Famous Amazon chef seeks solutions to environmental damage

On the afternoon of September 24, Chief Raoni Metuktire, the nonagenarian leader of the Kayap people or, as they call themselves, the Mbngkre people of the Brazilian Amazon, delicately stepped onto a stage at the Schwab Residential Center on the campus of Stanford University. He wore jeans, a fabric shirt, a light down jacket and simple sandals. On her head rested a brilliant headdress of vibrant yellow and red feathers.

I am a shaman, Chief Raoni began, speaking with energy despite being over 90 years old. His interpreter and grandson, Beptuk Metuktire, translated his Mbngkre lyrics into Portuguese, which audience members heard performed in English through individual headphones. The spirits of nature share their thoughts with me. Nature is our family. He is our brother, our mother, our grandmother. It's part of us and they are very worried.

Chief Raoni then detailed the climatic and environmental problems experienced on a daily basis by the Mbngkre population. Their concerns include deforestation for agriculture and mining, decreasing and unpredictable rainfall, air and groundwater pollution, and stifling heat.

We live together. We breathe the same air. We drink the same water. We are all together on this Earth, the leader told a room of about 175 people and more than 75 others watching via livestream. And I need your help so that we can continue to live well.

Understanding and action

Chef Raoni, nominated for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, visited Stanford as a featured guest in the latest installment of the Deans' Lecture Series at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. The series brings together scholars and thought leaders to discuss the frontiers of research, education, practice and impact related to an area of ​​sustainability. Chef Raoni was introduced by a Stanford biologist Rodolfo Dirzoassociate dean for integrative environmental justice initiatives at the Doerr School of Sustainability.

We are very fortunate to have one of the Amazon's leading environmental champions at our side today. Chief Raoni Metuktire is one of Brazil's leading indigenous leaders and a globally recognized advocate for indigenous rights and environmental preservation, Dirzo said in his opening speech after a brief slideshow presentation on unique biodiversity and the global importance of the Amazon rainforest.

Beginning in the 1950s, Chief Raoni played a vital role in establishing contact between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples to secure the rights of the Kayap and other rainforest communities. He has been a sharp critic and advisor to governments and yet an indispensable ambassador for the preservation of forests and environmental rights, Dirzo said.

Maria DiGiano, program manager for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundations Andes-Amazon Initiativetook the stage to present the foundation's investment in approximately 26 million hectares in the Brazilian Amazon around the Xingu River basin. These investments supported the creation of protected areas and the development of management tools in the region. THE Moore Foundation co-sponsored the event.

Dirzo then invited filmmaker Lucas Ramos to the podium to present the exclusive screening of his previously unreleased documentary, The Chiefs Call: Heritage, Land and the Future. The 15-minute film, accompanied by indigenous music and narrated by the chief's grandson, Beptuk, presents the environmental struggles of the Kayap people through the voices of Kayap men and women describing their plight. He notes that although indigenous peoples make up only 5 percent of the world's population, they inhabit an area that is home to 80 percent of the planet's biodiversity. The film implores viewers to accept the leaders' message that to preserve our ancestors is to preserve ourselves.

Once on stage, Chief Raoni spoke emphatically of and for his people, even singing a melodic poem at one point. He placed responsibility for repairing the environment on non-Native people, who he said had endangered his way of life for profit. At the same time, the leader wasn't afraid to ask the big question: Will you help us save the rainforest?

If you help us, we will, the chief concluded.

Disparate voices

For a roundtable hosted by Dirzo, Paulo Moutinho, ecologist and co-founder of the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM Amaznia), joined Chef Raoni and Beptuk on stage. Moutinho, who helped raise awareness of Chief Raonis and expose the damage caused to indigenous peoples and the environment in the Amazon, lamented the deaths of as many as 800 indigenous leaders and defenders in recent years. He also offered a message of optimism illustrated by the leaders' presence at the conference.

Deforestation on indigenous lands has increased by more than 240 percent in recent years. Despite this, Chef Raoni is here to share his message of hope, Moutinho said. I hope the leader can touch your hearts and inspire people to be together with us in the world, for a better planet.

Dirzo wanted to highlight the connections between Chief Raonis' work and environmental justice. We cannot aspire to global sustainability and true environmental justice that ensures a prosperous future for generations to come if we do not take the time to read Chef Raoni's message in the myriad of bottles he threw at the world's oceans, Dirzo said: referring to the popular song Message in a Bottle, written by one of Chief Raoni's best-known advocacy partners, Sting. A meaningful approach to environmental justice should surely include the voices of all indigenous peoples as part of the solution.

To conclude the event, Dean Arun Majumdar took the stage to deliver some closing words about the importance of bringing a broad range of non-academic voices to the forefront of the sustainability debate.

The Deans Conference is designed for this type of event that does not fit neatly into a departmental seminar. This is our school’s mission: to create a future where humanity and the planet can thrive together,” Majumdar said. And that knowledge base is there among indigenous peoples for us to learn: what the principles are, how to think about the future, and how to value nature. Thank you all for coming today.