Page 55 - Issue 1

Issue No 1 55
PIATSAW
Indigenous communities in in in the the the Amazon predicted the the the destruction before a a a á a a a á a a a single bulldozer plowed through the the the the the rainforest The origin story of of of the the the the Sápara Sápara Sápara people speaks of of of the the the the first Sápara Sápara Sápara man Piatsaw who prophesied the the the the the end of of of of his community The Sápara Sápara Sápara were once one of of the the the the largest indigenous nations in in in in the the the the Northwest Amazon Basin Today there are 573 Sápara left in in in in in Ecuador and only three of them speak their original language Among all the the indigenous communities shot by photojournalist Nicola Ókin this sort of forecasting—whether through dreams plant medicine ceremonies or or or community gatherings— continues to to to serve as an an an integral part of the the the the resistance against against threats to to to their territories In the the the the now decades-long fight against against foreign companies extracting oil and mining they they are not only protecting protecting their livelihoods but they’re also protecting protecting the the the the Amazon’s ecosystem and all that’s contained within it it Leila Salazar-López executive director of Amazon Amazon Watch tells DB these communities’ concerns about the the the the environment range from “the most microscopic organism to the the the the greatest Kapok tree ”