Amazon People and Culture of Ecuador

Ecuador's indigenous Amazon peoples have a variety of cultures, languages, and traditions. Comprised of the Siona, Secoya, Cofan, Shuar, Zaparo, Huaorani, and Quichua, among others, Ecuador's Amazon peoples have largely preserved their cultures throughout centuries of conquest by the Inca, the Spanish, and later, foreign oil companies.

This section contains detailed information about various facets of indigenous cultures in Ecuador's Amazon Region. The Rainforest Action Network and Sinchi Sacha Foundation have provided Ecuador Explorer with insider information about rates of rainforest destruction, traditions such as Chicha and the Zaparo Celebration, ethnic groups such as the Tagaeri and Shuar, and beliefs. This section contains the following pages:

• Chicha and the Zaparo Festival
• How to Build a Canoe
• The Tagaeri
• Flight of the Harpy Eagle
• The Tsantza Celebration: Why the Shuar Shrink Heads
• Rainforest Destruction and Species Loss

For more on Ecuadorian culture, see our section about people and cultures throughout Ecuador, festivals, food, indigenous markets, and holidays.