From the archives. Lost for over a decade. Last week I found a scan on an old hard disk: Festa Junina 1999 in Benjamin Constant, Amazonas, near the Peruvian border. This kind of analog photo just needs a print on Hahnemühle paper.
More recollections
Vendaval, Alto Solimões, Amazonas, June 1995
Arriving in the Tikuna village of Vendaval, along the Igarapé Preto (a tributary of the Alto Solimões), we find that Pedro Inácio Pinheiro - or Ngematücü, as his Tikuna name is - is not at home. He is in another village, we are told, in Nova Jerusalem. There he is attending a festa da moça nova, a fertility festival where young girls are initiated. Since this can take days, we have a problem. Without the captain's permission, we cannot move freely in the area.
In the evening, a little unsettled by the situation, we hang up our hammocks. On the bank above the boat are men, women and children. Most of them are watching with silent faces. A little boy starts to cry and hides fearfully behind a woman in a torn white dress.
In 1988, the Brazilian government recognized much of the Alto Solimões basin as Tikuna territory. On March 28 of that year, armed illegal loggers invaded the community of Boca do Capacete, near Benjamin Constant. This group had previously been forced to leave the registered area by FUNAI, the Brazilian government's indigenous affairs department. The attackers killed fourteen people, including five children, and threw their bodies into the river. Twenty-three people were injured. Most of the victims were people trying to escape by boat. Only four bodies were found and recovered.
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In 1995, I traveled for the first time by boat up the Amazon River (Rio Solimões) to Três Fronteiras (English: Three Frontiers) in the Upper Amazon, where the borders of Brazil, Peru and Colombia meet.
Weather can change quickly in the Amazon. I found myself in a small boat on a lake in Peru, just across the border from Brazil. Together with a guide, I was looking for a large species of caiman that was supposed to live there and that I wanted to photograph. It was a clear evening. Not a cloud in sight. Until fifteen minutes later. We were in the middle of the water. Suddenly it went dark. A bang. Lightning flashed across the sky. Before we could react, the rain hit the rock hard. The wall of water was so thick that I could barely see my guide in front of me. Even the beam of my Maglite lantern was drowned in the mass of water.
Now listening: Izabela Dłużyk - The Amazon - Where the Moon Wept
Izabela Dłużyk, a blind Polish sound artist, has realized her dream of recording the Amazon rainforest with her album 'The Amazon - Where the Moon Wept'. Released on September 9, 2024, the double-disc project was funded through a crowdfunding campaign in 2016 and is her third release on the LOM label from Bratislava, Slovakia.
The album is divided into two parts: "Encounters at Daylight" and "Whispers from the Dark," which showcases the rich soundscape of Peru's Tambopata National Reserve. Dłużyk captures a wide range of sounds, including those of insects, birds, frogs, monkeys, and the Tambopata River, offering an intimate glimpse into jungle life. Her keen listening skills allow her to identify numerous species, such as the three-striped rocket frog and howler monkeys.
The album chronicles the transition from day to night, with tracks like 'Frog Chorus at Dusk' marking the onset of nocturnal sounds. The final track, 'Tropical Storm', emphasizes the crucial role of storms in nourishing the rainforest ecosystem. Dłużyk's work invites listeners to experience the vibrant sonic landscape of the Amazon.
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