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One of the objectives of the Nawá Institute is to take sustainability projects to the indigenous villages of Brazil.
Our inspiration are pilot projects already implemented in the Ni Yuxibu community, in the state of Acre.
These projects were conceived and implemented by a group of friends and guardians of the forest, of which we were a part.
We now want to replicate and expand similar actions in partnership with companies, donors and volunteers.
The Ni Yuxibu community has always used the waters of the Taruacá River to bathe, cook food, drink, wash clothes and dishes and perform other village tasks. However, this was not always safe for them.
Some families had to walk up to 1 km, several times a day, taking pots, dishes and clothes to get to the river. In the rainy season, access became dangerous due to muddy banks and currents, causing accidents. On the other hand, in the dry season, the river has its volume drastically reduced due to environmental degradation.
Even more serious were the contaminations that killed some children and the elderly, since the river is bordered by farms and polluted by navigation fuel and chemical waste.
The Water Project was born with the aim of bringing more quality of life to the Ni Yuxibu village.
In a first stage, water tanks and gutters were installed to collect rainwater. However, at the time of the drought, the Huni Kuin remained without clean water to drink.
It was then that Chief Shane found an eye on one of his walks, enabling the installation of two wells with a pumping system. A large distribution network was installed with more than 3 kilometers of piping, and today there is clean water inside each house in the village.
However, this project generated the need to use electrical energy to operate the pumps, which brought a new demand in terms of sustainability. The Water Project is, therefore, intertwined with the Vagalume Project, described below.
One of Pajé Txana Ixã's dreams was to bring a source of light to the village. This was of paramount economic importance for the community. In the light of day, families are involved with daily chores like planting, harvesting, cooking, taking care of children, houses and the organization and maintenance of the village.
When the sun goes down, the heat and the mosquitoes give peace and the children go to sleep. The day's activities have already ended and it is when men and women find time to dedicate themselves to crafts that symbolize their culture and tradition.
However, the use of candles often causes accidents and small fires, while the use of batteries for lanterns generates toxic waste for the forest.
Generators are sources of atmospheric pollution and bring an unviable cost to villages due to the high value of fuel in the region.
Between 2016 and 2017, a connection between a solar energy company and a group of friends brought clean and safe energy to part of the village. The Huni Kuin were also trained to extend the project to the entire community and to neighboring villages as resources flow.
The expansion of the capacity to capture solar energy would make it possible to pump water from the well installed in the Water Project and transform the village into a power generating plant for the region.
The arrival of light made it possible to rescue ancestral handicrafts: pieces made of beads, wood, masks and musical instruments, among others, today collaborate to support the community.
“The Huni Kuin people long ago had no light in the village. We are looking to bring it into our area. In the past, our ancestor did not have this lamp, this light that illuminates the village, there was only fire, the streak of fire. That's why we created in the village a project called Vagalume that illuminates the night, when the night comes as if it were a firefly, it will illuminate everything. With the help of Bari Yuxibu, who calls himself Sol, with the strength of the Sun to make light, it is not a generator, if it is a generator that breaks parts, there is no fuel. I am wanting to bring solar energy so that I can work well in the forest, not pollute the forest, we are wanting solar energy in the village for everyone to be happy. can help me bring that light to my village Altamira. ” - Pajé Txana Ixã, leader of the Ni Yuxibu village
Permaculture means “permanent culture” and is a system of agricultural and social principles developed
self-sufficient and does not exploit or pollute
the environment, enabling a sustainable future.
This ideology arose from a new systemic way of thinking about land use - linked to the climate, vegetation, animals, nutrient cycles, water management and human needs.
In this way, permaculture is considered a
social and environmental science, since it combines traditional scientific knowledge with popular knowledge to guarantee the permanence of the human species on Earth.
In practice, permaculture proposes that we observe agricultural and human activities within the environmental context in which they operate, that is, taking into account the use of renewable resources, the optimization of land use, the ability to respond to changes, the minimization waste and waste.
Some of the solutions proposed by permaculture include the use of dry toilets, the composting of organic waste, the installation of earthworms and new standards for the implementation of vegetable gardens and beds.
From 2016, the Permaculture in the Forest pilot project developed in the village in Ni Yuxibu embraced actions such as installing dry toilets in the community, adopting natural filters, using clay bricks, composting and diversifying the seeds used in the subsistence farming.
