3 Nov 2011

Respected Elder Delfin Payaguaje, visits SOAS

Respected Elder Delfin Payaguaje, visits SOAS





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Location School Of Oriental and African Studies

Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, WC1H

London, United Kingdom



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Created by: Native Spirit Foundation, Amy Woodrow Arai



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For Native Spirit Foundation



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More info Thanks to the money raised during the festival and the heart-driven donations to the Sponsume campaign, we are privileged to have Delfin Payaguaje visit with us here in London.



Delfin Payaguaje, a respected Elder from the Secoya Nation of the Ecuadorian Amazon forest will be at SOAS this Friday. He is over 80 years old and this is the first time he has ever left Latin America. For him this is an epic journey and represents his ...sincere calling to speak to Western audiences.



He is here in London to share teachings from his culture and discuss issues affecting the community; oil exploration, contamination of lands and dwindling access to land are deeply affecting the Secoya people.



At a time when many are taking to the streets and camping out to make a stand for a fairer system, and as oil and gas become the big topics on the agenda, we have much to learn from indigenous people in terms of surviving and thriving in today’s climate. It is imperative that we OCCUPY our hearts, minds and spirits through sharing, informing, and educating ourselves.



This will be an open event to discuss the life and issues concerning the Secoya. Delfin will be accompanied by the Minister of Education and Culture for the Secoya people, Luke Weiss. Luke is an American who has lived with the Secoya for close to 20 years and who speaks the language and understands the culture, he has the unique and privileged experience of being a bridge between the two worlds.



ABOUT DELFIN and the SECOYA



Delfin Payaguaje is a Secoya shaman in his community and a traditional Elder, the son of Fernando Payaguaje, one of the greatest spiritual masters the Secoya people have ever known.



The Secoya people (also known as Angotero, Encabellao) are an indigenous ethnic group living in the Ecuadorian Amazon or The Oriente region of Ecuador. They speak the Secoya language, part of the Western Tucanoan group. They share territory along the Shushufindi, Aguarico, and Cuyabeno rivers with the Siona people, with whom they are sometimes considered a single population.



The Siona people are organised politically through the Secoya Indigenous Organisation of Ecuador (OISE). They have been involved in a conflict with Occidental Petroleum over oil drilling in concession Block 15 in Ecuador. The Secoya people are fighting to protect their rainforest home against logging and oil exploration, including legal battles against Chevron in the United States Supreme Court.



SOAS

Room: G2



ALL DONATIONS FROM THIS EVENT WILL GO TO DELFIN AND HIS COMMUNITY



For press enquiries please contact: press@nativespiritfoundation.orgSee more

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