The weary Indigenous men gathered at their base camp, nestled among towering trees and dense vegetation that form a disorienting sea of green. They sensed that their ancestral land -- Selva Madre, or Mother Jungle -- was unwilling to let them find the four children who'd been missing since their charter plane crashed weeks earlier in a remote area in southern Colombia.
The weary Indigenous men gathered at their base camp, nestled among towering trees and dense vegetation that form a disorienting sea of green. They sensed that their ancestral land -- Selva Madre, or Mother Jungle -- was unwilling to let them find the four children who'd been missingIndigenous volunteers and military crews had found signs of hope: a baby bottle, half-eaten fruit, dirty diapers strewn across a wide swath of rainforest. The men were convinced the children had survived.
"I told them, 'There's nothing to do here. We will not find them with the naked eye. The last resource is to take yage,"' Guerrero, 56, said. "The trip really takes place in very special moments. It is something very spiritual." At home, Mucutuy grew onions and cassava, and used the latter to produce farina, a type of flour, for the family to eat and sell. Lesly learned to cook at age eight; in the adults' absence, she often cared for her siblings.
They were on their way to meet Ranoque when the pilot of the Cessna single-engine propeller plane declared an emergency due to engine failure. The aircraft fell off the radar a short time later. The group assumed the worst. The men had found the wreckage and seen human remains. Guerrero said he and others started packing up their camp."Hey," he said, according to Guerrero. "I didn't see the kids." The man slowly realized that when they found the wreckage, they hadn't seen any children's bodies. He'd approached the plane and seen the children's bags outside. He noticed that some stuff appeared as if someone had moved it after the crash.
They yelled Lesly's name and played a recorded message from the children's maternal grandmother asking them in Spanish and the language of the Huitoto people to stay in place. Helicopters dropped boxes with food and leaflets with messages. The armed forces also brought its trained dogs, including a Belgian Shepherd named Wilson who did not return to its handler and is missing.
Sadness set in at camp. Guerrero told Ranoque as teams returned: "Nothing. We couldn't ... there is nothing."
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Quebec judge orders bodies of two Indigenous children exhumedActs on families\u0027 requests to shed light on circumstances of deaths more than five decades ago.
Read more »
Toronto-based Indigenous brand accuses Walmart of cultural appropriationCanada's first Indigenous department store is accusing Walmart Canada of cultural appropriation and copying its logo. Chelsee Pettit, the founder...
Read more »
Indigenous and conservation groups urge Ottawa to back land-based B.C. salmon farms | Globalnews.caIndigenous and conservation groups are calling on the federal government to accelerate its transition away from open-net farms.
Read more »
Science North to be permanently free for Indigenous peopleBeginning June 21, admission to the science centre and Dynamic Earth is free for Indigenous people is free … forever
Read more »
International Indigenous Hip-Hop Awards Return To Vancouver For 3rd Annual EventVancouver is gearing up to host the 3rd annual International Indigenous Hip Hop Awards Show (IIHHAS) on August 11 and 12. The two-day event promises to celebrate the vibrant culture of Indigenous hip-hop artists. Set against the backdrop of the traditional unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, the awards…
Read more »
First of its kind accelerator for Indigenous-owned businesses kicks off in TorontoSOAR, a grassroots initiative supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs, has a new program designed to propel high-growth Indigenous businesses that amass more than $1 million in annual revenue to increase that figure fivefold over the next year.
Read more »