Womanica Indigenous Women Series: Dolores Cacuango

Ecuadorian civil rights pioneer Dolores Cacuango (1881-1971), also known as Mamá Doloreyuk, spent decades fighting fiercely for the rights of the country’s Indigenous people, with a particular focus on land rights and women’s rights. Cacuango was a dedicated advocate for accessible education and instrumental in establishing Ecuador’s first bilingual schools, which practiced in Spanish and the Indigenous language of Quichua. She founded the Federación Ecuatoriana de Indios (FEI) in 1944 with the help of Ecuador’s Communist Party. Womanica, hosted by award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan, tells the stories of women you may or may not know — but definitely should.  The Indigenous Women Series features the biographies of remarkable Indigenous woman from history. From Maria Tallchief to Wilma Mankiller, these women all made lasting contributions to their fields and communities.