Waorani tribe of Amazonian Ecuador
As the world celebrates Earth Day, a global environmental collaboration now observed by more than one billion people, we share some incredible images of the Waorani tribe and their habitat deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest.
Tea & Water Pictures photographer Christopher LaMarca says what makes this project so special is that the Waorani people’s traditional homeland is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. It’s also sitting on a huge oil field being exploited by the Ecuadorian government. This tribe has a history of being able to keep outsiders out of its land, often through force, but the recent discovery of oil here will probably end up destroying its culture, warns Christopher.
These people are hunter-gatherers, who have always been self sufficient, able to live off the land and fend for themselves. They live in the rainforest and are very wary of any outsiders. Christopher describes them as stern but warm and full of laughter.
Educating and empowering people across the globe with the knowledge to inspire action in defence of environmental protection is the focus of this year’s Earth Day, which makes projects like this one – which brings light to such a precious habitat now under threat – ever more important.
See more of Christopher’s work at http://www.teaandwaterpictures.co/artists/photographers/christopher-lamarca/
