The Mamos and his Peace message

Peaceful Resistance: Non Violence of the Arhuaco Tribe

The Arhuacos are one of the indigenous tribes that live in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta; they have their own dialect and spirituality is a fundamental part of their lives. Sierra Nevada is a place of enormous biodiversity declared Human and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1979.

For the Arhuacos, Sierra Nevada is a sacred place, the heart of the world; for them it is the mother and living being that has to be nourished and cared for, not mistreated or destroyed. Peaceful resistance of the Arhuacos is a way of resolving conflicts without turning to violence, weapons or imbalance. They have principles, an “Origin Law” that governs the relationship between people and nature.

These ancestral laws are passed down from generation to generation by the Mamos, the community’s spiritual leaders, who have the mission of watching that Law of Origin is complied to live in harmony. Ancestral laws say that relationships between human beings must be of understanding, justice and solidarity, in harmonic coexistence with other beings and nature. “Law of Origin” is based on the universal thousand-year-old thought left as a mandate, the law of everything that exists and forms the Cosmos.

The Arhuacos have struggled to keep their principles and values away from violence. Traditional authorities of the Arhuaco people and Mamos pass on the history of their experiences and knowledge that has allowed them to keep up as a culture, which implies permanence in their territory, with the reaffirmation of their customs and values, to fulfill the mission of caring for earth and life of those who live in it.

This reminds us of Gandhi´s words:

“Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.

Humanity cannot free itself from violence but through non violence. Only love can defeat hatred.”

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Mahatma Ghandi, the Yogi of Peace