The Cofan people of Ecuador are creating a new future with the help of the "Gringo Chief," the son of white missionaries who has become the tribe's most prominent leader. The tribe maintains a reserve in Ecuador's rain forest. Randy Borman was born in there and he considers it his home. "I don't think I ever had a major doubt that my home community was here and that my home culture was the Cofan culture," Borman told The Washington Post. With Borman's help the tribe has regained control of about 1 million acres. The Cofan created a national park to preserve plants, animals and their way of life. About 1,200 Cofan live in Ecuador and another 500 live in Columbia. Get the Story:
'Gringo chief' Randy Borman helps Ecuador's Cofan Indians survive, thrive (The Washington Post 6/21)