Home > Archives for indigenous art

Viva la Salsa! Latin Dance Party Fundraising Event

March 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

What: Village Earth is hosting a Latin Dance Party to benefit our work with indigenous communities in Peru. Lots of great music and even a quick dance lesson for those that want to learn to dance salsa! Also, beautiful and unique arts and crafts from indigenous artisans in the Peruvian Amazon. And beer will be provided by Odell’s brewing company!

When: Friday, April 24, 2009, 7:30pm

Where: Club Tico in City Park. 1599 City Park Drive, Fort Collins, CO.

Who: Everyone’s invited!!

Why: We are trying to raise money for the many projects we are working on to support the self-determination efforts and alternative development plans of the Shipibo people.

How: It’s only $5 to get in at the door the night of the event. (We’re not doing advanced ticket sales for this event.)

We hope to see you there! It’s going to be lots of fun and all proceeds benefit Village Earth!

For more information contact Kristina Pearson at kristina@villageearth.org or 970-491-5754.

Filed Under: Peruvian Amazon Indigenous Support Network Tagged With: , , ,

Village Earth Peru Study Tour

July 11, 2008 By Leave a Comment

 

Above: Participants in the first annual Village Earth Peru study tour visiting the National Intercultural University of the Amazon to meet with indigenous leaders.

 

 

This June 2008 Village Earth offered a 9-day “study tour” to the Peruvian Amazon. The tour visited two Shipibo communities in the Ucayali region with whom Village Earth has a close working relationship. Participants received big welcomes from both communities which included traditional music and dance. The study tour visited reforestation projects, met with local indigenous leaders to learn about the reality of the region, and attended artisan exhibitions of traditional local crafts. Participants were also taken on jungle hikes where indigenous guides shared their knowledge of the forest, and even a jungle cruise where they were taught to fish for piranha and shoot a bow and arrow. This tour employed many local guides in each activity so that participants could learn directly from local people themselves. Participants even had the option to partake in special healing ceremonies with Shipibo shamans.

 

 

The purpose of this study tour was to explore and test the potential for community-owned and directed tourism that is not only fun for the tourists but also educational. Shipibo guides educated the participants about both their current and historical reality and the ways they are trying to transform their lives for the future and protect their forest livelihoods.

 

We made every effort, during the 9-day tour, to ensure that as much money as possible from the tour went directly to Shipibo communities, we hired all local guides, and participants stayed with local families or in communal tourist lodgings built by the community. Plus, the participants purchased many crafts directly from indigenous artisans. The participants got access to Shipibo communities and activities that few people have the privilege to experience. In all it was a great success and we look forward to hosting another tour next year.

 

 

If you have a group that is interested in organizing a similar tour you can contact Kristina Pearson at +1-970-491-5754 or kristina@villageearth.org
Above: Sunrise over Yarinacocha Lake in the Peruvian Amazon.
Filed Under: Peruvian Amazon Indigenous Support Network Tagged With: , , , , ,

Organization of Mothers Craft Cooperative Revisited

April 18, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Through their partnership with Village Earth, The Organization of Mothers craft cooperative was able to receive a small materials grant from Aid to Artisans.

The women were able to buy materials in bulk that could be shared between them and also a semi-industrial sewing machine to increase production.

They felt that increasing craft production and making it a legitimate business activity is the best way in which they can increase their income but at the same time assert their right to cultural self-determination through their highly symbolic craftwork. The group has not only increased their sales and income, but the group has also doubled in size with many more women seeing the benefit of working together in a cooperative. The women also created a “materials bank” in which they must reinvest 30% of their sales back into their materials fund. Because the women use many natural materials in their art, they have a program of reforestation to cultivate and replant plants that provide natural fibers, dyes, and seeds that they use in their craftwork.


The most important impact the grant had is that the women are really at the point to take off in their business. They just need access to markets and they are ready to start selling and increasing production. They’ve got their cooperative procedures down, a materials fund, and a critical mass of women to really make a big impact in the well-being of the community. Everything is ready; it is just access to markets as the necessary next step.

 

Village Earth has been connecting the Organization of Mothers little by little to different national and international markets. If you would like to help the women by selling their crafts, please contact kristina@villageearth.org or +1-970-491-5754.

The women can arrange for international shipping of bulk orders.

Filed Under: Peruvian Amazon Indigenous Support Network Tagged With: , , ,

Latin Dance Party/ Art Show Fundraiser

April 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Join us for a “Journey to the Amazon: Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice in Peru”!

A fundraiser to support Village Earth’s projects with indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon.

Latin Dance Party – Learn to dance salsa and other traditional Peruvian dances!
There will also be speakers, an art show, craft sale, and silent auction with arts and crafts by Shipibo artisans of the Peruvian Amazon. There will be lots of cool art and crafts for sale including hand-made jewelry!

Food and drinks will be provided by the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant! Their famous margaritas will be available!

