ACT UPDATE   July 2007

News Items

• Passing of an Elder Colombian Shaman and Conservationist
• ACT Donates field office to Indigenous communities in Brazil
• Computer Training for Indigenous Leaders in Brazil
• International Traditional Knowledge and Conservation Gathering held in Suriname
• Construction of Conservation Monitoring Posts at Key Locations
• Continuation of Indigenous Park Guard and State Park Ranger Training courses
• Completion of ethnographic mapping of Suruí traditional lands, Brazil, encompassing 620,000 acres
• Graduation of 18 Community Health Promoters in Colombia
• Construction of a Hospital Facility in the Rainforests of the Northeast Amazon
• Construction of a Traditional Medicine Clinic for Suriname's Aucaner Maroons
• Dental Care Brigade for Indigenous Children of Remote Communities of Suriname
• Publication of the First Book of Tiriyo narratives

Passing of an Elder Colombian Shaman and Conservationist

We are saddened to announce the passing of Taita Francisco Piaguaje of the Siona people of southwestern Colombia. Taita Francisco was a member of the Senior Council of the groundbreaking Union of Traditional Healers of the Colombian Amazon (UMIYAC), and passed away on April 23 in his home in the Buenavista indigenous reserve in Putumayo province. We remember him for his warmth, compassion, humor and gentle candor; for his resolute and longstanding representation of the interests of both UMIYAC and the Siona people at the local, national and international level; and for his work to persuade other leaders of the need to encourage the formation of a union of women healers as a key component of his ultimate goal-providing adequate healthcare for all peoples of the Colombian Amazon Piedmont.

Background
The death of an elder Taita, the term used to denote a shaman in many Colombian indigenous communities, underscores the urgency of ACT's biocultural preservation programs. Each time a shaman dies, a beloved family member and community figure are lost, along with the possibility of further transmission of ancient cultural knowledge to younger generations. Therefore, the future of a culture, its language, traditions, and sacred knowledge are at risk of permanent loss, provided this knowledge has not been fully transmitted to a younger members of the community. Although ACT has been highly successful in assisting its indigenous partners ensure the longevity of their cultures, the communities we partner with remain endangered. Cultural sustainability is an ongoing process - one that becomes more difficult each time an esteemed shaman passes on. ACT depends on the continued generosity of its supporters to maintain our race against time.

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ACT Donates field office to Indigenous communities in Brazil

ACT is proud to announce the donation of its field office in Canarana, Matto Grosso Brazil, to a partnership of twelve ethnic groups from the Xingu Indigenous Park, central Brazil's largest swath of pristine forest of approximately 7 million acres. This initiative was taken in continuance of ACT's efforts to increase the ability of its partner indigenous communities to monitor and successfully manage their ancestral territories in an increasingly self-sufficient manner. The fully furnished office space, which includes several computers, and telecommunications equipment, will provide a venue to the indigenous leaders for ongoing coordination and development of community led biocultural conservation projects and initiatives.
The Canarana field office, is housed in the nearby agricultural town of Canarana located outside of the Xingu Reserve off of its southeast corner, which provides access to countless resources currently unavailable to indigenous communities of the Xingu.
Also included in the donation were four boats, six outboard motors, and fifteen mechanic toolboxes. These items supplement the motor mechanics training that was provided to indigenous community members. Boats are critical tools for conservation and land management in the Xingu Indigenous park as the area is rich in navigable waterways, offering an excellent way to cover vast stretches of land quickly.

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Computer Training for Indigenous Leaders in Brazil

In March 2007, in the city of Canarana in Amapá state, ACT provided computer training for leading members of two northern Brazilian indigenous associations to enable the indigenous coordinators to write reports and conduct other activities by themselves. The representatives received training in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and internet navigation. Such training is critical to augmenting the ability of the indigenous community members to utilize technology on their own terms.

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Construction of Conservation Monitoring Posts at Key Locations

In February 2007, in the northern Brazilian rainforest, ACT provided support for the construction of two indigenous vigilance posts, one in the Bona village of the Tumucumaque Indigenous Park, and one on the bank of the Mopeku River in the Rio Parú de Leste Indigenous Lands. The vigilance posts will greatly facilitate and expand border surveillance while supporting expeditions developed by local indigenous park guards.

