Wiwa, Colombia

Mamo Sewigu Kakamukwa (Mamo Rodrigo) comes from a lineage of Mamos that goes beyond his great-great-grandfather, his family comes from the Kakamukwa lineage and there has been Mamos in his family in every single generation. 

Mamo Sewigu (Mamo Rodrigo) was an educator and leader of his community before receiving his Segwa at the head of the Jerez River when being ordained as a Mamo. 

Mamo Sewigu is not only a Mamo, but he was a Maestro first. 

For the Tayrona, a Maestro is a weaver, a storyteller, a musician, a teacher, and is also in charge of making Sacred Objects for the community. 

A Maestro is the weaver who makes the walls of the Temple and the hats the Wiwa people wear, a Maestro also makes the Carrumbo (Sacred Object: a spindle) that the young females use to spin the cotton.  

Mamo Sewigu/Rodrigo was the teacher who opened the first bilingual School in 2007 inside the Reservation to teach basic Spanish and Math, as well as their Traditional Knowledge, to prevent the youngsters to leave the Reservation while preserving their Cultural Identity. He has also worked for the Colombian Public Health Department during Public Health campaigns as a nurse. His knowledge of the Tayrona languages as well as his knowledge of the Wiwa and Kogi territory in the state of Guajira enables him to act in the capacity of an intercultural bridge.