Jan 2017: The northern part of La Guajira is a semi-arid desert. It is located in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountain and, therefore, gets less than 3 inches of rain each year. Over the last 3-4 years, the El Niño effect in the weather pattern has caused there to be no rain at all, so now the area is enduring a serious drought.
One of the reasons we wanted to journey to La Guajira was to see the Wayuu people. Roger was really amazed by them when he came to this area on a scouting trip for the Columbus School. Despite the scarcity of water, these indigenous people are able to survive. They live in small communities called rancherias made up of 5-6 houses with walls made from the stalks of a tall cactus and thatched roofs. They sleep in hammocks that hang under a flat roof.
The Wayuu have learned how to work around the need for water with dirt floors, that don’t need to be washed, and raising goats, who eat almost anything and require very little water. Their livelihood used to come from goat herding but with the scarcity of water, the goats are also more scarce.
Now, they make a living from the tourism in the area; renting hammock sleeping space to backpackers, selling drinks and cookies to hungry beach-goers, and selling woven hammocks (chinchorros) and traditional garments. A large part of their income is from selling bags called “mochilas”. These are hand woven by the Wayuu women and each bag is unique to the individual creator. Traditionally, the mochilas were made with natural fibers, such as wool, but now they are made with synthetic threads. The complicated technique of weaving is passed down through the generations of women.
Since there is so little rain now, several of the rancherias we passed had large reserve tanks to hold water that is brought in by trucks. This water is not cheap. We passed one community near Rancheria Utta several times a day. During the heat of the day, people remained inside, avoiding the harsh sun. Many women cover their faces with a thick dark mask made of a mushroom paste to protect their skin.
When we first passed this community, I thought that trash had blown everywhere. Turns out it was laundry day.
Even this Wayuu house, right on the beach, used whatever was available from nature.
This is a harsh environment to live in, but the Wayuu have lived here for hundreds of years, adapting to the ever decreasing supply of water. Hopefully, the rain will return before these people give up on this challenging and unique way of life.
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