The project
An Indigenous-led vision to project ancestral land.
About Samay
Samay Taki is an Indigenous Kichwa ceremonial leader, singer-songwriter, and mother of five from the ancestral Sarayaku territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Born on the banks of the Aguarico River, her life has been shaped by a deep relationship with the forest, the wisdom of her ancestors, and a commitment to protecting both.
Alongside sharing ceremony and traditional medicines, Samay’s music carries the stories, language, and spirit of her people. Whether singing, teaching, or welcoming others into ceremony, her work is rooted in the belief that caring for the land and caring for one another are inseparable.
About Amarun Kucha
Amarun Kucha is a community project dedicated to protecting ancestral rainforest while creating opportunities for future generations to remain connected to their homeland.
Through the project, Samay is reclaiming and stewarding Indigenous land that can be protected from mining, logging, and other forms of industrial development. Her vision is to create a place where Kichwa traditions, language, ceremony, and ecological knowledge continue to be lived and shared.
Construction has already begun on the land, with plans to build a community space that will welcome visitors seeking to learn directly from Indigenous knowledge keepers. As the project grows, it will create meaningful employment for local women, strengthen food sovereignty through traditional agriculture, and provide opportunities for families to remain on their ancestral lands rather than leaving in search of work elsewhere.
For Samay, this is ultimately a project for the next generation. It is a commitment to her children, to her community, and to the living forest that has sustained her people for countless generations.
Today, Samay travels internationally offering ceremony, sharing music, and teaching about Kichwa culture. Every ceremony, performance, handcrafted item, and donation directly supports the continued growth of Amarun Kucha and the protection of the land it calls home.
The future of Amarun Kucha lives in the next generation. By protecting the land today, Samay is helping ensure her children can inherit their culture, language, and ancestral way of life.