COMMUNAL ARTS & CRAFTS COOPERATIVE-SHOP

THE COOPERATIVE – COMMUNAL ARTS & CRAFTS SHOP FOR THE INDIGENOUS "MARUBO", "MAYORUNA", "MATIZ", "KANAMARI", "KURINA" AND "KORUBO" TRIBES RESIDING IN THE JAVARI VALLEY ( COMPRISING THE "ITAQUAÍ", "ITUÍ " AND "QUIXITO" RIVERS PLUS OTHER, MINOR TRIBUTARIES) AND THE “CABOCLO-COLONIST" VILLAGES "SAN PEDRO DO NORTE", "PALMARI", "PIRAPITINGA", "ASAIZAL" , "CAXOEIRA" AND "JABURÚ " RESIDING ALSO IN THE JAVARI RALLEY, WAS BUILT N OUR VISITORS CENTRE OF THE RESERVA NATURAL PALMARI AND DONATED IN FULL BY THE INSTITUTO DE DESENVOLVIMENTO SOCIOAMBIENTAL DO VALE DO JAVARI

Through the constant effort by the Reserva Natural Palmari and the Instituto de Desenvolvimento Socioambiental do Vale do Javari to promote and preserve the culture and traditions of our neighbouring indigenous and “caboclo” communities we proposed to them to built a cooperative-communal arts & crafts shop, its purpose being the selling of their original hand-crafted products with the aim to increase the familie´s economic income and reduce predatory activities on the surrounding environment thus creating a new and different work and income alternative for the local population. For these involved communities to produce, transport and sell such products becomes difficult due to various reasons, mainly due to the long distances to the final selling points, further they are paid very low prices by local businessmen, sometimes even not receiving money, but useless items, alcohol and other nonsense, being, basically "screwed over". First, it was proposed that this cooperative-communal arts & crafts shop should be placed on “neutral” ground on a jungle trail between the villages of San Pedro del Norte and Palmari, a trail walked by maybe all the guests that visit the Reserva Natural Palmari and it would be created with the economic and logistical support regarding the building and equipping material until finishing it and leaving it ready to initiate selling activities, all granted by the Reserva Natural Palmari. Nevertheless and even with the support of many “caboclo” families and all the indigenous communities, the proyect never got the required support and never reached consensus due to communal internal quarrels, the disregard by the “cabocolo” communities in respect to the indigenous tribes and the lack of decision and push from the chiefftains from the “cabocolo” communities of Palmari and San Pedro del Norte. Observing this lethargy  for nearly 2 years the Reserva Natural Palmari decided on its own to go ahead, support the “caboclo” families and indigenous communities that were really interested in this cooperative-communal arts & crafts shop project and make it a reality under own initiative, donating the requiered economic funds regarding the building materials and items needed, as well as the work-force and establish it on the premises of the Reserva Natural Palmari, inside the visitors centre, this, also with the aim to act as a neutral controlling and verifying agent in respect to the fair distribution of its economic incomes between the various producing inigenous and “caboclo” families. By the end of October 2.007 and since then this cooperative-communal arts & crafts shop has become a reality, its economic results are excellent, the Reserva Natural Palmari has granted from its own staff-members under own cost the personell to service the interested buyers of the products sold without any gain for the Reserva Natural Palmari or the Instituto de Desenvolvimento Socioambiental do Vale do Javari, but to the contrary, selling them to the cost demanded by the artisan plus a small proffit as to create an additional incentive for the participating families and as to induce other, new families to enter and participate in this cooperative-communal project.

