Partnering with the Ashaninka tribe in their struggle for cultural survival and defense of the Amazon rainforest

Partnering with the Brazilian Ashaninka tribe in their struggle for cultural survival and defense of the Amazon rainforest Based on a deep respect for the role of native cultures as protectors of the earth, Voices in Solidarity’s pilot project aims to support the Ashaninka people in their movement to preserve their forest home in the Brazilian Amazon. Funds raised through the organization will go toward alliance-building work and direct grants to Ashaninka projects. The Ashaninka mobilization includes reforestation efforts to replant land destroyed by outsiders, environmental education programs including a "forest university", and small-scale agriculture. Alliance-building work (organizing educational exchange programs and meetings, providing materials and equipment) is aimed at connecting these visionary indigenous leaders, organizations and grantmakers in North America.		Benki Piyanko Ashaninka shaman and tribal leader A magical corner of the Ashaninka's ancestral home in the Amazon Ritual Benefit CD Kaliandra Collective Listen to tracks Purchase CD
	"I ask myself, what did my grandparents and great-grandparents do to protect the forest?" Ashaninka leader Benki Piyanko says. "Our people want to work with Brazil to create an alternative development, to show the world an example of sustainability...Eight years after we started this project, we were able to feed people, and hope to continue forever."
The Brazilian Ashaninka live on a reservation of approximately 330 square miles in the state of Acre, near the border with Peru. The remote location of the tribe has somewhat lessened its contact with the devastating forces of colonization, and the land to this day is only accessible by a canoe journey of several days from the nearest road. Compared to their ancestral territory, the Ashaninka reserve, as officially recognized in 1992, represents a rather small piece of land, which the tribe has managed to hold on to after hundreds of years of struggle and resistance. It is estimated that a staggering 80 percent of the tribe was decimated from disease and extreme exploitation during the rubber boom of 1839 – 1913. In the face of this incomprehensible loss, the Ashaninka have battled to maintain their cultural identity, protect their forest home, and preserve their language and livelihood. The Ashaninka have started a number of initiatives that work toward sustainable development and the long-term survival of their culture and land. One aspect is a program of reforestation, and a quarter of the land that was logged by colonial interests has been replanted as of 2004. They have also implemented programs to raise fish and turtles for food, with excellent results. Much of the work was done by children as a form of experiential learning and training for the future. Read an article by Voices in Solidarity founder Juliana Birnbaum about Ashaninka Week in Brazil’s capital http://www.terramistica.com.br/artigos/ashaninka.htm Read the story in Portuguese http://www.terramistica.com.br/index/php?add=Artigos&file=article&sid=325&ch=6 Read the story in French http://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletinfr/89/AS.html#Bresil Read the story in Spanish http://quechuanetwork.org/news_template.cfm?news_id=2298&lang=s Links to more information on the Ashaninka General Info on Ashaninka Culture Land http://www.mma.gov.br/img/ascom/fotos/semana_ashaninka2g.jpg Photos http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ashaninka/photos.htm Listen to traditional Ashaninka Music http://www.funai.gov.br/indios/sons/homapani_ashaninka.htm General Info on Ashaninka Culture Image of Ashaninka Land

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