Word and raising children on the slopes of cerro Cumbal: an anthropology from within

Authors

Keywords:

raise, work, mayores antiguas, Pasto People

Abstract

This text reflects on the ways in which Mount Cumbal upbrings cumbales. The hill is the origin and guide of collective life. Through paths, forests, and sacred sites such as Güel and Loma de Camur I show how daily life, working the land, and the presence of the elders shape history and the unique way of narrating upbringing and the constant journey which allow us to understand our time within the spiral of life. Growing up involves walking with time, recognizing the memory of the elders ahead of us, and assuming the duty to remain, work, care for, and defend as those reborn from the womb of the earth. In this journey memories walk through family genealogies, through materialities such as the life of the güel tree and through the spiritual relationships of places, non-human beings, and the community. From there I propose a path for living anthropology from within from correspondences, commitments, and links with the territory. Memories continue to walk through places, living things, and the growth of life in the great Cumbal. These continuities allow us to conceive of the Indigenous world of the Pastos not from an external perspective, but from the relationships of correspondence and reciprocity that sustain it.

Author Biography

Janneth Liliana Taimal Aza, Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (Ecuador Headquarters) Cumbal Indigenous Reserve (Nariño)

An Indigenous woman and professional anthropologist from the Gran Cumbal Reserve—part of the Pastos People in southern Colombia—she has traversed the territory through community work, leadership roles, and her professional practice. Years ago, she began researching the worldview and traditional knowledge of the mayoras (female elders), as well as other "Indigenous women and community members". This work has driven processes to reclaim historical memory, creating spaces where the Cumbal community can embrace its spiritual and historical heritage. She has worked alongside Indigenous women, helping to foster leadership among women, youth, and children who are adopting ancestral methods of territorial defense to carry forward contemporary struggles. These efforts led to activities aimed at sharing this memory via digital media, resulting in the release of the short film "Mujeres Pastos en churo del tiempo" (Pastos Women in the Spiral of Time). In 2021, she supported "Indigenous women from the Cumbal and Guachucal reserves" (Pastos People) in a process to gain recognition for historical violence, as recounted through the lived experiences and voices of Indigenous women. These gatherings and extensive conversations gave rise to the illustrated book Mujeres Pastos en la lucha por la recuperación de Tierra: Resguardo de Guachucal y Cumbal (Pastos Women in the Struggle for Land Recovery: Guachucal and Cumbal Reserves). These initiatives enabled continued work based on "territorial pedagogies"—passing down knowledge and stories across generations to the community's children—which resulted in the publication of significant narratives regarding Indigenous life, such as "Las mayoras neblina que caminan en el tiempo" (The Mist Elders Who Walk Through Time). Another initiative in which they participated was carried out with the support of the National Center for Historical Memory under the "Sound Journeys through Sites of Memory in the Southwest" project. This initiative aimed to identify the impacts and acts of victimization experienced in the Kamëntsa-Biya territories in Sibundoy (Putumayo Department) and the Mallama, Guachucal, and Cumbal Indigenous Reserves (Nariño Department). The project resulted in a podcast series titled "Voices and Memories of the Land." More recently, they have supported women's organizations and local leadership initiatives, while continuing to engage in research and creative work—using audiovisual and audio tools—to raise awareness of the processes and struggles of the determined women of the Pastos People.

References

Anzola, Juan Sebastián (2017). Uno hace la finca y la finca lo hace a uno: Trabajo, conocimiento y organización campesina en Sucre, Cauca [Tesis de pregrado]. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.

Colectivo de Mujeres Indígenas Que Decís (2021). Mujeres pastos en la Lucha por la recuperación de tierras: resguardos de Guachucal y Cumbal. Centro Nacional de Memoria Histórica.

Green Stócel, Abadio (2014). El vientre camino de sabiduría y medicina para vivir en paz. Lectura en la clase inaugural del profesor Abadio Green, en la II Cohorte de la Licenciatura en Pedagogía de la Madre Tierra: Maloca del jardín Botánico, 23 de junio, Medellín - Colombia.

Guzmán-Pañuela, Laura (2021). Buscar la forma: ir sometiéndose y andar toriando caminos en el Norte del Tolima, Colombia. Virajes, 23(1), 65-99. https://revistasojs.ucaldas.edu.co/index.php/virajes/article/view/2487

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Taimal Aza, Janneth Liliana (2021). Indios resueltos. crianzas y rodeos de los herederos legítimos de los primeros cumbales [Tesis de pregrado no publicada]. Universidad de Caldas.

Archivos, sitios web y fuentes orales consultadas

Cuesta, Lucio (2024). Resguardo de Cumbal. Entrevista presencial/Comunicación personal.

Tapie, Victoria (2024). Resguardo de Cumbal. Entrevista presencial/Comunicación personal.

Taramuel de Aza, Rosa (2024). Resguardo de Cumbal. Entrevista presencial/Comunicación personal.

Paguay Julio (2021). Resguardo de Cumbal. Entrevista presencial/Comunicación personal.

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Published

2026-09-26

How to Cite

Taimal Aza, J. L. (2026). Word and raising children on the slopes of cerro Cumbal: an anthropology from within. Memorias Disidentes. Revista De Estudios críticos Del Patrimonio, Archivos Y Memorias, 3(6), 58–78. Retrieved from https://ojs.unsj.edu.ar/index.php/Mdis/article/view/1550

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 6 (2026): Traces and Murmurs. Plants and Animals in Dissonant Memories

Section

Sección Académica

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Copyright (c) 2026 Janneth Liliana Taimal Aza

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