Located deep in La Guajira desert, close to the Colombian and Venezuelan border, is a traditional, historical, indigenous community who are known as the people of the sun, sand and wind – the Wayuu. Arriving in La Guajira from the Amazon rainforest and Antilles in 150 A.D. to escape hostile environments and find a new home, Wayuu people have battled – the Spanish, the Government and, currently, mother nature – to keep their traditions alive.

The Wayuu have a number of ancient traditions and rituals they keep alive, traditionally living in small, isolated communities. In the past living in these small communities was to prevent the mixing of goats, cows and crops. They live predominately in huts called rancherías made from cactus or palm-leaf-thatched roofs, yotojoro (mud, hay or dried cane) walls with basic furniture which includes hammocks for sleeping and a small fire pit for cooking.

Each community has a communal area called a luma or enramada, which is usually an open area with pillars to hold up a flat, thatched roof. These areas are used for social gatherings, events, visitors and business meetings. Wayuu are a matriarchal society. Women of the household own the houses and run the families, while the fathers work with the animals and land. Offspring wear the mothers family name. Each community has an informal leader who makes the decisions; usually these leaders are well connected individuals who are direct descendants of previous leaders. Often these individuals know both Spanish and the Wayuu’s language, Wayuunaiki (part of the Maipuran or Arawakan language). Their culture combines legends, myths, stories, traditions and customs.

Today the tribe is in search of sustainability; the Uribia tribe is striving to use tourism to improve their living conditions, by allowing visitors to their community and offering an insight into their traditions, cultures and brightly colored festivals. Bringing visitors to the villages also offers the opportunity for individuals to sell textiles and ceramics, including the Wayuu’s famous Mochila bags, hammocks, and blankets made by the women of the community who are expert weavers and skilled at creating crafts.

The indigenous Wayuu have been fighting for their rights for centuries, and now their way of life is becoming threatened through no fault of their own, with mother nature destroying their habitat.

-Based on an article by Anny Wooldridge

Blue and Green

In Chinese culture, the colors blue and green are associated with nature, serenity, growth and health. Blue and green dragons symbolize the approaching spring, evoking the clear skies and new plants that the season brings. These colors also are representative of the East and indicate Eastern dragons. Other Chinese associations with blue and green include healing, rest, prosperity and harmony. In Chinese culture, there are four animals that represent the cardinal directions with the Green Dragon represents the power of the East.

Black and White

Black and white are key colors on the Chinese spectrum, representing the balance of the black yin, which is negative, passive and feminine, and the white yang, which is positive, active and masculine. Black dragons are associated with winter and the North, while white dragons represent autumn and the West. In China, the color white is associated with purity as it is in Western cultures, but it also symbolizes mourning and mortality, suggesting that the white dragon functions as an omen of death. The black dragon is known for its power and vengeance and is often connected to storms.

Yellow and Gold

Yellow dragons have been called “superior” and “the most revered of the dragons” because they represent the Emperor and the imperial family. Even in the 21st century, yellow is a color associated with solidity, reliability and warmth, and it is set aside for royalty and those of higher social class. Gold dragons share many of these assets and are recognized as symbols of wealth, wisdom and compassion. During the Chinese New Year holiday, the opening dragon dance begins with the arrival of a regal Golden Dragon held aloft by a group of men.

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Red

In China, red is the traditional color of good fortune and happiness, and it is often used in large celebrations, such as weddings. The red dragon is associated with luck, fire, passion and the heart. It is the dragon of summer and the South. Other Chinese associations with the color red include vitality, enthusiasm and creativity. During Chinese holidays like the Chinese New Year, a red dragon can be a focus along with equally lucky red envelopes of money.

Framed by a rich mythology based on different animal species, Wayúu symbols identify each of its clans, and even define their territorial scopes.

Usually within this culture, totems determine the breed to which each family belongs, in these figures Wayúu symbols of an animal are represented, referring to the nationality of the clan or eirruku.

The identity of the Wayúu is also linked, both with consanguineous and territorial elements, that is, their blood relatives, their community and their cemetery. Precisely, from childhood they know where they come from, who their ancestors were, where they will be buried, what animal represents them and what their caste condition is; something that constitutes the fundamental base of his social organization, where the mother has a unique importance.

Now, the way the Wayúu express these symbols in speech is through words that manifest their ancestral origin, such as, for example, ipasajushi taya, refers to I am on top of the stone; or by the clan's own name, like karikare taya, whose meaning is, I am karikare, which has a certain characteristic implied.

Wayúu culture is organized in approximately 30 clans, with an established agreement, where each group is governed by one or more codes, belonging to a system of symbols related to animals such as mammals, birds, reptiles or insects and additionally, determine an ancestor, Common myth and a social condition.

Accordingly, the Wayúu symbols of the members of the Uliana ralea are associated with the lion, the cat and the rabbit, their condition being those of stealthy steps; on the other hand, the Pushaina clan being related to ants and wild pigs, their status is the hurtful ones or the ones with burning blood. On the other hand, the Urayuu group is linked to the snake or rattle, referring to those of feathered bravery; while, to the Epaniyuu the deer corresponds, representing those who hit hard on the roads.

According to legend, these symbols were delivered to the Wayúu by the bird Utta, who sculpted them in the Aalasü stone, in Siapana. Likewise, They are used to mark the cattle, to tattoo the skin or to shape them in objects such as ceramics.

Wayúu symbols are also a reflection of the resistance of this ethnic group, who despite adopting elements from other cultures, in the present times, continue to preserve them as a distinctively indigenous element.

Wayuu Gods and Spirits

- Maleiwa, is the creator god of the Wayúu.

- Pulowi, represents the goddess of drought and winds, associated with the generation of life.

- Huyá, Pulowi's husband, is a wandering deity that hunts and kills.

- Wanülü, manifests the evil of disease or death.

- Palanakai, figure as the god of the sea.

-Source: Cultura10

-Translation: Wayuu Planet