Shamanic discourse, Territorial Planning and Protected Areas in the Colombian Amazon

The discourses of Amazonia's leaders appropriate the environmental discourse as a political strategy to defend the indigenous lands and strengthen the traditional authorities. Nevertheless, a careful analysis of the territorial plans designed by the Indian organizations from the lower Caqueta river and the surrounding area reveals the force of the shamanic discourse, which adjusts the interaction between human beings and other natural species and shows how environmental discourse's usual concepts are adapted to the native world-view. The Mirana's decision to manage the Cahuinari National Park with the officials of the National Environmental System cannot be understood as the expression of a protectionist position. It should be interpreted, rather, as a way to confirm their authority upon a territory that has belonged to them since before the creation of the park and as a way to control the resources intended for the conservation of the Amazonian rainforest.