Indigenous knowledge, bravery, and vigilance ensured siblings' survival in Colombian jungle

Lesly Mukutuy, 13, is credited with using ancestral knowledge to help keep her younger siblings alive during the 40 days they survived in the Colombian Amazon following the plane crash in which their mother perished

A soldier stands in front of the wreckage of the Cessna C206 that crashed in the Colombian jungle, killing the children’s mother, the pilot, and another adult. Picture: Colombian Armed Forces Press Office/AP

Fatima Valencia, grandmother of the four children rescued after 40 days alone in the Colombian Amazon, had a simple explanation for why they had taken so long to be found despite a huge search effort: They were being carried through the jungle by a duende, a leprechaun-like mythological creature said to roam the forest.

As more details emerge about the children’s incredible feat of survival, it has become clear that the ancestral knowledge of the eldest child played a vital role in keeping her younger siblings, including a baby who turned one during the ordeal, alive for 40 days.