empowerment

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Cuniua River
February 18, 2001
11:08: Due to the floods, entire tracts of forest become waterways that turn out to be dead ends, called igarapes. We got lost a few times in this real labyrinth of igarapes.

Deni Lands
February 19, 2001
One week of sailing and we reach the first Deni village. We are received with open arms and smiles. The Deni seems to be very excited with the workshops for demarcation.

Cuniua River, deni lands
February 20, 2001
the sumauma village: The Deni suffered a lot when their isolation was broken back in the 1960s. They fell ill with the diseases of the outsiders and fought mortal battles along the colonisation fronts. Their trauma is especially visible when health is the issue. "The Deni are always extremely worried about their children's health, and any accident or sign of a disease scares the hell out of them", Renata, our social scientist, told me.

Deni Lands (Sumauma)
February 21, 2001
10:38: The theodolite (a tripod-mounted telescopic instrument that measures horizontal and vertical angles) screams "Peeeep". Three Deni handle the surveying equipment with care and are shy to show their topographical knowledge to the cameras. They read the angles, degrees and minutes and turn such complicated numbers into practical actions.

"As the Deni don't write, we explored the fact that they keep whet they learn by sharing the information among them", Liberato [an engineer who taught the Deni mapping skills] says. "We also explored their talent for hunting. To hunt an animal in the forest is an activity that demands a high level of precision, as does dealing with the topography."

Cuniua River, Deni Lands
February 22, 2001
13:00: We have about 20 Deni people onboard. Tomorrow before sunrise we'll leave for a practical demarcation lesson. We will travel for at least three hours in the speedboats and walk for a couple of hours in the forest. There, we'll set up a camp and the Deni will practise what they have learned in the map workshops.

Arua River, Macahaini Camp, Deni Lands
February 23-24, 2001
9:22: In a historic moment, the Deni leader Zena reads the coordinates on the global positioning system and recognises the southern border of his territory. All eight Deni leaders have shining eyes and can't help but to cheer and smile. There is a great energy in the air.

10:30: In less than 15 minutes, we find two poisonous snakes. I watch while some of the Deni men build a temporary shelter using branches, lianas and other forest material. They are tremendously skilled and demonstrate a great collective sense of work. They are real perfectionists.

14:00: The practical lesson on the demarcation begins.

Deni leader Vaisuvi leads the team. He sets up the theodolite and directs the others on the right position to open the demarcation track. A 60m trail is opened in the forest. The Deni are now able to control the demarcation of their own territory, with only some technical guidance. They understand that they are the owners of these lands. They are hopeful that with the support of Greenpeace and others they can look forward to a peaceful living for themselves and future generations.

Cuniua River, Deni Lands
February 27, 2001
Our journey back home has now started. It should take us about six days to reach Manaus.

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