The Fight For Amazonia The Internet Indians

Benki Piyako's family is leading the charge to increase the capacity of indigenous peoples to defend their land against outside exploitation. In the process, they are teaching communities improved land management techniques to help them both benefit from their natural resources and preserve a rich and unique ecosystem. At the heart of this struggle is a young man who seemed destined to work towards helping to protect the environment - just not in the way he had imagined. When he was just two years old, Benki was placed in the care of his grandfather, who trained him to be a pajé - someone who possesses a deep knowledge of traditions and healing and uses this knowledge to help his community. It was a responsibility he carried with him into adulthood.