Amazon People and Culture of Ecuador

 Ecuador’s indigenous Amazon peoples have a variety of cultures, languages and traditions. Comprised of the Siona, Secoya, Cofan, Shuar, Zaparo, Huaorani and Kichwa, among others, Ecuador’s Amazon peoples have largely preserved their cultures throughout centuries of conquest by the Inca, the Spanish and later, foreign oil companies.

 This section contains detailed information about various facets of indigenous cultures in Ecuador’s Amazon Region. The Rainforest Action Network and Sinchi Sacha Foundation have provided Ecuador Explorer with insider information about rates of rainforest destruction, traditions such as Chicha and the Zaparo Celebration, ethnic groups such as the Tagaeri and Shuar, and beliefs. This section contains the following pages:

 Chicha and the Zaparo Festival

How to Build a Canoe

The Tagaeri

Flight of the Harpy Eagle

The Tsantza Celebration: Why the Shuar Shrink Heads

Rainforest Destruction and Species Loss

 For more on Ecuadorian culture, see our section about people and cultures throughout Ecuador, festivals, food, indigenous markets and holidays.