Category: Uncategorized

The Surprising Fate of 1,100 Fish

In November 2017, our small group boarded a bus in Cruzeiro do Sul for São Vicente. Chris Martin was among us, helping to bring 1,100 native Amazonian fingerlings to Mutum Village. Heavy bags filled with water and fish were piled at the front of the bus as we made our way along the winding roads towards the river. After arriving at São Vicente, we took a moment to have some breakfast and rest before departing on the long canoe ride.

The luggage was loaded and we did our best to on-board the fish. The bags were heavy and we almost lost one in the river!

Once we got things situated, Chris cut some palms to shield the fish from the sun, and brought a small bucket to intermittently pour water over the bags to help the fish from overheating during the blazing 6-hour canoe trip.

We arrived to Mutum Village around nightfall, played with the kids! and got to work sewing and constructing the netted fish enclosure, working side-by-side with the Yawanawá.

“In late 2017, I had the immense pleasure and honor of organizing a pilot project in Mutum village testing an initiative to increase the food security of the Yawanawa people. A collaboration between Indigenous Celebration and the Yawanawa people, and with technical assistance from the Acre State Government Secretary for Industrial Development, the project installed a small-scale aquaculture system in Mutum village. IC transported 1100 native Amazonian fingerlings (baby fish), materials to build a netted fish enclosure, as well as about 3 months of feed for the fish to the remote Mutum village. The system was set up by a team of IC staff and volunteers and Yawanawa tribal members. After that point, the Yawanawa people took control of the project, becoming responsible for ensuring that the fish were adequately fed and cared for.

For me personally, the most beautiful part of the project occurred when, right after arriving in Mutum, we assembled the netted fish enclosure alongside Yawanawa tribal members. As we worked together sowing together the fish enclosure, the shared sense of purpose in the task at hand formed an instant connection that brought together strangers from vastly different worlds far removed.”

– Christopher Martin, MBA & Master of Forestry Candidate, Yale University

So what happened to those fish?

Did they survive? Did they grow? Were they eaten?

After almost a year, we received news.
A group from Europe had cancelled their trip to the Mariri Festival in Mutum, significantly impacting the tribe’s resources, which were already stretched thin. When the men came back with very little to show from their hunt, someone remembered the thousand fish in the pond. They could hardly believe what they found…

Beautiful, large fish by the hundreds! Our humble efforts of a year earlier had a special purpose. The fish from the pond ended up feeding Yawanawá from all 8 villages and the dozens of visitors that arrived to take part in the annual celebration. For 2 days these fish kept the festival going.

Thank you to all who participated in co-creating (and living) this story. What an epic journey 😉!
And a special thank you to Chris Martin- IC couldn’t be happier with what you’ve accomplished with your Retreat Scholarship.

In light, love & service,
Anne Marie Miller

Layers

Quick dry, lightweight, long-sleeved tops and pants.

• Bring layers- it’s hot in the day, cool at night (you’ll want a sweater) and may rain from time to time, bring a waterproof rain jacket or poncho.
• Long pants and sleeves are great to protect from the sun and insects.

PRO TIP: ExOfficio Bugsaway clothing line has incredible insect protective clothing options. Here are some favorites (for ladies!)

• Lightweight jacket $80
• Lightweight pants $80

Footwear

• Flip-flops
• Shoes or Boots that are comfortable for hiking and hold up in wet and dry environments
• Some brands we love: Keen, Vibram Five Fingers- feel barefoot in the Amazon, but still have protection.

Sun Hat & Sunglasses

*IC hats are now available in the shop

Bathing Suit

Sarongs

*These are a favorite in the forest, because they serve many purposes.

Pack-It Compression Sacks

Eagle Creek or Sea-to-Summit Compression dry sack 

• Use these to compress your clothing to a fraction of its size.
• I can get my hammock, sleeping bag and clothes for 2 weeks into 1 backpack because of these.

Inflatable seat cushion

REI Seat Pad

• A lifesaver on long canoe rides.
• The trip into Mutum takes about 5-6 hours, and you’ll enjoy the incredible scenery much more if you’ve got a comfy tush!

Backpack

REI Backpack

• Look for something under 60 liters to comfortably fit your entire backpack inside your Sea to Summit 65L Dry Sack. (See next tip below.)

Large Dry Sacks or Contractor bags

Protect your luggage from dust, rain or water while in transit to the village by canoe. You can also use heavy duty garbage bags.

Tip: Get the 65 Liter Sea to Summit Big River Dry Bag and put your entire backpack inside & seal it up.

Lightweight, water resistant backpack

Travel Inspira 35L Day Pack for day time use

Insect Protection

• Andiroba Oil: Repels bugs and heals the skin from bites, minor cuts and scrapes. This is what the indigenous use.
• Copaiba Oil: healing for the skin.
• Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Natural Insect Repellant
• Insect repelling clothing from Exofficio – this is really the best.

