“What you see around you is our ancestral territory. These are our people who sing at night about the creation of the world, the people who soothe the cracking and pain of Mother Earth,” said Juan Gabriel Jerez Tegria, president of AsoU’wa, to the Colombian government.
The public recognition of international responsibility by the Colombian State to the U’wa Nation took place on May 14, in compliance with one of the orders issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in its 2024 ruling, and the result of decades of peaceful struggle. This historic decision outlined reparation measures for the indigenous People of the U’wa Nation.
From U’wa territory, the president of Colombia, representing the State, recognized before ministers, state officials, and Indigenous authorities the historical struggle that the people have sustained to protect Mother Earth. While this is a historic milestone for the U’wa Nation and an important acknowledgement of wrongs committed by the state, true reparation goes beyond symbolic acts, it requires concrete actions and a guarantee of non-recurrence.
After 25 years of broken promises and unfulfilled agreements, leader Daris María Cristancho addressed the Colombian government and the hundreds of members of the U’wa Nation — traditional authorities, youth, boys, and girls — who traveled from their communities to witness this historic event:
Photo Daris “The State’s words do not erase the suffering we have endured, nor the neglect and violence inflicted upon our territory and our ancestral people. However, this moment represents the truth they tried to silence for so long: that our struggle was always just, that we were right, and that defending life should never be grounds for persecution.”
This ceremony also honored the traditional authorities who kept their word and collective memory alive, the women who sustained life and resistance, and the young people who have devoted themselves to continuing this struggle with wisdom and determination. It celebrated generations of defenders of Indigenous sovereignty, cultural survival, and climate justice – people who fight to keep oil in the ground because it is Mother Earth’s blood.
On behalf of the U’wa Nation, the president of AsoU’wa reminded the new generations of the struggle for the survival of their culture and their essence as an ancient people sustained by entire generations:
Photo Juan ‘“We are a people who think, who feel, who cry, who speak with the Sirinas (spiritual beings), who connect directly with the spirit of Mother Earth. We carry an ancestral mandate grounded in commitment to the Law of Origin — our divine mandate — whose purpose is to defend the nature we breathe, the waters we drink, and the land that nourishes us. We are the people of Sira.”
For EarthRights, it has been an honor to accompany the U’wa Nation for more than 15 years in their tireless pursuit of justice. We will continue to work alongside the U’wa Nation to ensure that the State complies with the orders of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, including the comprehensive protection of collective lands and sacred sites in accordance with the U’wa worldview, as well as the adoption of measures to mitigate the impacts of hydrocarbon extraction and other mining activities.
Building a more just society requires state commitments that go beyond speeches. It demands deep structural change: treating Indigenous Peoples as equals, recognizing them as collective rights holders, and valuing the essential wisdom they offer for the survival of humanity.
The economic model imposed by the Western world, based on the exploitation of natural resources, is unsustainable. The U’wa have taught us that the earth does not belong to people, people belong to the earth. Protecting it is the greatest legacy we can leave to our sons and daughters and future generations.
