COFAN Education Project

Preserving the cultural heritage of the Cofan people by developing a community-led curriculum on traditional language and skills

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Learn more about the initiative

In partnership with

Founded in 1999, the Fundación Sobrevivencia Cofán (FSC) is a Cofán-led NGO dedicated to safeguarding the Cofán people’s cultural heritage and their Amazonian rainforest. The Cofán Survival Fund (CSF) is an independent, U.S.-based organization that supports FSC. FSC emerged to meet the urgent needs of the Cofán Nation in Ecuador—after centuries of pressure from conquest, environmental disasters, and modern encroachment—by providing a legitimate institution to raise funds, develop strategies, build national and international partnerships, and advocate for Cofán interests.

Cofan historical and ancestral values, practices, and identities

The Cofan Education Project is an initiative focused on preserving and transmitting the cultural heritage of the Cofan people in Amazonian Ecuador. The project seeks to support Indigenous communities by strengthening their ability to protect their culture, territory, and biodiversity.

Central to the project is FAI's vision of using a simplified mechanism known as the “3, 6, & 9 Triune,” which involves three key components: integrative guidance, interactive enabler, and encompassing unifier. This framework is applied to issues including cultural preservation, Indigenous education, and environmental sustainability.

Since 2021, Oliver and Claire Nicklin, on behalf of the First Analysis Institute of Integrative Studies (FAI), have worked with Cofan leaders and educators Amelia Quenama, Gissela Yumbo, and Emmy Mosburg Borman to develop a cultural transmission and education program rooted in community knowledge and teaching traditions. The curriculum includes subjects such as medicinal and food plants, the A’ingae language, traditional hunting and fishing practices, crafts, building techniques, and cooking methods.

Working alongside community experts, the project team has documented over 100 medicinal plants, along with traditional techniques, foods, crafts, and daily practices of the Cofan people. This information is being compiled into the Cofan Encyclopedia, a growing record designed to safeguard and share cultural knowledge among current and future generations.

The Encyclopedia continues to expand through interviews and documentation with Cofan elders and cultural experts. Future educational initiatives are expected to involve youth participants in documenting cultural knowledge as part of ongoing cultural transmission programs.

Lifeboat Garden Center

The project has expanded to include the Lifeboat Garden Center, located in ancestral Cofan territory. The center serves as a conservation and education site dedicated to the protection of medicinal and culturally significant plants long valued by the Cofan people.

The garden functions as a living repository of Cofan ethnobotanical knowledge, supporting the identification, cultivation, and preservation of medicinal and useful plant species. It also provides a space for hands-on learning connected to the Cofan Encyclopedia and cultural transmission activities.

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Cofan Education Project:
Cultural Transmission Project Design Overview

The Cofan Education Project seeks to develop a community-led methodology for transmitting cultural knowledge that differs from many approaches used by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, missionary groups, and other non-Indigenous educational programs. The goal is to preserve and pass on essential cultural knowledge while adapting teaching methods so they remain meaningful in contemporary Cofan life.

Key Elements for Success

Bridges to the Past and Future: Ensuring that essential cultural knowledge is passed effectively from one generation to the next.
Indigenous-Centric Approach: Linking traditional knowledge and information systems in ways that align with Indigenous priorities and cultural teaching traditions.
Relevance to Modern Life: Designing the methodology so it remains applicable to present-day Cofan life and evolving social contexts.

Phases of the Project

Consultation Phase: Engaging with Cofan community members to identify which aspects of cultural identity should be preserved and transmitted to future generations.

Development Phase: Designing a structured approach for teaching cultural knowledge that reflects the community’s values and priorities.

Implementation Phase: Testing the methodology through educational activities and cultural documentation initiatives that support the transmission of knowledge between elders and younger generations. This phase includes projects such as the development of the Cofan Encyclopedia and educational activities connected to the Lifeboat Garden.

Youth Cultural Transmission

The next phase of the project is the Jocani: Cofan Youth Leaders Summer Camp for Cultural Transmission, a two-week program designed to bring Cofan youth together with elders for immersive learning in medicinal plant knowledge, storytelling, cultural practices, and spiritual traditions.

The camp would also involve youth in documenting cultural knowledge through video recordings and interviews supporting the ongoing development of the Cofan Encyclopedia, helping expand this living archive of Cofan heritage.

Key Objectives

Gain approval from the Ministry of Education for the Cofan Education Project as an educational model for the Cofan community.
Strengthen Cofan cultural identity through Cofan-centered educational methodologies.
Incorporate Cofan cultural knowledge and practices into formal education systems.
Recover and reinforce ancestral knowledge as a cornerstone of Cofan cultural identity.

Future Implications and Objectives

Cofan youth participating in the program are encouraged to engage with ancestral values and practices while navigating contemporary social and environmental challenges. The program promotes the idea of “seeing with both eyes,” harmonizing Indigenous and global perspectives.

The project may also serve as a model for other Indigenous communities interested in developing community-led approaches to cultural transmission and educational design.

Looking forward, the team is working to complete, distribute, and digitize the Cofan Encyclopedia for long-term preservation while continuing to expand the Lifeboat Garden Center as a site for cultural learning and knowledge transmission.