The Sierra Nevada Is a Nurturer

The Sierra Nevada is a nurturer, protector, and Mother to the Kogi. Because of the support and resources the mountain provides for the Kogi, there is no need for them to adapt to a progressing world. In fact, the

Sierra Nevada has been described as a miniature planet. Known as being the highest coastal mountain in the world, the Sierra Nevada boasts every ecosystem in its 8,000 square miles. The arid deserts, mangroves, reefs, rain and cloud forests speak to the diversity of this land, a land that has fed and been continuously cultivated by the Kogi and their ancestors for over 1,000 years. As for who tends to the land, that is the job of the common people, those lowest on the hierarchy. The men and women are responsible for agricultural production. The males are responsible for weaving, woodworking, clothing manufacturing, and tool making, while the women are responsible for cooking, collecting wild foods, and making nets and bags. As the Kogi seek to live in harmony with their environment, families are constantly moving around different levels on the mountain slopes, planting in these "environmental zones" in order to produce a variety of crops. The diverse array of crops includes, but not limited to potatoes, beans, maize, sugarcane, fruit trees, onions, and pineapples. Secondary to the crops are domesticating animals that include oxen, pigs, sheep, chickens, and turkeys; hunting and fishing play a minor role (Twentieth Century). It is the common people within the community that are responsible for the production of agricultural goods, while these people are gathering food for their families and community, other Kogi higher up on the hierarchical ladder have "the delicate task of preserving the universe."

At the top of the hierarchy are the Mamas or Mamos, which means sun. The Mamas spiritual education is what makes Kogi culture so unique. First, those infants that seem to possess a certain divinity about them are taken and educated in the mountains for the next 18 years. The first 9 years of training are spent in the dark caves of the Sierra Nevada where the young Kogi are trained by "Moros" or priests. After 9 years the Moros and Mamas in training can decide to abandon or continue the training. If they decide to continue the training, the Mamas in training spend another 9 years in the cave. At the end of this time, the young Kogi emerge as Mamas possessing all the moral and spiritual attributes to lead society. However, lacking practical knowledge, the Mamas work in conjunction with the Comisario, the village headman who delegate tasks to the Cabos; the Cabos work with older, reputable men in the village known as Mayores to oversee the production of goods manufactured by the common people (Twentieth Century).