The Manú Project

The Manú Project began in 2014 and concluded in 2017 with the release of the short film. A six-person team completed a preliminary scout and a first expedition to the Peruvian Amazon to document the effects of modernization within several different indigenous communities, including the two communities found in the restricted zone of the jungle. 

The focus of this project was on the mosaic of indigenous cultures fighting to maintain their ancient knowledge and traditions against modernization within Manu National Park, Peruvian Amazon. 

One of the few remaining Matsigenka Curanderos, Alberto Manquariapa embraces a tree that he used to save the life of his brother. As youth are increasingly persuaded that Western knowledge and medicine are superior to traditional, Alberto fears fo
Walter, a native of the community of Shintuya , carefully explains the historical creation and use of their many exquisite arrows. The traditional, handmade chair he sits on was made from a recently felled tree. Due to its location within the outsk
In the native community of Huacaria, the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and Education hires non-native educators to teach the young in Spanish while also providing Spanish books, not in Matsigenka, their native tongue. This is creating a huge language
A Curandero prepares a bath to cleanse daño, negative energy in the soul, by bathing in a blend of purifying lambranzillo leaves prepared by their healing Curandero, Alberto. Despite cultural and health necessity, only a few native communities perfo
Maria, 19, works on her crafts as she wears a traditional dress used in dances with the other women of the native community. Rita is the first-ever, female advisor to the chief of the community, and together they created the first life plan for the
At the time the primary students of Shipietari paraded into their new school as part of their anniversary celebration, the children wore their modern school uniform for the first time.  A piece of cloth which felt as foreign as their new ceme
Due to living inside Manu National Park, the Matsigenka must pay a certain taxes every year and travel the Madre de Dios region to find work. As these men, many of the Matsigenka, lack river transportation and have to wait for hours until they find
In the native community of Santa Rosa de Huacaria, the curriculum is taught entirely in Spanish, instead of their native tongue, Matsigenka. Every school year, teachers meet with the parents of the community, to inform them the curriculum will be ta
In the Mastigenka community of Tayakome , a group of kids spend a weekend afternoon huddled over a disconnected smartphone watching a movie dubbed in Spanish. Even though technology is seen in the restricted native community, they lack a high schoo
Captain Dante expertly navigates the challenging Río Fierro in the Restricted Zone of Manu Park in an overloaded boat, full of researchers and their luggage. Dante travels this grueling route twice a month and can take weeks to traverse during the
A young girl from Caocatl inquisitively stands on the shore of Río Fierro with a modern doll. The girl shows signs of parasitic pestilence that often accompanies nomadic communities as they are forced to become sedentary and water supplies are e
A Matsigenka mother holds her child as she prepares a fresh spider monkey kill in Caocatl. Tradition and park regulations require all hunting to be done with handmade bow and arrow. Despite its cultural significance and nutritional importance, mon
Forgotten amongst the trees hides a village called Caocatl. A Matsigenka community, deep inside the Restricted Area of Manu National Park,  who survive primarily on ancestral knowledge, customs of cultivation and hunting. However, they do not
Gabriel, a Matsigenka man in his early 20’s from the native community of Yomibato, posed with his 7-foot bow and arrows, his Adidas t-shirt, and his tinted hair while standing in front of a tree that has been alive for centuries. Despite a history o
Julio and Cesar, Matsigenka natives from   Yomibato , prepare Barbasco Root ; a toxic anesthetic used for fishing by temporarily paralyzing fish that come into contact with it. The root is pounded to release a milky substance into the water, c
Isabel, a Matsigenka woman, holds a bounty of fish cupped in her shirt that she and her family gathered while fishing. A Yomibato native, Isabel holds true to many cultural traditions, such as her family's fishing method and her role in her family
Isabel, wearing western clothes, enjoyed a quiet moment to herself, while searching for fish. It is hard to describe a "typical day" in the life of a Matsigenka family, because they differ depending upon the season of the year, the weather and the n
Marcos, an eight year old from Tayakome Native Community, attending elementary school, dreams of becoming a doctor and earn a degree in medicine, which means that he must leave the jungle, hence his family given that in Tayakome, there is only an el

The Expedition

The month-long expedition within Manu National Park started in May 2016, by car at the indigenous community of Huacaria. From there, we began to travel by boat along the river starting at the port of Atalaya. Our first community by river was Shintuya. Then we reached other communities like Shipietari and were cleared at the Pakitza Ranger Station to enter the reserved area of Manu National Park through the River Fierro. There we visited the two farthest communities, Tayakome and Yomibato. 

Map created by Cole Buckhart.

Animation created by Cole Buckhart.

Publication

The project and the expedition received a publication by The Outdoor Journal on December 19, 2016.

It was written by Kevin Floerke, one of the team members and the photographs included were taken by Lina Collado García, Kevin Floerke and Brett Garner.  

Short Film

The Trees don’t Talk Anymore

Lina acted as a Line Producer, Producer, Editor and Executive Producer, in The Trees don’t Talk Anymore, the project’s documentary short film.

The film was premiered as part of a film festival attended by 250+ people at the Center for the Arts in Jackson, WY in 2017. The film festival, Through our Lens, focused on premiering films about the human experience, and directed or produced by a man and a woman, working together, equally.

Sponsorships

The project received sponsorships with Mountain Khakis, GoPro and LifeStraw. 

The expeditions were funded through personal donations and a successful Kickstarter campaign. 

Footage filmed by the entire team, and edited by Lina Collado García.