Background
The vigilance posts are an essential component of our innovative indigenous park guard training programs - a concept that ACT first pioneered with indigenous communities of the Amazon in 2005 and which has continued to thrive in all three of our country programs. Graduates of our courses integrate formal park guard vigilance skills with their unparalleled knowledge of the forest, local environmental patterns, and survival skills. Through this program, indigenous communities are empowered to assume a key role in ensuring their ancestral homelands remain free from illegal activities. The posts were constructed by representatives of the Wayana-Apalaí and Kaxuyana tribes, who have previously received extensive park guard training and support from ACT. Since Indigenous territories comprise nearly 25% of remaining Amazon, in comparison with the 5% represented by national parks it is ACT's belief that if international rainforest conservation efforts are to succeed, the active and meaningful participation of indigenous people is essential.

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Continuation of Indigenous Park Guard and State Park Ranger Training courses

ACT is hard at work preparing for upcoming training classes for a new group of Indigenous Park Guards, and also for its State Park Ranger training courses, both occurring for the benefit of the forests of Northeast Brazil. The Indigenous Park Guard training courses provide formal training across a variety of skill sets and subject matter including: waste management, conflict resolution, environmental education, environmental and indigenous law, and forest fire response and mitigation among others. To date, ACT, in partnership with representatives from 11 ethnic groups including representatives from the Indigenous Associations of the Tumucumaque (APITU and APITIKATXI), has trained over 40 Indigenous Park Guards to assist in monitoring and vigilance of their ancestral lands. But ACT's capacity building efforts have not stopped there. ACT is actively working to organize a new series of State Park Guard training courses for 2007. Back in August of 2006 the Amazon Conservation Team, in cooperation with the International Ranger Federation (IRF), held the first-ever Park Guard training course designed for personnel from state and non-governmental institutions operating in the environmental sector or in protected areas in Brazil's northeastern state of Amapá. ACT enjoyed the participation of representatives from several Brazilian state and non-state organizations including: the Brazilian Environmental Protection Agency (IBAMA), the Environmental Police, the State University of Amapa (UNIFAP), the Public Ministry of Amapa, the Firefigher Corps of Amapa, the Brazilian Indigenous Affairs Agency (FUNAI), the Brazilian NGO Kanindé, the Amapá Parkguard Association, International Ranger Federation, ACT Suriname, the Moore Foundation, the Indigenous Associations of the Tumucumaque (APITU and APITIKATXI), and the Institute for Studies in Economic Policy.

Background
National governments in South America often have difficulty providing sufficient personnel and resources to enforce territorial boundaries of protected areas. This often leads to the creation of "paper parks" or land which has been legally designated for preservation but has no significant management plans or resources in place to enforce legal decrees. For this reason ACT is proud to be able to help improve the level of protection of protected areas in the Amazon by fostering and building relationships between our indigenous colleagues, national and state agencies, and other non-governmental organizations. Since its inception ACT trained over 75 indigenous and non -indigenous park guards.

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International Traditional Knowledge and Conservation Gathering held in Suriname

From March 12 to March 16, 2007 by invitation of the Trio peoples and their chief granman Asongo Alalaparoe, native leaders from Brazil (Waurá and Tiriyó tribes), Suriname (Trio and Maroon), Colombia (Ingano and Kofán tribes) along with representatives from Canadian NGOs working for the indigenous cause, and ACT senior staff, met in the remote rainforest village of Kwamalasamutu in the Sipaliwini district of southern Suriname to discuss strategies for advancing land rights and ensuring cultural continuity. The event was named the Krutu Fu Sabiman, or "gathering of wise men". Among the practitioners of traditional medicine, the overall goal was to promote intercultural dialogue and understanding in order to foster discussions and future initiatives regarding the protection and preservation of biodiversity, the strengthening of traditional medicine, and the improvement of health. Following the gathering in Kwamalasamutu, a press conference was held on indigenous rights. The event was chronicled in Suriname's daily newspaper, De Ware Tijd.
At the close, the Trio Chieftain Asongo received a formal invitation from the Waurás to visit them in the Piyulaga village in the Xingu Indigenous Park, and stated his desire to make good on this offer.

Background
This 2007 gathering was a follow-up to the previous gathering organized in Brazil's Xingu Indigenous Park, which was facilitated by ACT in 2006. The opportunity created by ACT in the Xingu resulted in a specific request by the healers for a similar follow-up event to be hosted by the Trio peoples in southern Suriname in 2007.

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Completion of ethnographic mapping of Suruí traditional lands, Brazil, encompassing 620,000 acres

ACT is pleased to announce the completion of the ethnographic mapping project of the Surui traditional lands. The effort yielded an excellent ethnographic map of 620,000 acres of intact indigenous territory. Indigenous peoples in western Amazonia are increasingly finding themselves under threat from illegal extractive activities such as logging, mining, and animal trafficking. The state of Rondônia, located on Brazil's frontier with Bolivia and Peru, is more and more on the front lines of the struggle to preserve the Brazilian Amazon and its indigenous cultures as it is pressured by the advance of uncontrolled development from bordering states like Mato Grosso,. Unlike other bordering states, Rondônia and its indigenous peoples previously had been able to attract consistent help and attention from either nationally or internationally operating groups. To further assist these efforts, ACT organized a successful US tour for Surui Chief Almir Narayamoga in May 2007 with organizations interested in raising awareness of the Surui tribe's plight.

