The Kogi : An Ancient Tribe with a Modern Message

The Kogi are the last surviving civilisation from the world of the Inca and Aztec. Their cities lie untouched, deep in the jungle of the world’s highest coastal mountains, an area nicknamed “hell” by local Colombian authorities and cocaine-farmers alike.

Although they don’t have the wheel, or even writing, they are unbelievably culturally advanced. They show an astuteness and understanding of human nature that is baffling. But, their knowledge is even deeper in matters of the environment and the ecosystem they inhabit.

In 1990 they first broke their hundred-year silence by allowing BBC filmmaker Alan Ereira to document their existence in order to issue a grave warning to the modern world : that we (“younger brother”) are killing the planet through ecological damage. Despite the great success of that film and the increased political clout it has afforded them (Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos travelled to receive the tribe’s blessing before his inauguration), Alan was summoned back, twenty years later, to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to produce a new film, “Aluna”.

The result is a documentary that grants the tribe even more authority. For every aspect of their approach that seems irrational and esoteric, there is a redeeming flash of their awareness, a nugget of wisdom shared to camera which is swiftly confirmed by a visibly astounded scientist.

It’s in this manner that the film begins as we follow one of the intellectual leaders (known as “Mamas”) Manuel Coronado and his trainee daughter on their trip to become the first ever Kogi to set foot in the UK. The camera first follows the pair as they awkwardly shuffle through a Colombian mall, barefoot and clad in traditional garb, to purchase shoes in order to be let on to the plane. But just a few frames later in London, when being shown a telescopic photograph of space, including faraway stars and galaxies not visible to the naked eye, Manuel picks out a star in recognition. Richard Ellis, Professor of Astronomy at Caltech, trying very hard to hide his surprise, confirms to camera : “he’s just found a single isolated star in this picture straight away”. They may not wear shoes, but time and time again the Kogi demonstrate ancient wisdom that can be backed up by modern science.

The core message of “Aluna” is that there are critical interconnections within the natural world, that most of us in the West can’t even conceive of. Human activity in the estuary of a river impacts the environment at the river’s source ; Certain “sacred” areas act as refuge for species of fauna and flora ; extracting certain ores from underground affects the air around us. By leading the crew on an epic journey around the mountain’s ecosystem, from one pollution-ridden river mouth to the next, they hope to make these connections obvious and stir us into action.

What makes their message even more poignant, is that the mountain they inhabit is a true microcosm of the planet, with every climate, ecological zone and most of the broad families of plants and animals represented. As the Kogi painfully relay how land development is damaging an environment hundreds of miles away from where it actually takes place, you’ll shudder to think at how development where you live might be affecting natural environments elsewhere.

The real power of this film lies in its honest portrayal of the Kogi. Alan tirelessly pokes holes in their theories, asking for more concrete demonstration, insisting that viewers in the West may not heed their message but they always respond constructively, explaining things anew or using a more concrete example that might better communicate their thought. There’s also Alan’s encouragement of the tribespeople to engage with others, sometimes an exercise in challenging deep-held Western belief. But throughout the film, these exchanges also lead to scientific recognition of the Kogi’s knowledge, resulting in some particularly heartwarming moments of unique human interaction.

“Aluna” offers viewers a privilege that few alive today can claim. The chance to witness an ancient, untouched civilisation come into contact with our own, albeit to lament our destructive ways.