 Today the cooperative-communal arts & crafts shop keeps growing at good speed, selling our own exclusive "merchandising" products of our "Reserva Natural Palmari" brand like t-shirts, caps and field bootles plus original articles from the region, items you will nor find in Leticia and/ or Tabatinga, neither in any other part of the world, like original indigenous “mochila” bags, bracelets, hammocks and ribbons made from the fibres of the “chambira” and “cumare” palm, wood-carvings in the shape of animals, fruit, birds and others produced in various types of fine species of wood, bows made from the “chontaduro”, “pona barriguda” or “bacaba” palm, arrows and spears made from “isana” and their tip elaborated in very hard wood, blow-guns made of various materials on-top of “pona” wood covered with natural “yare” resin, decorated oars made from “costillo” or “remocaspi” wood, collars and bracelets made from snail-shells, “chambira” nuts, fish scales, monkey teeth, snake or “mata-caimán” cat-fish bones; earrings made of fine species of wood, seeds, “bamboo”, dried fruit and pebbles among many other original, traditional and completely local artistic and decorative products and items, contrary to the mayority of “arts & crafts products” offered in Leticia and/or Tabatinga, which, in mayority are produced by machines in serial production. The participating families from the neighbouring “caboclo” villages, the indigenous families, which travel during various days and arrive to rest from the long voyage at our visitors centre, as well as the guests of the Reserva Natural Palmari benefit from this cooperative-communal project: the first two obtain an additional income that improves their quality of live and they meet, make new friends and slowly loose their prejudices in respect to the indigenous tribes in addition to learning about and experimenting the way of live of our guests and receiving from them presents, donations in cloth, shoes and various other items and articles; our guests obtain for very cheap prices real, original, traditional art & craft objects coming directly from the hands of the manufacturers together with explanations, stories and mythology related to the product and its producing community; the Reserva Natural Palmari and the Instituto de Desenvolvimento Socioambiental do Vale do Javari both also gain a good deal out of the project in getting another few steps closer to its main objective: To unite efforts in achieving a sustainable management and usage of the natural renewable recources with the protection of the surrounding environment, its flora, its fauna and the traditional human populations living in it, handing them live quality improovement as well as bonding new friendships  under terms of culture, mutual trust and education in favour of all.

Sowing jungle (”Sembrando Selva” ©)

Sowing jungle (“Sembrando Selva” ©)

In the year 2.008, during the third year of holding the “Yanawará” summer camp – being the site of the “Kajuyalí Camp” at the Reserva Natural Palmarí in the Amazon basin – it was decided that further support had to be shown regarding the world-wide effort to ensure the prevailing of the neo-tropical rain forests and that children and youngsters, future engines of this world, should be put in charge as to fulfil the great dream of helping to sow future in this precious ecosystem.

¿What is it, why is it and what is it´s purpose?

Sowing jungle (“Sembrando Selva” ©) is a project that was born with the aim to contribute to the mantainance regarding the ecosystems of neo-tropical rain forests, and, at the same time, educate in respect to the problems of world-wide deforestation, specifically in Amazonia, in order to create a concience towards the environment and the communities, plus, in some way return to these places everything they have given to us. “Yanawará” is a summer camp that is one of various proyects of the “Grupo Kajuyalí” firm and it takes place every year at the Reserva Natural Palmarí, commiting itself to teaching young people as to social and evironmental values. This is why “Yanawará” created this reforestation project, aiming to contribute with the mantainance and recovery of the forests, to create a multiplying effect on the involved generations and communities, to generate conciousness as to the deforestation reality the jungles are experiencing presently, its implications, its consecuences and what we can do in order to avoid that this continues. This initiative was born because we believe that the Reserva Natural Palmarí is an ideal scenario regarding environmental education, because we have to return to the earth what she has given to us and what better way doing that, than planting a tree in the forest. This proyect is supported by UNEP – the environmental divison of the United Nations –, by “Nature Conservancy”, and it is part of the United Nations “Billion Tree Campaign©” through which our trees enter the annual count of all trees planted all over the world.

¿What has “Sowing jungle” (“Sembrando Selva” ©) accomplished so far?

