Kuntanawa Circle of the Stars

Kuntanawa Sustainability and Food Security Campaign

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The lungs of the Earth are under attack. 

As climate change accelerates, the fate of Earth’s vital rainforests, like the Amazon, could very well determine the survival of our species. Despite this, local governments and corporate interests seek to exploit our land—as well as the impoverished people living here—for their own short-term gain. With very few lines of defense in place against this exploitation, supporting the people of the rainforest and the fight to protect our home has never been more important. This project is designed to provide the resources these communities need to survive, like basic food and water security. To save our planet, we must first save the people who are able to fight. This is where you are able to come in. 

In 2020, the leaders of the Kuntanawa Nation came together to create the Transform and Illuminate project—a revolutionary initiative that aims to unite the Indigenous people of our region with the neighboring non-Indigenous river communities in the fight against deforestation. So far, Transform and Illuminate has already planted 25,000 trees. In the next few months, these Guardians of the Rainforest will be taking on a massive reforestation project that spans across their 100,000 hectares of land (nearly 400 square miles), and will potentially continue in the lands of neighboring tribes as well. This initiative will have a radical impact on the Amazon, and the planet as a whole. Before it can be carried out, however, Guardians are in desperate need of basic food and water security—support for roughly 1500 lives. 

Due to rampant deforestation via slash-and-burn tactics, cattle grazing, and monoculture farming, many of the rivers that our people rely on for food have become contaminated and are beginning to dry up. In fact, last year’s record fire season resulted in one of these rivers drying up completely. While the Kuntanawa hope our efforts to reduce slashing and burning and to plant more trees will restore this river, there is no guarantee. The adverse effects on these rivers have not only negatively impacted the Amazon’s ecosystem by causing mass extinctions in fish species, but they have stripped our people of a major food source. Many communities have begun to enter a point of famine and starvation, and are forced to rely on hunting the already endangered species of our region—further accelerating the desolation of the ecosystem as a whole. 

To break the cycle of destruction and ensure our own survival, the Kuntanawa Nation is currently working to build sustainable agricultural infrastructure. So far, thanks to the beyond-generous support of our global community, we have already made significant headway in this effort—building an agricultural valley and teaching the people of our region farming techniques. 

With fire season upon us this year, establishing food security to offset the dried and contaminated rivers is completely crucial to the survival of our people—and must be done immediately. Consequently, incoming funds will be allocated to the construction of a fish-farming system. Our plan is to build 10 fish farms—serving 8 communities and supporting 250 families. This reservoir will not only provide a vital, sustainable food source for the impoverished people of our region, but it will actively fight the extinction of the endangered species with whom we share our home. 

Your help can provide our families in the rainforest with the resources we need to survive, live in dignity, and fight for this planet we call home. Together, we can combat deforestation and heal the world—one tree at a time. 

The battle for the Amazon, the lungs of the earth, is happening now. What will you do to save your home?

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE KUNTANAWA NATION

The Kuntanawa People are 1 of the 13 tribes of the Pano linguistic trunk that live in the State of Acre in the Brazilian Amazon. With the arrival of the rubber tappers in the Amazon in the 19th century and on the land the Kuntanawa live on, it generated a serious level of conflict between the Indigenous and non-indigenous practically causing their genocide. The non-indigenous rubber extractors captured and enslaved the tribe members through latex extraction for rubber production. While also exploring our lands for poaching of exotic animals for the commercialization of their fur, removing wood and other riches from the tribes. This caused a great impact on people. Tribes that did not surrender to the rubber tappers, were totally or partially decimated. Our ancestors were not prepared to fight by taking human lives, they only acted to protect themselves and the rainforest.

The Kuntanawas in 1911, 5 members were captured being that only 2 survived and today they are reconstructing their history. Today the population has reached approximately 500 people made up of Indigenous, White, and Black. The Kuntanawas that survived were immediately forbidden to speak our language, to practice our customs, our beliefs, and traditions. This led to the situation lasting many years, up until almost the present moment, where our Kuntanawa Nation was not officially recognized because the government believed we had been completely exterminated.

