Guardians of the forest
The Yawanawá communities of Aldeia Sagrada and Nova Esperança, indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon, are Refik Anadol’s creative collaborators on his exclusive artwork and the accompanying digital art collectible release, commissioned by Impact One for Scorpios.
Proceeds from sale of the artworks will go directly to the community. The funds will be used by the Yawanawá chiefs Nixiwaka, Putanny and Isku Kua, to support long-term initiatives for the protection of the Yawanawá lands and cultural heritage.
With a population of over 1200, the Yawanawá people live in villages nestled along the banks of the Gregório river in the Brazilian state of Acre, where they are guardians of thousands of acres of rainforest. The Yawanawá culture holds a deep connection to the natural world through the community’s ancestral wisdom, plant medicine and environmental stewardship.
The Yawanawá people's history is believed to go back millenia, with the first contact made with the western world only a little over a century ago. Despite the influence of external forces and continuous challenges from outsiders, the Yawanawá have managed to maintain their traditional way of life and preserve their culture.
Image: Aldeia Sagrada Yawanawá (c) Camilla Coutinho for Impact One
