MALDETE DA SILVA PIANCO, Amonia River, Brazil, UN Equator Prize Winner

MALDETE (BENKI) DA SILVA PIANCO, ASSOCIATION OF ASHANINKA PEOPLE OF THE AMÔNIA RIVER, BRAZIL, UN Equator Prize Winner
"Nature today offers us everything. These necklaces are part of our living culture because we use all the fruits in the forest for adornment. They are our riches and beauty. It’s also a way of showing that we are always with something alive on our body. It is a spiritual embodiment of value with nature. We depend on the land, and the land depends on people at the same time. We have a diversity of species too, that must be cared for permanently, because from that we get our survival. The world today is falling into a bankruptcy, that is being matched in our spiritual realm. We not only seek the defense of indigenous people, but all humanity – the planet that generates the survival of us all. Every human should assume their role, don’t wait for something to become an issue first."