Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
Special to ICT
Around the World: Amazon communities receive the smallest share of bioeconomy profits; Winnipeg Ribbon Skirt Day celebrates Indigenous pride, love and laughter; China imposes new restrictions on Tibetan students during winter break; and the Wattandee community in Australia will host Elders Connect Camps soon.
AMAZON: Bioeconomy profits
The bioeconomy concept is gaining attention in global forums like COP and G20. Yet, for Amazonian communities, creating wealth while preserving nature has long been an intrinsic and practiced idea, Mongabay reported on Jan. 3.
“Our communities have lived in, managed and preserved the forest for millennia, using biodiversity, water and the land to guarantee their livelihoods with autonomy and abundance,” a group of 25 traditional communities stated in a letter published Nov. 14.
In a speech at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Pará’s state Governor Helder Barbalho stated that carbon projects would help Indigenous people “to feed themselves, to dream, and to have quality of life, without having to propose as a solution for their communities illegal mining and mineral extraction.”
However, traditional Amazonian communities, known for their expertise in collecting forest fruits and cultivating small gardens, earn the smallest share of bioeconomy profits despite doing the hardest work. Studies reveal stark disparities in profit distribution. For example, in the case of Brazil nuts, 79 percent of the profits go to the processing industry, while only 11 percent remain with forest communities.
Similarly, rural producers in Brazil earn just 6 percent of cocoa profits, while European processing companies claim 24 percent, and large international chocolate producers like Mars Inc. and Nestlé take more than 70 percent.
The situation is no different for açaí, one of Amazon’s most celebrated products. In February 2024, 1 liter of pure açaí sold for a mere 8.26 reais ($1.34) in Amazon states, while abroad, the same amount fetched around 200 reais ($32.50), even after being diluted with other products. “You go to a train station in Europe, and 300 milliliters [10 ounces] of açaí are sold for $15,” said Jacques Marcovitch, a professor at São Paulo University’s School of Economics.
Marcovitch co-organized the book “Bioeconomy for Whom?,” a collection of 12 studies authored by 32 Brazilian scholars. The book, launched in Belém in June 2024, highlights challenges in Amazon product supply chains, including profit inequities and market demands that clash with the forest’s natural production cycles. “The market wants a predictable supply over 12 months. But the forest doesn’t guarantee predictability,” Marcovitch explained.
Co-organizer Adalberto Luis Val emphasized that forest products should not be treated like agricultural commodities. “In a super-biodiverse situation like the Amazon, we can’t think of products occurring on a large scale,” he said. The limited availability of species makes mass supply to global markets unfeasible.
Structural challenges exacerbate these inequalities. Poor access to energy, inadequate roads, and harassment from land-grabbers and ranchers make it difficult for communities to thrive. “It’s easier to get money from the bank to buy cattle than for a project to work with standing forest,” said Raimunda “Mariana” Rodrigues, an agricultural worker and leader of a women’s association in Pará.
Val stressed the importance of organizing communities in cooperatives and providing information about supply chains. “We need to build a thriving forest conservation system with social inclusion and income generation,” he concluded.
CANADA: Winnipeg Ribbon Skirt Day
An event in Winnipeg for the third annual National Ribbon Skirt Day celebrated Indigenous pride, along with “love, kindness [and] loud auntie laughter,” said one organizer, CBC News reported on Jan. 4.
First Nations girls, women, gender-diverse, and Two-Spirit people were encouraged to wear traditional regalia for Winnipeg’s National Ribbon Skirt Day event, which began at Polo Park mall.
“We showed up in beautiful skirts, with lots of love, kindness, loud auntie laughter, and gathered as a community,” said Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, a Cree mother, grandmother, auntie, advocate and the event’s master of ceremonies.
National Ribbon Skirt Day honors Isabella Kulak, a member of the Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan. In 2020, Kulak, then a fifth-grade student, was shamed by a school staff member who said her handmade ribbon skirt wasn’t dressy enough for the school’s “formal day.” The school district later apologized to Kulak’s family and Cote First Nation.
Kulak’s experience inspired a movement to deepen cultural understanding of ribbon skirts, symbols of strength and identity within First Nations communities. It also led to a federal bill passed in December 2022, officially recognizing Jan. 4 as National Ribbon Skirt Day across Canada.
Ribbon skirts, traditionally worn during ceremonies, are also everyday expressions of Indigenous pride. “They represent many things to Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people,” Anderson-Pyrz said. “Many feel the strength of the ribbon skirt when walking in nature, as the medicines touch the skirts and fill us with healing and love.”
She described ribbon skirts as symbols of protection, resilience, honor and humility, connecting wearers to the land and its resources. Wearing them reclaims Indigenous culture and counters colonization’s ongoing impacts.
Anderson-Pyrz expressed hope that National Ribbon Skirt Day inspires respect, love and kindness, while encouraging recognition of Canada’s systemic historical wrongs. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak emphasized the day’s importance for protecting cultural expression and ensuring First Nations values are celebrated for future generations.
