(theme music) -(narrator): La Guajira is a dry, arid peninsula in Colombia's North East, nestled between the Caribbean Sea and Venezuela.

Thorny shrubs and cacti fill the dusty landscape.

Despite harsh living conditions, the resilient Wayuu people have lived here and in neighbouring Venezuela for thousands of years.

The Wayuu people are a matrilineal community that has, over the centuries, successfully defended its territory from many invaders, including the Spanish.

They represent about 20% of Colombia's Indigenous population and they have preserved their language, called Wayuunaiki.

Their main socio-economic activities include herding goats, growing crops and weaving.

Most Wayuu people live in small family communities called rancherias.

Rosa Lopez is a 53-year-old Wayuu farmer, grandmother, and a cultural gatekeeper.

(kids playing and laughing) -(narrator): The droughts in the region have been getting worse over the last few decades, and even with the operation of the largest open-pit coal mine on the continent, La Guajira is one of the poorest areas in the Americas.

Despite the poverty and the harsh living conditions, the Wayuu are known for their colourful clothes, hammocks and bags, and also for the body painting they do for different occasions.

The Wayuu adorn themselves with a mineral-based red paint that can be found in a certain type of rock, they call uiisha.

(clanging) Each rancheria is named after a plant, animal or geographic place.

The Wayuu don't congregate in larger communities.

They form small, isolated settlements to prevent mixing of their goat herds.

In each rancheria, there's a communal area built with six pillars and a flat roof that's used for everyday duties and for visitors.

(birds singing) (chatter in Wayuunaiki) -(narrator): For the Wayuu, herding and having goats is very important.

They are like a currency that are used to barter for other necessities and even to pay for a dowry.

Wealth is measured in the size of the herds.

(chatter, bleating) (banging) The second way to traditionally make red paint is from the leaves of a vine.

The leaves are boiled and then turned into a paste, which solidifies over a few days.

They call this paint parisha.

(chatter in Wayuunaiki) -(narrator): A more common way the Wayuu women paint their faces is with a mix of goat fat and mushroom spores.

It's sometimes used to heal irritations but mostly, it's used as a sunblock.

(soft instrumental music) ♪♪♪ (percussion music) -(narrator): The Wayuu pride themselves on being very self-sufficient and quite a few have resisted getting work within the mainstream Colombian economy.

Rosa is making a popular traditional corn drink called chicha.

She'll sell this in town.

-(narrator): Dreams are an important part of Wayuu spirituality.

There is a thin line that separates the dream world from the real world.

So dreams are often seen as warnings and messages.

In some cases, one must be painted to either get rid of the dream or to heed its warning.

Rosa's mother, Josefa, was designated as a dream interpreter when she was just a teenager.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ -(narrator): Weaving, knitting and crochet are crafts that are transmitted with pride from Wayuu mothers to daughters.

According to legend, the tradition of weaving comes from Walekeru, a spider that taught the Wayuu women how to weave.

The colourful clothes, bags and hammocks, made out of cotton and wool, have intricate designs and geometric patterns that are passed down from generation to generation and are a point of pride for the families who create them.

Traditional Wayuu hammocks, called chinchorros, and traditional bags, called mochilas, are well-known across the country and are an important source of income for the Wayuu.

The Wayuu are considered among the top weavers of the world.

♪♪♪ -(narrator): There's an important dance called the Yonna coming up tomorrow and some of the younger ones need a little practice so that they can participate.

(soft instrumental music) ♪♪♪ It's the day of a special dance celebration called the Yonna and there's some organizing to do.

Neighbours and family will be invited to attend and participate, so there's food to prepare for everyone.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ There is also much painting to be done.

Rosa and her daughters will start working on the granddaughters.

There are many patterns and symbols that can be painted on women's faces.

They're sometimes inspired by nature, like flowers, vegetables and animals, and also the traditional work and tasks of the Wayuu, like gardening, shepherding and hunting.

The symbols painted are meant to highlight a virtue or quality.

(speaking in Wayuunaiki) (kid babbling in background) (speaking in Wayuunaiki) ♪♪♪ -(narrator): Once the young girls are done, it's time for the women to paint themselves.

Rosa's mother, Josefa, will help the women choose the symbols that will adorn them.

(speaking in Wayuunaiki) ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ -(narrator): The Yonna will soon begin, so while the men and boys get their traditional clothes on, the women finalize their preparations with red veils.

♪♪♪ The drummer starts the beat to call neighbours near.

Soon the dance will begin.

(instrumental music) (drumming in background) The men and women make movements that resemble certain animals and birds.

The men dance backwards and must avoid falling or being overcome, in a symbolic way.

The Yonna dance has three guiding principles: social equality, collective solidarity and the improvement of relations between humans and the cosmos.

The Yonna is used for various celebrations, rites of passage, healings, and also to call for rain.

(drumming, chatter and laughter) Outsiders are surprised at the pageantry on display in contrast to the harsh surrounding environment.

(drumming and laughter) -(narrator): Finally, Rosa joins the dance and shows them how it's done.

She is a strong, proud link in the ongoing preservation and transmission of Wayuu knowledge, language and traditions.

♪♪♪ -If you enjoyed Skindigenous and would like to see more clips about these artists or more about the locations featured in the show, head over to skindigenous.tv.

You can get everything you're looking for and more: biographies, videos, and even Skindigenous swag.

Come check it out!

skindigenous.tv.

Closed Captioning: Épilogue Technical Services Inc.