Benki Piyãko

Benki has played and continues to play a major role in the main projects of his people, especially the fight to defend their land on the border with Peru; environmental protection; the recovery of degraded areas; and the development of sustainable development projects with indigenous and non-indigenous communities in the municipality of Marechal Thaumaturgo. From an early age he has supported and guided other indigenous and non-indigenous communities to strengthen themselves and fight for their political, social and economic sovereignty, including the Puyanawa of Mâncio Lima, the Kuntanawa of the Tejo River, the communities of the Alto Juruá Extractive Reserve in Brazil, and the Asháninka from Sawawo, Saweto, Dulce Gloria and the Selva Central in Peru.

Graduating as an indigenous agroforestry agent from the Pro-Indian Commission of Acre in 2002, Benki helped to create the curriculum for the course itself, instructing CPI-AC technicians in the work of managing natural resources in indigenous territories, guided by his experience working on environmental recovery with his Ashaninka community on the Amônia river. A key strategy of Benki and his people is always to work with local indigenous and non-indigenous communities to reforest degraded areas and protect the natural resources of the Municipality of Marechal Thaumaturgo, contributing to environmental protection consciousness, food safety and job creation in the region. One of the focuses of his work is training young community leaders in environmentally sustainable practices. In this way, Benki Piyãko actively contributes to strengthening indigenous communities in defense of their lands against natural resource exploitation projects.

Among the many projects he has already carried out, in 2007 Benki created the "Yorenka Ãtame" (Knowledge of the Forest) Centre with his Ashaninka community. For many years, the Yorenka Ãtame Centre has enabled the exchange of traditional knowledge and experiences between indigenous and non-indigenous communities in Brazil and abroad. As part of his "Beija Flor" project, which he created in 2006, Benki works with indigenous and non-indigenous communities in the Alto Juruá region in the recovery of degraded areas in the Municipality of Marechal Thaumaturgo; the social, political and economic strengthening of indigenous and non-indigenous communities; the training of young community leaders in sustainable environmental practices; the environmental education of children and young people in the Municipality of Marechal Thaumaturgo; the recognition and strengthening of indigenous and extractivist communities with traditional knowledge; the union of forest peoples; the fight against illegal logging, fishing and hunting; and improving the health of the entire population of the municipality. In 2011, Benki helped to create the "Association of Young Warrior Guardians of the Forest" in Marechal Thaumaturgo, made up of indigenous and non-indigenous young people from Marechal Thaumaturgo, to strengthen environmental protection work in the municipality and the “INCRA” landless settlement and to publicize sustainable environmental management techniques. Through this work the "Raio do Sol" space was created, where projects to recover degraded areas, plant seedlings, raise small animals, beekeeping and fish farming were developed. As a voice for his people to the world, especially since 1992, when he left his territory for the first time to take part in the UN-Climate Summit ECO92, Benki has developed socio-political and environmental work that has gained international visibility. Since 2000 Benki has made several international trips to Europe, Asia and North America to present the projects of the Ashaninka People of the Amônia River, and has had the opportunity to meet various political leaders and social entrepreneurs from all over the world, such as Hanne and Maurice Strong, Vandana Shiva, José Bove, Pierre Rabhi, Danielle Mitterrand, Laurent Fabius, Nicolas Hulot, Frans Kracjberg, Marina Silva, Sebastião Salgado, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Evan Williams, Jada Pink Smith among many others. At the age of twelve, in the late 1980s, he inspired Milton Nascimento, who dedicated the song “Benke", from the album “Txai", to him.

