Shamanic Practices and Conservation Actions by the Ashaninka People in the Brazilian Amazon

The Ashaninka of the Apiwtxa village are a people living between worlds, at the frontier, between the high and the low lands, the visible and the invisible world, the modern and the archaic. Their spiritual beliefs guide their actions, creating a space of respect for nature that allows for a balanced way of living within the forest. Indigenous people are proven to be the best guardians of the world's forests and its biodiversity. Where is such stewardship rooted? How do Ashaninka principles mediate their relationship to the land? What can we learn from these people in the way they relate to nature?

Alice Fortes is a student at the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program. She has been working with indigenous peoples of Brazil since 2009 and knows the Ashaninka of the Apiwtxa village for fifteen years. Her work is on the frontier between culture, environment, and art. Her photos will help set the tone in this immersion into the Ashaninka-Amazonian universe.