I was bowled over by this hand panted sign on the Minuetman Bike Trail in June. It turned out to be a call on behalf of the small indigenous group called the Waorani fighting to preserve their lands. I delved deeply into a small part of their long history of their unwelcomed contact with outsiders with my exhibition Bodies in a River. These paintings reflected tragic attempts of evangelical missionaries to convert the Waorani people in 1956. It was jarring to run across this unlikely hand painted banner in my own backyard directing me to the contemporary struggle I'd knew so well from 50 year old photographs.
“Our spears are no longer enough to defend our territory from oil threats. We, the Waorani of Pastaza, recognize the importance of tools like video, digital campaigns, political advocacy and legal strategies in the defense of our ancestral homeland. Although we live in the Amazon and many of you who read this live far away - together, we can achieve great things for the protection of our forests and our cultures, and the planet we all share.”
- Waorani Resistance #waoraniresistnace
Perfect Submission, 19" x13" acrylic paint & medium on panel 2013