Mesh Shower Caddy

As Seen Here: Makes bathing so much easier… whether you’re heading for the shower or going for the full (and gorgeous) experience of bathing in the small stream Igarapé.

Ziplock bags

(1 gallon)- I likee to put underwear and socks in separate ziplock bags to help keep things organized and clean. I also label and reuse the bags.

Medical kit

• Wound cleaning & treatment, liquid bandaids, Advil/ Tylenol, charcoal for upset stomach, iodine
  • We carry basic medical supplies so you don’t have to. We also have the Nipei: Garden of Medicines nearby to help treat upset stomach, headaches, and other basic ailments.
  • Electrolyte powder/tablets
    • You can pick up NUUN Active or GU Hydration Electrolyte tablets at Whole Foods. These are great when I feel like a wilted flower. They perk me right up!
  • Essential oils – Peppermint is cooling and relieves the itch from bites, lavender is calming and soothing.
  • Insect Bite Treatment
    • After Bite
    • Tip: After bathing, apply some rubbing alcohol to bites, then peppermint oil. The peppermint soothes the itching and the alcohol keeps the skin clean.
      • You can probably buy rubbing alcohol at Rio Branco or Cruzeiro do Sul so you aren’t traveling around with it.
    • Note: Keep your nails short and don’t scratch! Scratching can open up your skin to infection and will only make you itchier.

Snacks Misc.

granola bars, protein bars, nuts, etc.

• MacroBars, Cliff bars, etc. I like to keep snacks in Oxo Good Grips Airtight Containers to keep any pests away!
• Fiber supplements
• Himalayan Salt
• Hot Sauce

Laundry

• Collapsible Laundry Bucket, Laundry Line, & Clothes Pins
• Rope is a great thing to have.

I always bring this stuff, so if you’re traveling with IC, you can certainly borrow mine 🙂

Solar Charger

Goal Zero There is a generator in Mutum Village that works for a few hours each evening, but there are a limited number of outlets.

Glass eyedropper bottles

If you’d like to purchase some medicinal Sananga.

Gifts are a great way to connect! As always, simply being present with loving-kindness is the most precious gift any of us could give, but for those that wish to also bring something, here is a list of priority items that help make life for the Yawanawá fuller.

You may also choose to gift some of your personal items upon departure (ie. Lucy Lights).

My name is Kenewma Luiza Yawanawá and I come from 3 generations of chiefs and shamans. I live in Mutum Village of the Yawanawá tribe and here is a beautiful place… We are deep in the Amazon forest living with much joy, but also sadness because our cultural and spiritual heritage are in jeopardy.

Growing up I learned to speak Portuguese, as the other children were taught. Missionaries came here before I was born and told my people to change. Change the way we’ve been living for centuries, and learn to live like everyone else. Because of this, I had confusion about my own identity. I did not fit in when I tried to go to university but I also no longer felt like I was truly a Yawanawá.

This caused me great distress and I finally decided to leave the university to firm myself in the forest and the culture of my people. In my heart, I knew I needed to discover who I am and the spiritual lineage I come from. So, I undertook a difficult one-year “Dieta” in the seclusion of the forest, away from my village, to study under the guidance of our elders, which still hold the traditions and knowledge of my people.

I began to learn our language, our legends, the meanings and deep messages of the songs we sing, our spiritual practices, and about the vast medicines our forest holds. I learned how to heal, to create balance and harmony with the rhythms of nature, and began to reintegrate with my roots and feel for the first time, a purpose, a mission.

We live simply in the forest, but I discovered the greatest wealth is in this way of life, in the wisdom held by our elders.

My mission became clear, and with the help of Indigenous Celebration I am asking for your support to save our language, our way of life, and our ability to care for our forest, the Amazon rainforest.

We are all together on this Earth and we have only one home. Together with my people, we can continue to care for this land, in true harmony with our Mother Nature that provides for all of her children.

But we need your help.

My tribe is in crisis and this is a very significant point in time, where we either pass down our spiritual and cultural heritage to the next generation, or this knowledge and beautiful way of life will be lost forever.

Together with 7 other Yawanawá, I will travel from my home in the deep Amazon to 5 cities across America to sing our ancestral songs, play our traditional games and share our rich culture, in order to save it.

We’re traveling to raise money to establish the Traditional School of Mutum- to give this generation of Yawanawá the opportunity to learn from the elders our language, legends, ancestral spiritual practices and sacred plant knowledge, so that we may continue to firm ourselves in the forest, in our culture and pass this knowledge on to the next generation, as our ancestors have for millennia.

It is only together that we can accomplish this mission to save our language and culture from extinction. And with your support, we can ensure the treasures and lineage of our ancestors will not be lost!

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for hearing my story and for already being part of the solution.

