Jewelry Making in the Amazon!

We’re off for jewelry making in the Amazon. And next year, a project in The Seychelles!

Jewelry Making in the Amazon: Art-Preneur Empowerment Sessions with Tacoma Artists/Business Owners Linda Danforth and Sue Pivetta

Local jewelry designer, Linda Danforth, has been invited to work with 80 native Waorani, Quichua and Mestizo women from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador. She was invited by Dr. Rocio Alarcόn, a committed scientist to sustaining cultural and natural diversity with extensive experience in scientific research, particularly in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. Dr. Alarcόn is the president of Iamoe Center (located in the Amazon region) where she organizes courses on shamanic practice; field taxonomy of plants (amazon forest); and ethnopharmacology and ethnobotany research. Rocio presently chairs an international consortium of scientists specializing in medicinal plants, natural products and phytocosmetics. The jewelry designs will be using local seeds the women collect.

Originally the group was expected to have 20 participants and when Linda heard 80 would be joining in the training she invited Tacoma artist and entrepreneur, Sue Pivetta, to come along to help with the sessions.

Linda and Sue will be paying her own way to Ecuador for this 4-day (plus travel days) volunteer opportunity. They are seeking donations for tools and supplies and especially would like to take cordless drills for use by the women to aid in their jewelry production. The Iamoe Center will be hosting Linda and Sue’s visit and paying for in-country travel and accommodations.

More about Linda Danforth:

Linda is the founder of several art collectives including the Jet Artist Cooperative, 253 Collective, and Catwalk in Tacoma, Washington (USA). Linda is also a partner in a contracting & consulting business, Agility, LLC and has her own business designing jewelry.

She has worked for all levels of government and is active with volunteer pursuits splitting her time between Tacoma, Washington and Phoenix, Arizona. The challenge of global poverty alleviation is a personal interest and Linda traveled to Honduras with Global Partnerships to learn about the fight against poverty around the world through microlending and model programs that offer sustainable solutions. She also participated in a trip to Mali, West Africa, focusing on microententerprise where she taught jewelry making to young women interested in starting their own businesses.

She has worked for all levels of government and is active with volunteer pursuits splitting her time between Tacoma, Washington and Phoenix, Arizona.  She is a board member of the World Affairs Council of Tacoma and a member of the Arizona Council of International Visitors. www.LindaDanforth.com is her website for her entrepreneurial endeavors.

More about Sue Pivetta:

Sue is a business owner, author, speaker and adult educator who has a passion for artists and art. For many years she organized an artist event called The 100th Monkey. This event allowed artists from all venues to come together on a regular basis for community building. Sue is CEO of a business that works in the US and internationally with 9-1-1 to improve training and operations for Emergency Communications Public Safety. Sue lives in Tacoma, Washington.

More about Dr. Rocio Alarcόn:

Rocio Alarcόn is a committed scientist to sustaining cultural and natural diversity and has extensive experience of some 30 years, in scientific research, particularly in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest conducting studies of ethnobotany into ethnic groups such as Huaroanes, Quichua, Achuar, and Kofan; and in the Pacific region with Chachi and Afroesmeraldenios and in the Basque Country (Spain). She works with people and plants, on topics related with health, food and the link with myths and rituals.

She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at the Universidad Catolica in Ecuador, her dissertation was about Ethnobotany of the Quichuas of the Napo River (Ecuadorian Amazon) and was the very first Ethnobotany publication in Ecuador. Rocio completed her Ph. D. Degree at the University of London, Centre of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy. She also received a diploma in Holistic Therapies in England and continues to travel, teach and inspire.

Dr Alarcόn is a deeply compassionate healer and spiritual teacher. She received her teachings from her mother, grandmother and shamans of the Amazonian Rainforest and Andes of Ecuador. She is the president of Iamoe Center located in Amazon region where she organizes courses on shamanic practice; field taxonomy of plants (amazon forest); and ethnopharmacology and ethnobotany research. Rocio presently chairs an international consortium of scientist specializing in medicinal plants, natural products and phytocosmetics.

More about the Iamoe Center:

http://www.iamoecenter.com/Page_Activities.php…

Our Mission is to inspire, promote and support the well-being and respect for all beings in the area surrounding the Iamoe Center. Our goal is to actively pursue fostering and creating the most feasible practices in maintaining the forest, sustaining diversity in culture and ecosystem, and to service the needs of people and the rest of species. Our Strategy is to build diverse scientific and cultural activities by inviting scholars, researchers and investors to create a productive sustainable business modality. . The hundred hectares of Iamoe Center is a private land, that is located in the North-eastern Ecuadorian Amazon region and it is also a part of the buffer zone for Yasuni National Park. Airlines provide service from Mariscal Sucre International Airport to Coca city

The above map shows where Ecuador is located within South America and the second map shows where Iamoe Center is located (This is shown by the blue dot on the map).
http://www.iamoecenter.com/Page_Background.php…

More about some of the seeds:

Native Amazonians throughout the Amazon basin have long used the seeds and nuts of a variety of trees and plants to make jewelery, such as these seeds of the Huayruro Hembra plant, all of which are bright red. They are female seeds in contrast to the male red and black Huayruro Macho seeds.

The native Huayruro plant seeds are found in pods in the tall trees of the rainforest. The red and black seeds are said to bring good fortune and abundance, while warding off negative energy. The mixture of black and red on the seeds is also said to bring balance. Locals collect the seeds that fall to the jungle floor, and many keep them n jars in their houses to promote health and bring them luck. They also make Huayruro seed bracelets for children to keep them safe from harm.

We also may work with some Spondylus shell fossils which are found off the coast of Ecuador, and have long been important to Andean peoples. Spondylus shells are much sought after by collectors, and there is a commercial market for them.

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In April of 2016 Linda is planning a similar project in the Seychelles.