Tribe Life: Children's chores
(Jemma Woodman from Cool Earth is visiting the community of Cutivireni in the Rio Ene Valley of the Peruvian Amazon, who are partnering with Cool Earth to protect trees and block logging. Her Tribe Life Notes, detail how the local children contribute to family life and learn how to look after themselves in the process.)
A group of children arrive back from collecting drift wood on the river Cuti. The bundles are tied with reeds and they begin to haul them up the steep bank. Without any words being exchanged other children saunter down to the river side to help them with their haul. This wood will be used by Anna Bustamante who has 13 children, 4 of whom have growing families of their own. The wood will be used as fuel to do all the cooking as all of the family cooking is done on a fire.
After the wood has been stored, there's the water to collect for cooking, washing and drinking. The river Cuti is highly polluted with chemicals from nearby mineral mines and illegal coca plants. Donations from Cool Earth supporters mean there will soon be fresh water on tap, the pipes are laid and are already supplying many other nearby villages but while a work is still being carried out, clean water is a 40 minute boat ride away.
Once we arrive at the tributary the children jump out and fill up large containers which will be rationed over a couple of days. The water here is less polluted and so there's one more job to be done. Catch supper. Daniel who is a local teacher, heads up the river with his eldest son with a net and an empty fuel container as a buoy. Dragging the net behind them they haul in six fish which will be eaten that even.
With the wood gathered, the water collected and the fish caught it's time to head home in the darkness by moonlight.
Support rainforest schools by protecting the children of the Ashaninka with text books.
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