I travel along many rivers when I visit this part of the northern Peruvian Amazon, but I always see the greatest diversity of birds when traveling along the Tahuayo River.
During our two day trip visiting Chino, Esperanza and Santa Cruz we saw various black collared hawks (locally called "Mama vieja") perched on branches looking for fish and occasionally emitting their unmistakable cry. Cormorants swam along looking down and then left little pools of water as they ran across the water to gain enough speed to take off when we got too close. Blue kingfishers darted from perch to perch and swallows swooped back and forth across the river. A rufescent tiger heron crouched low near the water. My prize sighting was spotting two iridescent white chinned jacamars in the forest edge while leaving Santa Cruz.
"While concepts like punctuality, mutual respect, no put downs of self or others, and listening when someone else is speaking may seem like obvious guidelines to form a positive community, a commitment to actually practice and hold each other accountable to observe these agreements is profound in a culture where showing up late, malicious gossip, and interrupting a speaker are painfully common."
"Artisan facilitators should of course share what they know, but beginning and experienced artisans all benefit by remaining humble, enthusiastic about learning, and committed to encourage and affirm their fellow artisans. So many artisans said that the thing they most wanted to bring back to their communities was this spirit of working in a mutually supportive environment."
"Both men and women wore garb made with bleached llanchama tree bark painted with graphic figures from Bora clans. Several wore headdresses made with the feathers from macaws and parrots. They discussed the importance of nature and craft-making in their culture and then launched into a lively dance where the men chanted and pounded sticks into the ground to the rhythm of moving around in a circle. Visitors joined the undulating lines to share the vibrant energy."
by Campbell Plowden
