Economic Growth Peru Project #12229

Support native artisans & rainforest in the Amazon

by Center for Amazon Community Ecology

Support native artisans & rainforest in the Amazon

Project Report | Oct 22, 2021
The artisan that almost got away

By Tulio Davila/Campbell Plowden | Communications Coordinator/Executive Director

Edson is a 35 year-old father who lives in San Francisco, a campesino community on the banks of the Marañon River. He has been a fisherman most of his life because he enjoys fishing and it helps him provide for his family. Edson is also a very good artisan. We started buying crafts from him three years ago and soon realized he was also quite willing to share his talents with his fellow artisans. He developed new woven bird ornaments with his fellow artisan and friend Pablo and became a lead artisan facilitator in our training workshops because he was patient, charismatic and affirmed the artisans learning these difficult new skills with natural ease.

When COVID hit Peru in the spring of 2020, life for Edson and almost everyone else in the Amazon radically changed. Quarantines and travel restrictions halted all tourism. Virtually overnight, Edson lost his ability to sell any crafts or earn any money teaching others how to make them.

So Edson went back to fishing a lot for many months because it directly produced some food and generated some income selling fish in quick discreet trips to the market in Nauta.

As the severity of the pandemic eased, there was more freedom of movement. Edson could fish more and sell more. There was still no market for selling crafts, however, because there were still no tourists coming to Iquitos from other parts of Peru or anywhere else. Making crafts had become practically irrelevant to his life.

It looked like we could start to resume our work with artisans near the end of 2020, so we reached out to Edson to see if he would work with us again. He appreciated we had given some food and medicines to people in his community during the peak of the pandemic, but he wanted to keep focusing on fishing and explore other work because craft-making seemed too unpredictable. We were very sorry to hear this because we had been counting on him a lot, but we had to respect his decision. Edson wanted to be a responsible father and husband. We listened, we waited, and we talked from time to time. If he was going to make crafts again on a regular basis, we understood he would need to regain his desire to create them by himself. He kept fishing, and we waited some more.

More time passed, and Edson started to come around. He was still an artisan at heart and wanted a chance to express himself through this médium and encourage other artisans to start making and selling crafts again. We were very happy to hear this and renewed an order for some bird ornaments from his group.

This slow return to craft-making, however, was almost fatally cut short. When we saw the first batch of hummingbirds produced by Edson’s group, we were disappointed because they fell quite short of the high quality they had produced in the past. We understood, though, they were out of practice and suggested some ways to the ornament could better represent the real bird. Edson tried again, but even his efforts still didn’t hit the mark. After we provided a second round of comments, he went radio silent….for several months. His group had lost their enthusiam for craft-making again because they felt it wasn’t worth their time making crafts that would never satisy us.

This situation was very humbling and led us to two important conclusions. Before we ask a group to make multiple copies of a specific ornament, we need to make sure they are working from an actual prototype of the model we have approved – not just photos of the animal. It’s understandably demoralizing to ask a group to make 20 ornaments only to tell them aferwards that we want them to redo them with some minor difference. Our other key realization was that we need to pay artisans like Edson a better price for developing these prototypes if we expect them to make multiple versions of a new model that will eventually become the standard for other artisans.

It was great to be spend time with Edson as a co-facilitator at a recent Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshop in Nauta. Once again we were impressed with his diligence, insights, integrity, empathy, and ability to project enthusiasm with a seriousness of purpose. It was not surprising he had become the natural leader of his artisan group.

We had a heart-to-heart talk with Edson during a break in the workshop about his evolving relationship with craft-making in the past year and a half. He was honest sharing his frustrations with the ways we had recently dealt with him and his group and why these had almost led them to abandon their involvement with this enterprise. He very much appreciated, though, that we had offered to pay him and his compatriot Pablo more for developing new craft models since it acknowledged both their economic need and emotional investment.

Edson and Pablo both came to Iquitos two days later to discuss our plan for moving forward. We started going over the designs for specifc bird ornaments one by one. It was so much nicer and productive discussing the finer points of design and color in person since we had clearly not done a great job of doing this working from one-inch wide photos on cell phones.

It seems like we are back on track with two of our master artisan partners. Edson is an artisan who almost got away. We suspect the fish will be happy that he will dedícate more of his time again to weave bird ornaments instead of throwing out nets to catch them.

