Stimulating reciprocity: how human–plant relations support Indigenous cultural revitalization and stewardship in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Abstract

Human–plant relations shed light on forms of reciprocity in Indigenous territorial stewardship. This article shows how Cofán, Siona and Siekopai (also Secoya or Airo Pai in Peru) Indigenous Peoples in the western Amazon collect, cultivate and use yoco (Paullinia yoco) to promote communal conviviality, reclaim once-threatened cultural practices and advance new forms of collective stewardship to promote social-ecological well-being. Yoco is a caffeine-rich liana closely intertwined with the daily life and spiritual practices of many Indigenous Amazonian Peoples, particularly within the tri-border region of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. We centre Indigenous storytelling as pedagogy and methodology, something common in the Amazon and relevant to yoco, as it is consumed socially and often while stories are shared. Through collaborative transdisciplinary research, we assess the forms of relationality and reciprocity yoco fosters in three ways. First, we discuss histories, uses and cultivation of yoco. Second, we consider the divergent pathways that communities have had with yoco, from loss to recuperation of human–plant relations across time. Third, we show examples of how differentiated use of yoco in Cofán, Siekopai and Siona communities supports cultural revitalization, territorial defense and stewardship initiatives evidenced by renewed efforts to enhance intergenerational transmission of local knowledge. Cofán, Siona and Siekopai stewardship of yoco is not merely ecological management of a plant but represents a dynamic interaction between cultural identity, spiritual practice and political resistance. As Siona, Siekopai and Cofán communities confront external pressures such as deforestation, extractive industries and socio-political marginalization, relationships with yoco facilitate pathways to sustain cultural and ecological relations in the face of profound change. Reclaiming and maintaining human–plant relations is a form of self-determination that can inform effective and ethical biocultural conservation. Through yoco, the Cofán, Siekopai and Siona peoples demonstrate that biocultural conservation helps maintain social-ecological well-being while underscoring the importance of territory. The future of conservation must embrace Indigenous stewardship, where reciprocity and care for both human and non-human worlds are central.