Reclaiming Stewardship in a World of Entitlement

María Patricia Tobón Yagarí is an Indigenous Emberá Chamí lawyer, human rights defender, and social leader from Jardín, Antioquia, Colombia. She holds a law degree from the Universidad de Antioquia and a specialization in Constitutional Law. She served as a Commissioner on Colombia's Truth Commission, leading its ethnic chapter, and from August 2022 to April 2024 served as Director of Colombia's Victims Unit (Unidad para las Víctimas) — the first Indigenous person to hold that position. Her work has focused on Indigenous territorial rights, prior consultation processes, and the rights of Indigenous women.

Nery Yureima Erazo Mutumbajoy is an Indigenous leader from southwestern Colombia, an environmental engineer specialized in peacebuilding and territorial development, and coordinator of the Women's Program of the Union of Indigenous Yagé Healers of the Colombian Amazon (UMIYAC). She is also a member of the organization's Technical-Professional Committee.

She has an extensive background in community leadership and has served twice as governor of her community in the Middle Putumayo region. Nery is a leading voice in initiatives aimed at strengthening, protecting, and transmitting the traditional knowledge of the Indigenous peoples of the Colombian Amazon.
She is currently actively involved in the development of international frameworks for the protection of traditional yagé medicine. Her work is also focused on strengthening productive capacities and promoting circular economy models that create autonomy, opportunities, and well-being for women in Indigenous communities across her region.

Maira Smith is a biologist (University of São Paulo), with a Master’s in Ecology (National Institute of Amazonian Research) and a PhD in Sustainable Development (University of Brasília). She has academic experience in ethnobotany and historical ecology, conducting research at the interface of biodiversity and culture. She has been an Indigenous affairs specialist at the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) since 2012, working to protect traditional knowledge associated with genetic heritage, among other areas. She currently serves as General Coordinator and Vice President of the Genetic Heritage Management Council (CGen) at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA).

Fernanda Kaingáng, Indigenous name Jófej, is a member of the Kaingáng people from southern Brazil. She was the first Indigenous lawyer to graduate in Brazil’s Southern region and holds a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Brasília (UnB), specializing in Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge. She holds a PhD in cultural heritage and intellectual property from Leiden University (Netherlands). For 25 years, she has worked as a defender of Indigenous and environmental rights. She is the founder of the Kaingáng Institute (Inka) and Inbrapi, and is a specialist in Indigenous cultural heritage in Latin America. She published the thesis “Denied Rights, Stolen Heritage” in 2023. She has been a Federal Public Servant at FUNAI since July 2025.

Daiara Tukano is an artist, curator, teacher, and activist of the Tukano – Yé'pá Mahsã Indigenous People, belonging to the Eremiri Hãusiro Parameri clan from the Upper Rio Negro. Born in São Paulo, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts and a master’s degree in Human Rights from UnB, where her research focuses on the right to memory and truth of Indigenous Peoples.

She was the coordinator of Rádio Yandê (2015–2021) and is a founding member of the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference. Her artistic career includes participation in the 34th São Paulo Biennial and receiving awards such as the PIPA Online 2021 and the Prince Claus Seed Awards in 2022. Her works are part of the collections of major institutions, including the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, MASP, Museo delle Civilità (Rome), and the Mauritshuis Museum (The Hague).

She is currently a member of the National Council of Culture (CNPC/MINC) for the 2022–2025 term, representing Indigenous Peoples. Daiara also studies her people’s culture, history, and spirituality together with her family.