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Padre Luis Bolla, know to the Achuar as Yankuam (“Evening Star”), passed away on February 6th after nearly 40 years of living and working with the Achuar and Shuar people in Peru’s Amazon rainforest.
A Guiding Light for The Pachamama Alliance
Born in 1932 and ordained as a Salesian priest in 1959, Padre Bolla, according to Pachamama Alliance co-founder and CEO Bill Twist, “sowed the seeds for the founding of our organization in 1995 when we began working with the Achuar people in Ecuador. Stories of Padre Bolla were well known to us then.
“We look at him and his inspirational life as a kind of guiding light for The Pachamama Alliance. Our commitment to work in partnership with indigenous peoples to build the foundations for a just and sustainable life for all people is informed and inspired by his life and work. We honor the passing of a great man and a life well-lived.”
How Padre Bolla’s Work Will Continue
Padre Bolla worked tirelessly to support the Shuar and Achuar in preserving their cultures and traditions, in spite of difficulties, accusations, and even death threats. His books about “El Mundo Achuar” highlighted the history, traditions, customs, language, rituals and songs of the Achuar people, increasing the recognition and appreciation of their culture in the Western world as well as ensuring its continuity for future generations of Achuar.
At the time of his passing, Padre Bolla was working in partnership with Daniel Koupermann, a long-time guide and consultant for the Pachamama Journeys program, to organize a medical brigade of doctors to do eye surgery in Peruvian Achuar communities. The medical brigade will go ahead in his honor.
