In May of 1997, Cabeceras Aid Project fieldworkers Lev Michael and Chris Beier arrived in Peru, to begin our organization's year-long pilot project with the Nanti of Montetoni. In the course of the following year, they pursued and achieved the goals set for the Montetoni Project.

In accord with Cabeceras Aid Project's mission statement, our goals were to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Montetoni, in the form of materials such as tools and medical supplies, and human assistance such as health care and education, in order to promote the continued health and independence of their community; and to conduct anthropological and linguistic research with the Nanti, in order to create a record of their culture, their language and their history, for the future benefit of their group and for the education of people outside of their group.


The Montetoni Project was a tremendous success, and the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between Cabeceras Aid Project and the community of Montetoni. In the course of the year from May 1997 through April 1998, we made two extended stays in Montetoni, during which time we worked and lived as part of the Nanti community. In addition, during the time that we were in Peru away from Montetoni, we were able to make important steps in advocating for the autonomy, freedom and self-determination of the people of Montetoni. We think the best measure of the success of our Montetoni Project is the heartfelt welcome we have received from the Nanti of Montetoni to return next year, and many more times in the future, to continue our work with them.


Our Work in the Field

1. Our biggest task was to learn to speak the Nantis' distinct language. Our commitment is to be able to communicate directly with the Nanti, in order to learn their thoughts and wishes firsthand. Surprisingly, though various organizations, corporations and individuals work with the indigenous groups of southeastern Peru, rarely is language acquisition made a priority; Cabeceras Aid Project is unique in this respect. As part of our language learning process, we gathered a substantial amount of linguistic data on the previously undocumented Nanti language. Our long-term goal is to use these language materials to create educational materials, so that eventually the Nanti will be able to read and write their own language.
   
   In learning to speak Nanti, we discovered that the name "Kogapakori" that was given to them by their neighbors, the Machiguenga, is an insult that actually means "killing people" -- so we followed the lead of a kind Machiguenga pastor and now call them "Nanti," which simply means "I am." The Nanti do not yet employ names in the way that we do, so they do not have a name for themselves.
   
   
2. We provided a substantial amount of basic health care to the villagers of Montetoni, combating simple yet dangerous illnesses such as diarrhea, respiratory infections, topical infections and intestinal parasites. The medical supplies provided by Cabeceras Aid Project were essential to this success, and the remaining unused portion is now in the care of the doctor at the government health post closest to Montetoni.
   
   
3. We began the first stages of health and sanitation education among the adults of Montetoni. Though their cultural experience dictates a very different and simpler way of life, the Nanti are quickly learning that the outside world has brought new threats and dangers, and they must adapt their behavior in order to combat the illnesses that threaten their lives. Most importantly, we discussed with them some of the vectors of disease transmission and why there are new sicknesses in their community. We built Montetoni's first latrine, and discussed its purpose and benefits with the Nanti. We taught many of the adults how and when to use Oral Rehydration Salts in cases of severe diarrhea, which is the most common cause of death of children among the Nanti.
   
   
4. We provided valued tools and goods to the Nanti, such as machetes, axes, cooking pots, and clothing. By providing them with these items, Cabeceras Aid Project is helping the Nanti to escape manipulation by and debt to others in the region who would provide these basic goods at a high price in labor and servitude.
   
   We consider our material aid to the Nanti as a transitional strategy. We have begun, and will continue in the coming years, to assist the Nanti in creating a long-term, independent, and sustainable means for acquiring goods themselves.
   
   
5. We gathered information on the culture, the way of life, and the history of the people of Montetoni. This information now exists as a permanent record, created both for the Nanti themselves and for the outside world. This information exists in the form of written documents, photographs, audio recordings and video recordings. The material we have gathered will continue to play a critical role in our advocacy work on the behalf of the Nanti, and will be an important resource in the future, to create educational and literacy materials for the Nanti.
   
   
6. Through our presence in the Nanti community, and our deep interest in their cultural well-being, we were able to provide the Nanti valuable support in a growing political conflict between them and their neighbors, the Machiguenga, for control of their community. While we were working with the Nanti, they developed strategies to resist the efforts of various individuals to impose their own will and desires on the community of Montetoni, and the Nanti are now much more confident that they have the right and the strength to determine their own ways of life. This includes a renewed commitment to maintaining aspects of their traditional culture that they had previously been pressured to abandon.
   
   As a result of our advocacy work, the legal process was begun to bring about the removal of a Machiguenga school teacher from his position among the Nanti. Since his arrival in 1991, he had become increasingly exploitative of the Nanti, demanding that they labor for him without recompense, and aggressively pressuring them to abandon many elements of their traditional culture and language. Because of his abuses of his position, his presence became unwelcome in Montetoni, but for a long time he was determined to stay with the Nanti in spite of this. Happily, we have recently received news that upon learning of these legal proceedings, he gave up his position and retreated from Rio Camisea. His departure is a tremendous liberation for the Nanti.
   
   
7. Our activities outside of Montetoni, and particularly in Peru's capital city of Lima, were focused on providing the Nanti with a representative voice in the outside world, and delivering the message of their desire for autonomy and freedom. Through our advocacy work, we were able to counter the claim by certain Machiguenga individuals that the Nanti are simply a Machiguenga subgroup. The Nanti of Montetoni are now being recognized as an independent community and a distinct ethnic group.
   
   Several key events furthered our advocacy work. During the month of January, our fieldworkers authored an extensive report titled The Camisea Nanti: A Report on Factors Affecting their Welfare and Autonomy,detailing the complex political situation that the Nanti face. This report received wide circulation and alerted many important people to the situation in Montetoni. Then in March, we were invited to participate in a workshop held by Shell Prospecting and Development (Peru), concerning the isolated indigenous groups of the lower Urubamba River Valley. Through this forum we were able to continue our advocacy for the autonomy of the Nanti. We were also able to meet and speak with a wide variety of other people who are interested in the issue of isolated indigenous groups in general, and in the Nanti in particular. As a result of these various activities, we met with representatives of the Peruvian government, Shell Prospecting and Development (Peru), CEDIA (an important Peruvian indigenous rights organization), the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Conservation International, and other anthropologists and researchers working in Peru.
   
   Together with a number of our new associates in Peru, we now are involved in an effort to create a strategy to enforce the national laws that exist to protect the Nantis' territorial rights. Though the Nanti technically live within an area designated as an indigenous reserve, at present there is no means of enforcement. As a result, there is substantial violation of this reserve by outsiders.
   
   
8. Our fieldworkers were most fortunate to be able to collaborate with Dr. Charles Munn of the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Nathaniel Gerhart, an ornithologist for Selva Sur, during our spring visit to Montetoni. Dr. Munn assisted our expedition with equipment and funding, and Nathaniel accompanied us in Montetoni, in order to conduct a basic survey of the avifauna in the region. Working with Nathaniel, we were able to document part of the Nantis' extensive knowledge of the bird species in their environment. Nathaniel's work confirmed our beliefs that the territory of the Nanti is rich in diverse flora and fauna, and its rainforest and rivers are still pristine.
   

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