Chile Program Office
University of North Texas
Environmental Education, Science & Technology Bldg. 325C
PO Box 310920
Denton, TX 76203
Phone: 940-369-8211
Alt Phone: 940-565-2981
Fax: 940-565-4448
Email: chile@unt.edu
Physical Location:
EESAT Building
1704 West Mulberry St.
About Us
Omora Foundation
The Omora Foundation is a Chilean non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to biocultural conservation in the extreme southern tip of South America. The Foundation receives its name from the Yahgan word for “hummingbird.” However, in the Yahgan cosmology Omora was more than a bird; he was also a revered hero. In the old time, when humans and other animals lived in the same society, little Omora would settle disputes of the community, maintaining a dialogue between human society and nature. The holistic meaning of Omora bridges the divide between humans and other living beings; between society and the natural environment. The Omora Foundation attempts to embody this last, broader definition in its mission to “integrate biocultural conservation with social well being at the ends of the Earth.”
In collaboration with the University of Magallanes, Chile, a Multi-ethnic Bird Guide of the Austral Temperate Forests of South America was published in 2001. With the help of the Yahgan Grandmothers Úrsula and Christina Calderón, and the story teller, Lorenzo Aillapan, this book is a collection of bird songs, names and stories recorded to express the voices of the multiple species and indigigenous, rural and urban cultures, whose lives are interwoven in the tempeate forest region of South America.
To listen to the story of Omora, please click on the .mp3 on this page.
The Omora Ethnobotanical Park is a collaborative initiative between the Omora NGO and the University of Magallanes. The Park is located 3 kilometres west of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Isla Navarino. Within the park interpretative paths explore most of the major habitat types of the region: coastal coigue forests, lenga parks, ñirre forests, Sphagnum bogs, beaver wetlands and alpine heath. In addition, the Robálo River runs through the park and provides potable water to the town of Puerto Williams. The Omora Park aspires to be an outdoor classroom for students and teachers, a natural laboratory to study the effects of global climate change and a public space to try many forms of living together based on solidarity and respect between human beings and other biological species.