“Good life is to be in peace and harmony with everything around us”: a qualitative study on good living among the Kankuamo Indigenous people of Colombia

Abstract:

The Kankuamo people are one of the 102 native peoples of Colombia, who are developing strategies for individual and collective health self-management. This article aims to investigate, identify and analyze, collaboratively and interculturally, the factors that influence the well-being of the Kankuamo people, using the Capabilities Approach proposed by Amartya Sen. To this end, three focus groups were conducted with the participation of 37 people from the 15 communities of the Kankuamo reservation. The transcripts were analyzed by means of a thematic analysis. Three central themes for the well-being of the Kankuamo emerged from the focus groups: (i) harmony between nature and human beings, (ii) social coexistence and (iii) self-determination. These themes reflect the fundamental principles and values that guide the community towards a good life, expansion of their capabilities, harmony and holistic development. The results suggest that material aspects play a secondary role in the Kankuamo community’s concept of good life, and confirm that it is fundamental to consider a collective vision of capabilities, not only individual ones, in indigenous contexts. Studies such as this one can contribute to the development of more contextually appropriate approaches to assess and measure the quality of life and well-being of Indigenous communities, including the Kankuamo people.

Keywords:
Indigenous Peoples; Mental Health; Self Determination; Quality of Life