This fight is not only for the Yawanawá people but for all that live on this Earth. Supporting the indigenous peoples to thrive as guardians of their land is the most effective solution to climate change. Simply preserving the remaining forests will do more good, than any other action taken to soothe our ailing Earth from the devastation we’ve already caused.

Here, I invite you, to join together, in celebration of our union- the union of the North and the South. This union has incredible power. It has the strength to create a new, more conscious state of existence. Elevating humanity to remember we are brothers and sisters on one Earth, and that our collective roots, are but one.

Xinã Xavai,

Kenewma

Spring is here! In celebration of this joyous time of renewal and rebirth, we decided to take to the streets of NY, to ask- what do you See?

From Bedford Avenue to Washington Square Park we shared some of our favorite Yawanawa designs, handmade by indigenous women in the Amazon, with patterns derived from Shamanic visions…

And in no time we found fellow Warriors, with no shortage of interesting things to tell us…

IC Warriors of NY… what do you See?

“I see a warrior mask, resembling a tiger or dragon.”

“I see a jungle person with many eyes.”

“I see pyramids, I feel warmth, I see fire.“

“It takes me somewhere else , somewhere really deep.”

“It gives meaning . I am a yoga teacher, and I just feel a profound meaning when I wear this.”

“I see the value in these, knowing that they are made by hand. Like the women back home would make things by hand. I feel a strong connection to the women that made these, as if they are from the same family as my sisters in Mexico.”

“There is a brightness emanating from these, a fiery cheerfulness.“

“Right now I’m feeling a lot of things, I was robbed last night..I need to quiet my mind for 30 seconds… Ok, I am seeing opposite energies combating, but they are just trying to find the center…there’s a sign.. literally there’s a sign, behind you, it says ‘help yourself’. We have the capacity to sift through the bullshit…Like the saints before us. I’m talking about people from the past, St. Francis, St. Augustine, because to move forward we need to learn from those that came before us.”

“ I see bugs with pinchers and hard edges, but then I see the most vibrant green and it makes me think of this beautiful spring day in New York..”

“I see the forces of the water and the sun, and feel the transition from night into day.”

“I feel this piece embodies the warmth and inspiration of the people.”

“I see two faces, like two owls.”

“I can feel the energy of the people, their force. When I touch these artifacts, I feel the hands of these people, and the hope to save something that is getting lost..just through their simple gesture or work, gestures like yours and mine.”

[ No words.. Just a big smile ? ]

“I feel amazed. I don’t get it. I really can’t tell what is going on, but it is making me very curious.”

“It reminds me of the Huichol, and these pieces look very familiar, but I am not from Brazil.“

“I see sunshine, pure sunshine, like home in Miami.“

“Reminds me of the hippie years of the 60’s, head shops, and good pot.”

“These are dreamlike. I feel the energies of pure sunshine and water. These pieces make me think of warrior vests, like the natives wear as a shield.”

“I feel the love. Everything is ok.. Keep up the good work..peace, love, sun and water.”

“I can’t see that deep.. All I can say is that it is beautiful, baby.”

“Let’s play!”

“I feel empowered by the divine holy force of the forest!”

“ I see the ocean and the Earth. There is water leading into the fiery core of the planet, it is flowing into that inner light, feeding the water of life.”

“ I see little baby warriors connecting to the force of the fire and to the force of the forest that they will fight to save.”

Welcome to Indigenous Celebration’s Official Blog! We’re excited to celebrate each beautiful moment of existence with you, as we come together as one human family, to celebrate our indigenous brothers and sisters.

The following is an Osho Tarot card reading on what it means to “Celebrate”. Please enjoy and, iuhuuuuu!

These three women dancing in the wind and the rain remind us that celebration never need depend on outside circumstances. We need not wait for a special holiday or a formal occasion, nor a sunny and cloudless day. True celebration arises from a joy that is first experienced deep within, and spills over into an overflow of song and dance and laughter, and yes, even tears of gratitude.

When you choose this card, it indicates that you are becoming more and more available and open to the many opportunities that are to celebrate in life, and to spread this by contagion to others. Don’t bother about scheduling a party on your calendar. Let your hair down, take your shoes off, and start splashing in the puddles right now. The party is happening all around you every moment!

Life is a moment to celebrate, to enjoy. Make it fun, a celebration, and then you will enter the temple. The temple is not for the long-faced, it has never been for them.

Look at life–do you see sadness anywhere? Have you ever seen a tree depressed? Have you seen a bird anxiety-ridden? Have you seen an animal neurotic?

No, life is not like that, not at all. Only man has gone wrong somewhere, and he has gone wrong somewhere because he thinks himself to be very wise, very clever. Your cleverness is your disease. Don’t be too wise.

Always remember to stop; don’t go to the extreme. A little foolishness and a little wisdom is good, and the right combination makes you a Buddha.  

Come along for a ride on our July, 2015 journey to Mutum in the Amazon.