Dzoodzo Baniwa, from the Alto Río Negro Indigenous Territory in Amazonas near the Colombia border, received a Bunge Foundation award for his work addressing the climate emergency and for proposing innovative approaches in agricultural sciences. The prize singled him out as one of four researchers and emphasised the connections he builds between indigenous knowledge and formal scientific practice.
Baniwa grew up with parents who were illiterate and has long focused on making education meaningful for his people. He helped establish and later teach at the first Baniwa and Coripaco Pamáali Indigenous School, which Brazil’s Ministry of Education recognised as a benchmark in innovation and creativity in basic education. To access higher education he rowed from his village, Santa Isabel, and then travelled by motorboat for about 20 hours to enrol at the Federal Institute of Amazonas (IFAM). After asking authorities to start late, he completed a bachelor’s degree in intercultural physics at IFAM and a master’s degree in environmental sciences teaching at the Federal University of Amazonas.
He applied his training to practical, low-cost solutions: he helped implement a water-pumping system that uses a hydraulic ram and PVC pipes, requires no electricity and can pump about 6,000 litres of water a day. He is an adviser on indigenous school education in São Gabriel da Cachoeira and helped produce a collective book that won the Jabuti Prize in Academic Biological Sciences and Biodiversity; the book maps 310 bird species in Portuguese, Nheengatu and Baniwa.
Baniwa stresses that "for us, both our ancestral knowledge and scientific knowledge are important." He supports territorial management plans that guide schools and foster alliances with universities and research institutes. He says the award underlines the need for indigenous and scientific communities to join forces to confront the risks and challenges of climate change.
Difficult words
- indigenous — belonging to the original people of a region
- ancestral — related to earlier generations in a community
- intercultural — involving two or more different cultures
- hydraulic — operated by moving water or fluid pressure
- biodiversity — variety of plant and animal life
- emphasise — give special importance to an idea or factemphasised
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How can combining indigenous knowledge and scientific research help communities face climate change? Give one or two examples.
- What are the benefits and possible limitations of low-cost technologies, like the hydraulic ram pump, for remote areas?
- How could schools use local languages and local knowledge to make education more meaningful for indigenous communities?
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