Nurturing the forest and its peoples

Food and nutrition for the more than 27 indigenous groups of Vaupés is a complex system of social norms, inherited and transmitted knowledge, and practices loaded with symbolism that guide and regulate the consumption of various products and preparations. A common term corresponds to that of diets which, unlike in the West, here refers to the fulfillment of indications and restrictions for the consumption of certain foods according to the different moments of the life cycle to guarantee the protection of people and the prevention and cure of diseases, imbalances or risks that compromise individual, collective and territorial health. 

For Vaupés, it is essential to approach the understanding of nutritional health through horizontal dialogues where cultural knowledge is valued while highlighting the sovereignty and food autonomy of the populations who exalt and prioritize the products of cultivation, hunting and fishing according to their traditions. There are different factors that over the years have transformed the food dynamics in the region by incorporating external foods, mostly processed, and have generated problems that require inter-sector interventions built with the population to respond to the needs of the context and avoid preventable conditions and mortalities.  

Thus, the purpose of an intercultural view of nutrition in Vaupés should start with respect for cultural patterns from the understanding of the ecological calendars that contain the times of availability of food from gathering, hunting and fishing, ritual and ceremonial moments that correspond both to transitions in the lives of people such as pregnancies, births, childhood development, as well as celebrations and traditional festivities. In addition to the clinical approach to nutrition through anthropometric variables and biomedical indicators, there is a set of tools that should contribute to the well-being and improvement of the health conditions of the indigenous population.