Exchange with two Guaraní groups

Guaraní indians in Turvo, Paraná
Friends of the Earth started in 2000 an exchange with the Guaraní indians in Turvo, Paraná, in Brazil. They were expelled from their ancestral grounds for the construction of the big hydro-electric plant in Itaipu. For this group of Guaraní it is very important to preserve and to rediscover their spirituality and traditions. To that purpose they started an institute, 'Nhemboeté Guarani', which means 'empowerment of the Guaraní'.

Spiritual leaders from different groups of Guaraní come together to share their knowledge. The tradition of building prayer houses with natural materials from the surrounding wood was lost for a long time. The last years they begun constructing this prayer houses again. For the moment five or six traditional prayer houses have been achieved.

For this project they need money (costs of transport of spiritual leaders and transport of traditional materials: because the woods are largely destructed, it is no longer possible to find these materials in the direct neighbourhood).

In the exchange with Friends of the Earth, they send us marvellous art and craft objects, such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, all made of natural materials from their surroundings. Very special are the wooden little animals. They made also a CD: 'Nande Reko Arandu', trad. 'living memory of the Guarani', with traditional songs, sung by the children, accompanied by traditional instruments (a traditional guitar, made of the shield of an armadillo, or of different sorts of wood). With the CD you get a beautiful booklet with marvellous photos of the people, the children and the traditional musical instruments The text is in Portuguese, but we add a Dutch translation. An English translation is being made. In this CD the Guaranì share with us the richness of their culture and spirituality.

'The sun rises.
With the rays of her wisdom
Our Upper Father is looking to us
Our Upper Mother is looking to us'

'You came from a holly place
You came from a holly place
Daughter of the blue paradise
Tell, come to me
Tell, go into yourself'

'Give back
Give back
The land that you have taken from us
So that we can coninue to live'

The making of the CD was a very special event for the Guaraní: different villages came and worked for the first time as intensively together. They felt a strong spiritual energy singing together and feeling the spiritual help of all the villages.

And they made a second CD, where the first item is also a video.

The Guarani Indians in Ocoy.
In 2006 we met the Guaraní Indians in Ocoy. They had to escape for the incoming water in the lake of the Itaipu hydroelectric power plant. Now they are living on a very small piece of land, impossible to live their traditional ways. By selling their artisanal products (rings, bracelets, necklaces, all made of natural materials from their surroundings, and wooden little animals) we sustain a school in which children and adults learn (again) their traditional vision and way of life.

What Can you do to Help?
Friends of the Earth Flanders & Brussels has a working relationship with two Brazilian Guarani tribes, one in Ocoy and another in Turvos. We buy and sell their products which gives them a source of income. We sell also two CD’s with their traditional songs and instruments. This type of support is important on many levels; in addition to the money it gives the Guarani moral support and confidence in their culture. By buying their products it is a symbol of respect for their way of life. If you would like more information on Guarani products available through Friends of the Earth Flanders/Brussels, please email Lieve De Kinder at lieve@motherearth.org

If you would also be interested in receiving email notifications on actions to support the Gurarani and Tupiniquim people in Brazil, please also contact Lieve De Kinder at lieve@motherearth.org