MOTHER TONGUE - Colombia

Colombia, Nariño
Varietal: Caturra
Process: Honey
Altitude: 1,700 - 1,800 masl

In the 13th to 16th centuries, the Inca civilisation expanded from Peruvian rainforests, populating areas in what are now known as Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, and Colombia. Their descendants in Colombia, Inga people, inhabit Caquetá, Putumayo, Nariño, and Cauca. Since the 1700s the inga of Aponte have battled to keep their land and way of life. Many lawsuits attempting to undermine their ancestral claim to the 22,283-hectare protected reservation signed off by the Spanish crown in 1700. By the 70s the fight to protect their rights changed. No longer fought in the courtroom, the 70s brought in an era of deforestation, guerrilla groups, drug traffickers, and paramilitaries. By the early 90s 1,500 Hectares were poppy fields. This illicit crop brought money to the Inga people, who worked in the fields. It also eroded their culture, identity and environment. Not to mention the increased risk of violence. Farmers today still remember a time when the sound of gunfire was a weekly occurrence. In the early 2000s indigenous governor Hernando Chindoy campaigned to the government and in July 2003 ‘Resolution 013’ was passed by Instituto Colombiano de Reforma Agraria (INCORA)granting the Inga ownership of their territory under the legal category of resguardo. This is the collective land title issued to Indigenous communities for a defined territory that is inalienable, imprescriptible, and immune from seizure.