Support native artisans & rainforest in the Amazon

Amazon Ecology has continued to support the growth of artisans from communities along the Ampiyacu River this year to develop their craft making, leadership skills and personal development. Their experiences highlighted our joint achievements, and the participants’ stories convey their appreciation of learning, change, and hope.

Our Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) program has made a deep impression on several communities. In June, we held a basic workshop in the Bora native community of Nuevo Perú, where participants explored the importance of empathy, self-control, and communication as tools to strengthen family and community relationships. One session helped participants identify their emotional “triggers” and how to manage them constructively. This experience allowed them to see the impact of their emotions on their relationships, sparking sincere reflections and commitments to change. Participants also jumped into active “light and livelies” that catalyzed laughter, entangled limbs, cooperative problem solving and trust. On the final day, participants contemplated how they wanted to grow in the intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical realms and then shared their appreciation for each other and the whole process.

Pedro commented, “This workshop helped me understand that being a good father to my children starts with controlling myself. I want to be an example of calm and respect in my home.” Clotilde considered her experience an awakening: “I’ve rarely participated in workshops, but this one was different. Each exercise made me reflect, and I never thought the way I react could affect my family so much. Now I know I can change and start to act differently.”

In August, we conducted an advanced AVP workshop in Santa Lucía de Pro. These sessions reinforced self-control and good communication and deepened the skills needed to build a community based on respect and mutual support. Fernando shared, “It’s a pleasure to open our minds and get to know each other more. Sometimes we don’t know what others, even our neighbors, are going through, and this workshop taught us that empathy and friendship are fundamental to building a better community.” Fernando’s sentiments captured a shared feeling among attendees, who appreciated the space for reflection and learning.

We have also continued our work to strengthen artisans’ abilities to negotiate and work together. In August, we conducted one organization workshop in Brillo Nuevo and another in Pucaurquillo Bora. They focused on market research, customer negotiation, cooperation, and the importance of connecting with people. Artisans learned and practiced ways to improve the sale of their products and expand their market reach.

Mayra, president of a local artisan association shared how these sessions were valuable to her as a leader: “These workshops teach us in a way we can understand. The facilitators make jokes, they speak our language, and that helps us learn with ease. As president, my greatest wish is for all my members to participate so we can improve together. If we all understand how to organize and negotiate, we can take our crafts to more places and strengthen our community.” Mayra’s enthusiasm demonstrated how community leaders want to transform knowledge into a resource for everyone.

For young artisans like Robertina, these workshops have been a starting point to represent their community at fairs and markets. She told us, “The first time I went to a fair, I didn’t know how to interact with buyers or sell my products. Now, with what I learned in this workshop, I feel ready to negotiate, to speak about our crafts confidently, and to make sure our work is valued.” This sense of empowerment has been key to encourage young artisans to feel supported and motivated to get involved in community activities.

In September, we held an Artisan Facilitator Workshop in Pucaurquillo, designed for experienced artisans who wish to share their knowledge with others. Over four days, artisans practiced their craft-making skills and learned how to lead, organize, and guide a group. Many groups faced the challenge of crafting new birds and other animals from photos including the barn owl, downy woodpecker, mallard duck, poison arrow frog and a bumble bee. Marianela, an artisan from the Marañon River commented: “Taking on the role of facilitator within a group was a huge challenge. At first, I was afraid I wouldn’t know how to guide my colleagues, but I remembered the steps from previous workshops, and little by little, I gained confidence. In the end, with everyone’s help, we completed our group’s craft together, and I realized that I can indeed be a good leader.”

These experiences benefit the participants’ and create a ripple effect in their communities. When an artisan like Marianela gains the confidence to lead, they help develop a new generation of artisans who will, in turn, amplify the knowledge they’ve acquired.

These past months have been a period of immense learning and transformation for the communities along the Ampiyacu. From personal reflections in the Alternatives to Violence workshops to collaboration in the craft-making, leadership and organization workshops, each event has provided opportunities for individual growth and strengthening communities. As Nilo from Santa Lucía de Pro, expressed, “This learning is important so we don’t just live together in our communities, but we also understand and support each other with what we need. That way, we can all be better.”

