SECRETO SARAYAKU

The book “Secret Sarayaku” is a subjective photographic reinterpretation of the ancestral Kichwa knowledge of the Kawsak Sacha or Living Forest. This worldview affirms that all elements of the rainforest are alive, have a spirit and are interconnected. For this community, the conservation of their home is paramount to human survival.

This book implements a circular narrative which on the one hand, focuses on the relationship between the community and the Sacha Runakuna or Supreme Protectors of the rainforest. These are mythological beings that cannot be seen by the bare eye (or bare camera lens, for that matter), but instead are accessed by the indigenous Yachackuna or wise men through a spiritual connection. On the other hand, this book provides a visual analysis of the relationship between the community and the outside world through technology, such as the Internet and social media.

This book is a physical object that will endure in time as an emotional witness to the Kichwa philosophy.