A Message from the Heart of the Amazon
This morning Andrea, Atossa and I climbed out of bed as the sun was rising on the first day of the World Social Forum to go lay out an image 180 feet wide and 240 feet long on a muddy field under the creative leadership of John Quigley with our friends. We had 4 hours before 1500 people from over 50 Indigenous Nations would come and fill in the lines drawn with tape on the ground with their bodies, sending their message to the world. The message came from long conversations over months with COIAB (the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon), COICA (Indigenous Organization of the Amazon Basin), Amazon Alliance, Amazon Watch and RAN, among others. Last night, Marcos Apurina, the vice coordinator of COIAB issued a formal statement explaining why we we all here:
With the permission of our ancestors’ spirits, we indigenous peoples are here with our friends from all corners of the earth. With our bodies we build this symbol as the cry of living beings from this green forest, this planet, for our continuity as humans and diverse creatures. The symbol of the bow and arrow has three meanings: The first, our aim that every man, woman, and child will decide to care for our planet; The second, the position of defending the rights of indigenous peoples, of nature, of the planet, and of our home the Amazon; The third, to send a message to the world so that each of us helps to protect our home, our air, our water, our food; The Datsiparabu ceremony is the purification of our minds, our spirit, our soul, our hearts. Save the Amazon!
check out the press release
Photo by Lou Dematteis/Spectral Q
15 Responses to “A Message from the Heart of the Amazon”
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January 27th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
What a beautiful statement! We’re with you in spirit and in our hearts.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Fantastic!
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:04 am
That was amazing. You guys are really dedicated! I wish I could have been there.
February 7th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
!Estoy muy impressado con su trabjo, bueno suerte!
February 7th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Linda messagem! Precisamos conservar nosso planeta e precisamos que todos estejam de acordo nao so os governos mas o povo!
February 15th, 2009 at 4:43 am
This is fantastic! If we could show people just how much some people are dedicated to saving the rainforest, they might contribute too!!!
February 15th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
it’s long overdue for people to wake up & realize we were meant to communite & co-exist with animals, nature & mother earth. beautiful thoughts, thank you. linda
February 17th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
You are great people doing a great job!!!!
Animals of all kinds is our nerghbours and have been living here long before us. We should respect them and our planet as it has given us life.
February 19th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Why is RAN so inconsistent? End coal but not ancient forest logging? New science: not only could 20% of emissions be saved by ending deforestation and diminishment, but these standing forests would absorb 20% of fossil fuel emissions. That is over a 35% swing in carbon emissions by ending primary and old growth forest logging in the Amazon and elsewhere. Your support for FSC certification of primary and oldgrowth forest logging greenwashes all the rest of ancient forest destruction. Stop it.
RELEASE: Ancient Forests Absorb 20% of Human’s Carbon, Logging and Other Industrial Destruction of Old Forests Must Stop Now
The myth that primary and old growth forests should be “sustainably” managed is dealt a mortal deathblow. Members and funders of RAN, FSC and others greenwashing ancient forest logging called upon to withdraw support in protest
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2009/02/release_ancient_forests_absorb.asp
February 20th, 2009 at 11:31 am
The Amazon Rainforest must be preserved at all costs.
This is extremely significant for our future. Mainly because
2/3 or more animal and plant species reside there and and in the world’s rainforests.
February 20th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
We HAVE to save the amazon rainforest at ALL cost first because of its rich faune and plants species and because as a forest it is our source of oxygen in this tiny planet of our.
February 22nd, 2009 at 6:09 am
I have never been to the Amazon, but I have always been amazed by it’s natural beauty and mystery, as I have been with the Missouri Ozarks, where I have transplanted myself from flint Michigan. The Mark Twain national Forrest, is but a remnant of the natural beauty that this land must have enjoyed before civilization struck. There is nothing, that has not been altered by man, raped for money and progress!!! There is no place on Earth safe from the ravages of capitalism, the modern day cannibal!!!
When I bought my land here in Salem, 7 years ago, at $2000 an acre, land around the Amazon, was selling for about $.26 cents an acre, for wild, untouched land, full of natural resources, how big of army, would it take to keep it that way? Would you have to exploit it yourself to fund your survival? If you found gold under your feet, would you devastate the forest to get it, like they do here for lead?
Progress, is the problem, because, no one ever asks, progress toward what???
February 24th, 2009 at 2:18 am
WOW !
Im inspired by you guys, keep up the good work !
x
March 10th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Thank you for protecting one of our most valuable assets. Jared Diamond has spoken and written about how societies collapse. There is always a strong element of severe environmental degradation and rigid adherence to outdated ideologies that predate the collapse. Many of his students will ask him about why the society of the past did not appear to appreciate the amount of danger they were in until it was much too late. Hopefully, more people have become informed about our unsustainable practices and will take active steps to stop the collapse now that you have done such a great job highlighting the problems.
Thank you again and let’s keep up the pressure to maintain our magnificent home planet.
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:48 am
Once I was asked where my flashlights were located and how long it would take me to get to one if the power went out at home. ,