Peruvian Jungle

This was sent to me by a friend living in this jungle in Peru.


Dear Reader,

Espiritu de la Selva (in English, “Spirit of the
Jungle,”) is a group of healers who practice the healing traditions of
the Shipibo culture. The Shipibo are an indigenous group native to the
Peruvian jungle. Currently, Alan Garcia, president of the Peruvian
government, is selling the jungle.

Espiritu de la Selva is dedicated to the preservation of this sacred
land, its people, and natural medicinal plants. This ancient healing
tradition is a product of the interconnectedness between people and
their land. These cultures are currently at risk of destruction.

The Atalaya, Baguas, Loreto, and Ucayali regions of the Peruvian
jungle have always been home to these indigenous communities and have
never been owned or sold before. The land is being divided into 20
regions of 5,000 hectares, a total of 100,000 hectares of unbroken
jungle to be sold bit by bit. This land holds more than 1,850
communities and 3,800 natural medicinal plants.

An oficial version of the conflict states that 9 indigenous peoples
and 35 police officers have died in indigenous terrorist acts of
violence. Alberto Pisango, chief of all native Peruvian tribes, is
said to be the intellectual coordinator of all the attacks. Due to
orders to capture Pisango if he enters the country, he is under the
poitical protection of the Nicaraguan government. Protesting natives
throughout Peru state that they act in defense of themselves and their
land and are considered terrorists. However, a mass burial of 197
natives has been found, 40 natives remain missing, while the actual
toll of police dead is 12. On June 22nd, the government begins sale of
100,000 hectates of the jungle. This land, home to 1,853 indigenous
communities, would be sold to Plus Petrol to be bombed to enable the
extraction of petroleum and natural gas.

Espiritu de la Selva is organizing to buy as many 5000 hectare plots
as it can to create a reserve in which these plants and communities
will be protected. In addition to maintaining the ecological stability
of the regions we seek to protect, we wish to create a shamanic
healing center. Preserving this land and creating this center is the
retiring wish of a respected Shipibo healer who was been practicing
for over 70 years. To make this happen we need your help. Please share
this with those close to you. All donations you can share, small or
great, go directly to buying the land.

Sincerely,
Espiritu de la Selva


Further Reading:

Peru moves to ease Amazon crisis, BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_8100000/newsid_8104700/8104787.stm

Simon presenta propuesta para derogatoria de DL 1064 y 1090, La Republica
http://www.larepublica.pe/politica/17/06/2009/simon-presenta-propuesta-derogatoria-de-decretos-1064-y-1090

Protesters Gird for Long Fight Over Opening Peru’s Amazon - New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/world/americas/12peru.html?_r=1