Oswando Nenquimo (Opi)

Oswando Nenquimo (Opi) is a member of the Nemonpare community where he was born–located in the Ecuadorian Amazon. He is a Waorani leader and activist, the main spokesperson for Waorani Resistance, and a human rights and nature defender. He is the co-founder of “Alianza Ceibo” (Ceibo Alliance) and coordinates the foundation’s Control and Surveillance Monitoring for the Waorani territory protection efforts. From 2015 to 2018, Opi led the Waorani’s most important initiative: creating a Waorani territory map in collaboration with indigenous communities and the Pikenani, indigenous elders and traditional authorities of Ecuador’s Pastaza province. This initiative contributed to Waorani territory defense, halting of petroleum exploitation, and achievement of the Waorani’s legal status as an Ecuadorian state. Opi is currently studying law to further defend the Waorani people and territories in the face of government and private sector natural resource exploitation and human rights violations against Ecuador’s indigenous communities.