Nataly Dominicó Murillo

Nathaly Dominicó Murillo is an indigenous leader from the Embera Eyábida tribe of Mutatá, Antioquia. He is also a member of the Urban Council of Medellín Chibcariwak.

Nataly Dominicó was born in 1995 in Mutatá, but that same year her family was forcibly displaced. A threatening pamphlet arrived at the "Ana Joaquina Osorio" school "we do not respond." For this reason, many families like Nathaly's decided to flee to Medellín. However, in this city his family found a very hostile environment, which caused his second displacement to Tadó, Chocó. In Tadó, unemployment was a constant and for this reason, once again Nataly and her family had to move to Fredonia, in the southwest of Antioquia. At the age of 12, Nataly first met her father, an indigenous Embera Eyábida from Mutatá, Antioquia. Although it was her first contact with her father and the Embera community, they welcomed her and recognized her as one of them. In the community she met her grandmother Anita who was a traditional physician and whose strength and wisdom inspired Nathaly to become a leader for her people. Another person in his family that he remembers with great admiration was his uncle Lucindo Domicó, who was assassinated in 1999 for defending a river. The river is an important part of the Embera beliefs, it is part of the creation myth that is based on the preservation of water. Also, Nathaly had the opportunity to travel throughout South America where he would meet the singer-songwriter and social leader, Alberto Zapicán, who would tell him his stories of the Uruguayan dictatorship. These stories were another motivation to continue fighting for indigenous communities in Colombia, who have been excluded, looted, displaced, exploited. Nathaly started doing community work, joined the Cabildo Urbano de Medellín Chibcariwak and works especially supporting women. Also, through the academy Nathaly made resistance. Nathaly studied child pedagogy at the University of Antioquia and did her undergraduate thesis entitled Walking the word: contributions of the indigenous movement and the academy to indigenous education in Antioqui a. Through this study, Nathaly learned the importance of preserving culture through education. But this is not the only thing he has done, Nathaly wrote poems, drew and made music that portrays the Embera reality. Thus, Nathaly resists and exists.

Source taken: EAFIT University