Yo Me Acuerdo . . .

Yo Me Acuerdo - the life of the Tsa'chila culture in the last 60 years!

We are delighted to announce the publication of an ebook written by Alfonso Aguavíl, founder and leader of the cultural group Shinopi Bolón. The book, "Yo Me Acuerdo," was created with the assistance of French sociologist Richard Couedel, who has spent 2014 living with the Tsa'chila and working with Alfonso to write down his memories and knowledge of the Tsa'chila culture. This is the first book written by a Tsa'chila, from first-hand experience of the dramatic changes that have taken place over the lifetime of Alfonso who is now 60 years old.

The book is written in Spanish.

Alfonso was born into the traditional Tsa'chila lifestyle - as hunter-gatherers in the endless rain forests that once covered the entire western lowlands on the Pacific side of the Andes. Since the 1960s, their jungle home was increasingly invaded by mestizos, cutting down the forests to sell the timber and creating farmland. To the pacific and reclusive Tsa'chila with no sense of land ownership or notion of money, this ceaseless onslaught devastated their culture and lifestyle, leaving them isolated and without resources on small tracts of land ceded to them in the late 1960s by the Ecuadorian government.

Alfonso recounts, in his own words, stories of his lifetime along with accounts of the myths, beliefs and legends of the Tsa'chila culture.

We are offering the book initially in pdf format for e-readers and other devices for $11.55. We hope to raise up to $2,000.00 to publish in paperback format in Ecuador.

All proceeds from the sale go directly to Alfonso to continue his work to preserve and promote the Tsa'chila culture.

To purchase this book in pdf format please choose one of the options on the right.