Nemonte Nenquino
Nemonte Nenquino is an indigenous Waorani woman who has committed herself to defending her ancestral territory, ecosystem, culture, economy, and way of life. She led an indigenous campaign and legal action that resulted in a court ruling protecting 500,000 acres of Amazonian rainforest and Waorani territory from oil extraction. Nenquimo’s leadership and the lawsuit set a legal precedent for indigenous rights in Ecuador, and other tribes are following in her footsteps to protect additional tracts of rainforest from oil extraction. She is the first female president of the Waorani of Pastaza (CONCONAWEP) and co-founder of the Indigenous-led nonprofit organization Ceibo Alliance.
The Waorani people are traditional hunter-gatherers organized into small clan settlements. They are among the most recently contacted peoples—reached in 1958 by American missionaries—and number around 5,000 today. Waorani territory overlaps with Yasuni National Park, which, according to the Smithsonian, “may have more species of life than anywhere else in the world.” Since the 1960s, oil exploration, logging, and road building have had a disastrous impact on Ecuador’s primary rainforests, which now cover less than 15% of the country’s land mass. She coined the famous slogan “Our Rainforest is Not for Sale.”
Nenquimo also secured training for Waorani youth to be filmmakers and document their work, publishing powerful images and videos for the campaign, including aerial drone footage of the rainforest and Waorani territory. She deftly bridged the worlds of indigenous people and Western society, bringing together elders and youth, and uniting distinct indigenous tribes that were once divided. The legal victory sets a legal precedent for indigenous rights in Ecuador, spurring other tribes to follow her people’s example. Nemonte Nenquimo says that her people have felt the effects of climate change long before it became a mainstream conversation. She has also stated that abuelas (elderly Waorani women) have provided her with the knowledge and passion to fight for change.
“I am a young Waorani woman. Our rainforest is the same as the city. We have our food, our pharmacy, our hardware store in our jungle. And we know how to live.”
Organization: Amazon Frontlines
Website: https://www.amazonfrontlines.org/
Location: Waoroni Nation of Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador
Book: Along with her husband Mitch Anderson, she is set to publish a book We Will Not Be Saved in March 2023. In this memoir, she confronts the racist perceptions of Indigenous people with a dive into oral history.
Video 1: TED Talk
Video 2: 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize
