Weaving networks amongst Women
On Saturday, August 15, we brought together 13 women’s organizations and groups working in the Tsimane’ Indigenous Territory (TICH). Among them were representatives from the Tsimane’ Indigenous Women’s Organization (OMITS), the Upper Maniqui River Women’s Network, and the Training and Service Center for the Integration of Women (cecaseM), with whom we co-organized this event. The […]
A “Forest” in the city: our home in Bolivia for almost a year.
It is with a heart both heavy with sadness yet full of love and gratitude that we say goodbye to the people who have taken the best care of us during our time in Bolivia: the owners and staff of the El Bosque hotel. They were always there to welcome us when we arrived utterly […]
Many thanks to our Tsimane’ co-researchers
After more than a year of working side by side, today we had to say goodbye to our dear Tsimane’ co-researchers. As experts in the traditional knowledge of their territory, they were the bridge between cultures. They have mediated between different epistemic systems and taught us their values and ways of relating to the environment […]
Collaborating with Justina Canchi and Viqui Sánchez
After days and weeks of long, in-depth discussions with Justina Canchi about the situation of women in Tsimane’ territory and their key role in a prosperous future, we have decided to support the women of the Maniqui River in creating an artisans’ association. We were delighted to have Virginia Sánchez (Viqui) join us on our […]
IEK-CHANGES on the air: sharing stories from the Bolivian Amazon
What can the Tsimane’ people teach us about living well? How is Indigenous environmental knowledge passed from one generation to the next? And what is it really like to spend weeks working in one of the world’s most culturally and biologically diverse regions in the world? These were just some of the topics explored by […]
Robin is waving off
After ten months of fieldwork Robin is leaving the field. It has been an incredible year, with a million ineffable experiences that will stay with him for life. Filled with a deep respect for the Tsimane’ and awed by the beauty of their lands, rivers and all the beings in it (except for those darn […]
At the National Herbarium in La Paz
This week Robin is working at the National Herbarium in La Paz helping with the identification of the many plant and mushroom specimens that we collected over the past year. Supported by the botanical expertise of Mónica Moraes and Rossy de Michel, the data management skills of Edgar Mayta and the mycological dedication of Diana […]
Documentary and photographs
Last month we were honoured to be joined in the field by Joan de la Malla and Aner Etxebarria, who are both highly esteemed portrayers of nature conservation at its intersection with anthropology and local communities. Joan specialises in photography and documented the work of our team during workshops and interviews, remote imaging surveys and […]
Respecting and reciprocating botanical knowledge
This year we have documented an incredible amount of things that the Tsimane’ know about plants: the names given to them, their uses as medicines, food or fish poison, the plants you can use for making someone fall in love with you or the plants that ensure good luck with the next hunt. Soon comes […]
Bringing the IEK-CHANGES family together
One of the highlights of our latest field campaign was bringing together the full IEK-CHANGES team for a joint gathering in San Borja, Bolivia. Researchers, co-researchers, translators, field technicians, botanists, students, collaborators, and institutional partners came together to celebrate the people behind the project and our shared commitment to understanding, documenting, and supporting Tsimane’ biocultural […]
