Old friends
This month we had the pleasure to welcome Victoria Reyes Garcia and her daughter Clara Vadez in our midst. This project owes a great deal to Viki – we often half joke she is the intellectual mother and grandmother of much of our work here. Viki started living and working with the Tsimane’ in 1999 […]
Documenting impacts from the palizada from the air
Besides conducting a survey on impacts from and perceptions of the palizada, Jorge is documenting its materials effects on the Tsimane’ lives and livelihoods, using a flying camera for that purpose. So far, Jorge has captured several striking landscape features, from banana fields flooded for two years (in the picture), to the lagoons left behind […]
Fungal enthusiasm
Our research on Tsimane’ – fungi relations is going really well, and every month we document fantastic new mushroom species with their uses, stories and jokes. Our research suggests that especially the older people know about Bitatu’ (mushrooms), but that this knowledge is currently hardly passed on to the younger generations. Consequently, one of the […]
Back in the field, assessing the impacts of the palizada
Jorge is back in the field, picking his work up where he left it last season. He continues conducting a survey on local perceptions and the socio-environmental impacts of the palizada on the Maniqui River, the massive logjam that for many years now has been disturbing the lives of hundreds of families in the lower […]
Collaborating with Tsimane’ leaders
Our partnership with Tsimane’ leaders continues to thrive. On our most recent upriver journey, we spent four days with Justina Canchi, coordinator of the “Red de Mujeres del Río Maniqui Zona Alta.” Justina regularly convenes women from villages along the river, fostering a space where knowledge, crafts, and mutual support flourish. In a region where […]
Honoring Tsimane’ Language and Culture
We are once again taking Tsimane’ language classes with Professor Manuel Hiza from the Instituto de Lengua y Cultura Tsimane’. Learning the local language is essential for effective communication. It is a sign of respect and appreciation for the culture, and a demonstration of our commitment to bridging gaps and building deeper connections with the […]
Welcoming two new MSc students to the team
We are truly delighted to welcome two new MSc students, Alexandra Florence Gilbert and Nathaniel Rugh, to the IEK-CHANGES project. Alex and Nate join us at a particularly meaningful moment in our journey, as our work continues to grow alongside the Tsimane’ people and their deeply rooted, precious knowledge systems. Over the coming months, they […]
Mushroom recipe
We documented a delicious recipe for preparing Bo’, one of the mushrooms that is eaten by the Tsimane’. Carlos took us on a walk through the forest to harvest edible mushrooms, which we then carried wrapped in palm leaves to his house. There he washed them, folded them in paya leaves with some salt, and […]
Celebrating International Women’s Day 2026
This year, for International Women’s Day, we couldn’t join the global demonstrations advocating for equal rights and an end to sexual violence, as we were back in the field. Instead, we marked the day by inviting the women of the village for coffee and beignets—prepared by Salomón—and a conversation about what they would change in […]
Starting a new field campaign!
Our team has officially begun a new field campaign in the Bolivian Amazon. After a couple of intense days in San Borja gathering supplies and preparing equipment, the team is now heading upriver and into the forest to begin the next phase of fieldwork. Over the coming weeks, the team will work hand in hand […]
