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In the town of Atánquez, in the mountains of Santa Marta of Colombia, live the Kankuamo people. These people people possess a deep reverence for their ancestral heritage. Petroglyphs keep memories of ancestors etched in stone, and in their hearts. Mud-brick houses hold community gatherings. Traditional music, recipes, and stop-motion videos of grandparents keep their culture alive. Then there is the Atánquez Kankuaka library. More than just a collection of books, the building preserves and strengthens their ancestral identity with their children. Sahian Maestre, a young thirteen-year old boy, says, "They show us as another part of who we are. They tell us about the past and explain how indigenous people saw things." In an era where indigenous cultures are threatened by coal and oil projects, their own shame for being a Kankuamo, and violent displacement by military groups, a reverence of their ancestry reminds them of who they are. Their past continually lives in the present.
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