Sacred Music, Sacred Territories: Colombia Es Música Sacra tributes the Putumayo  

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The Río Putumayo at Puerto Asis. Photo: Richard Emblin

A majestic waterway that winds its way from the high Andes to the Amazon is at the heart of one of the most damning tracts ever written by a government official. On March 17, 1911, Sir Roger Casement denounced the extermination of the Huitoto Indigenous peoples by the Casa Arana, a Peruvian rubber enterprise financially backed by British capital. Casement’s words would eventually lead to the company’s dissolution – and to his execution by firing squad by the very same government he represented as British consul in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Sir, I have the honor of enclosing a report concerning the methods of rubber collection and the treatment of the Indigenous people in the region dominated by the Peruvian Amazon Company in the tributaries of the Putumayo River in the Amazon.” – Sir Roger Casement (March 17, 1911)

The Río Putumayo is a testament to colonization, exploitation, and redemption. It is a waterway indelibly linked to the 19th Century and trade in quinine, cacao, and cinnamon. Its languid flow has sustained world commerce, marked the end of empires, and witnessed the downfall of monarchies. Earlier this month, its waters weaved another chapter in a story of reconciliation as the Colombia es Música Sacra tour arrived in Puerto Asís.

Led by Tejido Musical JASHNAN, an all-women ensemble of the Camëntsá, based in the Sibundoy valley, Upper Putumayo, the concert was a profound homage to the resilience and spirituality of the region’s Indigenous communities. Set against a backdrop of the tropical rainforest and ongoing colonization of the Amazon, the performance at the San Francisco de Asís Church celebrated the healing power of music and the rich cultural legacy of the Camëntsá peoples.

“Our music is born from the heart of the land,” said Ángela Jhoana Jacanamejoy Juajibioy, founder of JASHNAN. “Through these sacred songs, we honor our ancestors and our sacred territories.”

Established in 1912, the same year Sir Roger Casement delivered his final report to Foreign Minister Sir Edward Grey, Puerto Asís is now a bustling port for commerce and trade that continues to move along the Río Putumayo. Originally founded as part of a dual project to train indigenous laborers and resist Peruvian encroachment, the town’s history reflects the impact of extraction, past and present. Today, the region is an important agricultural hub for the planting of Amazonian fruits – Açai, Arazá, Gulupa – as well as staples such as a plantain, yuca, black pepper and chillies.

As the first stop for 2025 of the Colombia es Música Sacra tour, the narrative of the Putumayo was honored with the arrival of JASHNAN in Puerto Asís and the first-ever performance inside a Catholic church of ancestral chants and songs. JASHNAN’s original compositions are deeply rooted in the Camëntsá cosmology, their connection to the natural world, and their role as caregivers in a territory marked by colonial exploitation and the vestiges of Colombia’s internal conflict.

JASNAN, the all-women’s music ensemble from the Sibundoy valley. Photo: Richard Emblin

“Music has the power to heal and unite,” stated Marianna Piotrowska, founder of The International Sacred Music Festival of Colombia (FIMSAC). “In Puerto Asís, we’ve seen how deeply the past resonates, but also how music inspires hope for the future.”

Piotrowska’s words reflect the broader mission of the tour, which offers free performances across nine territories of peace. Each concert is a testament to Colombia’s rich tapestry of sacred musical traditions, bridging the gap between past and present.

As the melodies of JASHNAN echoed across the sunwashed square of Puerto Asís, the performance was a reclamation of space and identity. For the Camëntsá women, it was an opportunity to share their sacred songs with a wider audience, emphasizing the importance of preserving Indigenous knowledge and traditions. For those in seated in the pews, it was a chance to engage with representatives of a much larger community inhabiting what is today the departments of Nariño, Caquetá, and Putumayo.

The Río Putumayo remains a silent witness to transformation. Its waters, once a conduit for the atrocities of the rubber trade, now carry the promise of a post-conflict. As part of its third year agenda, the Colombia es Música Sacra tour has traveled through nine regions of Colombia with the aim of bringing peoples together, and celebrating diverse spiritual traditions. Stops last year included San Andrés Island, Playa de Belén (Norte de Santander), Belalcázar (Caldas), Guapi (Cauca), and Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca), with stellar performances from Afro-Colombian and Indigenous artists. From small musical troupes to large-scale classical orchestras, “each region has its own voice, its own story to tell,” believes Piotrowska. “This tour is a journey to Colombia’s soul.”

The Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Puerto Asís. Photo: Richard Emblin

Following in the success of Puerto Asís, Putumayo, the tour now moves on to San José del Guaviare (January 18), Tumaco (January 23), and Aracataca (Magdalena) where it concludes its journey on February 1, 2025. The festival’s mission to unite through sacred music remains as poignant as the landscapes it embraces – from majestic waterways to towns immortalized by literature, folklore, and natural beauty.

For more information on the 2025 tour visit: festivalmusicasacra.com

Follow on concerts, programming with the hashtag #colombiaesmusicasacra #elpaísdelabelleza

The invitation to Puerto Asís was made possible thanks to an alliance between El Festival de Internacional de Música Sacra De Colombia (FIMSAC), and FONTUR.