The indigenous people of the America, North and South, knew well the benefits of what’s referred to as companion planting. This method involves growing plants that assist each other to grow, repel certain insects, and even repel other plants. Perhaps most famous are what is referred to as the “Three Sisters.” This involves growing corn, … Read more
by Vítor da Silva Our canoe hits the embankment of the river, and the 69-year old Maijuna elder, Agapo, pushes me up into the forest as he balances barefoot on his canoe. The forest is thick and there is no path anywhere around me. I wait for Agapo to tie his canoe, and with the … Read more
By Lindsay Schmittle, Gingerly Press My experience on the 2022 ACEER Artist Residency along the Sucusari River Basin deep in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru was definitely not your average artist residency experience. While this was my first true artist residency, I know that in most residencies, artists tend to spend the majority of their … Read more
A splintering crack and a proceeding boom echo through the rainforest, momentarily overwhelming even the orchestra of insects and frogs. An enormous, rotund machi mangua tree now lies on its side by a riverbend, felled by a proud Maijuna father; he stands alongside his prize. This elder is not after timber for sale. Rather, his … Read more
Written by Luís Gustavo Arruda (@extensao.natural), with the collaboration of Brian Griffiths and Thiago Hermenegildo. Indigenous peoples’ resistance for their rights is as ancient as the problems that cause contemporary social and environmental crises. Their resistance should also be ours, not only because they’re recognized as important conservationists, but because of their nature-based worldview. The … Read more
