“In the far north of Colombia, nestled in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, is “the heart of the world”. This is a belief held by the Arhuaco people, an Indigenous group that have lived here for thousands of years. According to their complex history and cosmology, they, along with their neighbours the Kogi, Wiwa, and Kankuamo peoples (distinct yet related Indigenous groups) sprung from this site during the creation of the Earth.
As such, they refer to themselves as the Elder Brothers, and to the rest of the world as the Younger Brothers. This distinction arose not just from a difference in age, but from a difference in responsibility. These groups view themselves as the Earth’s caretakers, and woven deeply into their belief system is an obligation to ensure balance between humanity and nature. Fittingly and unfortunately, as the years have passed, we — the Younger Brothers — have shown our immaturity through causing untold damage to the world around us, and now, more than ever before, the Elder Brothers are pressed to carry out their sacred duty.
Once an isolated and largely uncontacted group of communities, driven high up the sloping land by war and outside interference, they are now a beacon of hope to those around the world seeking an answer to the treacherous situation we find ourselves in. Having watched the snow on the peak of their most sacred mountain (the form of which inspired the conical white hats they wear and the name of which is known only to them) slowly retreat due to global warming, the Arhuaco, Kogi, Wiwa, and Kankuamo peoples have recognised the need for spreading their message. Since the early 90s, they have begun to allow periodic documentation of their home, their lives and their rituals of conservation, in the hope that they will inspire their Younger Brothers to adopt a similar mindset.
After learning about the history and wisdom of these groups, British photographer Gobinder Jhitta was moved to pursue such an opportunity, and was eventually given permission to visit the Arhuaco and Kogi groups and capture their way of life. The resulting body of work, titled Zaku (which, in the Indigenous language of these peoples, means ‘spirit of the mother’). Jhitta photographed the special bond that the Arhuaco and Kogi share with nature, and the earnestness with which they perform their age-old task of protecting it.”
