Shipati Warmi is a women’s empowerment project run by and for the women of Nueva Providencia, a Kichwa community on the Napo River in Yasuní National Park, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It was set up to create a sustainable income for the community, and it gives visitors a way to meet local people that is both authentic and beneficial to the families involved.
I had the pleasure of spending some time visiting the women running the project during my stay in the Ecuadorian Amazon and wanted to share my experience.
In this guide I’ll explain what the project is, where it is and how to visit, and describe daily life in the community, from guayusa tea at dawn to blowgun hunting, so you know what to expect and how to visit respectfully.
What is Shipati Warmi?
Shipati Warmi is a community-led women’s project in Nueva Providencia. Many travellers are interested in meeting local communities in a sustainable way that benefits the families, while still being an authentic experience, and this project is designed to do exactly that.
The culture has very distinct roles for men and women, which start at a young age for both genders. The women are the child caregivers, both for the babies they nurse while working and for the older children. On top of this they cultivate the land, harvest the vegetables, cook, prepare the daily drinks and look after the home.
The women’s project not only creates an income for the whole community, it also gives the women the opportunity to interact with visitors and become the front-facing side of the community, in a role that has traditionally been left to the men.
Where is Nueva Providencia?
Nueva Providencia is a Kichwa community on the Napo River, inside Yasuní National Park, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It’s a remote area, and visits are usually arranged through a nearby rainforest lodge.
How to visit the Shipati Warmi project
The best way to visit is by either staying at one of the local lodges like Sacha Lodge, or organising a visit through providers like Ecuador Green Travel. The experience is a quiet, unobtrusive dialogue with the women about their daily lives, such as how they dry clothes in the jungle and the challenges children face getting to school, before helping to prepare and try traditional food.
Visits take place on set days, Wednesdays and Sundays only, and the project asks each guest for a contribution of about US$10, which goes to the women and the wider community. Details can change, so check the current days and cost with your lodge or tour operator when you book.
Who are the Kichwa people?
The Kichwa (also spelled Quichua) are the largest indigenous group in Ecuador. Many live in the Andes, while the Amazonian Kichwa live in the lowland rainforest along rivers such as the Napo. They speak Kichwa, a Quechua language, and traditionally live from farming small plots called chakras, hunting, fishing and gathering from the forest.
A day in the life of the community
The women: guayusa, the chakra and the daily drinks
The women’s days start very early, as it’s much cooler and they can make the most of the daylight. In a similar way to many city workers starting the day with a coffee, people drink a tea made from the leaves of the guayusa tree when they wake up. They say that not only does it prevent snake bites, it also acts as an energy drink.
Next comes the walk to the chakra, the family’s farm plot, to harvest the crops and cultivate the land. Of course childcare must continue, so the women carry their youngest in slings over one side of the body, while wielding a machete in the other hand to guard against snakes. When they’re gathering yuca, they free their hands by using two sticks to turn the sling into a hammock for the baby.
From yuca to chicha
Yuca is a staple, but it has to be prepared carefully, as bitter yuca contains toxins that are removed by peeling and cooking. Back home, the peeled yuca is put in the batea, a large trough made from cedar wood, and cooked on the fire. It’s then mashed with a tool like a mortar and pestle and made into chicha, a fermented drink.
Traditionally the fermentation was helped along by chewing the yuca and spitting it out, but now sweet potato is used instead. It’s grated using a natural grater from the roots of the walking palm and added to the mixture. Palm nut and banana are sometimes used for other flavours, and the finished drink comes in a variety of colours and can be 4 or 5% proof. Its sweetness comes naturally from the vegetables, as items like honey are kept for ailments.
The forest as pharmacy, shopping mall and playground
The forest is not only the pharmacy, it’s also the shopping mall and the playground. The community knows it inside out, with the properties of plants and their uses passed down through the generations, so the elders or more experienced members often act as the doctors.
Other plants are used to make material items. The chambira palm is collected, the outside is peeled and the fibres extracted. It’s an incredibly strong plant, and after working the fibres against their legs to combine them, the cord is left in the sun for three days to dry. The result is used to make handicrafts, bags and hammocks.
The men and the blowgun
The men start training in hunting techniques from a very young age. Vegetables can be plentiful, but the protein in meat is valued and desired. Hunting isn’t viewed as recreation, it’s a necessity so that the community can eat meat.
The tool used is a blowgun (cerbatana in Spanish), made from a palm. Two halves of the wood are hollowed out and bound together, and the finished blowgun can be up to 3m long. The dart is sharpened with piranha teeth and has a cotton end to weight it and give it more force. The hunt is usually led by the oldest man in the group, and it’s a team activity: when prey is spotted, darts fly from all angles. Once again the forest provides, as the dart tips carry a poison made from natural ingredients to paralyse the prey.
Meat is smoked and salted to preserve it. In a typical community house the fire is always on, which also helps cut down on mosquitoes. The fireplace is built from layers of earth and leaves with a little water added to make it solid. Even the bowls come from the forest, made from dried, carved fruits and decorated with patterns that represent their owners.
How the project helps the community
The people in the community explained to me that they are keen to preserve their ways while also building relationships with the wider Amazon community and the tourists who visit the area. The women’s project is a fantastic opportunity for this. Not only do visitors learn about the fascinating ways in which the community uses the forest it lives in, but the women gain confidence as well as an income that benefits the whole community.
How to visit a Kichwa community respectfully
- Go through a lodge or operator the community works with, rather than turning up unannounced.
- Ask before photographing anyone, especially children.
- Buy crafts directly from the makers, and pay a fair price.
- Don’t hand out sweets or money, particularly to children. Contribute through the project instead.
- Follow your guide’s lead, and ask before entering homes or joining ceremonies.
- Be curious and listen. The best visits are conversations, not performances.
Shipati Warmi FAQs
What is Shipati Warmi?
A women’s empowerment project run by and for the women of Nueva Providencia, a Kichwa community in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
Where is Nueva Providencia?
On the Napo River, inside Yasuní National Park, in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
How do you visit the Shipati Warmi project?
Visits are usually arranged as an excursion through a nearby rainforest lodge, such as Sacha Lodge. Check the days and cost when you book.
How much does it cost?
The project asks each guest for a contribution of about US$10. Check the current amount with your lodge.
Who are the Kichwa people?
The Kichwa (sometimes called the Kichwa tribe) are Ecuador’s largest indigenous group. The Amazonian Kichwa live along the rainforest rivers.
What is guayusa?
A caffeine-rich tea made from the leaves of the guayusa tree, drunk at dawn in the community.
What is chicha?
A fermented drink made from yuca, which can be 4 or 5% alcohol.
Is it ethical to visit an indigenous community?
It can be, when the visit is community-led and the money goes to the people living there. This project is run by and for the women of the community. Visit respectfully, ask before taking photos, and contribute directly.
