Month: August 2013

Yes I know I am putting place names in titles that nobody has a clue where they are. So Rio Hondo is a river tributary to the Rio Beni, where I work. I visited a Moseten family there to learn about Moseten ways of making a living in the forest and the different terms that they use for different elements in the landscape such as hills, rivers, streams, different vegetation patches etc. and how those could be mapped.The family is extremely welcoming and we had a great time, although I felt really bad that we drank all their “chicha” made from Yucca. (Chicha is a drink made of different fermented products, like maize, yucca, plantain etc.) And I was really surprised the family literally devoured my tomato/lettuce salad, because usually people are more fond of rice and meat than vegetables.

It was very interesting and I fully enjoyed it, even though this time I got really covered in  mosquito bites (when will they invent light, fast-drying travel pants that are mosquito-proof?). I counted 60 bites on my right tigh one night and then gave up, because there were ticks crawling on my belly. Not to forget the sandflies and…and… Despite that, what could be better than the view from my tent at the full moon (@Sandra: I think this is MORE beautiful than the Taj Mahal by moonlight, 😀 ).

Since Evo Morales became president, Bolivia is viewed as a country where an indigenous ruler has finally ascended to power and is leading his people to a bright and peaceful future. Or something like that. Well people here in the Beni region view things a bit differently. For them, Evo has betrayed them, supporting only highland Aymara indigenous groups and not the different lowland tribes. Many even comment that Evo is worse than all other presidents, breaking all his promises and using the pachamama or Mother Earth when it pleases him, and in other cases pushing ‘development’ projects of road builduing, mining and oil extraction in protected areas and indigenous territories, such as in Isiboro-Secure. Yes of course, that is in the lowland…. I spotted this mural spraying near the market and liked it quite a lot, because it plays with Evo’s political campaign claim of “Evo cumple, Bolivia cambia” (something along of Obama’s yes we can, although I am sure Evo would hate that comparison ;-), meaning to fulfill a promise ). It says that “Bolivia is changing: more drug traffickers, more terrorism, Evo is fulfilling his promise, long live Tipnis”).

Just got back from a trip to Pilon Lajas indigenous territory and biosphere reserve with another Swiss doctoral student (whose name I might post here later once I asked her permission) I met in Rurrenabaque. We both work in the same area and decided to take this trip together, and it worked out great! She introduced me to the community where she had been working last year, so people already knew here and were very friendly. The children loved having their picture taken and printed out directly on a “Canon Selphy printer” … (thanks Saemi for the tip!!). The men took us fishing and walking in the forest and fields, which was very interesting for both our research. We would have stayed longer but there was a big flood in the Quiquibey river on the second day we were there that flooded fields and the riverbanks erroded several meters inwards, people were leaving the community to go look after their produce in their fields up and downriver so we took the next opportunity to get back to town with a trader on his boat and raft.