Region

Throughout pre-history and in historic times, indigenous nationalities lived in the region that we now call the “Oriente,” the Ecuadorian Amazon. A great number of these ethnic groups were forced to their extinction in the time of the Spanish conquest, and many others disappeared during the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

At the moment that the Spanish conquerors entered the Oriente, two important indigenous populations that they found were the Omaguas and the Huitotos, who inhabited remote parts of the rainforest in order to avoid contact with the conquering forces. They were cultures that strongly identified with their deep relationship with the rainforest.

During the course of Spanish domination, the Omaguas and Huitotos were denied the use of their own names, and they lost their original languages, as the goal of the Spanish was to facilitate their acculturation. They became known as the Quijos, and later as the Yumbos, the Alamas, the Omaguas Kichwas Parlantes, and finally in the present, the Kichwa, a multi-ethnic group which was born from the cultural and blood fusion amongst those indigenous to the rainforest, and the thousands of native slaves that the conquerors brought from the Sierra.

The indigenous people, tired of bearing the cruelties and excesses of the Spaniards, fled seeking the protection of the rainforest. They chose the edges of the Misahualli, Tena, Pano, and Napo Rivers to form their population centers. Despite the fact that they were not rebellious people, they began to organize battles for a war against this cruelty, and the shamans and the chiefs joined together to plan the expulsion of the Spanish from their territories. They sent messages to all of the villages to prepare themselves for the fight that was approaching. The continuous abuses by the Spaniards towards the indigenous population fermented the discontent, and fueled the rebellion which brought forth the most important leaders of the time like Beto, Huami, and Jumandy. They were nominated as the powerful shamans of this region and together they invoked the native people to rise up and plan the death of the Spaniards. They directed the uprising of November 29, 1578, taking by force, robbing, and burning the cities of Ávila and Archidona, which were plundered, and completely destroyed. The bitterness of the Natives was unleashed and this resulted in the death of all of the Spaniards residing in the cities. They claimed the city plazas, and chose Jumandy to be the great chief of the war, who directed a large group of warriors to the population of Baeza. But some of the Spaniards that lived in the Sierra took pursuit, bringing troops from Quito and a great number of well armed Spanish soldiers. Jumandy was obliged to withdraw, and the Spaniards began a pursuit throughout the days and nights of four months. During the retreat, Jumandy led his warriors to an ambush, while taking refuge in the caverns that at present still carry his name, “Jumandy Caverns.”

Despite their noble attempts, at the end, the ringleaders of the native rebellion fell prisoner, and were carried to Quito, where the royal audience condemned them to death. After the conquest, the indigenous people began to differentiate themselves, taking the names of the places where they lived. As a result, the various indigenous groups of the region arose, one of which became known as the Kichwa.

It was not an easy settlement of the land, because “Pacha Mama” (Mother Earth) was a jealous protector of her land, and she did not easily permit the entrance of strange people to hunt or fish. The Kichwa people had to deal with great rain and thunderstorms. Yet these people progressed and flourished, demonstrating their hunting, fishing, and craft-making techniques, as well as their war tactics and connection to the spiritual world. This is how the prominence of the Kichwa culture grew among the inhabitants of the Amazon, especially in the Napo and lower region, which became their ancestral lands.