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Chacruna aims to contribute to a larger body of work that critically examines, celebrates, and elevates the importance of reciprocity to indigenous people in the psychedelic space. Here are some examples of how you can support our vision and learn about initiatives that our team members are involved in.
Daniela Peluso, part of Chacruna’s board of directors, is actively involved in The Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America (SALSA), an independent professional association for anthropologists specializing in lowland regions of South America. SALSA’s main goals are to foster sound and ethical research and to promote the education of students and the general public on issues that they study. Salsa has created a special taskforce in response to COVID-19; stay updated here.
Glenn Shepard, part of Chacruna’s advisory board, has written on indigenous responses to and reflections on coronavirus for Chacruna. He recommends following Instituto Socioambiental’s “Coronavirus and Indigenous Peoples of Brazil” online monitoring panel for current information on the impacts of the virus on indigenous peoples and ways to help out. Indigenous people of the border region between Brazil, Peru, and Colombia have been especially hard hit. University professors from the city of Manaus who work with these peoples have also organized a relief aid donation campaign. Finally, the indigenous peoples of the upper Xingu river, who are on the front lines fighting forest fires in the Amazon, are also receiving donations to support their efforts to protect their villages from coronavirus.
The Land of Origins Project is a fundraiser led by Celina De Leon, part of Chacruna’s Board of Directors. This initiative supports community-led sustainability and poverty alleviation efforts in Sibundoy, Colombia. It’s both an immediate response to the impact of COVID-19 and also seeks to support long-term, meaningful solutions as outlined by indigenous leadership. Circle of Sacred Nature is the 501c.3 church fiscally sponsoring the project. CSN has a longstanding relationship with the Kamentsa community, as the principal teacher of the indigenous expression of their ceremony work is the current governor, Taita Juan Bautista Agreda Chindoy.
Another meaningful project underway right now is in Iquitos, the Peruvian hub for ayahuasca tourism. It’s being led by researcher Emily Sinclair, a member of Chacruna’s Ayahuasca Community Committee, and is seeking to mitigate the catastrophic impact of COVID-19 on the community of Iquitos by providing basic supplies to those most in need. An article about the situation there can be found here and a link to the fundraiser can be found here.
Members of Chacruna’s Ayahuasca Community Committee, Adam Aronovich and Sophia Rokhlin, are coordinating the Emergency Fund for Shipibo Healers and Local Workers, the Temple of the Way of Light’s joint initiative with Shipibo healing centers Niwe Rao Xobo and Shipibo Rao. Due to the spread of COVID-19 and travel restrictions, Amazonian employees of the Temple, Niwe Rao Xobo, and Shipibo Rao are currently without any reliable source of income for the foreseeable future. This campaign is designed to support the team and their families with funds, in addition to supporting them with needed medical resources.
Chacruna’s friend and colleague, Bernd Brabec de Mori, who has two decades of experience working with the Shipibo, also shared an article in Chacruna on how to support Shipibo people in Pucallpa, Peru.
Join us now in this movement: make your donation, share your knowledge in an article, or help us think about how we can better advance sacred reciprocity and solidarity in our field!
Art by Karina Alvarez.
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