An empirical assessment of the indigenous Sumak Kawsay (living well): the importance of nature and relationships

Abstract

The Andean indigenous way of life Sumak Kawsay (living well in Kichwa) is related to reciprocity, solidarity, collective participation, social justice, and harmony with nature and with the community. This paper uses a representative national sample in Ecuador to assess how certain features of Sumak Kawsay relate to subjective well-being. In this vein, we propose several variables associated with this particular way of life: collective participation activities (mingas), enjoying a portion of land (chakra), living in a rural area and indigenous identity. The results indicate that most Sumak Kawsay features are positively related to life and environmental satisfaction. An important exception is indigenous identity, which is negatively related to life satisfaction and not significant for environmental satisfaction. We suggest that Sumak Kawsay is important for subjective well-being in Ecuador, but indigenous people’s subjective well-being would benefit if their needs are better taken into account in the political arena.