Nasa Territoriality in Bogotá: Perception, Appropriation and Sense of Place

Abstract

The objective of this research project was to understand and analyze the dynamics and imaginaries of the indigenous Nasa population in the urban context of Bogotá. The active participation of the community was fostered through Participatory Action Research, social cartography, ethnography, knowledge dialogue, participant observation, life stories, and environmental field trips, in order to determine how they perceive the symbolic value of territory. Findings showed that the indigenous Nasa population appropriates urban space by moving through, naming, and symbolically representing places where they usually interact, that is, through the meaning of their spatial representations, the use of jigra (a type of bag, typical of the region), self-education, urban treks, inter-ethnic encounters, or periodically returning to their places of origin.

Keywords

• cartografía social
• investigación acción participativa (IAP)
• territorialidad nasa