The 7ft, crystal inlaid Grandmother Drum fly’s airfreight from Alaska to Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon today to launch “Voices of the Amazon,” a film and music project to sound the most urgent environmental crisis of our time: the potential destruction of the Amazon and its peoples.Over 60 dam projects are proposed on the Brazil, Peru and Bolivian Amazon, which would flood out tens of thousands of indigenous Peoples and destroy countless species of plant and animal life. Oil companies are dumping oil regularly in the Amazon and a new road is proposed through the heart of the Bolivian Amazon.
The recent blockbuster film “Avatar” based on the mythical planet Pandora, was scripted after James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver visited the Amazon and discover the real plight of the indigenous communities. Tribes across the Amazon refer to the Amazon as the lungs of our planet. Holding 60% of the planet’s rainforest and 1/5 of the planets fresh air and water the Amazon is truly the real “Pandora.”
White Eagle Medicine Woman, DrumKeeper of the Alaskan built Grandmother Drum has traveled a half a million miles over the last ten years sounding the thundering heartbeat of tribal unity and promoting peace and earth sustainability. White Eagle and the Grandmother International Peace Project will float the Amazon October 12-18, 2011 and film prayer ceremonies with local tribes, drum up support for local and international environmental groups and raise global awareness.
“ During our ceremonies on the river, we are going to paint our faces half as the characters of Avatar and half as the local tribal peoples of the Amazon,” says White Eagle, “ so maybe people around the world will get that this is not a movie in Hollywood, this is about real people and will affects all our lives. Our whole planet at stake.”
“ And there are many viable sustainable methods to provide small scale renewable power and renewable resources in the Amazon.” Adds Dilwyn Jenkins, Director of Ecotribal Sustainable Enterprise. “For example the non- profit, Cool Earth is actually paying local tribes to keep trees standing rather than logging then.It’s just a matter of a change of values, a change of heart.”
“And as we all know, a change of heart changes everything,” replies White Eagle. “The Grandmother Drum’s heartbeat sound reminds us all of what’s really important, caring, sharing and respecting all our relations.
