Huaorani | The Ghosts of the Yasuní

The Huaorani are Ecuador's most recently contacted Indigenous group. They were first approached in the late 1950s by US missionaries and oil workers, ultimately leading to ongoing oil exploitation, territorial displacement, and cultural colonization. Deep in the impenetrable jungle of the Ecuadorian Amazon live Huaorani (Waorani) people. The Huaorani are Ecuador's most recently contacted Indigenous group. They were first approached in the late 1950s by US missionaries and oil workers, ultimately leading to ongoing oil exploitation, territorial displacement, and cultural colonization. Today, about 2,000 Huaorani live in the Amazonian rainforest, including four "uncontacted" communities.



Huarani are fierce and well-regarded warriors and hunters bearing Anaconda (Ube) tattoos on their upper biceps to honor their Anaconda clan ancestors. Women are treated as equals in the Huaorani society, embarking on hunts and expeditions with men supporting the quest. Animistic religion and holistic medicine further strengthen the bond between the men and the rainforest. The tribe elders take on the crucial responsibility of safeguarding the tribe and its ancestral environment against external threats, including oil exploitation and cultural colonization. With unwavering dedication, they tirelessly work towards keeping these dangers at bay, ensuring that the tribe and its rich traditions will flourish for many years.



The tribe elders are the figures of authority, sources of wisdom and knowledge, and guardians against external threats, protecting the tribe and their ancestral environment from external threads. As time passes, the older warriors transition from the path of anaconda to that of a jaguar. And when the time comes, the Jaguar returns to the jungle, joining his ancestors and becoming the ghost of the Yasuni.



The Yasuní Biosphere is one of the areas with the most extraordinary biodiversity per square meter on the planet. 99.73% of the biosphere reserve consists of original natural vegetation. For many years, Yasuní National Park has been undergoing radical change. Exploration of the region's oil reserves has threatened many native species and habitats, as well as the lifestyle of the Indigenous Huaorani people.