Country:

Ecuador

Region:

Latin America

Date:

October 2024 – September 2025

Implementor:

Fundación Sinchi Sacha, in collaboration with the Sinchi Muskuyuk Warmi

Funding Amount:

$100,000

Details:

This Strategic Response Mechanism provided financial support to the Fundación Sinchi Sacha (FSS) in collaboration with the Sinchi Muskuyuk Warmi (SMW), a master ceramics women’s group in the Ecuadorian rainforest. The organizations worked together to prevent the extinction of the Mukawa ancestral art of the Canelos Kichwa Indigenous women by obtaining the Declaration of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) status. This legal framework provides a safeguard so that the art practice and livelihoods resource can be protected, supported, and revitalized.  

Context 

The ancestral art of Mukawa has been maintained by the Amazonian Canelos Kichwa women of the Ecuadorian rainforest for generations. It is the oldest Amazonian ceramics tradition in the Americas, and thus the preservation of it is critical to protecting the cultural heritage of the Canelos Kichwa. It is also an important livelihoods source for the community’s women. In 2023, the monthly income driven by the sales of Mukawa averaged US$3,000, which went directly to the women ceramicists and their families.  

The SMW master ceramicists are responsible for maintaining this ancestral tradition and passing it down to the next generation. Many of the 30 ceramicists in the SMW group expressed the importance of gaining ICH status, claiming it would contribute to the positioning, valuation, dissemination, and income generation of more than 200 women in the communities who practice the art, and the countless future generations who will learn it. 

In May 2027, elections for the provincial government will officially start, closing the process to obtain ICH declarations, which takes about 24 months to complete. Therefore, it was imperative for the SMW group to take immediate action.  

How did we help? 

Funding from the SRM supported the pathway to obtaining ICH declaration through:  

  • Four workshops and one reinforcement session to raise awareness among the SMW group about the need to establish an organizational structure to address issues of production, marketing, and promotion of the Mukawa.  
  • Peer-to-peer training groups held by master ceramic artists to share ancestral and technical knowledge of the craft with other ceramicists from local communities.  
  • Bolstering livelihoods by attending local and international trade fairs where artists could sell Mukawa, spread information on its importance, and gather reviews.  
  • Executing a media plan for marketing purposes, which included taking 100 pictures of the art, creating a promotional video about the importance of pottery, and writing multiple blog posts about the tradition.  

Utilizing resources from these activities, including pictures of the trainings, trade fairs, and completed Mukawa, the SMW group got their Cultural Manifestation of the Kichwa Mukawa of Pastaza registration approved as a cultural asset by the Information System of the Cultural Heritage of Ecuador on October 13, 2025. Also, multiple technical documents were created for the ICH process, including one certifying informed consent by the SMW group, one dossier that compiled three academic studies on Mukawa, and, most importantly, a safeguarding plan that was agreed upon between the SMW group and local authorities to ensure the effectiveness of the ICH declaration.  

The SRM also supported communication between the FSS and national authorities to advocate for the importance of achieving the ICH declaration and to gain an understanding of the process to achieve the declaration. This required collaborative work with the local authority, Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Municipal of Pastaza. 

The impact 

  • As of March 4, 2026, the communications and marketing strategies, coupled with the creation of technical documents and advocacy work, resulted in the achievement of the ICH declaration.  
  • The Ministry of Education and Culture issued agreement Nro. MINEDEC-MINEDEC-2026-00017-A, which defines the recognition of the intangible cultural heritage of the Mukawa art of the Kichwa Indigenous women.  
  • Through participatory development, a safeguarding plan was developed, which solidifies an institutional commitment to supporting the work of the Kichwa ceramic artists. 
  • These achievements will preserve the ancestral knowledge and art of Indigenous women and provide protection and support for its sustainability, strengthening the management of natural resources, community governance, and women’s economic empowerment in Ecuador.