Despertar el pasado, sembrar el territorio: La restauración de la memoria indígena en el pueblo nasa de Tierradentro Colombia, 1971–2016

A deep-seated indigenous memory, rooted in ontological communication with the landscape, was awakened among the Nasa people of Tierradentro, Colombia, following a 1994 earthquake. This seismic event became a catalyst for restoring cosmic balance and reinforcing territorial identity, embodying resistance through the concept of 'avalanche'—a metaphor for both natural disaster and indigenous resilience. The study reveals how memory restoration practices, spanning from 1971 to 2016, serve as tools for re-establishing equilibrium and extending Nasa subjectivity beyond Tierradentro, thereby expanding the scope of indigenous resistance. Research employed qualitative analysis of oral histories, archaeological evidence, and ethnographic observations to explore the interplay between memory, territory, and subjugation processes.

Levalle, S. (2018). Despertar el pasado, sembrar el territorio: La restauración de la memoria indígena en el pueblo nasa de Tierradentro Colombia, 1971–2016. The Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology, 24(2), 555–572. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/jlca.12383