We the Future
Tashka and Laura Yawanawá: The Amazon belongs to humanity -- let's protect it together
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Tashka and Laura Yawanawá lead the Yawanawá people in Acre, Brazil -- a tribe that stewards almost 500,000 acres of Amazon rainforest. As footage of the Amazon burning shocks the world's consciousness, Tashka and Laura call for us to transform this moment into an opportunity to support indigenous people who have the experience, knowledge and tools needed to protect the land.
Tashka and Laura Yawanawá - Leaders of the Yawanawá
Chief Tashka Yawanawá and Laura Yawanawá represent the critical perspective often missed in the discussions about the future of indigenous people in Brazil: that of the indigenous people themselves. Full bio
Chief Tashka Yawanawá and Laura Yawanawá represent the critical perspective often missed in the discussions about the future of indigenous people in Brazil: that of the indigenous people themselves. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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Tashka Yawanawá (Sharp exhale)
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(Sharp exhale)
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(Sharp exhale)
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(Sharp exhale)
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(Singing)
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(Singing ends)
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(Sharp exhale)
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I'm Tashka Yawanawá.
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I'm here with my wife.
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I come from the Yawanawá community,
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which is located in the state of Acre
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in the Brazilian Amazon.
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Takes some days to arrive here.
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I just did the song
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to reconnect us
to the spirit of the rainforest.
to the spirit of the rainforest.
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From immemorial time,
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my people live in the Yawanawá territory.
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We see this holistic way
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of how nature is.
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Nature, to us, belongs
to the whole of humanity.
to the whole of humanity.
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And we Yawanawá see
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the environment, the forest, as alive.
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But everything is always a challenge.
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Mostly now, because I think
many of you know
many of you know
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that the Amazon now is on fire.
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That affects all of us.
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Destroying the Amazon does not affect
just the indigenous people,
just the indigenous people,
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because we are all connected.
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Whatever we do in my community,
if I burn everything,
if I burn everything,
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it's going to affect it here,
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when the snow comes here at Christmas.
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If you pollute here,
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it's going to affect it when the rain
comes to my country.
comes to my country.
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I used to say we all belong
to the global village.
to the global village.
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I used to say, Amazon belongs to humanity,
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and also that humanity needs to take care
as the indigenous do in the world.
as the indigenous do in the world.
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And for this reason,
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today is a time to wake, unite us.
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We Yawanawá are doing our part.
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We take care of Mother Earth.
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And now, I will give to my wife.
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Laura Yawanawá: We are here
with our hearts crying.
with our hearts crying.
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I am smiling here, but my heart is crying,
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because a lot of our forests
are being destroyed.
are being destroyed.
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And I just want to give you a message.
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This crisis is giving
humanity two options.
humanity two options.
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One option is you help to end,
to destroy and exterminate
to destroy and exterminate
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all our forests and all
our cultures that go with it.
our cultures that go with it.
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Or, we transform this crisis
into an opportunity
into an opportunity
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to empower indigenous people,
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to support indigenous people
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and to save the rainforest
and their cultures.
and their cultures.
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And how can you do that?
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We have, the Yawanawá,
we created a life plan,
we created a life plan,
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which is our strategic planning
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that tells us the steps
of how we want to secure our territory.
of how we want to secure our territory.
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We take care of about
200,000 hectares of rainforest.
200,000 hectares of rainforest.
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But now it's under threat.
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So this life plan shows the steps
for us to secure our land,
for us to secure our land,
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our biodiversity,
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our culture, our education.
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I invite you all,
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I invite all companies,
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I invite all governments,
all civil society,
all civil society,
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to listen to indigenous peoples,
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to go back to our roots.
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We have been here
for many, many ... for centuries.
for many, many ... for centuries.
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And we have been trying
to scream to the world
to scream to the world
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that we need to protect
our territory, our nature.
our territory, our nature.
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And you never listen to us.
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Never.
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I guess this crisis is teaching humanity
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that now you need to listen to us
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and to support indigenous
peoples directly,
peoples directly,
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to support their initiatives directly.
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So that's the message
that I would love to leave to you.
that I would love to leave to you.
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That indigenous people have the answer,
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and if you want to save the Amazon,
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we have to take action now.
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TY: (Sharp exhale)
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tashka and Laura Yawanawá - Leaders of the YawanawáChief Tashka Yawanawá and Laura Yawanawá represent the critical perspective often missed in the discussions about the future of indigenous people in Brazil: that of the indigenous people themselves.
Why you should listen
For Tashka and Laura Yawanawá, leaders of the Yawanawá people living in the Acre region of Brazil, engagement with the world begins with his people’s right to self-determination and self-worth.
The son of a former leader of the Yawanawá, as a boy Tashka witnessed the near annihilation of his culture by the New Tribes Mission and by the pressure of economic interests. He studied in the United States and visited other indigenous communities. With other tribal leaders in the Amazon, he is working to restore dignity, identity and a sustainable economic future to indigenous populations, founded on their own values, culture and definition of prosperity.
Tashka and Laura Yawanawá | Speaker | TED.com