Life in Oil Article by Michael L. Cepek

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Michael L. Cepek wrote accounts about the encounters between the people of the forest and the outsiders who came to seek oil in the woods. At first, the outsiders came to get the oil and were harsh on them and wanted the natives to forget about their traditions and live a new way of life. In doing so, they destroyed the culture of the natives and eroded it because of the influence of the new culture. Then, another type of outsider was interested in tourism (Cepek, 2018, p. 17). This group wanted to visit and learn about the forest and the traditions of the natives. The article discusses the influence that outsiders had on the Cofan community during the invasion of the exploration of oil.

A long time ago, the forest was vast and untouched, with tall trees towering over the sky, mountains that had snow to the west, and a deep blue ocean to the east. It had many giant rivers flowing, and there were different species of animals and plants in the woods; it was full of life (Garcia-Alban, 2021, p. 105321). People who lived in the forest had different ways of living. Some were traders between the villages, some were river navigators, some were farmers, and some became hunters of the wildlife in the forest. All the natives who lived in the woods cared for the forest because it was their way of life, and the forest cared for them. This was in 1955 when the sole inhabitants of over one million hectares of forest were the Cofan people of Ecuador (Silva, 2018, p. 272). Then outsiders came to the woods to explore and look for oil and other raw materials around 1965; ten years later, in 1975, the whole forest was fast disappearing and was losing its appeal to the natives around the colonization by the outsiders ensured that trees were cut down to build roads which reduced the size of the forest and even destroyed the clean rivers that the forest had (Silva, 2018, p. 272). The rivers were no longer fresh, the animals that lived in the forest started to disappear, small towns sprung up all over the woods, and the locals were pushed and forced to survive on degraded land and could not provide for them fifteen thousand hectares only. This exploration led to different positive and negative effects on the community. People were now forced to embrace the new way of life even if they did not want to because they had no option. When the outsiders invaded the forest, they came intending to explore the woods and build oil rigging sites, and therefore there was a need for the natives to provide labor (Gustafson, 2018, p. 165). This resulted in the creation of employment for the Cofan people as they were employed in the various sites around the forest, making it easier for the natives to have a source of income.

During this exploration, the forest was degraded massively; the natives could no longer provide for themselves because they could not depend on the forest to provide for them in hunting, farming, or navigating the rivers. Therefore, the only way to provide for their families was to seek employment in the oil rigs, which came in handy for the locals by creating their sources of work and a way to provide for their families (Garcia-Alban, 2021, p. 105321). Since people were employed and had jobs, there was cash flow in the areas, and therefore the nature of the economy was boosted highly. People could buy things they could previously afford, establish a settlement and seek better lives; consequently, the heart of the economy was strengthened. People from around the world also came with other goods and products to trade with the Cofan people, and while doing this, they had to help in developing the economy of the natives (Gustafson, 2018, p. 165). The economy was boosted because many jobs were created, and employment was easy for the people; individual financing endeavors were easy, making it possible to build the economy in Ecuador.

The country developed since the country had people coming from outside land with money, and the natives also had some finances. The way of social life improved because the government could manage to build decent roads on the grounds and hospitals and even fund recreational activities like sports. Even though their culture was fast eroding, the new ways of life proved modern. They facilitated their interaction with the outside world, making it easier to promote the growth and development of the country (Silva, 2018, p. 275). The oil exploration ensured infrastructure like roads was developed in the rural areas. This confirmed that the interior land in the forest was open to access by everyone; therefore, the country naturally developed because it was easily accessible to them.

Another benefit that exploration brought along because of developing the country was improving social amenities. Structures like schools, hospitals, churches, and shopping centers sprung up rapidly in the region. The development of such facilities ensured that people could meet up quickly, interact and share the knowledge that they have among themselves. People could also trade and acquire new items they wanted and sell those they did not want to improve the way of life a month for the Cofan people (Silva, 2018, p. 275). The residents could also access the modern, efficient way of health treatment because of the access to hospitals built in the area. The development of infrastructure in the place ensured that the health services were improved because as people met, they shared information about hospitals and other health facilities in the area.

