“The bug, that little guy” in the Colombian indigenous territories: weaving dialogues with the Kankuama community in pandemic times

Abstract

This paper aims to reflect on the experiences involved in affirming life and preparing for the death of the indigenous Colombian Kankuama community, in the face of the pandemic and physical, sociocultural, ecological, and spiritual effects that underlie and impact their identity, visibility, awareness, and occupational participation. Through collaborative ethnic-national research based on indigenous thought, "Yarning" or fabric was used to recover the narratives of three kankuamos through two semi-structured face-to-face and one virtual interview, recorded and transcribed between April and August 2020. The narratives allowed to weave reflections linked to the struggle for the preservation of their intercultural health dynamics, recognizing elements linked to its history, the resignification of the virus as a phenomenon for the learning of humankind in the relationship with Mother Earth, and the land. The paper also addresses the occupational processes linked to death, emphasizing the learnings of the loss and awareness of the spiritual legacy of the elders, seniors, and sages for the interpretation and guidance of mortuary practices towards the "Chundwa". The Kankuamos’ perceptions on the current health situation, health, and well-being concepts are presented, based on the “Ley de Sé” and its relationship with death-related occupations related to social, cultural, and natural equilibrium, which must be considered within occupational therapy and occupational science in Latin America.

Keywords:
Indigenous Culture; Coronavirus Infections; Intercultural Health; Attitude to Death