COP16: Germany returns three pre-Columbian artefacts to the Kogui people

The Kogui people and the Colombian state on Tuesday received three pre-Columbian pieces that had been in Germany for 109 years. The objects are part of the ritual trousseau of the mamos, the community's spiritual authorities, and were returned after efforts led by the Colombian Embassy in Germany and various cultural institutions.

(Lea esta historia en español, aquí)

The returned objects include a wooden staff, a bejuco rucksack and a basket, all of which complement the 'Mask of the Sun' and the 'Great Solar Mask'. These two pieces were restituted in 2023 and returned to the community on 28 June of that year.

The original pieces were brought to Germany at the beginning of the 20th century by the archaeologist Konrad Theodor Preuss and were housed in the Ethnological Museum in Berlin.

The handover ceremony, which took place at the Bellas Artes Auditorium in Cali, was attended by Kogui authorities, representatives of the Colombian and German governments and various institutions.

The ceremony underlined the recognition of the spiritual value of the pieces and the connection of the Kogui people to their ancestral lands in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. During the speeches, the Minister of Culture highlighted the return as an act of historical justice and a strengthening of the Kogui identity.

For his part, the Governor of the Indigenous Cabildo stressed the importance of these objects in maintaining harmony with nature and ancestral traditions.

The return of these pieces is part of a wider process of restitution of cultural property aimed at recovering memory and preserving Colombia's indigenous heritage.

It is hoped that the presence of the Kogui authorities and representatives of the international community at COP16 will reaffirm their central role in the protection of biodiversity and their territories.

DEYNER CAICEDO CAMACHO

EL TIEMPO Special Envoy to Cali.

Editor's note: This text is an artificially intelligent English translation of the original Spanish version, which can be found here. Any comment, please write to berdav@eltiempo.com