Selfishness is affecting the foundations of our Wayúu community. And that worries us.

The Wayúu have always practiced Kamaneewa with all the other clans. And they do it as a way of maintaining social and spiritual balance among their families. For this is how the Wayúu have done it since the Pülasü time, when mythological characters walked the earth and lived among the Wayúu.

The Wayúu world moves among the Anajirawaa as a principle of cohesion and good understanding among all. From this mutuality, we could see that the Wayuu had an economic autonomy, since families enjoyed an exchange very different from trade as we know it today.

For example, in my family there is still the akolojoo, which is the exchange of products between families. And it happens when a Wayúu goes to another territory, and in that journey, they always take something to exchange with the others, and normally it is something that was planted by themselves, such as: yucca, ahuyama (butternut squash), beans, corn, kojosu, among others.

This reciprocity typical of the Wayúu families has helped us over time. It has helped bring us together through cultural practices and processes involving the participation of the whole clan.

Edited: Andru Shively (VUB)