Returning the land to its custodians

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The story of a project

French geographer Eric JULIEN is behind the initiative to buy back and return land.

Rescued from pulmonary oedema by members of the Kogi community whilst exploring the high valleys of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (northern Colombia), he decided in return to try to contribute to their survival.

At their request, he committed to helping them reclaim their ancestral lands, those from which they had been dispossessed since the arrival of the conquistadors (1524) by settlers, grave robbers, drug traffickers, paramilitaries and guerrillas.

For this ancient society, landless and cut off from their roots, humans become “floating beings, dead beings”; they no longer know who they are, where they come from or where they are going.

Key dates:

  • October 1997: foundation, with Jacqueline BAC, of the Tchendukua* – Ici et Ailleurs association (a non-profit organisation under the 1901 law)
  • February 1998: purchase of the first plot of land (50 ha)
  • April 1999: purchase of a second plot of land (70 ha)…

In 2018, nearly 1,800 hectares were returned to the Kogi people, enabling the regeneration of over 1,200 hectares of forest and the resettlement of families and traditional villages

  • November 2000, the actor Pierre RICHARD became Honorary President of the Association, a way for him to put his passion for ‘indigenous’ peoples into practice.
  • 2005: creation of a Colombian association, Tchendukua – Aquí y Allá, to ensure the implementation and monitoring of projects on the ground.
  • Since 2005, Tchendukua – Ici et Ailleurs has expanded its activities to include other communities in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta: the Wiwas, the Arhuacos and the Kankuamos.
  • 2012: Recognition of Tchendukua – Ici et Ailleurs by the IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
  • 2015: Tchendukua – Switzerland was established, extending and strengthening the work of the French organisation.
  • December 2017: establishment of a partnership with the Wiwas, a people related to the Kogis who are also descendants of the Tayronas.
  • September 2018: cross-verification in the Drôme. Three shamans (two men, one woman) compared their knowledge with that of European scientists. The conclusion was clear: their knowledge was fully validated by the scientists. The dialogue could now be taken further.
  • November 2018: purchase of 185 hectares of land for the Wiwa people. They are funding 30% of the cost
  • 20 November 2018: launch of the KLIC (Kogis Leadership Inspiration Circle), a circle of partners of Tchendukua
  • 4 December 2018: the programme “Rendez-vous en Terre Inconnue”, featuring astronaut Thomas Pesquet, highlights the Kogis. The appeal for donations to buy back land, launched at this time, mobilises thousands of new donors, members and followers on Facebook.
  • January 2019: signing of a new agreement with the Wiwas, this time for a period of three years.
  • Summer 2020: crowdfunding campaign to support the Kogis, Wiwas and Arhuacos, who are unable to feed themselves due to Covid-19 and the drought
  • June 2021: launch of the “Re-enchanting Life” programme
  • December 2021: 329 hectares of land purchased in 2021 for the Kogis and Wiwas. Never before has Tchendukua purchased so much land in a single year!
  • September–October 2023: a Kogi delegation, comprising Mamas and Kogi leaders, visits France and Switzerland to meet with around fifty scientists for a cross-disciplinary dialogue on key issues concerning the territory.
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The story of Tchendukua – Ici et Ailleurs would not have been possible without Eric Julien’s meeting with Gentil Cruz, a former civil servant at the Ministry of the Interior in charge of ‘Indian affairs’. He went on to become Tchendukua’s first correspondent in Colombia. A mestizo (from the Pijao community) who had been working with the Kogis for 30 years, Gentil Cruz had managed to forge a close relationship of trust with them. He played a decisive role in the association’s early years. But his presence was a thorn in their side: he was abducted and then murdered by paramilitaries in 2005. His body was never found.

We would like to thank those who made the purchase of these first plots of land possible, and in particular, Françoise CALLIER and her son Jean WERNER, Geneviève MORAND (Consultant, Honorary President of Tchendukua-Suisse – Here and Elsewhere – Switzerland) and René Charles MILLET (Businessman).

Today, Tchendukua’s work is made possible by the commitment of volunteers, the support and trust of members and numerous donors, patrons, grants from public bodies, and partners such as the Tayrona Heritage Trust in England and the Ecole Pratique de la Nature et des Savoirs in the Drôme.

* Named after the village where the shamans are trained, meaning: where thought converges

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