🍃 Siona

Who Are the Siona?

The Siona are an indigenous Amazonian people numbering approximately 2,000, split between Colombia (~1,200) and Ecuador (~800) along the Putumayo River and its tributaries. They speak Siona, a Western Tucanoan language closely related to Secoya. The Siona were historically among the most accomplished yagé (ayahuasca) practitioners in the Amazon; their shamanic traditions influenced global understanding of this plant medicine. Their territory spans the Colombia-Ecuador border, a region affected by conflict, drug trafficking, and oil development.

Yagé Traditions

The Siona are renowned for their mastery of yagé (ayahuasca), the psychoactive brew used for healing, divination, and spiritual practice across the western Amazon. Siona taitas (shamans) undergo years of training, fasting, and yagé ceremonies to develop their abilities. Their knowledge influenced Colombian mestizo curanderismo and, through anthropological documentation, global ayahuasca interest. The Siona understand yagé as a tool for perceiving and interacting with normally invisible realms—diagnosing illness, communicating with spirits, and protecting communities. This spiritual technology remains central to Siona culture.

Conflict Zone

Siona territory straddles the Colombia-Ecuador border in one of South America's most conflict-affected regions. Colombian armed conflict—guerrillas, paramilitaries, drug traffickers—has impacted Siona communities. Displacement, violence, and territorial control by armed groups disrupted traditional life. Coca cultivation and processing occur in the region, drawing both illegal actors and military/police operations. The Siona have been caught between multiple armed forces, none of which respect indigenous neutrality. This violence has killed community members and disrupted cultural practices including collective yagé ceremonies.

Contemporary Siona

Modern Siona work to rebuild community life in a still-volatile region. In Colombia, they have organized through ACIPS (Asociación de Cabildos Indígenas del Pueblo Siona). Land titling and territorial demarcation continue despite armed actor presence. Yagé practices persist, though some traditional knowledge has been lost with elder deaths during the conflict. Oil development threatens remaining forest. Language transmission continues but faces pressure. How the Siona maintain cultural practices—especially their renowned shamanic traditions—while surviving conflict and territorial pressure shapes this yagé people's resilient struggle.

References

• Langdon, E. J. M. (1979). Yagé Among the Siona: Cultural Patterns in Visions
• Vickers, W. T. (1976). Cultural Adaptation to Amazonian Habitats: The Siona-Secoya of Eastern Ecuador
• Taussig, M. (1987). Shamanism, Colonialism, and the Wild Man