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The Huaorani people are a people shrouded in mystery. They speak a language unrelated to any other (in fact it has yet to be even classified). Additionally, their pottery designs do not resemble those of their past or present neighbors. It is only known through their own folklore that they migrated from "down river" a long time ago, "fleeing the cannibals."

They revere the jaguar and call themselves, Huaorani which means "human beings" or "the people," and refer to everyone else as cowode or "non-humans." Up until four decades ago the Huaorani still used stone axes and maintained a thoroughly traditional hunter and gatherer lifestyle in their extremely isolated and monkey-rich rainforest haven, and enrich their diet with the of their manioc fields.

However, in the 1950's all of this changed. First the missionaries came. Then concomitant with the global demand for oil came the demand to find new oil reserves, and as fate has it the world's 2,200 Huaorani live right on top of one of Ecuador's biggest oil deposits. Since this discovery, the Huaorani have been forced to deal with the encroachment of oil companies and cowode on the land they have called home for at least a millennia.

However, like indigenous people all over the world who learn that they have natural resources other nations want, they are forced by those who make the rules to adapt as best they can to changing realities. One Huaorani clan, the Tagaeri or Taromenani, has moved deeper in the forest to shun all contact with the outside world. Other Huaorani communities have adopted ecotourism as a way to maintain control over their land, culture and resources.

As a visitor to Ecuador, you can learn more about the Huaorani people and support their efforts of self-determination by joining one of the community-based tourism programs offered by Kempery.