The Yawanawa people in remote, far western Brazil, Acre State, were hammered for years—enslaved by rubber tappers, subjected to deculturalization by Christians and subject to extreme poverty and disease. Their number and resources dwindled to a critically low threshold…500 people with little medical care on 10,000 hectares of rainforest. Tashka’s father had purposefully placed Tashka outside the community when he was young, so he would  survive the  critical issues besetting his people.
In his declining years, Tashka’s father called him back to assume the role of chief. When Tashka returned, he did so with wife Laura Soriano, a talented Indigenous  Zapotec- Mixtec from Mexico. They became visible and effective global spokespersons for Indigenous rights and well-being. They  also submerged into their people and:  developed a Life Plan (the first in Indigenous Brazil); worked assiduously with national government to reclaim their original territory; create a nonprofit to oversee the upliftment of the Yawanawa—ASCY (FULLNAME) run by Laura; and generally revive the culture, health and strength of their people.
Some 20 years later they are 1800 people on 200,000 ha of a declared Indigenous Reserve (95% intact rainforest), and a very strong example of cultural regeneration after centuries of abuse by western powers. A big, big challenge right now is the highly erratic impact caused by climate change—terrible, years-long drought followed by drastic, historically high flooding that ravages their communities. The Yawanawa are the canary in the coal mine, and they want to use their story to alert the work that this is not future, this is NOW.
I am humbled to be considered family, and to assist in whatever way I can. We work, travel, face issues head on, and often laugh, pray, and do ceremony together. (vgm)