Making good use  of the platform granted by the summer camp that took place during the months of June and July 2.008 at the Reserva Natural Palmarí, Sowing jungle (“Sembrando Selva” ©) planted together with the participating children and youngsters, the staff of both the “Kajuyalí Camp” and the Reserva Natural Palmarí, as well as the children from the neighbouring communities 200 hard-wood trees like "Achapo" (Cedrelinga cateniformis), "Pink Cedar" (Cedrela odorata), "Samán" (Samanea saman) and "Mahogany" (Swietenia macrophylla), as well as fruit-trees like "Humarí" (Poraqueiba sericea), "Copoazú" (Theobroma grandiflorum), "Pomarosa" (Syzygium malaccense), "Guamo" (Inga acuminata) and "Huito" (Genipapo americana). Besides, three seed-beds were built, in which "Mahogany" (Swietenia macrophylla ), "Pink Cedar" (Cedrela odorata sp.) and "Guamo" (Inga acuminata) were sown in order to have them planted in the forests once they have germinated and grown. The seed-beds were constructed from old, discarded canoes, the growing substrate was prepared by a mixture of ideal soils for germination of the seeds, which were placed in a covered plant nursery to protect the sow and germinating process from wind, strong rains and/or direct sun impact. Further than the physical task of establishing the seed-beds, building the nursery and planting the trees, the biggest step that “Sowing jungle” (“Sembrando Selva ©) has acomplished until now is to touch hearts, move and establish commitment amongst the children and their families towards the environment and the jungle, all under the premise “Planet Earth and all it contains does not belong to us = We belong to planet Earth and we have to respect and honour all of what it containts”. This is what makes reforestation a highly important educational tool to be used with youngsters today, since not only an important task in the process of recuperation of various ecosystems under risk is acomplished, but a legacy of knowledge, conciousness and lessons are being delivered, which children will remember during the rest of their lives and, further, may visit and see “their tree” growing into the future. The world is undergoing a huge shift towards environmental concern as well as an education teaching conciousness and tolerance towards other forms of life, cultures and persons is crucial. “Sowing jungle” (“Sembrando Selva ©) today already is a part of a collective memory embedded in all those who participated in the proyect, now feeling proud and holding the memory in the hearts of children, youngsters and parents living in cities, as well as the villagers of the communities in the neighbouring region, becoming a symbol of proof that it is possible to support, that dreams can come true and that it does not matter where we come from, we all can help.

Proyection

While being framed in the context of a summer camp, and while making part of the services offered by the Reserva Natural Palmarí to all its guests, “Sowing jungle” (“Sembrando Selva ©) holds the possibility of having proyection in the long run, having continuity in time and hopes to envolve all children, youngsters and adults participating in the educational and recreational events the Reserva Natural Palmarí will hold in the future. The Reserva Natural Palmaí will offer this service of providing the visitors with seeds to be sown in primary substrate in the seed-beds, the seedlings in process of germination to be trans-planted into individual growing bags and the grown plants ready for being planted in the clearing of the forests in adecuate places for its final development until growing into a mature tree. With this, the visitors, not mattering where they come from, can provide their grain of sand in helping to sustain this amazing ecosystem. All these activities will be assisted by an instructing guide provided by the Reserva Natural Palmarí, duly trained and with ample knowledge referring to the ecology of neo-tropical rain forests and the planting processes. In addition to this and when dealing with a large groupe of envolved guests or with an activity demanding the help of many, the children from the neighbouring communities will be summoned to assist as participants in a process of environmental education. “Yanawará” y and its personnel will be in charge of giving continuity to the proyect through their annual presence at the Reserva Natural Palmarí and they are the enpowering agents as to the tasks already acomplished in order to grow this initiative, using the platform of the “Kajuyalí Camp” summer camps as a basis to reach further goals and to acomplish new goals and more objectives.

For those firms and/or people that wish to contribute with this initiative, we have created two alternatives for participation and giving their grain of sand:

• “Sowing jungle”(“Sembrando Selva” ©) “Supporter” – For all those firms that wish to support the proyect economically, so the initiative grows and reaches new stages.
  
• “Sowing jungle”(”Sembrando Selva” ©)“Lend a hand” – For all those persons who wish to participate in the proyect by lending a hand, and,throughtheir assistance to the activities that the proyect offers, making small tangible contributions to it.