A few months ago, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to the Amazon Rainforest with the SMU Human Rights Program.
Going in, I had zero expectations. I had never been south of the equator. I was utterly amazed by the Natural Beauty that exists there.
But the Beauty wasn’t just the Nature.
We spent time with the Kukama – an Indigenous community living in the Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon along the Marañón River. The People there were some of the Richest I have ever encountered. Not in the way we usually define wealth, but Rich in Life.
They’re deeply connected with each other, like a true unit. They wield immense knowledge of their environment and pass it down from generation to generation. And they move through life as a collective, living symbiotically with Nature.
Their way of Life is deeply tied to the river, the land, and the seasons. And it’s precisely this way of Life that is now being threatened – by a changing climate they did little to cause. They have every right to be angry at “Western” people like me. But it was quite the opposite. Instead, they welcomed us with gifts, hugs, and generosity.
We visited several communities and worked alongside them on projects meant to support future generations become entrepreneurs.
On our final day, we traveled to the mouth of the Amazon – where the river is born. We were each given a palm and asked to think about what we wanted to leave there, and what we wanted to take with us going forward.
We sat for several minutes before we all let our palms into the river. I think about that Offering (“ofrenda”) often.
I put so much pressure on myself to find the right words to describe my experiences, but I now have come to the realization that sharing my perspective matters – even if it’s incomplete. Because it may never be complete. Because Life is a process, and it’s one that may never actualize. So, for now, here’s some of my favorite moments.
I’m thankful to
@mingaperu , smuhrp, the other students, community members, and volunteers, but especially to
@tamifowler , who vouched for a scholarship for me that made this trip possible.
These are memories I will think about for the rest of my life.
