GUARDIANS OF THE HOUSE OF GODS
Far away from the violent life of Caracas, in the south-east of Venezuela and right to the border with Brazil and Guyana lies a natural peaceful paradise: Canaima National Park. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this majestic park is home to more than 100 Tepuis, tabletop mountains that arise dramatically from the savanna and the rainforest converting them into unique ecosystem islands. Indeed, much of the plant and animal life atop the Tepuis are found nowhere else. They are also among the most antique mountain systems on Earth.
The word Tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemóns, the indigenous people who inhabit the National Park. Pemóns have a wide range of myths, legends and stories related to the Tepuis. They are the guardians of the Tepuis. Traditionally they live off hunting and fishing but in recent years the tourism industry has been growing fast and the Pemóns are working in collaboration with national authorities from the village of Paraitepui, located at the entrance of the park.
There, the Pemóns have organized themselves to work as guides and porters for those interested in climbing some of these natural monuments, including Kukenan, a majestic table mountain. Only Pemóns can give permits to visit the holy mount Kukenan and only they can serve as guides on the 6-day dreamlike ascension.
© Abel Kavanagh
