Somehow, the topic of nerve poisons and insecticides came up while we were talking about tree health care in class. This was a brief overview of the discussion:
Sometimes in the course of learning and teaching it is nice not to go by the book. That is to say, stories and life experiences can be powerful teachers. It is a delight to see the flow of the river interrupted by rocks and a small waterfall or two. In this vein, I made plant story cards, numbering 52, with a tinge of tarot feel. There’s four suits – Light water soil climate; Plant parts and function; Foods medicines poisons ornamentals; and Pests sickness disaster death recycle and renewal. The idea is to print the images on hard card stock, cut ’em up, pick a card, and go from there.
Get stuck in monsoon flooded streets while your roof collapses from the weight of the water; watching your tomato crop go to hell cause of warm nights wet days and fungal rot; hiking in the mountains and drinking tea to sooth altitude sickness; a mouth full of prickly pear fruit hairs. Here we go!
This tribe in the Amazon, the Huaorani, I have never met them. I have not eaten monkey nor cooked a pot of curare. Heard about them through the lianas of stories, books and dreams. For this I have to thank Joe Kane (Savages), Laura Rival (Trekking through History), Jonathan Sparrow MW (Rainforest Medicine) and the Huaorani crew (Bete Quiwiguimamo Salvando el bosque para vivir sano). Theres a few movies out too which I’d love to see – End of the Spear and Queen of the Amazon. Maybe tomorrow before I go to sleep…This is what I have grasped so far:
A big thank you to Dolores Gamez for help with Spanish phrases and grammar!
Oh Monkeyface eel
I love you like a grandpa
You are the greatest fish
See you in the rocks!
Mission Azul 