Jajañe-chagra-garden

Abstract

The Amazonian chagra, or jajañe, is a food and medicinal garden that reveals human–plant collaboration and promotes biocultural sovereignty. Part 1, La Chagra de la Vida—Plant Intelligence as Becomings, is an essay by Felipe Castelblanco, based on fieldwork in Upper Putumayo, Colombia, exploring the chagra as a space where plants and humans co-create and communicate. Part 2, Sëntyöyiÿna Betiyëngaca. Walking with Plants, continues the exploration through a dialogue between Natalia Uribe Macías, a biologist and illustrator, and Ayênan John Quinchoa Juajibioy, a Kamëntšá media creator and cultivator. Their conversation highlights Indigenous perspectives that view plants as conscious beings, emphasizing sensory and emotional ways of knowing. It advocates integrating Indigenous knowledge and scientific approaches to address contemporary challenges through mutual respect and human–plant collaboration.