Edson and his wife Ketty at artisan workshop

Edson teaching woman artisan at workshop

Edson with harpy eagle and kingfisher ornaments

Edson and artisan group members at workshop

Edson teaching Franki at Brillo Nuevo workshop

Edson giving thumbs up affirmation to new artisan

Edson playing guitar during workshop break

Edson receiving COVID relief supplies from CACE

Machiguenga native fishing with net

Bora man fishing from dugout canoe in Brillo Nuevo

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Jul 12, 2021
Chambira connections to our head, hearts and hands

By Tulio Davila (& Campbell Plowden) | Communications Coordinator (& Project Leader)

We organized two workshops last month with artisans and others from the native village villages of Brillo Nuevo, Puca Urquillo Bora and Puca Urquillo Huitoto in the Ampiyacu River area to use art and respectful communication as ways to address problems and solutions related to their lives in the forest.

“This is a workshop somewhat different from what we are used to doing,” explained my colleague Yully before the 30 attendees of the ART AND CONSERVATION OF THE FOREST WORKSHOP in Brillo Nuevo. Yully continued: "In the next two days we will explore different issues that surround indigenous identity, as well as some problems that may arise in the community, forest and when working with crafts." The attendees listen attentively wondering what will come.

We began the workshop by asking the artisans to mention some problems they had either in the community or working with crafts. Gisela adjusted her mask to speak. She is the president of her artisan group and immediately felt led to share that one big problem she has faced is the theft of chambira by other members of her community. She posed the question out loud why someone might steal chambira from their neighbor’s field. One person called out, "They have no chambira of their own to harvest.” Someone else said, "They don't want to plant new trees in their fields," We wrote down all responses on large pieces of paper taped to the walls without comment. Moises raised another problem related to chambira - the sale of raw fiber by the kilo to occasional buyers or even trading chambira in bulk for used clothes. This issue is new to us. Apparently some outsiders come to the village to sell used clothes or trade them for meat or more recently for chambira. We recorded all comments on the papers without discussing solutions. It was time to create art.

We gave everyone some paper, cardboard, pencils, colors and modeling clay with the open invitation for them to use these materials to portray their ideal forest field. The participants, gathered in small groups, let their imaginations fly and began to draw (and shape) their vision of this idea considering the problems mentioned. Incredible scenes begin to appear with many chambira trees growing around artisans harvesting all kinds of plants in the forest or next to the river. When their creations were done, the participants seem satisfied and were eager to explain what they did.

Before unleashing this sharing, though, we moved on to the next create task.

We invited the artisans to make their own mandalas. "Mandala? What is that?" Some people who attended our Alternatives to Violence Project workshops were familiar with this concept of concentric circles of phrases used to present the core concepts of respect for self and others. We now explained we wished them to create a mandala to display the essence of what their indigenous and communal identity meant to them. They could show a personal conflict if they wished such as a time they had felt like a victim of racism or other form of discrimination. We give them paper and left them to draw or use their chambira to weave anything they wanted. Once again they embraced the chance to apply their imagination and make more art.

When they finished, each participant had a chance to present their initial creations. Each person was greeted with enthusiastic applause. The second round focused on the mandalas. They were incredible in their beauty, diversity and depth of feeling. They included bags, trivets, and dream catchers. Each artisan in turn explained what their indigenous identity meant to them. Rode said, “The forest is extremely important to me as an indigenous woman.” Pointing to her design on the wall, she said, “My Bora identity is important to me. These symbols mean life and forest. Without the forest we could not work, and we could not eat.

Yully and I continued to marvel at each successive presentation.

The final activity of the workshop was the World Café when we returned to the problems identified in the morning. This time, though, we asked people to discuss them again with the goal of generating ideas for how to solve these problems in the community. Participants gathered around an imaginary table (as if they were in a café) to brainstorm practical solutions and write them down on big sheets with paper with colored markers. Yully and I sat down and listened. Dalila who is an artisan and dedicated mother said, "We must identify who is stealing chambira, why they do it and try to help them get their own supply. If they persist in committing this offence, we need to tell the president of the community so they can apply the penalties we have in the community for people who don’t respect our agreements.”

We had been aware of many problems surrounding chambira for some years. It was really good to feel that this workshop finally gave us and our partners the opportunity to discuss these sensitive issues in a way that could bring people together to find solutions instead of just complaining about and fomenting bad feelings. Amazon Ecology is committed to continue supporting our partners to tap their creativity, their culture and their deep connection to the nature around them to create sustainable livelihoods, conserve the forest and build healthy resilient communities.

