Benki Piyako, son of the chief of the Ashaninka tribe, a centuries-old indigenous community in Brazil’s Amazonian state of Acre, is not your conventional personality. Dressed in jeans and T-shirt, he could easily be mistaken for a 30-something-year-old with a penchant for bodybuilding. It is only when he wears his tribal cloak and face paint that he embodies an individual with a rich ancestral background that has included facing oppression and land theft.
Benki Piyako visited the Sathira Dhammasathan meditation centre during his stay in Bangkok.
He was initiated as a shaman at the age of seven and his handful of accolades include being named United Nations Messenger of Peace. One of three brothers, as a teenager he picked up the art of indigenous agroforestry, which they continue to practise and promote in Acre.
The Ashaninka people, with a population of 45,000, have a long history of resistance. They have stood up to invaders since the Inca Empire, and suffered oppression at the hands of colonialists, Maoist guerrillas, rubber tappers, loggers and more recently, oil companies. Their stories are part of Brazil’s efforts to balance advancement — the construction of dams, highways, and for that matter, World Cup stadiums — with environmental concerns, and this echoes the situation in other developing countries, including Thailand.
Ashaninka tribe elders. (Photo by Anouk Garcia)
One of South America’s largest tribes, the Ashaninka is testament to how it is possible for people to incorporate their traditional values with modernity and a responsibility towards the environment. Piyako’s family is leading the charge to increase the capacity of indigenous people to defend their land against outside exploitation. In the process they are teaching their own people and neighbouring communities improved land-management techniques to help them both benefit from their natural resources and preserve the rich ecosystem.
Piyako, who manages cultural and environmental matters for the tribe, was in Bangkok last week after his visit to Bhutan where he was bestowed with an award for his self-initiated projects to protect biodiversity in the Amazon.
During his stay in the Thai capital, he visited the Sathira Dhammasathan, a Buddhist meditation centre, to get better acquainted with the religion as he aspires to construct an interfaith meeting getaway in the Amazon for religious leaders to pray for world issues and the betterment of society.
Usually dressing in jeans and a T-shirt when not attending functions, Piyako wore a long multicoloured tribal cloak and red face paint to signify his current mood during an interview with Life set in the lush environs of the centre’s garden.
Sharing his thoughts on a wide range of topics, he began with what was closest to his heart.
“The loss of appreciation for mother nature and its sacredness has led to the current breakdown of ecosystems around the globe,” he began.
“If we do not get our act together, the situation of our forests and rivers threatens to get worse. We have to become better guardians of our planet and not exploit the natural gifts the Earth gives us so generously.
“The apparent effects of deteriorating forests around the globe can be felt in our own environs, making it all the more important for everyone concerned to do their part in rejuvenating our ailing ecosystem. The hard work everyone puts in today will bear fruit in the next generation.” The Ashaninka tribe has a deep spiritual connection with nature, he said, and so its people are taught at a young age not to desecrate it. This is why he believes it is unfortunate to observe how people’s greed has left the ecosystem in tatters. He pointed to overfishing as one of many practices that needs to be curbed before there is nothing left for human consumption.
His participation at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which was the first time he left his community to represent his people at a global meeting, turned out to be a life-changing experience.
It was here he was introduced to new ideas and research on conservation and development of natural resources.
So inspired was he from the trip, that he wanted to create a research project based on indigenous knowledge to preserve the forest. In the ensuing months, he began investigating plants, fruit and animals in the region before starting Yoreka Atame School of Primeval Forestry, where youngsters — both indigenous and non-indigenous — are taught how to utilise natural resources in a sustainable manner.
Among other things, they are taught indigenous reforestation methods. He also founded a co-operative that produces souvenirs for tourists.
“I believe that it is only through practising that people can learn, so when people come to us, they are taught theory and how to put that into practice,” said Piyako.
Benki Piyako. (Photo by Anouk Garcia)
“It is important to share local knowledge with the present generation, which tends to focus more on the problem than finding its solution. I do not claim to know everything and continue to improve my knowledge in various areas that affect my daily life. I am in Thailand to understand more about Buddhism in the hope that I can use this knowledge to incorporate it with what we already have back home.”
One of the most pressing issues the Ashaninka tribe face today is attempting to manage the significant environmental damage that comes with the construction of dams in their communities scattered around the country. This is an enormous predicament for indigenous communities and riverside colonies, he said, so it is imperative for people who are directly affected to know their rights and keep abreast on the pros and cons of having a dam.
“Change is in the hands of the present generation,” said Piyako. “I believe we have to build a foundation for them based on what is right, particularly because government officials and people with vested interests often paint a rosy picture of only how the dam can benefit them. They never mention the negative side. There have been instances in Brazil where there is flooding despite the presence of dams.” Electing the right people to manage the country’s natural resources is a huge responsibility on each citizen’s shoulders, said Piyako, and should not be taken lightly. Otherwise society has to take the brunt of their mismanagement. To make inroads, he said it is imperative for the public to elect individuals who cannot be swayed by money and have a sincere desire to work for the people, adding that people who have a strong belief system would make good candidates.
Piyako’s campaign against the building of dams has been anything but a bed of roses.
“My life has been threatened by corrupt officials who do not desire to see me pursue this matter further. What keeps me fearless is my peoples’ rich history of fighting injustice and safeguarding our natural resources," he said.
“By standing up for their beliefs, my ancestors taught us through example the meaning of freedom and standing by what is right. We venerate them for the sacrifices they made and keep close to our ancestral heritage to further draw inspiration from them.”
Campaigns against the construction of dams had not made as much of an impact as expected, but Piyako believes that too much emphasis was being put on theory and too little on demonstrating how these methods actually work.
“Practise makes perfect. One can only feel strongly about something when they try it for themselves. It is like cooking, it is not just about putting vegetables together in a pot, but the good feeling you have towards making the dish special is what counts.”
The Ashaninka, like a number of indigenous people around the world, face an uphill battle preserving their cultural identity in the age of the internet and the subsequent popularity of social media. He lamented how this has put youngsters under enormous pressure to conform to popular culture.
“It is unequivocally clear that in no way will we allow what our tribe holds in high esteem to be influenced by what the world is doing. We use the internet for educational purposes. Having said this, however, I am not against modernisation. However, we have to determine how it fits into our culture, which in many ways still abides by old practices. While we still hunt the old way, you can see us in jeans and T-shirts.”
Piyako said he had mixed feelings about his country playing host to the Fifa World Cup.
“Staging the World Cup has been great PR for Brazil, but is it worth spending all this money while your people are suffering from poverty? During the construction of the football stadiums a number of slums in the area were broken down to make way for beautiful landscapes. Would it not be worth using the money we spent on organising the World Cup for the betterment of the Brazilian people?’’
Ashaninka tribal home. (Photo by Anouk Garcia)