Links:

• Amazon Ecology information website and online store
• Amazon Ecology on Facebook
• Amazon Ecology on YouTube

We’d like to share a wonderful experience we recently had in the peasant community of Esperanza on the Tahuayo River.  Our journey began with an hour long trip from Iquitos to the town of Tamshiyacu in an express “rapido” motorboat followed by a two-hour trip in a “ponguero" type river bus to Esperanza where we were warmly welcomed by our artisan hosts to hold a four-day long basic workshop on weaving bird ornaments with chambira palm fiber.

The workshop brought together 40 artisans who were mostly women from Esperanza and the neighboring communities of Santa Cruz and El Chino.  The artisans from Esperanza had made thousands of high-quality chambira baskets for export to the US over a decade ago, but this market had disappeared. Santa Cruz also had many talented artisans, but their signature products were colorful fans which needed a lot of raw material for the low price they could earn for this simple product.  We had bought beautiful baskets and other crafts from the Chino artisans for many years and offered bird making workshops before the pandemic, but only a few of them were still trying to sell woven birds to tourists who visited their village. All of these Tahuayo River artisans were enthusiastic about learning to make high-quality bird ornaments to increase their craft-selling income.

In the past six years, we have learned much better how to train artisan facilitators to lead this kind of workshop.  The facilitators for this one were experienced artisans from the village of San Francisco on the Marañón River. Pablo had led over a dozen of these training sessions in four watersheds.  His apprentice facilitator was Wilson who had also demonstrated his creativity, patience, attention to detail, and desire to share to his skills and learn from his fellow artisans. 

In preparation for this workshop, we commissioned Pablo and Wilson to make woven models of the osprey and the red-breasted nuthatch.  The osprey is an eagle-sized raptor well-known for its fish hunting prowess and piercing cries on top of nests built by the sea.  The nuthatch is a small songbird who seeks seeds and insects in northern forests and is a frequent visitor to bird feeders in the U.S.  The artisans were told ahead of time what shades of grey, black, and rusty orange chambira they should bring to make these two species.  The facilitators used both photos and samples of the woven birds to guide the artisans.  This was the first time any of them had made these birds and was the first time some of them had made any woven bird.  

One touching moment was a comment from artisan Marilia was an accomplished weaver.  She told us with a smile, "I enjoyed making the bird and want to keep practicing. It was the first time I had woven something like this.  I didn’t think I could do it at first, but I liked it and while it wasn’t easy, it wasn’t too difficult.  I felt very supported by the facilitators and my companions, which made it very comfortable and fun.  I learned a lot and am motivated to keep improving."

Dora, another participant, shared a similar experience. "Making birds was quite a surprise because it seemed very complicated, but with the help of the facilitators, I finished the goal of making two kinds of birds. One of them was even good enough to sell to Amazon Ecology.  While I can keeping making other crafts, I can also make birds to sell to tourists, and it's a technique I want to keep practicing. The workshop showed me there is always room to learn new things and improve my techniques.” We felt and shared her pride.

Everything in the workshop did not go smoothly. One artisan fell unexpectedly ill, and we had to take her to a nearby medical post. Fortunately, we made sure she got the medical attention she needed. This incident reminded us we need to always be prepared to help our community with any situation that might arise, particularly in these communities that are far from the city.

By the end of the workshop, the artisans had completed 80 chambira birds, and we bought 30 of them that met our high quality standards to send to the U.S. for sale to the growing number of people there who appreciate these unique handmade crafts. This was a good starting point for many artisans who feel inspired to keep expanding and improving their skills.

We left Esperanza with new knowledge, skills, friendships and lasting memories. We feel grateful for the opportunities to share these moments and witness the desire and commitment of each participant to grow.  We will keep bringing these workshops to more communities because we believe in the power of art and crafts to transform lives and promote the conservation of our beautiful Amazon.

Thank you very much for your support for our work on the July 10 Bonus Day and beyond.

Links:

• Amazon Ecology website and online store
• Amazon Ecology on Facebook
• Amazon Ecology on YouTube