Logline

Synopsis

„Territorio Puloui“ is a documentary that explores the deep and complex relationship of the Wayuu indigenous community with water. Narrated through the journey of Carmela, who visits for the first time the peninsula of La Guajira, her father’s homeland and ancestral territory of the Wayuu people. During her trip, Carmela talks with community leaders and evidences the impacts of open-pit coal mining and climate change in the area. The community’s survival strategies, shaped by their beliefs, reveal the importance of including the indigenous perspective in the current environmental debate.

Carmela begins her journey on the Caribbean coast where Wayuu fisherman Rogelio highlights the influence of the goddess Puloui on the community’s fishing. Puloui is a central figure in Wayuu mythology and a symbol of the protection of nature. On a journey along the Rancheria River from its mouth, Carmela goes deep into the interior of the peninsula. The Wayuu fisherman, Rufino, shows her the devastating effects of rampant mining and the increasing lack of rainfall in the region.

The first encounter with the Wayuu women comes with Susana. The centenarian grandmother and traditional medicine woman questions the unfulfilled promises of progress made by the coal mine operators and worries about the future of the Iparu ranchería. Her daughter Dejaneth seeks support for the construction of a deep well in the community. The help of a hydrogeological engineer is her hope, but there are also other challenges: the community’s decisions about territory and resources for construction.

The journey takes Carmela through the stories of resilient Wayuu leaders such as Adelaida, Yorlei and Marta, who tell of their efforts to implement alternative water harvesting systems and also note their relationship with the goddess Puloui. Respecting their spaces maintains the balance between humans and nature. Their reflections highlight the importance of education and technology on the way to a better future for the next Wayuu generations, and their struggle to preserve their culture and way of life.

The film combines vivid testimonies about the current situation with the ancestral Wayuu cosmovision. Inspired by Wayuu art, the documentary includes animated parts of the legends and stories that speak of the community’s relationship with nature, water and culture. Carmela guides us through the socio-economic contexts she discovers on her journey and conveys a better understanding of the territory of the goddess Puloui.

Main Protagonists

„Territorio Puloui“ was born out of the urgent need to make the voices of the indigenous Wayuu heard. Due to the closure of their own coal mines, exacerbated by Russia‘s attack on Ukraine and the associated sanctions, the global North‘s demand for coal from alternative mining regions is increasing. The gigantic open-cast coal mine in La Guajira is therefore set to be expanded in the coming years with no regard for nature or the culture of the indigenous people living there.

The fisherman Rufino Wouliyuu talks about the sacred river of the Wayuu the Río Ranchería. Until a few years ago, it still flowed into the Caribbean Sea in a branched delta. Today, only reaches the sea, where hardly any animals still live. Rufino fears that future generations will soon only be able to see the river’s only be able to see them in books.

At 105 years old, Doña Susanna Epiayu is the eldest member of the family and the last healer of her rancheria. Despite her advanced age, she is an active craftswoman. She still remembers better times with lots of animals, fruit and vegetables. A time when her family family could still provide for themselves without any problems. To regain this independence independence again, she would like to have her own well in her village.

The Wayuu leader Adelaida Vangriet talks about her fight for the rights and culture of the Wayuu, especially against the monster El Cerrejon. Anyone who raises their voice against exploitation and destruction lives dangerously. Almost nowhere else in the world are there as many murders of environmentalists and campaigners for indigenous rights as in Colombia. But Adeleida is not intimidated by the daily threat and continues to fight for the Wayuu’s survival.

Teacher Marta Marquez knows that education is the key to a better future. With friendly persistence, she has managed to build a school for up to 300 Wayuu children in the middle of the desert. Her latest achievement is a photovoltaic-powered desalination plant that turns brackish well water into up to 2,000 litres of clean drinking water every day. Not only the schoolchildren, but also the neighbouring rancherias have access to cheap drinking water.

Directors & Team