Our last task in ASTU brought each individual in class to the stunning Amazonia exhibit at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology. There, my classmates were immersed in an environment of wonder, provided by the various textiles, carvings, feathers, ceramics and knowledge held in the exhibit.
Brenna’s upbringing in the Amazon area led to a very interesting personal story that she could reflect upon during this task. She had visited the Amazon as a young girl and had photos woven into her writing that showed her travels there amongst the Indigenous people of the area, where she had the opportunity to “experience their lifestyle.”
Like Brenna, Leah also had prior experience with the Amazon, gained through the reading of a book that takes place in Amazonia. Both classmates spoke of the ideas they had about the Amazon, and the knowledge they gained upon visiting the Amazonia exhibit.
Brenna compared the “Rights of Nature” pamphlet she found upon entering the exhibit to her experience living in Hong Kong, and drew an appreciation for the significant effort that Vancouver takes to preserve, respect, and maintain the environment. Leah talked about how the exhibit brought to her awareness some sad truths regarding the rainforest. She noted for example that: “45% of the Amazon is protected natural areas and Indigenous territories” and lamented that this is only less than half.
Leah, Brenna, Anjali, Telisa, Daanish, Julian, Benny, Silvana and Anna all spoke about statistics. In Anna’s post, I was able to look at photos of the statistics these classmates were referencing: statistics about deforestation and its causes – from oil production to logging and from mining to agriculture. In addition to the discussion featuring the dire statistics, all the bloggers spoke of the devastation indigenous people or nature face in the Amazon.
Relating to statistics, Leah and Anjali both bring up the same devastating number: 891. This is the amount of “targeted assassinations of Indigenous people in Brazil.” These assassinations were carried out so that deforestation could continue without anything, or anyone, standing in the way.
Many of my fellow students said that although they had been to the exhibit before, this assignment gave them the opportunity to take more time, and like Amanda, “carefully explore” the exhibit. Telisa talked about how the exhibit introduced her to “a whole new world that [she] was unaware of.”
The exhibit caused the bloggers to open their eyes, and inspired them to go further and dig deeper, to learn more.
Thanks to the task of reading my classmates insightful and interesting blogs, I look forward to returning to the Amazonia exhibit with these new and diverse ideas in my mind.
All of my classmates seem to share an admiration for the Amazon and a joint concern for its current and future state, I share their awe and uneasiness. One of the larger issues that emerge from the dialogue is the matter of balance between economic development and sustainability when it comes to the Amazonian rainforest. Governments have tried to stimulate development of industry and economic growth at the expense of the rainforest while local people have used the rainforest as a way to make a living, under grave circumstances. It is understandable how people from lower wealth economies pursue work to improve their circumstance, however it is often done illegally and unsustainably. The question remains, can this development be done in an environmentally sustainable way.
As my classmates pointed out, it isn’t only about the preservation of the forest but also the preservation of the cultures of Amazonian native people that have been disrupted and even killed as a result of the unlawful exploitation of the rainforest’s resources. In the same way we need to protect the environment in which they live, we too need to protect the natural tribes of the area.
A related issue goes to the growing population base in the Amazon. The pressure of a growing population can work to degrade and destroy the rainforest if proper rules and practices are not implemented. One can learn how to sustainability harvest the forest; one also needs to ensure that illegal logging is controlled and halted. This again brings us to the dilemma people and governments from this region must confront: that is, the need to earn a living while not destroying the very environment that could provide for that living over the very long run.
Blog’s cited:
https://blogs.ubc.ca/brennasblog/
https://blogs.ubc.ca/leahtaylor/
https://blogs.ubc.ca/abentley/
https://blogs.ubc.ca/telisa/
https://blogs.ubc.ca/amandasblog/