The trail leads across the vast horizon
traversing sharp green slopes.
A row of travelers walks on an overgrown path of stone
chiseled half a millenium ago into the hillside.
Thousands of feet above the valley floor
thousands of feet above the snaking brown Urubamba River
craggy snow-covered 17-, 18-, 19,000-foot peaks reach toward the heavens.
They are not just mountains.
They’re Apus.
The word means “señor,” “elder,” or “the honored ones” in Quechua.
For the Andean Quechuan people, the apus are spirits that embody the mountains.
Spirits that protect them and their harvests.
And this group of travelers is also going to pay their respects to the ancient ones.
The path takes a sharp ascent and winds up over a pass.
And at the top they stop, 12,000 feet up.
Here… the land was terraced hundreds of years ago, by ancient bygone people.
Maybe the Incas. Maybe the Killke or Qotacalla people before them.
The land is still farmed today.
But it’s barren of trees and shrubs. They were long since cut, and cleared and used.
But people in the Andes of Peru are changing that.
The guide wears a traditional red woven Andean poncho.
He sets his llamas to graze on the lush green hillside
And pulls from their packs saplings. Tiny queñua trees — polylepis, in English.
They are native to Peru.
To the highlands and the hillsides here. They thrive in the high altitudes.
They help protect the soil. They conserve water.
They are sacred. And this team is here to plant them on the edge of the ridge where they will grow big and strong.
The team breaks into the ground with a pickaxe and shovel.
They pull out the rich moist earth.
And then say prayers to the Apus
three coca leaves in hand, blowing sacred breaths to the mountain spirits.
In every direction they turn, saying a prayer to the mighty summits that surround them… Pitusiray, Sahuasiray, Verónica, Chicón and all of the others, even those they cannot see.
In the base of each hole where the tree will be planted, they make an offering.
Coca leaves, crackers, candy, and other sweets.
The things that humans like, they say, are the same to be offered to Pachamama, Mother Earth, and the Apus.
The items are arranged in a gorgeous multicolored design.
And then they pour in beer. It fizzes and mixes.
More prayers in Quechua. A moment of silence.
They ask that these trees may grow roots.
Big and strong. That they may give life
and protect this sacred place.
The tree is a metaphor for their own future.
That the Apus may bless these little saplings and also their path ahead.
Their community. Their families and endeavours.
And then… they gently fill up the holes with the rich dark earth
llama dung for fertilizer
brown tufts of Andean grass to hold in the moisture.
More words of prayer on this ancient hillside.
Tiny trees being planted and born.
Dreams. Hope for what may come.
Resisting on the high mountains of the Andes.
Planting trees for tomorrow.
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There has been a huge push to plant these trees and other native trees across the Andes in recent years. And it’s been a tremendous success.
In recent years, local organizations, together with dozens of Indigenous communities have planted more than 10 million trees up and down the Andes. Almost half of them in the Peruvian mountains around Cusco. Many of the tree species are threatened. And many of the ecosystems at risk.
The trees help to protect and preserve the local environments and ecosystems and in particular help retain water. The communities are also holding on to their local cultures, beliefs and religion. Making offerings and prayers to Pachamama and the Apus. Offerings for the resistance of their peoples on the hillsides of the Andes. Offerings for their children and their communities. Offerings for the future.
This is episode 23 of Stories of Resistance — a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange’s Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.
This week, we celebrate Earth Day, April 22. So I thought this was a perfect story to highlight the incredible work Indigenous peoples and communities are doing in the highlands of Peru.
If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow my reporting and support at www.patreon.com/mfox.
This is episode 23 of Stories of Resistance — a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange’s Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.
This week, we celebrate Earth Day, April 22. This is a perfect story to highlight the incredible work Indigenous peoples and communities are doing in the highlands of Peru.
If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting and support at patreon.com/mfox.
Written and produced by Michael Fox.
This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Michael Fox.