Background
Based on the invitation of the tribal leader Almir Suruí Narayamoga, ACT was able to expand our biocultural conservation mapping and management methodology into the indigenous rainforest lands of the Suruí people of Rondônia. As always in ACT's ethnocartographic process, the information assembly procedure commenced with an extensive introductory methodological and technical training workshop for indigenous researchers. This was followed by the researchers traveling their traditional territory with GPS units and drafting materials to collect data; followed by workshops to collect the data, plot the data, and set agendas for the following field expeditions; followed by the expeditions themselves. ACT's work was facilitated by its partnership with Kanindé, a Brazilian NGO that has been working with the Suruí for many years. ACT was the first international NGO to form a concrete and effective partnership with the Suruí people through the mediation of Kanindé. The map now may serve as a resource conservation planning tool, an incipient management plan, a potential legal document in the struggle against the timber and extraction industries, and of course a means of perpetuating invaluable tribal information across generations and to the outside world. ACT now is gathering support to enable the Suruí to create and implement a comprehensive biodiversity management plan for the Terra Indígena Sete de Setembro in order to strengthen and extend the protection work that has already been undertaken in the Rondônia corridor. In March 2007, Smithsonian Magazine published a full article on the plight of the tribal leader Almir Suruí and his people, as well as the assistance role of ACT. The article may be viewed at the Magazine's website link:

Related Press
Smithosnian Magazine - March 2007
San Francisco Chronicle- June 2007

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Graduation of 18 Community Health Promoters in Colombia

On February 23, 2007, at Colombia's Universidad del Rosario, a graduation ceremony was held for 18 indigenous community health promoters of the Colombian Amazon Piedmont. The graduates participated in a three-part course organized by ACT, the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad del Rosario and the Comunidad de la Madre Laura.

Background
The course curriculum focused on building the capacity of these adept community members so that they may provide treatment for a variety of common ailments as well as healthcare instruction to 18 indigenous communities located in eight historically underserved and rural departments of southwestern Colombia (Vichada, Caquetá, Norte de Santander, Guajira, Cesar, Risaralda, Córdoba, and Casanare). The promoters, belonging to 11 ethnic groups, have each drafted a preliminary healthcare diagnostic of their communities as well as a work plan to initiate activities promoting healthcare self-maintenance within their communities. The diagnostics incorporate vital aspects of western medicine, and utilize traditional medicine. In this way, the promoters provide basic healthcare to rural indigenous and non-indigenous communities while reinvigorating interest in the value and efficacy of traditional medical knowledge and practices, all of which depend on the region's rich biodiversity.

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Construction of a Traditional Medicine Clinic for Suriname's Aucaner Maroons

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Dental Care Brigade for Indigenous Children of Remote Communities of Suriname

In April 2007, during two three-day periods, ACT worked with Suriname's Youth Dental Care Foundation, Stichting Jeugdtandverzorging, to provide dental care for 100 children at two remote rainforest sites, the Trio village of Tepu and the Wayana village of Apetina. Both villages are located in remote southern Suriname where there is little to no access to professional dental care. ACT plans to continue the Dental Care Brigade visits to southern Suriname over the coming months.

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Publication of the First Book of Tiriyo narratives

In March 2007, ACT published an illustrated narrative of the myths and legends of the Tumucumaque Indigenous Park, with stories in both the Portuguese and Tiriyo languages as conveyed by Tiriyó community members and richly illustrated by their children. The book, titled Ëempakehton Tiriyoton Imponopï Serë: Tïponopïton in the Carib tongue and Floresta de histórias: narrativas de uma família Tiriyo in Portuguese, contains both historical expositions and mythical stories, the latter centering on the power of rainforest animals. The book's purpose is both to create a living record for the tribe itself and to have another powerful tool in the effort to build consciousness among Brazil's youth of the need to protect the country's ancient indigenous cultures as a national treasure. During Brazil's National Indigenous Week in April 2007, the book was presented to indigenous and non-indigenous children in private and state schools. The book is the part of the ACT publication series As Artes e as Narrativas dos povos da Terra. Several thousand Tiriyo inhabit the border region between Brazil and Suriname.

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