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Casilda - Bora native artisan with chambira hotpad

Bora artisan drawing native design on mandala

Chambira mandala with yellow center at Brillo Nuev

Artisan dad with baby at workshop in Puca Urquillo

Huitoto artisan drawing tree with vines

Brillo Nuevo artisan with woven bird mandala

Brillo Nuevo artisan weaving chambira hotpad

Making clay figure for 3D forest scene mandala

Community reviewing mandalas in Brillo Nuevo

Workshop participants celebrate their sharing

Angelina's chambira mandala

Workshop reflections from head, heart and hand

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Jun 25, 2021
The Healing Rain

By Tulio Davila (and Campbell Plowden) | Communications Coordinator (and Project Leader)

Looking out the window of our house in Brillo Nuevo, I see the rain falling hard on the nearby caimito tree. The fruits seem ready to fall with each drop that hits their surface while the branches dance freely in the wind. "It's a good rain," says my co-worker, Yully, as she peeked out the other window. "Yes," I answer simply. "A good rain," she adds with a slight smile before returning to the table where she is organizing her work for the coming days.

A good rain ...

I think about her words. Somehow rain can be a kind of cleansing. Water can of course wash a Surface. In recent months, though, so many things have happened in the communities and in our lives that is good to have a metaphorical good rain to wash away the heavy loads we have been carrying and give us a chance to continue.

Continue or perhaps its stronger form persevere is the sentiment and action I have witnessed in recent months. I have interviewed many people from Amazon communities in the past few months, and I want to hear stories from more. The rain reminded me of my recent conversation with Franco, a young Bora native entrepreneur from the village of Puca Urquillo.

Franco's voice broke with emotion when he shared his experience getting COVID. "When I got sick, I got very scared. I suffered just trying to breathe. I needed oxygen, but where was I going to get it? There was none in our community and I would get some even if I went to Pebas. It was horrible. The only thing I could do was stay at home and endure. I would need to do my best with the medicinal plants my family got me. I felt that I was going to die at any time. I wasn’t hungry, but I had to eat. I had no energy, but I had to carry on. I wanted to cry all day, but I had to be strong. I did not let my mother get close because I didn’t want her to catch the virus from me. My wife looked after me, but she was afraid she would end up just as bad as me. It was a nightmare. I had always been healthy through my twenties, but now I was fighting a damn illness that could kill me. It was a horrible, horrible nightmare ".

But Franco recovered. He got better and recovered his smile.

Other people told me their personal odysseys as well. When we met with the artisans from Brillo Nuevo, we discussed their craftmaking and workshops we hoped to resume. At the end of that meeting, we shared some thoughts about the recent months, and the women smiled. It amazed me that in spite of everything they had gone through, they seemed able to smile. They smiled and joked with their hope intact. They have adapted to the reality of the pandemic. They have started to make crafts again and continue their routine of life in the forest. They have not, however, forgotten what the past months have meant.

While Malvina sat weaving, she told us her COVID story: "I got sick first, and then so did my husband Javan. He still went to our field to harvest crops to make food for us. Even though he felt very bad, he forced himself to carry on and take care of me because I had to stay in bed. He was very attentive to me and brought me my chambira so I could at least weave a little. When I began to feel better, he let himself fall into bed, and I took care of him. This is how we passed through this illness, one looking after the other, and taking care of each other. "

I heard other stories similar to Malvina’s at the April meeting of FECONA – the federation that represents 14 native communities near the Ampiyacu River. We talked about our activities in the region that included sending medicines and food supplies to people thanks to the generous support from the Sisters of Mercy, other groups and many individual friends. I do not exaggerate when I say that the communities shared their heartfelt appreciation for this support and wanted us to be sure to share their thanks with the people who made this possible. I add my sincere thanks to theirs; you made more of a difference than you can imagine.

Franco - COVID survivor from Puca Urquillo Bora

Ania - Bora artisan from Brillo Nuevo.

Mother and daughter looking at rain in Nuevo Peru

Alejandrina - Bora artisan from Brillo Nuevo

Casilda - Bora artisan weaving chambira trivet

CACE house in Bora native village of Brillo Nuevo

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