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Vast paths have been walked by men and women with long hair and deep wisdom. From the depths of the jungle to the troubling and uncertain city suburbs, the Elders have travelled hundreds of kilometres spirited with an ancient and sacred tradition. With great openess they have wanted to share their lives with those who have drawn near to their long and difficult journey. We have been passing witnesses of this: witnesses of the camaraderie and joy that this great family, now living in Bogotá, has bestowed onto us so selflessly and generously.

The Tubú people, also known as Sirianos, have maintained their culture through the knowledge of a medicine as old as the great larches of the mountain ranges and as towering as the Kapok trees of the jungle. With wise and sincere words that heal; with a dance that beckons power and strength of bygone creatures.

The Sirianos, sons and daughters of time and space, have never lacked fortitude. For years they have known how to confront with dignity those, who via the most violent means, have wished for their physical submission and the surrender of their most sacred and grounded cultural values. Previously they lived in the far off jungles of Vaupés and now compeled and without many alternatives, in the Andean foothills on the outskirts of the big city, they have faced fear and despair, the cold and insecurity. On top of this the harshness of recent winter floods – unparalleled in the history of Colombia – have ruined their few belongings and the place where they shared their knowledge and medicines. The raging water has drowned in a terrible and unbearable cold the remains of a place where they could protect their bodies and with them, their traditions.

“I do not want to continue crying in silence.” These words of pain and helplessness expressed by Umugubu, the grandfather of the Tubú family, prevents us from being still or silent. The Tubú project is the resonance of these words. Thanks to the generosity of renowned street artists, we hope that these words do not fall into a void of oblivion.

By purchasing one or more of the works donated by these artists you contribute to the building of a new home for one of the few existing families of this indigenous tribe. Furthermore, and chiefly, you contribute to the survival of an ancient and unique knowledge that should not disappear from humanity’s collective memory.

We are an independent organisation that has approached the Tubú in an attempt to find solutions to their current situation. We offer our support on a voluntary basis, without compensations of any kind. All funds received through this project will go to the Tubú peoples’ new home and the beginning of a productive self managed project through which they can find urgent support.