 The Indigenous Association
in Defense of Samiria Ecology (ASIENDES) is an association formed by the members of a
native Cocamas-Cocamilla community at San Martin the Tipishca, located on the Samiria
River within the Pacaya Samiria. At the right you see Sr. Manuel Ahuanari, coordinator of
the community. According the the archeologist Lathrop, the ancestors of the Cocamas split from the Omaguas around the 14th Century, after which they established themselves on the Río Ucayali. They were "discovered" by Europeans in 1557 during the expedition of Juan Salinas de Loyala. Around 1619, the Cocamas themselves split divided into two groups: the Cocamas and the Cocamillas. In 1641 the Cocamillas were proselytized by P. Cueva. In 1644 they suffered their first epidemic and fled from the mission along with the Jeberos. In spite of their resistance they were obliged to relocate to a town next to the Río Shichinahua, where until 1649 they lived with the Cocamas. A new missionary, P. Bartolomé Pérez founded the new town of Santa María de Huallaga as a new Cocamilla mission. In 1651 this missionary was replaced by P. Santa Cruz, who in 1652 and 1653 got the Cocamillas involved in the subjugation of the native Paranapura, Muniche and Mayoruna.The Cocamas Cocamillas became established in all of Amazonian Peru and ultimately, trying to flee exploitation, arrived where today the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve is established. It is in this reserve, in the Zone of the Tipishca del Rio Samiria, in the indigenous community of San Martin de Tipishca, where today the ecotourism project you read about at this site is being conducted. Today it is the greatest hope of the people there to be able to gain benefits from ecotourism, and depend less on the unsustainable exploitation of the flora and fauna. The Cocamillas speak a language belonging to the family Tupí-Guaraní. Cocamillas families organize themselves in patrilineal groups called "sangres," or "bloods," associated with particular totems or founders. Cocamillas society is based mostly on fishing, including commercial fishing. They also sell rice, manioc and bananas, as well as high-quality timber from their forests. Today members of the community are hoping that ecotourism will enable them to live without destroying the natural riches left to them by their ancestors. The Cocamas-Cocamilla People of San Martin Tipishca conduct EarthFoot's "People, Plants & Animals of Pacaya Samiria National Reserve" program |