Ala Kusreik Ya- Misak Universidad: Building their own Education

Abstract

With the emergence of the Cauca Regional Indigenous Council (CRIC) in Colombia, during the 1970, as the land reclamation process in Cauca began, and supported by Colombian laws that grant autonomy for indigenous groups in education (elementary and middle school and higher education), “educación propia” or authoctonous education (that acknowledges ancestral native knowledge) became a fundamental issue for the indigenous communities of Cauca. In the municipality of Silvia-Cauca, there is a clear example of this. Since 2011, the construction of an indigenous university began, which is open to all people who wish to become part of it no matter their origin. The following article describes how ALA KUSREIK YA- Misak University seeks to build its own educational system to serve as a platform for recovery of the knowledge, identity and culture of the Misak people, and how, to achieve this purpose, the Misak have been intervened both the architecture of the university, as well as the contents that it offers, their worldview and thoughts about being Misak, based upon the principles of hearing, seeing, thinking, and doing.