The Cubeo — also written Kubeo — are one of the most numerous peoples of the Vaupés department of Colombia, with communities along the Vaupés and Cuduyarí rivers. They are a Tukanoan-speaking people, part of the broader network of communities connected through the yuruparí ceremonial complex — a system of sacred knowledge, ritual practice, and musical tradition that links peoples across a vast region of the Colombian and Brazilian Amazon.
Cubeo ceremonial life is rich and complex. The yuruparí rites — involving sacred flutes whose sound encodes ancestral knowledge — are central to social and spiritual life, marking transitions, transmitting knowledge between generations, and maintaining the relationships between human communities and the other beings of the forest. This knowledge is held by initiated men and transmitted through oral tradition and ceremonial practice.
Cubeo artisan work reflects the visual culture of the Vaupés — including woven objects, bark cloth decoration, and featherwork that carry ceremonial significance. At Dulce Amazónica, the Cubeo are part of the network of communities whose presence in Guatapé brings the depth of the Vaupés into direct encounter with the wider world.
This community is one of many Indigenous peoples whose presence, knowledge, and artisan work are at the heart of what Dulce Amazónica does. Their ambassador brings that presence here directly — to Guatapé, Colombia.