Forests Breathe

You’re walking down the street and you are shocked to notice that your local grocery shop has been demolished, and all the bricks, vegetables, equipment and boxes sold for profit by the government. Without warning. What if it was not just your local grocery shop, what if it was your newsagents, local cafe, laundrette and your best friend. Not only this, but toxic chemicals were left to spill into your water supply? Would you be annoyed? Devastated? Disgusted? Outraged? It would be shocking if you weren’t.

Yet this is the reality for a number of indigenous communities in the Amazon. Although it may not be obvious to those of us who live in cities, on concrete streets - whose shops and local areas we know so well are made of bricks. For indigenous communities the forest is their local area, and the forest plants, trees, herbs, pathways, rivers, lakes, and animals are their streets, shops, cafes, citizens and villages.

They have deep intimate knowledge and connection with their local area, just like you might know where to buy a good hot dog, ramen or fish and chips, or which supermarket sells the cheapest bread, they know where to find herbs to cure specific illnesses, which vines to use for making baskets, and which leaves are nutritious to eat. But unlike you, they haven’t known their local area for the past few years, or for the past century, but for thousands of years. And unlike us, their local area is made of living breathing organisms not impermeable concrete and bricks.

This is where the clash of rampant consumerism meets a culture that lives, and has lived, in harmony with what gives us life - the earth. The clash of a way of living that is disrespectful and completely insensitive to where it takes its resources from, and a way of living that completely respects and is sensitive to where it takes its resources from. Our governments must necessarily exist within the global economic framework, must compete in the global economic market or else risk lower and lower economic power, and therefore, a potentially lower quality of life for its citizens. So it is understandable that governments will naturally want to unnaturally exploit whatever resources their land contains in order to gain economic advantage. So when a government intends to extract oil or cut down trees from indigenous lands in order to generate profit, what is the answer? How can there be a resolution? What is the root of the problem? Is it the lack of understanding, sensitivity and respect in governments? And if so, how can understanding, sensitivity and respect take place there?

The answer to that question might not be clear, perhaps it is easier to point the finger at ourselves. How can we better understand our connection to the plants we eat, the nature around us, the ways we contribute to the exploitation of earth’s resources. How can we become more sensitive to the plight of communities who live directly connected and in communion with the natural world? Such as the Huaorani peoples in Ecuador. How can we develop greater respect for the knowledge and experience of indigenous communities? And for the very things that enable us all to live and to breathe - forests.

This article is inspired by the work of Nemonte Nenquimo. If you would like to find out more, please read this article here or check out amazon front lines.

Easy Summary of the Article

Indigenous Amazonians know the forests they live in, much like you know your local city or town. When forests are destroyed or polluted we are destroying and polluting their local city. Naturally you would be very annoyed if this happened. When governments want to extract natural resources to increase profit and economic power, this clashes with the sustainable indigenous communities whose survival depends on the natural resources. How can governments become more sensitive and aware of the natural balance we must learn from these amazonian communities? How can we become more sensitive and aware of how we relate to what gives us life; forests, nature and food?

Task One

Write a short article about how you relate to the food you eat, or your local natural environment. You might also include details of how you could be more in touch or connected to the resources that keep you alive.

Task Two

check out this video and write a summary of what Nemonte's message is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZhmuc3L-YI