First Aid in the Rainforest

On February 11, 2015, the shaman Korotai Puumona escorted sixth-grade students from the public school in Kwamalasamutu into Suriname’s deep rainforest interior. During the walk, Korotai–an active participant in ACT’s “Shamans and Apprentices” program–introduced the students to a range of medicinal plants. They learned about their forests’ rich ethnobotanical wealth as Korotai pointed out species that are used to disinfect wounds, stem bleeding, treat snake and spider bites, and more.

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ACT Participates in Suriname’s Annual Children’s Book Festival

In March, representatives from ACT and a team of indigenous people prepared a booth in the form of a traditional hut for the Children’s Book Festival in Suriname’s capital city, Paramaribo. ACT’s festival theme is “A Journey to South Suriname. For the occasion, ACT brought a Trio storyteller from the indigenous village of Kwamalasamutu whose knowledge of traditional medicine is renowned.

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Children’s Book Festival, We Have Arrived

On March 23, 2015, the Children’s Book Festival launched in Suriname’s capital city of Paramaribo. At 8:30 a.m., ACT’s Katia Delvoye received the first group of students for “A Journey to South Suriname”—an interactive experience in which students learn about the traditional knowledge of the indigenous and tribal communities of their nation’s rainforest interior.

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The ACT Rainforest Plant Guide for Children

In March, ACT Education and Outreach Coordinator Katia Delvoye delivered ACT Suriname’s newest publication, “My Plants,” to public schools in Suriname’s interior. During her visit to the villages of Apetina and Kwamalasamutu, Katia distributed this second book in the Junior Park Ranger series and its accompanying poster and educational materials. The book covers the names and uses of local plants.

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Shamans and Apprentices Gathering in Kwamalasamutu

In January, shamans from various villages across Suriname’s rainforest interior partook in a two-day evaluation of ACT Suriname’s Shamans and Apprentices Program. In addition to the presence of indigenous shamans, Ramon Awenkina—a maroon traditional healer from Gonini Mofo who specializes in bone-setting—joined the meeting.

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On the Way to the Matawaai

Since the early 1990’s, ACT has worked with indigenous peoples to create ethnographic maps of their traditional lands. These maps not only catalog important locations for indigenous communities, but also serve in the ongoing dialogue over land rights for indigenous and Maroon peoples.

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To Build a Tukuispan

Kwamalasamutu awakens. The first sunrays break through the clouds and light on thatched roofs in the tiny Surinamese rainforest village. A few residents are already on their way to wash themselves in the river. Mist still hangs in the air. Suddenly, we hear a voice over the village loudspeaker. It’s Granman Asongo Alalaparu. Per the daily ritual, he makes the morning announcements. Today—as for the last two weeks—the big project is building the community’s new Tukuispan. And everyone is expected to help.

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