On the Day of the International Indigenous Peoples, the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (Ceama) places at the center the memory, wisdom, and resistance of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon and other regions of the world. The celebration also becomes an opportunity to recognize their contribution to the protection of territories and the care of life.
From this perspective, Juan Urañavi, Bolivian indigenous leader of the Guarayo people and vice president of Ceama, highlights the value of the knowledge that the communities have preserved and transmitted from generation to generation. “We highlight their principles, values, knowledge, and ancestral wisdom that they maintain even today, especially in the care of the Common Home”, Urañavi points out.
For the indigenous leader, this knowledge does not belong solely to the past. It remains alive in the communities and expresses a particular way of understanding the relationship between people, the territory, and the other beings that are part of creation.
Indigenous voice on the path of the Amazonian Church
The election of Juan Urañavi as vice president of Ceama for the period 2026-2030 directly incorporates the voice of indigenous peoples in the leadership of this ecclesial body. At 63 years old, the representative of the Guarayo people brings his experience as a Bolivian indigenous leader to a Church that seeks to deepen its Amazonian and synodal path.
His participation reflects a perspective in which indigenous peoples do not appear solely as recipients of pastoral action, but as subjects capable of contributing their experiences, knowledge, and proposals to the processes of the Church. Walking alongside the indigenous peoples means, in this sense, opening spaces to listen to their voices, recognize their dignity, and support their efforts to protect their territories, cultures, and rights.
The Amazon presents numerous challenges. Deforestation, river pollution, extractive activities, displacement of communities, and threats against those who defend the territories are part of a reality that directly affects the peoples who inhabit this region.
The territory as memory, identity, and future
In the face of these situations, the experience of indigenous communities offers other ways of understanding the bond with nature. The territory cannot be reduced to a source of resources, but is related to history, the identity, spirituality, and community life.
The knowledge transmitted by indigenous peoples arises from a daily relationship with the forests, rivers, the land, and the different forms of life that make up the Amazon ecosystem. This perspective allows us to recognize that caring for our Common Home also involves preserving the cultures and ways of life of those who have historically inhabited these territories.
Therefore, the celebration of International Indigenous Peoples Day is an opportunity to listen to those who have maintained a caring relationship with their territories for generations and to recognize the value of their contributions in light of the crises facing the Amazon. Urañavi encourages indigenous peoples to continue moving forward “with the same strength and courage that characterize them,” recognizing along their path a source of hope for new generations.
Church that listens
The message from Ceama also presents a challenge for the Church itself: to learn from the indigenous peoples and recognize them as protagonists in building responses to the challenges of the Amazon.
The presence of Urañavi in the vice-presidency of the Ecclesial Conference precisely expresses this search for a Church with greater indigenous, intercultural, and synodal participation, capable of walking alongside communities and valuing their knowledge.
On this International Indigenous Peoples Day, Ceama thanks the life and resilience of indigenous peoples and recognizes their contribution to the defense of territories, cultures, and life.
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