Florence Goupil

Photographer

Liberation: Omacha, the Pink Dolphin

Clients: National Geographic Magazine, NBC News, Le Monde, It's Nice That, British Journal of Photography

School: EESAB Ecole Superieure des Beaux Arts de Rennes

A statue in Puerto Nari&nti...rituals and celebrations to it.

A statue in Puerto Nariño, Leticia, representing the Yacuruna from the cosmology of the Tikuna people. The statue was placed as the Tikuna wanted to protect their culture in a highly urbanized community invaded by tourism. According to its history and also to recent locals testimonies, the pink dolphin, also called the Yacuruna, can transform itself into a man and visit the indigenous communities wearing a boa belt, a hat that is in fact a ray and boots made of black fish called "cuchas" (common pleco or hypostomus plecostomus). The Tikunas indigenous have a sensitive relationship with aquatic animals, especially with the pink dolphin, dedicating rituals and celebrations to it.

"The surface of the wa... endangered threatened species.

"The surface of the water would only be a veil for them. The water is not as we perceive it, a great city lies beneath", says Jose Murayari, an indigenous Tikuna from Colombia, who calls the pink dolphins from his boat. Pink dolphins can reach up to 2.50 m in length and weigh around 200 kg when fully grown. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the Amazon river dolphin as a vulnerable threatened species and it was recently classified as an endangered threatened species.

Portrait of Jose Murayari, an i...pect and protect pink dolphins.

Portrait of Jose Murayari, an indigenous Tikuna from Colombia, at sunset on the boat heading to the Tarapoto lake in Leticia. "He likes to visit us, the dolphin is a person like us. We must take care of him.", says Jose. Murayari knows many stories and testimonies of people who have seen dolphins that turned out to be men and seduce women using this human form. Despite attributing an anthropomorphic appearance, the Tikuna respect and protect pink dolphins.

A dolphin's eye view. A... endangered threatened species.

A dolphin's eye view. According to Tikuna indigenous mythology, the pink dolphins were once men who went into the forest in search of medicinal plants but a negative spirit blinded them and threw them to the bottom of the water. The Tikunas indigenous people from Colombia have a sensitive relationship with aquatic animals, especially with the pink dolphin, dedicating rituals and celebrations to it. However, The increasing destruction of the Amazon basin, such as fishing and accelerated logging, but also the pollution of the rivers, has put the dolphins in danger of extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently classified the Amazon river dolphin as an endangered threatened species.

Portrait of Alicia Cayetano (49...is spell and make it disappear.

Portrait of Alicia Cayetano (49), a Tikuna woman healer, on the banks of the Amazon River. Alicia knows of spells that some people use to make women fall in love with them, using the pink dolphin's tooth and even the animal's fat. She, on the other hand, works to purify those who suffer from this spell and make it disappear.

A girl walks inside the small m...in Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia.

A girl walks inside the small museum of the NGO Omacha, in Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia.

Mamerto Vasquez, a Tikuna envir... endangered threatened species.

Mamerto Vasquez, a Tikuna environmental and social leader, wearing a traditional wooden mask embodies the pink dolphin. The Tikuna have a sensitive relationship with aquatic animals, including the pink dolphin, dedicating rituals and celebrations in its honor. The pink dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) live between Colombia and Peru, where they play a fundamental role as indicator species of ecosystem health. However, The increasing destruction of the Amazon basin, such as fishing and accelerated logging, but also the pollution of the rivers, has put the dolphins in danger of extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently classified the Amazon river dolphin as an endangered threatened species.

A pink dolphin skull that was f...#39;s fat and teeth for curses.

A pink dolphin skull that was found along the Amazon River. The Foundation claims that predatory fishing is one of the main causes of the dolphins' death, but locals point to sorcerers who use the animal's fat and teeth for curses.

Portrait of Mamerto Vasquez, so... people about the pink dolphin.

Portrait of Mamerto Vasquez, social and environmental leader of Tikuna origin from the Colombian Amazon, defender of biodiversity and the magical stories of his people about the pink dolphin.

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Liberation: Omacha, the Pink Dolphin

Copyright Florence Goupil 2025

Updated Jul 2022

Topics Media

The Tikuna indigenous people from Colombia have a sensitive relationship with aquatic animals, especially with the pink dolphin, dedicating rituals and celebrations to it.
Puerto Nariño, Amazonas, Colombia.

Article written by Anne Proenza for Libération.

Le dauphin rose, sorcier de l'Amazone
Ce curieux cétacé d'eau douce, à la couleur étonnante, est magique pour les habitants des bords du fleuve qui ont chacun une légende à raconter. Florence Goupil et Anne Proenza sont est allées à sa rencontre, dans le sud de la Colombie.
Liberation.fr

Florence Goupil

Jul 9, 2022

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