#13 - Experiencing Indigenous Culture in Brazil, with Alexandra Schwarz-Schilling

Not romanticising or tokenizing indigenous people. The Huni Kuin only got contacted some 80-100 years ago. Even though they are one of the biggest ethnic groups in the Amazon region, they are only 20.000 people. The problem now is pretty simple and straightforward: Now that they are having a lot of children, but live on small territories, the villages are exploding. Also they can’t pursue their nomadic life and most settle down. Many of them started to travel and start ceremonial work but without proper education. The problem is that both putting them down like still most Brazilians do or putting them on a pedestal creates separation. When those travelling come back with a lot of money they don’t necessarily give it back to the community. Also the Brazilian culture has turned the Huni Kuin into a very patriarchal culture, and since they don’t have a written history, only within two generations a lot of the ancient old wisdom gets lost. This is why we think it’s key to invest into women.