Their workshop is named after their grandfather, a shaman and a wiseman. He belonged to the Arrendajo (jay bird) grandparent clan. These are beautiful birds with black, yellow, and white feathers. As we can see, Tikuna families or clans are either aerial, aquatic, or terrestrial. Their surnames come from the names of the animals they identify with, such as jaguars or squirrels. This prevents them from marrying into their own family and avoid incestual relationships.

Milena tells us that her father belongs to the Guacamaya (macaw) clan and that her mother belongs to the Cascabel (rattlesnake) clan. They live upstream —four hours away by motorboat from Leticia— in the Nuevo Jardín community. She visits her parents every weekend. Her maternal and paternal grandmothers also live in that community. They also raised her and taught her of other indigenous cosmogonies. She adores Aru, a 100-year-old grandmother who still weaves strong, three-meter-long chinchorro hammocks with her own hands. She has passed on her ancestral knowledge to all her lineage.

Milena proudly carries this worldly weaving skill. Her grandmothers and her mother taught her all the weaving secrets during the three months she was confined because of her coming of age ritual. In that time, she learned the weight of the rituals practiced by her culture. She learned how to smear uvito dye on babies: a black pigment that comes from fruit used on newborns to prevent illness and insect bites, and to protect them from the evil eye. They also cover the bellies of the women in labor with this dye to welcome the newborn’s arrival to life with good energy.

Everything about Milena exudes happiness. She knows she is continuing her tradition. She exercises it not only as a weaver of baskets, hammocks, necklaces, and the jewelry she has become famous for, but also as a guide for the Central Bank. The latter is an entity that teaches about indigenous cultures from the Amazon rainforest and shares its knowledge with people from other ethnic groups.

She has decided to expand her cultural horizons. She even married a Murui or Huitoto man named James Marín. Together, they built a multi-ethnic home. Thanks to their union, they have been able to learn each other’s languages and customs. She admires James’ work: he is a traditional carver and a student of sculptor Roberto Panaifo. He carves masks from balsa, isira, and bloodwood with the specific features of each Amazonian ethnic group. This has also enabled him to spread his land’s richness. They know they are the heirs of powerful cultures. They have made it their mission to never let them die out.