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WASKA: The Forest Is My Family

As commodification and extractivism in the Amazon Rainforest extends to the plant medicine hayakwaska, the granddaughter of a Yachak (shaman) reveals the essence of what it means to live as part of the forest.

Nina Gualinga of the Kichwa People of Sarayaku, speaks with the memory of her Apayaya (grandfather) about the ongoing cultural appropriation, environmental destruction and marginalization of Indigenous Peoples, questioning our very relationship to earth and the quest for healing.

  • Nina Gualinga
    Director
  • Daniel Boloh Miranda
    Co-director
    El Río De Los Espíritus, Allpamanda
  • Elizabeth Swanson
    Co director
  • Marc Silver
    Producer
    Who Is Dayani Cristal?, 3 1/2 Minutes 10 Bullets
  • Lindsay Poulton
    Executive Producers for The Guardian
  • Jess Gormley
    Executive Producers for The Guardian
  • Tracy Rector
    Executive Producer
    Reciprocity Project, Fruits of Labor, Sweetheart Deal, Dawnland, Outta the Muck
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    indigenous, colonialism
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    60,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Ecuador
  • Country of Filming:
    Ecuador
  • Language:
    English, Other, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 16mm
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • The Guardian
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Nina Gualinga

Nina Gualinga, from the Sarayaku People in the Ecuadorian Amazon, is a leading advocate for Indigenous rights and climate justice. Sarayaku is known for its landmark victory against the Ecuadorian government and oil companies, setting a legal precedent for Indigenous rights throughout Latin America.

She actively advocates for the rights of women and is a spokeswoman for Mujeres Amazónicas, a collective of Indigenous women in the Ecuadorian Amazon defending their lives and lands, and fighting against systematic violence against Indigenous women.

Nina comes from a family of natural artists and storytellers, mastering the traditional art of Wituk painting and Kichwa ceramics. In recent years, she has expanded her creative expression through photography and film. In 2020, she co-produced 'Tiam – The Return', a short film that follows the journey of an Indigenous family escaping the impact of COVID-19. Now, 'Waska - The Forest Is My Family' marks her directorial debut.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This film is a deeply personal reflection of my heritage, my people, and our land. As a child, I witnessed the impact the oil industry had on my community in the Ecuadorian Amazon, and the same industry that today is the main cause of climate change. As time has passed and different markets have arisen, new forms of exploitation have arisen. We are now witnessing a movement which threatens to exploit our cultural heritage and ancestral knowledge.

The western society’s search for reconnection and healing has led many people to look for answers in Indigenous cultures – cultures that in many ways have maintained the connections and spiritual practices which many ‘Westerners’ seek.

Hayakwaska (known as ayahuasca) has been used for as long as my people can remember, passed down through generations as a way to connect, heal and gather strength - both individually and collectively. It is only in the last decade that hayakwaska tourism has become a trend.

For many years, I have felt a great concern around the commercialization of our ceremonial practices and the impact it is having on Indigenous peoples and lands. This phenomenon is not new for us. It started with land grabs to facilitate the exploitation of rubber, oil, gold and logging. Now, there are actors seeking to commercialize and profit off of our cultures’ sacred plants and ceremonial practices.

It is time to shed light on the fact that this may reinforce the same systems of extraction that Amazonian communities have been resisting for so long.

The film helps us to collectively question the ways in which we seek to heal ourselves. It cannot be denied that our territories have the power to heal even outsiders, but the ways in which that healing occurs must not perpetuate the legacy of extractivism which continues to threaten our cultures and territories.