We honour the life, beauty and strength of Mukutsawa Shanti Ashanga, who was the beloved mother of Manari Ushigua. We give thanks for how our lives were profoundly touched by hers.
Mukutsawa left her body on 8th March 2025 in the tender company of her family. She was an incredibly important and beloved grandmother to her people. When we say “her people” we include her own direct family, who are feeling this loss hugely, the whole Sapara nation and many others worldwide, including us, who were taken into this beautiful woman's heart.
I and we are deeply grateful to have known this beautiful grandmother. Like so many other people who visited the forest, we felt deeply welcomed by her warm heart, her gentle strength, and enchanted by her incredible humour and loving grace.
I am sure there are thousands of people worldwide, who like us, feel she was a spiritual grandmother to them. For all of us and of course profoundly for her actual family, her incredible sons and daughters, her grandchildren, great grandchildren, her daughters and sons in law, the loss of Mukutsawa is huge.
As Fundacion Pacahama wrote: "Abuela Mukutsawa was one of the 2 Sapara elders in Ecuador left who spoke the Sapara language fluently. Through sharing her knowledge with younger generations and adults in the community, Mukutswa was a very important pillar in helping their culture live on for generations to come."
One can get a sense of the extraordinary life she lived when someone asks; "How old was she?" The answer is that no-one knows, because she was born before births in the Ecuadorian Amazon were registered. She was born in a hugely different era and lived through these massive changes wth honour, humour, fortitude and so much love.
Your prayers are welcome.
We send love and heartfelt solidarity to her family as they grieve the loss of their beloved mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, aunt and wise elder.
Susannah and Ya'Acov Darling Khan
To read more about the context of how we knew Mukutsawa, and the work to protect the Amazonian forest which she was and is part of, read (for starters) Maria's Message: and/or our whole Amazon Blog if you want to know our story of connection with this part of the Amazon, its extraordinary people and the effort to protect the forest for the sake of its people and for the sake of all life on earth.
