Nemonte Nenquimo, a leader of the Waorani tribe in the Ecuadorian Amazon, has committed herself to defending her ancestral territory, ecosystem, culture, economy, and way of life.
She is the first female president of the Waorani of Pastaza (CONCONAWEP) and co-founder of the Indigenous-led nonprofit organization Ceibo Alliance.
In 2020, she was named in the Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world, the only Indigenous woman on the list and the second Ecuadorian to ever be named in its history. In recognition of her work, in 2020 the United Nations Environment Programme gave her the "Champions of the Earth" award in the category Inspiration and Action. She was also on the list of the BBC's 100 Women announced on 23 November 2020. In 2020, Nenquimo was one of six environmental leaders to be awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize.
"This is my message to the western world – your civilisation is killing life on Earth."
"You are probably not used to an Indigenous woman calling you ignorant and, less so, on a platform such as this. But for Indigenous peoples it is clear: the less you know about something, the less value it has to you, and the easier it is to destroy. And by easy, I mean: guiltlessly, remorselessly, foolishly, even righteously. And this is exactly what you are doing to us as Indigenous peoples, to our rainforest territories, and ultimately to our planet’s climate.
It took us thousands of years to get to know the Amazon rainforest. To understand her ways, her secrets, to learn how to survive and thrive with her. And for my people, the Waorani, we have only known you for 70 years (we were “contacted” in the 1950s by American evangelical missionaries), but we are fast learners, and you are not as complex as the rainforest."
Indigenous peoples hold the solutions and wisdom needed to solve our climate crisis. But as Nemonte says, “We can’t do this alone. I would like the world to take action in this struggle. Don’t expect Indigenous peoples to do this on our own. We need everyone to join with us to protect the Amazon. If we all unite, we can change the future for the next generations”.
That’s where people power comes in. It’s going to take a global movement to provide the backing that Indigenous peoples need to succeed in protecting life-sustaining ecosystems against billion-dollar industries, governments, and financial institutions that are hell-bent on profit over life. And it’s going to take each and every one of us to do our part, no matter how big or small, to turn the tide on the climate crisis. Only by banding together between peoples from all walks of life, can we put into practice “respect for Mother Earth”, as Nemonte says, which is the starting point for solving our planetary crisis.
How can we – people raised in the cities of western civilization – best support the struggles of indigenous peoples?
Support frontlines Indigenous communities by donating to the Amazon Frontlines, a non-governmental organization (N.G.O.) that works with the Waorani and other indigenous groups on sovereignty and environmental issues.