The Kichwa nationality of the Ecuadorian Amazon comprises two peoples who share the same linguistic and cultural tradition: the Napo-Kichwa people and the Kichwa people of Pastaza. The self-definition of the Kichwa of the Pastaza province as Runas (people or human beings) marks their affiliation and belonging to the same intra-ethnic identity space as other non-Kichwa indigenous peoples. According to the Council for the Development of Nationalities and Peoples of Ecuador (CODENPE), the Kichwa of the Amazon have organized different federations in order to defend their rights.
Sarayaku is one of the Kichwa settlements with the highest population concentration and territorial extension and is made up of five population centers: Sarayaku Centro, Cali Cali, Sarayakillo, Shiwacocha and Chontayacu and, according to the census of the town, it has 1,235 inhabitants. The Kichwa Town of Sarayaku is considered one of the oldest settlements of the Kichwa indigenous people in the Amazonian province of Pastaza.
The Kichwa people of Sarayaku and other Kichwa-speaking groups in the Pastaza province are part of the Canelos-Kichwa cultural group, who are part of an emerging culture that emerged from a mixture of the original inhabitants of the northern area of Bobonaza. The families and communities settled within the territory of Sarayaku subsist on collective family agriculture, hunting, fishing and gathering: activities that are carried out within their territory, in accordance with their ancestral traditions and customs. On average, 90% of their food needs are met with products from the land and 10% with goods that come from places outside the territory of Sarayaku.
For the members of the Kichwa People of Sarayaku, the territory is linked to a set of meanings, where all the elements of nature have a spirit (Supay in Kichwa). The presence of the Supay sacralizes the places, and only the Yachak can access the sacred spaces and interact with their inhabitants.
Decisions on serious issues or those of special importance to the People are made in the traditional Community Assembly, which is called Tayja Saruta-Sarayaku. This, in turn, has a Government Council made up of traditional leaders, community leaders, former elders, shamans, groups of advisors and technicians from the People. This council has the capacity to make decisions in certain types of internal and external conflicts. However, its main task is to serve as an interlocutor with actors external to Sarayaku based on the decisions made in the assembly.
The Kichwa People's Organization of Sarayaku is part of the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of Pastaza. In turn, the OPIP is part of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE) and the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE).
The territory of the Sarayaku people is not easily accessible. Travel between Puyo –the nearest city– and Sarayaku, depending on weather conditions, by river through the Bobonaza River, takes approximately 3 days and by land takes approximately eight days. The latter must be done using the pike system inside the jungle because there is no road passable for vehicles. To enter the Sarayaku territory, whether by river or land, it must necessarily be done through the Canelos Parish. Also, in Sarayaku there is an airstrip.