In 2004 Benki was awarded the National Human Rights Prize by the Brazilian government. In 2006 he received a grant from the Ashoka organisation as a social entrepreneur to work on their environmental projects. In 2009 Benki had the opportunity to meet spiritual leaders from all over the world during COP15 in Copenhagen. In 2012, during the Climate Change Conference, also known as Rio+20, Benki Piyãko received the “e-brigaders Award” from the e-Institute and UNESCO for his work in favour of protecting the environment. And in 2013 Benki received the Human Rights Award from the German city of Weimar for his work on behalf of the rights of Indigenous Peoples across borders. In 2014 Benki was honoured by the "International Society of Ethnobiology", participating in an International Congress of Ethnobiology in Bhutan, for his environmental work with communities in the Upper Juruá. In 2015 Benki was invited by the French organisation "One Heart One Tree" to become an ambassador for the project, due to his work recovering degraded areas. The German NGO Society for threatened Peoples has also supported the work of Benki and the Ashaninka People since 2004 in defence of the rights of indigenous peoples and protection of the Ashaninka people's territory. In 2017, the Ashaninka community Apiwtxa won the "Equator Prize" from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Benki and his brother Moisés Piyãko were invited to New York to receive the award. In 2020, Benki was awarded the "Culture for Peace" prize by the "Chirac" and "Culture and Diversity" Foundations. In addition to being a visionary social entrepreneur, Benki Piyãko is a world-renowned spiritual leader, having learned the knowledge of traditional Ashaninka medicine from his paternal grandfather, Samuel Piyãko. Next to the Yorenka Ãtame Centre, Benki built the "Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute" (Wisdom of the Creator) in 2018. The Institute serves as a meeting and exchange point for spiritual and government leaders from all over the world so that they can discuss the importance of living in balance with life, protecting nature, the source of life that is indispensable for human survival and for balancing the human body and mind.

Biographical data 1992: First departure from the village to take part in the United Nations Earth Summit (Eco 92).

2002: Benki helps set up the Association of Indigenous Agroforestry Agents of Acre (AAFI), where he also trained as an Agroforestry Agent with the Pro-Indian Commission of Acre.

2004: Benki receives the National Prize for the Defence of Human Rights from the Brazilian Government.

2005-2007: Working as Secretary of the Environment for the Municipality of Marechal Thaumaturgo. In 2005 Benki helps to set up, together with the Acre Pro-Indian Commission, the GTT (Cross-Border Working Group) between Brazil and Peru to combat illegal invasions of indigenous territories and to protect isolated Indians.

2006: Benki is recognised as a social entrepreneur by the Ashoka organisation.

2007: Benki becomes coordinator of the Yorenka Ãtame Centre (Wisdom of the Forest), founded by the Ashaninka of the Amônia River on 7 July 2007, in the municipality of Marechal Thaumaturgo, as a space for dialogue, exchange and dissemination of forest knowledge.

2008: The Apiwtxa Association receives the Chico Mendes Award in the Community Association category, for developing activities based on the standing forest, healthy rivers and a clean environment. In France Benki is received at the French National Assembly by members of the Parliament - Green Party: Noel Mamère, Yves Cochet and many others.

2009: Participation in the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP-15) and the "Meeting of Religious Leaders" side event.

2011: Benki helps to set up the "Association of Young Warrior Group Guardians of the Forest" and the “Raio do Sol Project” to train young non-indigenous community leaders to work on reforestation projects in degraded areas of the region, applying traditional knowledge and practices.

2012: Participation in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro, also known as Rio+20, and the participation in the side event, "Reclaiming Food Democracy" with Vandana Shiva and Hans Rudolf Herren on Food Sovereignty. He also receives the “e-brigaders” Award from the e-Institute and UNESCO.

2013: Human Rights Award from the City of Weimar in Germany for work in defence of the rights of the Ashaninka People and surrounding communities.

2013: Trip to France and meetings with environmentalists Pierre Rabhi and Jose Bove.

2014: Scholarship from the International Society of Ethnobiology and participation in the 14th International Congress of the Society of Ethnobiology in Bhutan.

2017: Recognition of his work in Luciano Huck's "Special Inspiration" programme (URL: https://globoplay.globo.com/v/5770471/).

2017: Special participation in TV Globo's soap opera "A força do querer”.

2018: Benki founds the Yorenka Tasorentsi Centre for the exchange of traditional spiritual knowledge and environmental protection techniques.

2020: Benki receives the "Culture for Peace" award from the French "Chirac" and "Culture and Diversity" Foundations.

**Publications ** Since 2000: Produced and directed the films "Path to Life", "Living Forest" and "Apprentices of the Future" together with the brothers Isaac and Wewito. All three films depict the management of agroforestry systems in the Ashaninka Apiwtxa community.

2009: Participation in the German documentary "The Internet Indians" about the Ashaninka people and the use of the Internet as a tool to support environmental protection. Participation in the publications "The Song of the Earth" 4 Keys - Worldview, scientific and spiritual visions with "Gaia Education Associates", sponsored by UNESCO.

2012: "Visions of the Living Earth - a joint book project of Shumei and Navdanya". Shumei International and Navdanya.