As part of a project in their Spanish classes at Mount Madonna School (MMS), eighth through eleventh grade students are seeking donations of school supplies and used clothing for students at two indigenous schools, the Arhuacan school, La Institucion Etnoeducativa Tairona de Bunkwimake and the Wiwa school, Zalemaku de Sertuga, located in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Colombia.‘My MMS students have been learning about the Arhuaco, Wiwa, Kogi and Kankuamo people and the cultural background of their communities, especially in regard to their traditional ecological knowledge (TEK),” explained MMS Spanish teacher Stewart Diaz-Mogollon. ‘This ethno-ecological work, mostly carried out by the Kogi Mamas and Arhuacan Mamos [spiritual leaders], focuses on the areas of water management and human impact.”
For their class project, students are using their Spanish knowledge to build a relationship with the students attending these schools. Diaz-Mogollon began working with the Arhuaco and Wiwa populations in 2005 as a cultural anthropologist. ‘I returned to the U.S. in 2010, to find a school, such as MMS, to help socialize the importance of this work for the planet,’ he explained. ‘My students are currently in the process of producing introductory videos in Spanish and creating community awareness around the topics that Spanish has allowed them to understand and comparatively engage with, such as the California drought, climate change, and MMS’ upcoming Summit for the Planet event.’
Diaz-Mogollon plans to visit the villages later this month, to share the students’ videos and deliver the donated materials. Donations are being collected through March 24; there are red collection bins outside of the MMS office and near the kitchen of the Mount Madonna Center Community Building. When Diaz-Mogollon returns, he plans to bring back a recorded response from the Colombian students to share with his MMS students.
To learn more about the significance of the work of the Kogi Mamas and Arhuacan Mamos, view filmmaker Alan Ereira’s BBC documentary, http://www.alunathemovie.com/
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Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton,Marketing & Communications,
Nestled among the redwoods on 355 mountaintop acres, Mount Madonna is a safe and nurturing college-preparatory school that supports students in becoming caring, self-aware and articulate critical thinkers, who are prepared to meet challenges with perseverance, creativity and integrity. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville.
