Klinger, Students Conduct Fieldwork in Brazilian Amazon
Julie Klinger, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, conducted fieldwork in Yanomami Territory in the Brazilian Amazon with Pardee School MA candidate Avery Hall and BU Earth and Environment student Natalia Tanko.
Student participation was made possible by generous donors, according to Klinger, who plans to provide students with similar fieldwork opportunities for years to come.
Klinger has previously conducted fieldwork in Yanomami Territory in, and also hosted members of the Yanomami, a linguistic family of approximately 30,000 people in Brazil and Venezuela, at the Pardee School in December 2017 for conversations about women’s leadership in sustainable development in the Amazon.
View some of Klinger’s photos from her fieldwork below:
Just back from bonafide muddy-boots fieldwork in the Amazon! Braving the mud and rain of Brazil’s highest mountain with me are #BUPardeeSchool MA student Avery Hall (L) and local collaborator and fellow #geographer Lucas Lima (R) #PardeeProfs #laspbu #GDPC_BU #BUEarth pic.twitter.com/lFFgIeTsj9
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 13, 2018
Before heading into Yanomami Indigenous territory, the mountains and the rain, here the fieldwork team is getting acclimated the amazonian weather with a trip out to the meeting of the waters. With #BUPardeeSchool MA student Avery Hall and #BUEarth student Natalia Tanko pic.twitter.com/nRO2Qp0irV
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 13, 2018
Satellite image from https://t.co/7Y49tO0THF
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 13, 2018
It’s an 85km stretch of unpaved road to the edge of Balaio indigenous territory, where we will meet our Yanonami hosts at a small river port. The going can be tough. Only some trucks are up to the challenge! @BUPardeeSchool @laspbu @GDPC_BU pic.twitter.com/sLTINcVW1l
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 16, 2018
Flight from Manaus to São Gabriel da Cachoeira, the northwesternmost city of the Brazilian Amazon. 98% of the population of this city of 45,000 is indigenous. We spend one day here before hitting the road to head into Yanomami Territory. @BUPardeeSchool @GDPC_BU @BUEarth @laspbu pic.twitter.com/jVS3LTl8Nj
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 16, 2018
Despite the rain, spirits are high as we embark on the 5-10 hour journey upriver to Yanomami Indigenous Territory. Our Yanonami hosts secure our gear beneath tarps. We won’t arrive dry, but our supplies will! Photo credit Lucas Lima. @BUPardeeSchool @GDPC_BU @BUEarth @laspbu pic.twitter.com/Iv4FgBtDSC
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 16, 2018
Join us for the breathtaking moment when after hours aboard the 40hp outboard aluminum boat taking us up the Rio Cauaburis, you round the bend and see the Serra do Opota, the first of several ranges in Yanomami Indigenous Territory. Video: Lucas Lima @BUPardeeSchool @GDPC_BU pic.twitter.com/mGs0feKQQa
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 16, 2018
Proud of @BUEarth student Natalia Tanko & @BUPardeeSchool MA student Avery Hall–excellent fieldwork assistants! Here they are reviewing notes after attending a community discussion about classifying fungal species familiar to the Yanomami but not yet known to science. pic.twitter.com/z4hmQWCWhV
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 19, 2018
Yanomami women weave this strong and flexible fungus in their baskets, which can carry upwards of 100lbs. Brazilian scientists are researching its properties and applications with great care, so that the intellectual property rights remain with its stewards, the Yanomami @GDPC_BU pic.twitter.com/bhNRm1TYBi
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 19, 2018
@BUEarth student Natalia Tanko and @BUPardeeSchool MA student Avery Hall take the lead in interviewing two prominent Yanomami men in Maturacá, Brazil. They traded ideas on culture, development, survival, and issues of encounter between our two worlds. @laspbu @GDPC_BU @BU_Tweets pic.twitter.com/s80zaJIwzV
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 19, 2018
Brazil's highest mountain, Pico da Neblina, is located in Yanomami indigenous territory. To create economic alternatives to illegal gold mining, the community is developing an ecotourism enterprise. Our team conducted an environmental impact assessment. Video by Lucas Lima pic.twitter.com/rKJX5vzqK8
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 24, 2018
That means we climbed the mountain! It takes 8 days to cover the 70 km distance thru dense forest, up steep slopes to the 9826 ft summit, and through deep mud. We were fully supported and guided by a Yanomami team of ten. Here we are at the top! @BUPardeeSchool @BUEarth @GDPC_BU pic.twitter.com/U56DrlwqNW
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 24, 2018
The way up and the way down were rainy and foggy, but intrepid @BUPardeeSchool MA student Avery Hall and @BUEarth EAP student Natalia Tanko were excellent and enthusiastic research assistants who faithfully followed their #PardeeProf along challenging trails to new heights! pic.twitter.com/nH6k6g49Uu
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 24, 2018
After a successful summit, our amazing guide and local expert Agenor holds the radio for me to inform base camp–in Yanomami–that we're looking forward to the warm campfire. The going was tough. The return was sweet. @BUPardeeSchool @GDPC_BU pic.twitter.com/ArOKgXfhHN
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 24, 2018
How do you sleep in the jungle? You hang your hammocks in a row under a tarp that covers the traditional hunting camp structure made of young trees and vines. The Yanomami can put a camp together in 45 minutes. @BU_Tweets students, faculty, and local partners traveling in style! pic.twitter.com/m970dUBHHY
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 24, 2018
"When we like you, we paint you." The expedition team paused at the last km of the expedition to paint our faces for a triumphant return to the village. More than a fun experience, these rituals build trust between scholars and local partners. @BUPardeeSchool @GDPC_BU @laspbu pic.twitter.com/mZeE0hT7M0
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 25, 2018
Our team from @BU_Tweets worked with Yanomami experts, the Brazilian government & NGO partners to complete our 2nd technical expedition to study and support Yanomami land use, governance, and sustainable development in the Amazon. Photo: L.Lima @GDPC_BU @BUEarth @BUPardeeSchool pic.twitter.com/QDGXaVFLyf
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 25, 2018
The Amazon co-evolved with the land use practices of indigenous peoples, like the Yanomami, over millennia. The survival of the Amazon depends on the survival of its indigenous stewards, their culture & technology, supported by good policy & wise development decisions. @GDPC_BU pic.twitter.com/EckC1cNcAq
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 25, 2018
Pleased to report that only our feet and several coconuts sustained injuries during the expedition. Our feet recovered. The coconuts, not so much. Machete wielded under supervision, of course. pic.twitter.com/fDYIz82hAz
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 26, 2018
After the technical expedition, we returned to the village for a month of linguistic work, intercultural dialogue, and community debate on future collaborations. @BU_Tweets students Avery Hall and Natalia Tanko were at the center of it all.Stay tuned! @GDPC_BU @BUPardeeSchool pic.twitter.com/xvSJ6ocB6I
— J M Klinger (@Prof_Klinger) July 26, 2018