María del Rosario “Charito” Chicunque

Kamentsa indigenous leader and traditional healer
Kamentsa indigenous leader and traditional healer
Kamentsa indigenous leader and traditional healer

María del Rosario “Charito” Chicunque is both a senior apprentice and former president of ASOMI (Asociación de Mujeres Indígenas de la Medicina Tradicional), an association of women healers of the Eastern Andean foothills region of the Colombian Amazon, embracing five tribes. From the organization’s inception in 2004, Charito has led more than 60 female healers and their students in efforts to rebuild traditional healthcare in their communities through peer-to-peer exchanges and the cultivation of medicinal plant gardens, while also fostering agro-ecological farming systems and sustainable crafts production in harmony with their forest environment.

AGENDA