Even after many years of working with Indigenous peoples, it is rare to have the opportunity to get to know a completely new culture, with its unique language, stories, and different perspectives on the world.

Recently, our trip to the Chapra nation deep in the Peruvian Amazon provided just that. It also allowed us to better understand the significant challenges they face, including the urgent need for official land titles to safeguard their territory.

Amazon Watch was honored to participate in the Chapra assembly. No other organization had ever been invited to attend, and the Chapra people have only worked with international organizations for less than two years.

We were deeply impacted by the richness of the forest they protect, their fierce independence, the great food coming out of their territory, and the powerful leadership of their first woman president, Olivia Bisa.