, a Cofán activist and director of the Cofán Survival Fund based in
Both Hugo and Felipe are working on the Cofán Historical Mapping Project at the
In the 1980s, the Cofan began fighting to get their land back from the government and oil companies.