Before the forest exploration, there were areas in the land that was inaccessible and inhabitable, but with the investigation of the forest by the outsiders’ new place were explored and made easy to live. This established new areas that people could live in, creating new habitats. Towns that sprung out of these habitats became areas where people could live. Because the townspeople could invest easily (Kirsch, 2018, p. 201), outsiders could come to those towns and build markets, shops, trading centers, and support. These businesses allowed the natives to trade and acquire new goods from other parts.

The oil exploration in the forest also had various side effects on the environment and the people living there. One of the disadvantages was pollution (Rivera-Parra, 2020, p. 108820). Heavy machinery was required to be operated during the exploration, and even n the rigs, this caused soil and air pollution in the area. The land was polluted because the heavy mobile machinery and the destruction of the forest made sure that the plants did not grow again, and the emissions from the machines, including carbon dioxide, polluted the environment’s air (Kirsch, 2018, p. 201). The carbon dioxide that was emitted made it impossible for plants and animals to survive, and for the natives, it severely affected their health.

The release of carbon dioxide in the area led to the destruction of the ozone layer, which made the area experience irregular cycles of weather conditions. The collapse of the forest also made it difficult for the area to experience rain. In the long run, the areas that were wet and humid become very dry with little rainfall making it difficult to farm in the local regions (Kroijer, 2019, p. 99). The lost green vegetation also ensured that wildlife living in the area moved to different locations or probably died. Since the land was reduced drastically and the promotion of wildlife hunting by tourists, most of the animals died, and even some became nearly extinct. The climate also made the area inhabitable because of dry weather and no vegetation; therefore, wildlife was disrupted and moved to new locations. People who lived in these areas were used to certain weather conditions, and because of the oil explorations, these weather conditions changed drastically (Kroijer, 2019, p. 99). The changes in these weather conditions negatively impacted people’s lives because they started experiencing unhealthy conditions that were not there before. Diseases like malaria, cholera, flu, and tuberculosis were introduced to the natives. The climatic change also made them susceptible to cancer (Zhong-Zhen, 2022, p. 105640). The high temperatures from the sun because of the depletion of the ozone layer made it possible for the natives to have skin diseases. Lung cancer became predominant because of the emissions that were released from the heavy machinery of the oil rigs. Water pollution in the area facilitated the introduction of waterborne diseases to the community. In as much as the health conditions of the site were improved, the area was susceptible to a lot more ailments.

Before exploring the lands from the outside, the forest was a serene environment that captured the eye of the people around it. Still, when the exploration started, the exteriors conquered the land and destroyed its natural look (Garcia-Alban, 2021, p. 105321). The green land became dusty brown, and unappealing the clan rivers that flowed in the forest became dirty with oil spillage and waste product deposits. The forest land was damaged because of exploration.

The natives who lived in the area had different roles; some were farmers, hunters, and river transporters. Still, after exploring the area, most people had to leave their homes because of damage and get new ways of surviving. Most of the natives had to seek employment from the oil companies to stay; this took their life away from the forest and disrupted their way of life (Chavez-Rodriguez, 2018, p. 36). When new people come to live among you, they come around with their cultures, and if they colonize and explore you, they do away with your culture and try forcing theirs. The people of Cofan had their culture eroded because the outsiders wanted them to stop their way of life and embrace the new way of living, which was theirs. The Cofan had various dances for special ceremonies and festivals but could no longer dance them because they were forced to embrace the new culture (Maurice, 2019, p.1206). On special occasions, they were forced to dance to please the tourists visiting them around.