Wednesday, April 23
7:00 – 8:30 pm (Dancing & drinks ’til 10:30pm)

Location: Agave Room (Above the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Old Town)
149 W. Mountain Ave.
Fort Collins, CO

Ticket Prices: $15 students; $25 non-students (All proceeds go to support indigenous community initiatives in the Peruvian Amazon!)
(TICKETS IN ADVANCE ONLY)
Available at www.villageearth.org or 970-491-5754

For more information, please contact Kristina Pearson at kristina@villageearth.org


Visit our sponsor – the Rocky Mountain Chronicle


PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Kristina Pearson
kristina@villageearth.org
491-5754

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOCAL NON-PROFIT ALLIES IN THE STRUGGLE TO SAVE THE AMAZON

April 15, 2008. Fort Collins, CO: The Amazon basin in Peru is quickly being sold off to oil companies, industrial-scale agricultural production, and loggers. “We indigenous peoples only want tranquility and happiness this is our development as said by our elders,” said Shipibo leader Limber Gomez who visited Fort Collins last August 2007. One Fort Collins non-profit has allied with indigenous communities in Peru to stop the sale of the Amazon and offer alternatives to the unsustainable path of development pursued by the corporations and the government. Village Earth, founded by long-time CSU professor and Peace Corps developer Dr. Maury Albertson, is making a difference.

Village Earth has been working internationally with indigenous communities to help them determine their own sustainable development initiatives. In Peru, Village Earth is working with native communities on many projects from clean water to opening an indigenous bank where entrepreneurs can take small loans to start businesses. With current concerns about global warming, awareness is increasing that sustainable development initiatives are extremely important in the Amazon since it is an area of global environmental importance for its roles in mitigating climate change.

Village Earth is offering the Northern Colorado community an opportunity to be a part of these important efforts. Wednesday, April 23 7:00-8:30pm Village Earth will have a Latin Dance and art show event “Journey to the Amazon: Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice in Peru” to raise funds for their various projects in the Peruvian Amazon. The event will be held in the Agave Room above the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant (149 W. Mountain Ave.). Tickets are $15 students; $25 non-students (Tickets are available in advance only.) For more information, contact Village Earth (491-5754) or www.villageearth.org.

_________________________________________________________________________

April 12, 2008

Dear Friend of Village Earth,

As a supporter of Village Earth YOU have the opportunity to make a difference. Join us for a fun evening of dancing and art in solidarity with Shipibo communities of the Peruvian Amazon. The Peruvian government is increasingly privatizing the land and resources of the Amazon rainforest. Traditionally held communal lands, non-titled indigenous lands, and forest areas of immense biodiversity will be sold to private landowners and foreign corporations under the new Ley de la Selva (Law of the Jungle). Many indigenous peoples and environmentalists are claiming that this law is just a facade to open up the Amazon to logging companies.

Help us stop the sale of the Amazon!



“Thank you, Village Earth. You are helping us to make history”

- Cecilio Soria, (pictured above with his grandmothers) Shipibo
leader and host of the renowned radio program Indigenous Voice

Therefore, we invite you to be a part of helping the indigenous peoples of the Amazon determine their own futures and “make history” by attending this fundraising event:

Journey to the Amazon: Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice

This event will take place Wednesday, April 23 7-8:30 PM (drinks and dancing ‘til 10:30). The funds we raise at this event will be to support the many projects we are working on with indigenous communities in Peru.

For just $10,000, we can accomplish the following project activities this year:

  • For $1000 – We can facilitate the second annual indigenous tribunal bringing community chiefs and indigenous leaders together to discuss their integrated development plan for the region and the defense of their forests in partnership with the new Shipibo organization ODDPIAP;
  • For $4000
    – We will set up and maintain an indigenous-run service center in Pucallpa, Peru where indigenous community members can get access to resources for their various projects. This service center will also be home to an indigenous bank from which ODDPIAP will begin a micro-loan program to promote small enterprise development;
  • For $1000 - We can implement a clean water project using a new ceramic sand filter prototype that will be produced locally and will provide clean drinking water to remote indigenous communities in our continued partnership with the Engineers Without Borders Professional Chapter (Fort Collins);
  • For $2000 – We can set-up and train local leaders in the operation of a community-based radio station in one remote indigenous community in collaboration with local community-based radio station KRFC. They can then broadcast throughout the region news and information in their own language and under their control;
  • And finally for $2000 – We will bring two Shipibo leaders to attend the PPSD training here in Fort Collins this May 2008.

So please call (491-5754) or go online today (www.villageearth.org) to get your tickets (TICKETS AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE ONLY – Please RSVP by Friday, April 18)! Please invite your friends!

  • Tickets for students are $15
  • Tickets for non-students are $25

We hope to see you there! It’s going to be a fun event where you can learn different Latin and traditional Peruvian dances and enjoy food from the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant. If you have any questions, send me an e-mail at kristina@villageearth.org, or call us here at the office 491-5754. Thanks for your continued support of Village Earth!

Filed Under: Peruvian Amazon Indigenous Support Network Tagged With: , , , , ,