Chiriap Chicham Ronal was born in the community of Buena Esperanza in the province of morona Santiago, in Ecuador.  Fortuanatly he grew up in a spitually connected family that realized the importance of nature and the forest around them.  At approx. eight years old, in the tradition of the Shuar culture, he participated in a ceremony of 3 days with the shamans at the sacred cascades in the rainforest.  There he had a vision that the shuar call Wimiaku.  In English, this word means a man of vision.  He became the leader and representative of the young Shuar community there in Ecuador.  For this reason, he was invited to the United Nations’ international indigenous peoples convention in New York in August 2001 for the day of indigenous peoples.

Chicham is actually the same name of the organization Leader and coordinator of the association of young shuar culture in the amazon, in the town of Macas, Morona Santiago.

Chiriap Chicham Ronal has participated in variouls cultural and spiritual events here in the U.S.A. with his music, art and dance.  He gave one large event at Sonoma State University with his friend and teacher Ernesto Olmos, a cultural artist from Oaxaca, Mexico, well known in the Bay Area.  Chicham has and is collecting funds by himself, selling his art, doing musical ceremonies, and dance, to establish the a foundation in Ecuador to protect the rainforest and the Shuar people.  Now he working to bring this Foundation here to the U.S.A. as well and legalize it.  So that the U.S.A. and Ecuador can be connected in protecting and supporting this great cause. 

In Ecuador the name Chicham Foundation, was given to the non-governmental nonprofit, that was established there, to recognize the person who lead them to the creation of the Foundation, Chicham, but also because the word Chicham in the Shuar language and culture has many different important significance.  It represents many different forms of communication, and the four directions of the world around us.  These definitions of the word, all signify how the Chicham foundation is trying to connect, and communicate their message of protecting the rainforest and its’ people, to the world.  Chicham and his foundation, are the protectors of the natural earth, and the lungs of the world, the Rainforest.  So far, the Chicham Foundation, with the help of the many families in Macas, Morana Santiago, has purchased 45 hectors of land, to start its projects in ecotourism, protecting sacred plants, medicines, and places in the area, for further generations to enjoy and understand.  In his community, Chicham Foundation, has come to be a Natural Temple of sanction of the shuar culture in he Amazon. 

WHO ARE THE SHUAR PEOPLES?

Ecuador's Indigenous movement is regarded as one of the most successful social movements for Indigenous people in Latin America. Indigenous groups have had to fight for legal recognition as a people and state resource since colonization in Ecuador (Rubenstein, 2007); The state officially recognized Indigenous peoples' rights to their cultures and land in its constitution in 1997 (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 1997)

The Shuar live in the Amazon basin in Ecuador. There are at least 40,000 Shuar in Ecuador. The Chiriap Shuar wish to resist the outside extractive industry and government interest in their lands. The Chiriap family and their larger community hope to initiate Shuar-led tourism to restructure the power dynamics inherent as Indigenous peoples in their region. This dynamic can allow them to continue to preserve their way of life and culture in their territory.