Projeto Pegadas Brasil 2007 English 2003 English | Portuguese 2002 English | Portuguese 2001 English | Portuguese 2000 English | Portuguese

Nutrindo as Raizes (Brasilian Mentor Program) 2006-2007 Circulo dos Saberes II 2005 English | Portuguese 2004 English | Portuguese

PROJETO PEGADAS BRASIL 2001
http://www.projetopegadasbrasil.org.br

IN October we returned to Brazil, following the tracks of the jaguar and the roar of the howler monkeys into the southern forests of the Serra de Cantareira above São Paulo and the vast interior spaces of the cerrado near Alto Paraíso, where the Macaco river flows. This was our fourth consecutive year of camps and trainings for Brazilian youth. Our message of environmental awareness and cultural respect has fallen on open ears in Brazil and our project there continues to grow, watered by the dedication and inspiration of the young rastreadores Brasileiros.

Jade and John Stokes stalking with the group
in São Paulo.

Since our first visit in 1998, we have held courses in Fortaleza (two years) and Brasília (four years) for over 200 participants who have traveled from all over the country—Manaus, Campo Grande, Florianopolis, Rio de Janeiro, Cuiabá and other regions—to take part in the camps. This year we were able to extend our work to a new region, holding our first class in São Paulo, establishing a new training center in the south for our students. We also returned to Brasília, the center of our efforts, for a teacher training session with staff from the Colégio Marista, a workshop for the monitors (assistant trainers) of PPB, and our fourth year of camping in the cerrado.

The visit was coordinated by members of Projeto Pegadas Brasil (PPB), a branch of The Tracking Project based in Brasília. Members of our mentor circle, the staff of PPB is dedicated to "harmonizing the human being with Nature, inspiring the conservation of life on Earth" through traditional tracking skills, the revitalization of ancestral cultures and the Arts of Life. The staff of the project includes: Bento Viana, Edison Luís Guedes Neves, Renate Maria Guedes Neves, Isabel Gomes de Oliveira and others. The success of this work in Brazil is based largely upon the efforts of PPB, whose tireless travels and amazing stories about our work have elevated us to a "legendary" status! Many of the young people attend the camps just to see if we are real.

The team from New Mexico included: Able West, Solar Law (who has worked as a runner between PPB and The Tracking Project to prepare the ground for our visits) and the Stokes family—John, Nancy, Jade, Kainoa and India—with assistance from Tai and Satara Bixby. Funding for our visit was provided through the generosity and vision of the Aurora Fund, with assistance in Brazil from Fundação o Boticário de Proteção á Natureza (a foundation created by O Boticário from the proceeds of their "natural products").

Brazil's vastness and the beauty of the places we camp cannot be described in words. We can only touch on the surface of what we have experienced. Some highlights of this year's visit include:

* Discovering Espaço Natureza, a nature preserve with incredible diversity of plants and animals just 100 kilometers from São Paulo, home to 23 million people. We were told that the confluence of winds from three different directions is responsible for the conditions which allow these forests to grow so close to this huge megalopolis.

* Encountering the new people in São Paulo and holding another successful camp, thanks to the organizational work of Regina Borowski, Augusto Boreau and others.

* Meeting with Angela Tresinari, National Director of The Nature Conservancy do Brasil. Angela has been very impressed with the skills demonstrated by the staff of PPB. Seeing this work as "training the next generation of environmental leaders for Brazil," she has pledged her support and friendship to our efforts.

The group at Macaco experiments with their peripheral vision.

* Introducing the handdrill fire to some of the Kalungas working with Vitor and Saveira at Macaco. These men and their families, descendants of slaves who escaped into the bush more than 300 years ago, live in largely self-sufficient communities throughout the cerrado. Sometimes people will tell you as a teacher that "you are lucky if you reach one of the students." In Brazil we have been amazed by the response from the youth, who say "I understand what you are teaching us and I respect you for where you are coming from. I would like you to give me some homework so that I can improve myself while you are gone, so that I can be more ready for you when you come back next year."

* Working with interested staff members of the Colégio Marista, planning on-going weekly events in school for the students who attended the Macaco camp to maintain their interest through the year.

* Planting Trees of Peace with the young people in three different places: an ingá tree (something the monkeys enjoy) in São Paulo; a manga tree at Macaco; and a red-blossomed samauma with our friend Edison Lodi in Brasília. Following the model of the peace tree ceremony of Mohawk chief Jake Swamp, we place the tree in the center of the group and then relate events from the journey of the Great Peacemaker more than 1,000 years ago. The tree is then planted by the entire group and we all symbolically bury the "weapons and stories of war" beneath the tree.

We cannot say enough about the valuable translation work of Renate Cassis, Solar Law, Satara Bixby, Paola and Iara Simoni Silveira and Edison Luís. In the early years of the Project, bridging the language gap from English to Portuguese was challenging and often frustrating. The camps succeeded largely due to the incredible efforts of our translators and the ability of the young people to focus and listen.

Bento Viana of Projeto Pegadas giving the fire lecture in São Paulo.

As the years go by, our knowledge of Portuguese has grown and our students report that in addition to tracking, survival and cultural knowledge, they are also improving their English skills. This has led teachers in some schools to see that the interest of the youth for our work can be sustained through the year by incorporating our teachings into their English, science, even physical education classes.

Our work in Brazil continues, thanks to the hard work of Projeto Pegadas and the support of the Aurora Foundation, Fundaçao Boticário, The Nature Conservancy do Brasil and other organizations, as well as the many individuals who have given their time to this worthwhile project. We are already planning the next steps for 2002, with new ideas for leadership camps, on-going tracking camps, and the first year of our mentor program, Nurturing the Roots/Brasil (scheduled to begin in 2003). We extend our aloha to our many Brazilian hosts for their dedication and hospitality.

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