IN PICTURES: The ritual before the sacred Kueka Stone (also known as Grandmother Kueka) marks the beginning of the repatriation process to Canaima National Park in Venezuela, after being illegally lent by the Ministry of Environment to a German sculptor almost 20 years ago.

German artist Wolfang Von Schwarzenfeld altered the sacred stone by polishing and cutting it, a painful act for the community. Photo:@CancilleriaVE
Twelve shamans of the Indigenous Pemon people of Venezuela went to Tiergarden Park in Berlin to perform a cleansing ritual so that the stone’s return doesn’t unleash a supernatural event. Photo:@CancilleriaVE
Twenty years ago, ‘Grandmother Kueka’ was illegally extracted by German artist Wolfgang Von Schwarzenfeld, without the consent of the Pemon people. Photo:@CancilleriaVE
For 20 years the Pemon people have demanded the return of the stone, which they believe provides wisdom and protection. Photo:@CancilleriaVE
Pemon people are certain that the stone’s absence has caused natural disasters, like the 1999 landslide that killed tens of thousands of peoples Photo:@CancilleriaVE
The stone is one of two that represent a Pemon man and Macuxi woman condemned for violating the will of Pemon god Makunaima . Photo:@CancilleriaVE
The Jasper stone weighs 30 tons and was recognized by Unesco as a World Heritage item in 1994. Photo:@CancilleriaVE
Unesco has supported the Venezuelan government in its quest to recover the sacred Kueka Stone. Photo:@CancilleriaVE

Source: TelesurTV.net