The accounts by Michael L. Cepek give the reader a vivid description of what the natives were going through during the time people from outside the Cofan came to look for oil around the place of the forest. The account is not biased as it gives the detailed impacts of the exploration, including both the advantages and the disadvantages that the natives experienced through and after the forest investigation. He also describes how this exploration affected the forest and how it was affected (Yang, 2019, p.557). He also talks about the significant impact of the investigation on the natives: interaction with the outside world. The outside world, especially the tourists, opened up the Cofan people to new possibilities in life in various ways, including the conservation of the culture of the natives (Garcia-Alban, 2021, p. 105321). Today oil makes up a third of the export of the country’s goods and a third contributor to the whole country’s gross domestic product, which has helped the country’s development. The growth has been steady because of oil because the natives can now participate in social activities like sporting competitions, and it has improved how the people view the outside world (Maurice, 2019, p.1206). This has made it possible to have more interactions with the outside world and build ideas that generally help improve the life of the Cofan people.

Bibliography

Cepek, M.L., 2018. Life in oil: Cofán survival in the petroleum fields of Amazonia. University of Texas Press, pp.1-22

Silva, N.L., 2018. Life in Oil: Cofán Survival in the Petroleum Fields of Amazonia.

Gustafson, B., 2018. Life in Oil: Cofan Survival in the Petroleum Fields of Amazonia. Environment and Society, 9(1), pp.164-166.

Silva, N.L., 2018. Michael L. Cepek, with photographs by Bear Guerra: Life in Oil: Cofan Survival in the Petroleum Fields of Amazonia. Journal of Latin American Geography, 17(3), pp.272-276.

Kirsch, S., 2019. Cepek, Michael L.; photographs by Bear Guerra. Life in oil: Cofán survival in the petroleum fields of Amazonia. xvi, pp. 286, maps, illus., bibliogr. Austin: Univ. of Texas Press, 2018.

Rivera-Parra, J.L., Vizcarra, C., Mora, K., Mayorga, H. and Dueñas, J.C., 2020. Spatial distribution of oil spills in the north eastern Ecuadorian Amazon: A comprehensive review of possible threats. Biological Conservation, 252, p.108820.

Krøijer, S., 2019. In the spirit of oil: Unintended flows and leaky lives in Northeastern Ecuador. In Indigenous Life Projects and Extractivism pp. 95-118. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Zhong-Zhen, M., Zhao-Hui, X., Zuo-Ji, T., Yu-Bing, Z., Xiao-Fa, Y., and Bin, H., 2022. Nitrogen–Sulfur–Oxygen compounds in the study of oil migration in Block TW, eastern flank of the Oriente Basin, Ecuador. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 140, p.105640.

García-Albán, F., González-Astudillo, M. and Vera-Avellán, C., 2021. Good policy or good luck? Analyzing the effects of fiscal policy and oil revenue shocks in Ecuador. Energy Economics, 100, p.105321.

Chavez-Rodriguez, M.F., Carvajal, P.E., Jaramillo, J.E.M., Egüez, A., Mahecha, R.E.G., Schaeffer, R., Szklo, A., Lucena, A.F. and Aramburo, S.A., 2018. Fuel saving strategies in the Andes: Long-term impacts for Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. Energy strategy reviews, 20, pp.35-48.

Maurice, L., López, F., Becerra, S., Jamhoury, H., Le Menach, K., Devier, M.H., Budzinski, H., Prunier, J., Juteau-Martineau, G., Ochoa-Herrera, V. and Quiroga, D., 2019. Drinking water quality in areas impacted by oil activities in Ecuador: Associated health risks and social perception of human exposure. Science of the Total Environment, 690, pp.1203-1217.

Yang, X.F., Ma, Z.Z., Zhou, Y.B., Zhang, Z.W., Liu, Y.M., Wang, D.D. and Zhao, Y.B., 2019. Reservoir characteristics and hydrocarbon accumulation of the glauconitic sandstone in the Tarapoa Block, Oriente Basin, Ecuador. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 173, pp.558-568.

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Life in Oil Article by Michael L. Cepek

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