ABSTRACT
Much has been written on the importance of territory and the strong place-boundedness of many indigenous communities. Indigenous communities are often described as ‘rich and diverse cultures based on a profound spiritual relationship with their land and natural resources’. A common theme is that indigenous peoples have strived to preserve their cultural heritage, or parts of it, through the formation of strong traditions aimed at keeping alive their expressions and beliefs. Territory and land plays a central role to the cultural identity and political organisation of most indigenous communities. Land tenure and formal rights over territories as well as natural riches within these territories constitute some of the most central and most contested foci for advocacy groups and indigenous political leaders. The ancestral land plays a major role in the cosmovición Inga. Both their history as a people as well as recent developments have shaped this special bond.
