Members of the Achuar nation will host a weekend fair in Cuenca.
If you’re interested in learning about the indigenous Achuar of Ecuador’s Amazon jungle, you will have chance to meet them “up-close and personal” Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Representatives of the Achuar nation, including its vice president and one of its most prominent shamans, will offer public presentations, performances, craft sales and traditional meals at the Minka community center, Gran Colombia 9-69 and Padre Aguirre, in Cuenca’s historic district. A highlight of the weekend is an Achuar crafts fair Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Minka. Lunch will be available.
Traditional Achuar pottery
The event is sponsored by Cuenca’s non-profit Hogar Esperanza Foundation.
Traditional four-course Achaur dinners will be served Friday and Saturday nights at 6 p.m. Evening entertainment includes dances, dramatization of Achuar myths, the performance of a sacred war song and a silent auction. There will also be a discussion of the challenges facing the Achuar people. Cost for the evening is $30, of which $10 goes to the IKIAM Foundation that supports indigenous communities in Ecuador.
There will be a Sunday breakfast buffet, beginning a 11, which includes a presentation of spiritual beliefs and customs by an Achuar shaman. Cost is $15.
Meal tickets are available at Minka from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
For more information, email Garry Vatcher at info@hogaresperanza.org or call 096 896 2015 after 6 a.m.
