who are we?
support us!delasierra supports the recovery of the (im)material cultural heritage of the Tayrona’s descendants – Kággaba/Kogi, Arsario/Wiwa, Ika/Arhuaco and Antaque/Kankuamo – of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia.
Tayrona goldwork, depicting a symbol of the sun deity „Haté Sé,“ circa 800 A.D., source
Our mission is to nourish the reconnection between the Tayrona’s descendants and their (im)material cultural heritage, this includes: creating an inventory of the heritage in museums and private collections worldwide, researching on the provenance and significance as well as the consequences and forms of translocation of this cultural heritage, and supporting discussions on the future of the collections and restitution processes.
In this way, delasierra aims to promote intercultural dialog and connect different systems of knowledge as well as practices related to the (im)material cultural heritage, and is therefore committed to international, intercultural and transdisciplinary collaboration, hopefully establishing new ethical relationships. By recognizing and valuing indigenous knowledge and ways of life, delasierra intends to contribute to the recovery of ecological, cultural and social equilibrium.
delasierra's commitment to the recovery of the (im)material cultural heritage is based on a collaboration with the Organización Gonawindúa Tayrona of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia.
current events
Tayrona goldwork (VMZ Inv-No. 17892-17928) in the collection of the Ethnographic Museum of UZH, photo: Ethnographic Museum of UZH, archive signature VMZ-S-F-02-003, Malkin file 1980
collaborative research
25th of january to 14th of february 2025
reconnecting with the (im)material cultural heritage in museums
Based on our collaboration with the Organización Gonawindúa Tayrona, aiming to recover the (im)material cultural heritage of the Tayrona’s descendants, and our research on those collections in museums worldwide, a delegation of the Kággaba people will be visiting museums in Switzerland and Germany to reconnect with their cultural heritage and exchange about its meaning, significance and future.
It is an honor that Mama José Shibulata Zarabata Sauna, an important spiritual authority and highly valued carrier of the ancestral knowledge of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta’s indigenous societies, together with José Manuel Sauna Mamatacan, who currently works in the field of communications at the Organización Gonawindúa Tayrona and will be translating the ancestral knowledge, make this journey.
The Kággaba delegation will visit the Völkerkunde?museum der Universität Zürich, the Museum der Kulturen Basel, the Museum Mensch und Natur in Freiburg, the Engelhorn-Reiss-Museen in Mannheim, the MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum Kulturen und Künste der Welt in Hamburg and the Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden - Staatliche Ethnographische Sammlungen Sachsen, among others.
The journey is made possible by the generous support of the DFG-Research Training Group “Cultures of Critique”, the partner museums in Switzerland and Germany, and the Kunstraum at the Leuphana University Lüneburg and we want to thank everyone involved for making this possible.
Drawing by Arregocés Coronado Zarabata at an event at the Ethnographic Museum of UZH, 2022
workshop
7th of February 2025
beyond restitution: indigenous practices, museums, and heritage
Mama José Shibulata Zarabata Sauna and José Manuel Sauna Mamatacan, together with representatives of other indigenous communities from Latin America and museum professionals from European collections, will participate in a workshop to discuss on the violent separation between the so-called objects and the indigenous peoples and their practices, currently established in European collecting and musealization, and what would be needed for its undoing.
In this context, Mama José Shibulata Zarabata Sauna and José Manuel Sauna Mamatacan, in representation of the Organización Gonawindúa Tayrona, will share their perspective on the Tayrona (im)material cultural heritage’s meaning and relevance. They will also share their message on the consequences of the cultural heritage’s translocation and absence from the ancestral territory, as the heritage constitutes a central part of the Kággaba’s past and present practices. The delegation will further elaborate on the vital need of their cultural heritage’s return from the museums and also the fundamental role it plays in relation to the (ecological) well-being of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta’s four indigenous peoples and on a global scale.
The event is organised by the Leuphana Institute of Advanced Studies in Culture and Society, in collaboration with Dr. Fernanda Pitta and Dr. Bruno Moreschi (Principle Investigator and Researcher respectively in the research project “Decay Without Mourning: Future Thinking Heritage Practices”), Dr. Lynn Rother (Professor for Provenance Studies, Leuphana University Lüneburg), Sebastián Eduardo Dávila (Research Associate, Professorship for Contemporary Art, Leuphana University), Laura Felicitas Sabel (Research Associate, DFG-Research Training Group “Cultures of Critique”, Leuphana University), and Susanne Leeb (Professor for Contemporary Art at Leuphana University Lüneburg and Co-director of LIAS).
The Kággaba delegation’s participation is realized through the generous support of the DFG-Research Training Group “Cultures of Critique” as well as the Kunstraum at the Leuphana University Lüneburg.
donations
We need your support in the form of donations in order to close financial gaps due to increased costs (mainly for transportation and catering).
If you would like to become a sponsor or donor, we would be very grateful and would – if you wish – be happy to mention you on our website as such.
The current events have been mainly financed by the generous support of the DFG-Research Training Group “Cultures of Critique” at the Leuphana University Lüneburg as well as our museum partners in Switzerland and Germany and the Kunstraum at Leuphana University Lüneburg.
With your donation you support collaborative research on the provenance of the (im)material cultural heritage of the Tayrona’s descendants in museums, as well as exchange on the significance of this cultural heritage in the context of different knowledge systems. Facing current climate-related and social challenges, an exchange with the indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, whose ancestral knowledge system (and action) aligns with an equilibrium and well-being within the Sierra and at a global scale, seems to be of urgent necessity, as their sacred cultural property plays a fundamental role in achieving this. The museums’ role towards society and collective future is of utmost importance, as they constitute places where collaborative practices and techniques can develop.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
We appreciate any form of support! However, if you would be interested in and capable of supporting us on the long-term, this is of great importance to us as a non-profit organization in the context of our long-term projects and collaborations.
delasierra is a registered non-profit organization based in Switzerland. You can donate via paypal or twint or you can make a donation by bank transfer. Please use the following account details:
Beneficiary: delasierra, Huttenstrasse 10, CH-8006 Zürich
Bank: Zürcher Kantonalbank
IBAN: CH29 0070 0114 9027 1396 3
BIC: ZKBKCHZZ80A