By
Gary Scott
Here is a true story about an
exciting humanitarian business opportunity, an extraordinary shaman and Peguche
Falls in Imbabura
Ecuador.
Some places are always
remembered, special spots that create peak experiences forever changing
our life. These spaces in our existence become crossroads that forever
dictate our direction of fate. Some of these places through some
inexplicable energy or concentration of power become a crossroads
for many.
Peguche Falls
in the Imbabura Province of Ecuador is one such place. I have
seen numerous lives change there. I'll explain why in a moment.
First, let me share a true story that took place during our recent
conference in Imbabura.
Peguche Falls rushes
into an isolated ravine as San Pablo lake turns into pure waters
that cascade off a flat plateau and crash into fine sprays of effervescent
water swelling with foam. These waters flow boldly down the hollows
of an enchanted eucalyptus forest.
Pictures don't
do it justice. Peguche Falls is really worth the journey.
Merri and I slipped
down the mud-slicked path in the pouring rain, listening to the
rumble of Peguche falls ahead. Don Carlos ran in the lead and seemed
to sniff at the air in his attempt to find the right place. We knew
his senses were operating at deeper levels than we could imagine,
yet we hoped to sense or feel what he was seeking as well.
During the trips
into the highlands with our friends and readers, we try to connect
with a Taita (an old one). These are shamans we have met who conduct
sacred ceremonies. They are special men and women of the indigenous
cloth who perform healing ceremonies for love not cash. These are
the great healers of body and heart who are little known. They do
not often advertise, and Don Carlos is among the best. Seemingly
ancient with his craggy, weather worn face and long white hair,
yet so wise/giving and loving and as nimble as a mountain goat as
we climbed steadily up the slick treacherous paths.
This trip to Peguche
Falls Ecuador Imbabura Province was special as it was our tenth
anniversary with Don Carlos and in the shamanic way he had suddenly
appeared without warning and told us to accompany him to the Pecuche
falls. This trip fell on Carnival so the peace and beauty of the
park and the path that winds its way to the falls was marred by
stalls and crowds. Don Carlos was looking for a clean spot where
the energy for a ceremony would be right.
We did not find the
right spot, but (more on that later) the group we were with would
have had an excellent ceremony wherever they were because they had
already reached a heartfelt crossroad.
On each trip we take
our group to the Peguche community center for lunch. Perhaps festival
is a better word. The center is a just a huge room, thatched roof
and 200 year old dirt floor. We see the feast being prepared in
the wood fired chiminerias and dine on plain wooden tables and benches.
The community of Peguche joins us to eat, dance and sing their simple
ancient but haunting music. There is something in their wonderful
joy that causes all of us to shift.
This wonderful hall
and these sweet people somehow create the crossroads. Do not ask
me how or to explain why. All I can say is that people come in perhaps
curious and with a hunger for food. They leave smiles, laughter,
often a few tears and with a new hunger to do something for or with
indigenous people. Our hearts are always touched.
Now there is a special
business opportunity in Peguche so we can do something with these
American natives that may be very profitable.
One opportunity comes
from the revival of the only Native American owned woolen mills
in the world. This opportunity is offered by Dr. Antonia Lema, who
is our friend and business contact. Dr. Lema was the first Native
American from Ecuador to receive a university degree.
Peguche is
the village of weavers. Since before Incan times these people
were famous for the way they spun and designed cloth, first from
what is now Peruvian cotton and later from llama and then sheep's
wool. To this day as you walk through the village you hear the
click-clack of their looms.
This area was north
of the Incan conquest but when the Spanish later conquered this
area they reduced the locals to little more than slaves. Later though
they achieved political freedom from the colonial powers little
happened to create economic freedom. The mill owners continued to
enslave these marvelous weavers by controlling the markets in their
goods. Dr. Antonio Lema had long dreamed of creating a woolen mill
that was totally owned by natives so they could better influence
their destiny.
He lives between
his home in the United States (St. Louis) and Peguche and set up
this unique mill many years ago and over years has managed to do
well at this. Then business set-backs shut the mill down. Today
it is all there, but needs operating capital and some added equipment
to start back up.
We visited this mill
on our trip and here is what captured my imagination. Here is a
business idea that I believe will make this mill work. While visiting
there, Merri and I each bought beautiful light wool coats ($10 a
piece) woven in colors of white and blue.
Then Dr. Lema
said the magic words, "These are remnants of an order from a
university that had us make these jackets in their colors."
Those of you who
have been reading this site for long know how highly important I
believe the story is as part of any business.
I believe that the
story of having jackets custom made in school colors for high schools
and universities by the only native America woolen mills in the
world is a killer idea. Call it the OCCCP Plan (Original Citizen
College Color Plan) or something like that. This ties the pride
of schools to the desires of the young to help those who are poor
and indigenous. I can expand on this in my imagination for a long
time. Coats come first then tours, then exchange students, then
language lessons. The merchandising and humanitarian potential is
endless.
The needs of the
mill are pretty modest and if a number of investors who wanted to
sell the college color products got together their investment per
person would not be large. The group would develop their marketing
and sales potential in tandem.
If this idea appeals
contact Dr. Antonio Lema at arteindi@yahoo.cm
or Linda Lindsey at linda@paonia.com
(she is an anthropologist who has been involved in this project
for some years). I believe that the idea is a winner.
Back to Don
Carlos and Peguche Falls Imbabura Ecuador. We could not find
a good place to have his healing ceremony by Peguche so returned
to the Ali Shungu hotel and enjoyed a three-hour healing and
ceremony under the stars there. That was a crossroads as well.
But that's another story for
another time. I hope we'll share it some day, perhaps at our next
trip to Peguche Falls Imbabura Ecuador in May 2005!
Until tomorrow may
all your crossroads be blessed.
Gary
Learn more about
Ecuador sacred knowledge in our International Business Made EZ correspondence
course or come to our next course in Ecuador at GaryScott.com
Sometimes
a picture is worth a thousand words
Beautiful Pegueche
Falls
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