A Maltese woman who lived among Ecuadorian Amazon tribes has been inspired to shoot a documentary about them and raise funds to help them fend off the exploitation of their land and resources. 

Mariah Cutajar lived among the indigenous Waorani tribes and was inspired by a culture and a way of life fundamentally connected to the preservation of the Amazon rainforest.

The people there, she said, are not motivated by gain or profit but to peacefully coexist in the land that they have inhabited for generations.

“The communities we visited had people who seemed like they were living two different lives,” she said.

A father and son duo, the last shamans left in the community.

“On the one hand, you have the people who go to school, work normal jobs and live in cities as we would expect in Western culture. But, on the other, you have those who essentially live as one with the forest. They hunt to eat and they know how to make their way through this huge sprawling rainforest without getting lost. They are essentially guided by the sun. They keep all the traditions of their ancestors alive.”

Cutajar said that even through simply observing and participating in how the tribes in the forest live their lives, she could tell that the Waorani have a strong connection with the land they inhabit.

“You can tell their physical bodies are stronger, they’re constantly running, hunting and doing manual work,” Cutajar said.

“The way they live their lives, I think, makes them more active people and, in my experience, more humble.”

“Often, they would go out of our way to guide us to remote and unique locations. They would never accept payment over what was agreed. They don’t seem to be motivated by money at all; they seem to strive for what they need to survive.”

Cutajar first learned about the culture of indigenous tribes when she began creating artisanal products similar to those sold in indigenous culture.

“I started learning about cultural appropriation as I wanted to look into giving donations to the culture where these products originated and also to teach people about the culture and history which led to their creation,” Cutajar said.

“We tend to misuse other people’s culture and not think too much about the pain that comes with it. Are we aware of whether we are buying things that come from factories that utilise child labour? Because those kinds of products being passed off as indigenous in Malta... that’s likely where they came from.”

Through her research, Cutajar was inspired to move to Ecuador, to learn first-hand about the struggles and challenges that indigenous communities face in the present day.

“It took time to be able to integrate and start meeting with the tribes,” she said.

“Our contact actually came from a hairdresser. I was telling her about what I wanted to do and she knew someone who was able to help us.”

After spending weeks with the indigenous Waorani tribes, Cutajar came to realise that these communities are facing a huge economic pressure from corporations that seek to carry out commercial activities, like mining and logging, on the land that they inhabit.

Speaking with community leaders, shamans and residents, young and old, of these tribes, Cutajar is creating a documentary: The Guardians of Pachamama. It highlights how the last bastion protecting the Amazon rainforest from exploitation needs support.

Mariah and children from the Waorani community.

“Essentially, what these companies want is control of the land to exploit for materials,” Cutajar said.

“Unfortunately, these communities are not provided with essential needs by their government and it leaves them in a weak economic state.

“They’re left in a position where their options are either to starve or sell their home grounds in the rainforest for far less than they’re worth.”

The documentary will highlight the extent of the deforestation happening along the Napo River and how oil extraction is encroaching into lands.

While the documentary is being edited, Cutajar has launched a fundraiser for money to be invested into projects within Waorani communities.

“These people are losing the essence of their culture because, increasingly, they are being made to feel like they are the problem for living the way that they do on their land,” Cutajar added.

“One tribe in particular is known for having killed some missionaries in the 1950s. We have to understand that they see these people as an attempt to invade their space and change everything about their beliefs and culture. But I don’t think that’s right, helping them doesn’t mean asking them to change everything about them.”

The fundraiser would go towards supporting artisans in tribes to sell their products as well as setting up basic infrastructure like a freshwater system in the communities.

“For me, these people are warriors because they still know how to live with nature,” Cutajar said.

“And they are the only ones who can protect it because they live there and it is their land.”