TIBET: China imposes new restrictions
As winter break began in Tibet, Chinese authorities imposed new rules on Tibetan students, prohibiting private Tibetan-language classes and mandating those focused on Mandarin and Chinese political subjects, sources confirmed, Radio Free Asia reported on Jan. 1.
Since winter break began on Dec. 30, 2024, Chinese authorities have imposed new restrictions on Tibetan children, including banning religious symbols and activities. Sources, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, reported that these measures are part of Beijing’s broader push to suppress Tibetan culture and enforce Mandarin and Han Chinese culture.
During the two-month winter break, Tibetan students in Lhasa and across Tibet are prohibited from receiving private Tibetan language lessons or any tutorials outside of school-approved assignments. Authorities have mandated that students focus on improving their Mandarin skills instead, with lessons aimed at enhancing their proficiency.
In Dzoge and Ngaba counties in Sichuan’s Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, the restrictions are even stricter. Children are prohibited from wearing clothing with Tibetan religious symbols. Authorities have also banned Tibetan-language tutoring, restricted religious participation, and prohibited parents from taking their children to monasteries, sources said.
These restrictions are enforced across other Tibetan regions, such as Golog in Qinghai province and Kardze in Sichuan. In these areas, the teaching of Tibetan language is explicitly forbidden, and students must focus on school assignments tied to Chinese political education.
The Qinghai Provincial Education Department in Golog, for example, has issued vacation assignments that emphasize Mandarin and Chinese political education, including Xi Jinping’s ideology, the sources explained. These assignments require both parents and students to study together.
Additional restrictions in Lhasa and other regions include surveillance of students, with authorities prohibiting participation in online groups and community activities. Since 2021, the Chinese government has restricted Tibetan children from taking informal Tibetan language lessons, a move that has been widely criticized by local Tibetans and parents for its negative impact on children’s cultural connection. By late 2023 and early 2024, authorities had intensified efforts to enforce these bans through door-to-door checks.
AUSTRALIA: Elders Connect Camps
The Wattandee Littlewell Aboriginal Corporation received a grant from the Department of Local Government, Sport, and Cultural Industries to host Elders Connect Camps in 2025, National Indigenous Times reported on Jan. 4.
The Wattandee Littlewell Aboriginal Corporation has received funding from the Department of Local Government, Sport, and Cultural Industries to host the Elders Connect Camps in 2025. This grant will provide vital resources to strengthen cultural ties, empower Elders and preserve heritage for future generations.
Wattandee Littlewell Aboriginal Corporation director and proud member of the Wattandee community, Tristan Mongoo, stressed the importance of community involvement in the initiative’s success. “We look forward to working closely with the Wattandee Elders Council and any Wattandee Elders and Family interested in participating in these camps,” he said. “Your involvement is crucial in making this initiative a success and enriching our community.”
The Elders Connect Camps are designed to provide a space for Elders to share cultural knowledge, wisdom and healing practices through storytelling, cultural workshops and traditional arts. These activities foster intergenerational learning and strengthen community bonds.
“This grant is a significant milestone for the Wattandee community,” said Mongoo. “It provides us with the resources to expand our programs, specifically the Elders Connect Camps initiative. This funding will create more opportunities for cultural exchange and ensure our heritage is preserved.”
Reflecting on the inspiration behind the initiative, Mongoo shared a personal moment involving his mother, a survivor of the Stolen Generations. “One moment that stands out is seeing my mum perform a cultural dance on her own Country – something she never thought would happen,” he said. “These camps are about healing, connection, and celebrating our resilience.”
Mongoo also described how previous camps helped him understand his own intergenerational trauma. “Being able to sit, listen, and share stories with our Elders was a profound experience,” he said.
Looking ahead, Wattandee Littlewell Aboriginal Corporation envisions the camps as a permanent fixture, aiming to build a sustainable model for cultural preservation and intergenerational learning. “This isn’t just about a single event – it’s about creating a legacy,” Mongoo said.
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are with Amazonian communities working hard to sustain the forest. They collect Brazil nuts, harvest açaí, and grow cocoa. Yet, they receive almost nothing compared to the profits made by others in the supply chain. This isn’t fair.
These communities face countless challenges. Poor roads make it hard to sell their products. Many lack access to electricity or equipment. Illegal land-grabbers and ranchers constantly threaten them.
Fair profit-sharing would change everything. Communities could afford better roads and equipment. They could improve their living conditions. They could stay on their land and protect the forest from destruction. Young people would see a future in sustainable work instead of leaving for exploitative industries.
This isn’t just about Amazon. It’s about the world. The Amazon regulates the climate and hosts unmatched biodiversity. If we don’t support its guardians, we all lose. Fair profit-sharing sets an example. It shows that people come before profits. It challenges corporations to do better.
As researcher Adalberto Luis Val says, “We need a system that protects the forest and includes the people.” That system starts with justice. It starts with giving Amazon communities and all Indigenous guardians the world over, their fair share. Without them, there is no bioeconomy, no forest, and no future.