Now our numbers are close to 500 and increasing. We are openly and non-violently working for the restoration of our culture, traditions and for the preservation of all the life in the rainforest.

Here are some links to keep us together, and keep the conversation going on how to support the Kuntanawa:

Website: kuntanawa.org

Facebook: @kuntanawanation

Instagram: @kuntanawanation

OUR VISION FOR THE KUNTANAWA FAMILIES

We are focused on promoting dignity to the people guaranteeing them quality organic food through family agriculture, community gardens, fish farming, small animals, and fruit orchards. As well as clean potable water, for daily basic uses through the implementation and construction of water reservoirs while recovering our springs. Working specifically with sustainable family agriculture through agroforestry, permaculture, fish farming, and natural water filtration systems. To begin this new chapter, we are deepening our relationships with all the different plants. Through the guarantee of food security, we are also returning to our ancestral knowledge of culinary, medicinal, and spiritual cosmological traditions. We are preparing our communities with the foods and medicines from the rainforest for the physical and spiritual healing of our internal communities and for the global community.

OUR VISION FOR OUR SPIRITUAL FAMILY

As we activate the new global era of transformation, we are unifying our communities by working with our hearts and hands to anchor humanity’s sustainability with the earth. This is a new moment for humanity to reconnect with ourselves and our ancestral knowledge. With our family of light, the seeds are being planted and nourished to provide us the awareness to overcome these challenges.

Here in the rainforest, we have a great diversity of natural resources we can produce, utilize, and share. With funding, we can acquire the tools and resources we need to process the plants and medicines for humanity and guarantee access to them for our families of the world.

WE NEED YOUR HELP...

This is a time of great transformation. We are reaching out to stay connected and to stay in unity during these new times. With climate change intensifying, world epidemics will become more prevalent and severe if we continue with deforestation, releasing excess CO-2, and not living our lives in the guardianship of Mother Earth. The Amazon is the largest and oldest rainforest on the planet, supplying over 30% of the world's oxygen and freshwater output. From the recent record deforestation fires in the past months, there has been a major decrease in this world-output of water and oxygen, resulting in a major Earth imbalance. It is time to take action in the best way we can, to protect our biological diversity from this great destruction that is happening on Earth caused by the human capitalistic system. Supporting the Guardians of the Forest; specifically the Kuntanawa Nation, you are taking part in this mission in guaranteeing the protection and existence of the Amazon for the balance of the planet.

THE LEADERS OF THE KUNTANAWA NATION

Haru Kuntanawa is one of the main leaders of the Kuntanawa Nation and is responsible for the revitalization of his culture's reemergence and for his people. He is recognized by many indigenous people of Brazil as one of the most influential young leaders of his time. His strong presence, compassionate heart, and expressive influence have changed and restored the faith of his people and the surrounding villages that reside along the banks of Acre, Brazil.

Hayra is Haru’s wife and is accepted as co-leader of the Kuntanawa. Hayra was born in the United States and is a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The synthesis that these two represent, is a model for a new way forward breaking down discrimination. With this, their union creates an important bridge to focus as active leaders to extend this type of respect that exists on this sacred land, to the entire planet. Haru and Hayra are also singers, musicians, and songwriters. Their hope is to reawaken the masses through inspired universal awareness and encouragement of higher consciousness- their action with these intentions has already made ripples in their community and the greater world.

“Our aim is to raise consciousness for a better world and to open human minds to the harm we are causing Earth through the exploitation of Nature. We are inspired to unite the differences of language, skin color, and culture to bring a universal language through the power of love.”

~ Haru and Hayra Kuntanawa

 

OUR NATION'S NONPROFIT IN BRAZIL

* ASKAK is the Judicial Kuntanawa Organization that deals with all institutional, public and governmental relations of the Kuntanawa Nation and represents the 13 pano tribes acting externally in a diplomatic capacity with the Municipal, State and Federal governments and internally responsible for the socio-cultural development and representation of the work in regards to strengthening and reconstructing Pano traditions, culture, sustainability, food security and the environmental conservation of these People´s.