Traditional ecological knowledge

Stingless bees: Sustaining land and people in the Amazon

Sprawled on the palm floor of her home, I listen intently as Marcelina recounts the local bees she knows. With the ease of describing old friends, Marcelina names mejayo ua, batigana ua, and many other native stingless bees in her Indigenous language, explaining their behavior, appearance, where she’s found them in the forest, and what … Read more

Mobility

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