Moment: Carlos Parra Rios

©Carlos Parra Rios Ruffino Parente enjoys a Mojojoy worm found in coconut palms falls, within the Tikuna community of San Pedro de los Lagos, in Amazonas Colombia.

Text and Image by Carlos Parra Rios

A photography workshop in the middle of the Amazon jungle was a unique exercise to portray and learn a little more closely about one of the oldest indigenous communities in Colombia, the Tikunas.

The Amazon is undoubtedly covered by an exotic veil that makes body and soul feel the hunch of being in a different place, full of ancient magic - a lost paradise from which we have not been completely expelled. Somewhere, where the passage of the white man, contamination and exploitation, along with other phenomena corresponding to western behavior, haven't been able to wipe away the traditions and customs that characterize life and identity for the true sons of this land. Everything in the Amazon is done under the imperative imposed by the jungle. It is she who rules; it is she who feeds the tribes. According to their worldview, before being men, the Tikuna were fish until their father Yoi used pieces of yucca as bait to get them out of the water.

To view more of Carlos’ work visit his Instagram here