Ethnic Education Centers for the Strengthening of Nasa Life: Weaving Resistance Through Identity

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a study on ethnic education centers

as an strategy to strengthen the life of the Nasa people, in the municipalities of Toribio, Tacueyó, and San Francisco, in Northern Cauca Department, which was carried out from 2005 to 2006 and sought to determine the contributions of these centers to the strengthening of ethnic identity and the construction of social subjects. The ultimate purpose was to reflect upon the importance of the Cauca Department Indigenous People’s Movement, especially on the part of the youth, in bringing about organizational processes aimed at a critical recovery of the Nasa people’s historical memory; the consideration of their economic, political, and sociocultural context; and a critical analysis of gender, generational, and cultural relationships. It is believed that realizing this goal will also result in youths keeping their active role in community initiatives aimed at invigorating and projecting the Indigenous social movement.