Posted by Rachel
For all of you in New York and in the U.S. Northeast, be sure to check out the exhibit sponsored by the Sociedade da Língua Portuguesa da Organização das Nações Unidas (UNSRC), known in English as the UN Portuguese Language Society.
The UNSRC will host an exhibit featuring one hundred pieces by eight indigenous artists from the Amazon. The artists come from a variety of tribes, including the Tukano, Wanano and Kokoma tribes. Check out some of the pieces here.
The exhibition will take place from October 26 through November 6th at the UN, located at 2 United Nations Plaza in Manhattan.
Posted by Rachel
Today, we’re going to watch a video about the Amazon and an indigenous tribe there, and the work the tribe’s chief has done to combat deforestation and to use technology to connect his tribe to the world and to protect the environment. Part of the video is in Portuguese with English subtitles, and the other part involves simultaneous translation, so you’ll have to pay attention to make sure you understand.
Here are some questions to answer to see how well you understood!
1. How do you say “in the past,” according to the video?
2. The chief mentions using an “arco e flecha.” What is this in English?
3. What is “wisdom” in Portuguese?
4. How do you say “tool” or “instrument” in Portuguese?
5. What is “floresta” in English?
6. How do you say “alliance” or “partnership” in Portuguese?
Note: questions go up until 13:00.
Posted by Rachel
This week, construction workers discovered an ancient indigenous burial ground while building a school in Laranjal do Jari, in the northeastern state of Amapá. The site contains ceramic artifacts that could be up to 2,000 years old.
After the site was discovered, local archaeologists were called in to assess the findings. They found fifty funeral urns and around one hundred ceramic artifacts completely intact. Some of the pieces have paintings on them, indicating the presence of a large community as well as a tribe known to have lived in French Guyana and Suriname around 1,200 years ago.
Construction of the school has been put on hold until excavation ends, but archaeologists hope to create an educational center where students can learn about archaeology and help explore the site.
Click here to see photos of the excavation.
Posted by Rachel
Brazilian indigenous leader Almir Suruí received an award from the International Society of Human Rights 
this week in Geneva, Switzerland for his work in the Amazon. The leader of the Suruí tribe located on a reservation in Rondônia state, Almir is also the coordinator for the Etno-Ambiental da Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas da Amazônia Brasileira (Coiab), an indigenous non-profit organization that seeks to protect human rights and the environment in the Amazon.
As a community leader, Almir has achieved success with important parternships and courageous acts. He denounced the OAS for illegal logging in the Amazon, which later lead to death threats against him. He partnered with Google, which is now mapping the part of the Amazon where he lives to help protect against deforestation. He also partnered with American NGO Forest Trends, which helps recuperate deforested land.
Almir is proud of the award, which in the past was given to the likes of the Dalai Lama, and hopes the prize will help him continue fighting to protect the Amazon.
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