About this project

The Worlds First 3D  Amazonian (Medicinal) Tropical Botany Database

“Using State of the Art Technology to support the conservation of Ancient Shamanic Knowledge”.

Project Outline and Objectives:

The aim of this project is to help the Shiwiar rainforest people of Ecuador gain autonomy in preserving their ancient knowledge biodiversity of Amazonian rainforest medicinal plants used in shamanic indigenous practices. The plants will be archived into a 3D digital botanical database which will include Geographical Information Systems and Google Maps. The project provides a possible solution to current issues that  many indigenous communities have with their young people leaving their settlements for cities, (most end up living in shanty-towns on the edge of cities barely surviving).

The Shamans Apprentice Project (S.A.P) creates an opportunity for young indigenous people to take on apprenticeships with environmental organizations that would sponsor them and teach them useful skills that they can bring back to their indigenous settlement and then use for the S.A.P project. The young indigenous apprentice will return to Ecuador after 6-12 months with any rainforest or wildlife environmental organization in the USA or Mexico to work on the S.A.P project to contribute to the conservation of their peoples culture.

The S.A.P Project Focus

The objective is to create the world's first 3D digital archive with GIS (Geographical Information Systems and interactive Google Map Layers for an Amazonian tropical biodiversity botanical database of (medicinal) plants, plant ecology, plant material, seeds/ fungi, insects used by people of the Amazon basin.  Geographical Information Systems along with information of shamanic practices and indigenous peoples usage of the  plants, linked to each plant specimen having a 3D photographic profile, providing information with key visual identification  of each plant, their associated seed, and ecological data such as topography, symbiotic relationships with animal/insect, amphibian pollinators, climate, ritual and medicinal uses, preparation and more.

• Emphasis on supporting the traditional Shiwiar tribal culture and knowledge of the indigenous rainforest shamans.

•    Conservation of Rainforest Biodiversity & Medicinal Plants. 

 •    Physical seed archive attached to the database.

• The Shamans Apprenticeship Project will provide tools and skills to support the Shiwiar people of the rainforest to continue to be the true custodians of their land.

• The digital archive will (over a certain number of years) be made available to qualified

botanists/biologists, conservationists who pay a monthly subscription to access the database on the world wide web.

• The subscription funds for accessing the S.A.P database go to the Shiwiar indigenous people to protecting the rainforest land of their communities.

• Workshops for indigenous communities to exchange and discuss strategies to preserve shamanic knowledge will be part of the project.

• A young shiwiar student will go on Apprenticeships (6 months to a year) with not-for-profit organizations that are devoted to rainforest conservation. This opportunity is for Shiwiar people who want to leave their life in the rainforest to gain skills and further their education, we hope to give them the choice to be sponsored on work experience or a university degree education in wildlife conservation. The contingency is that the “Apprentice”, will return to their communities to work for an agreed period of time on the S.A.P 3D botanical archive project. Candidates will be bringing back the skills that they have learnt on their apprenticeship term. These skills can be incorporated to evolving the management of The Shamans Apprenticeship Project.

We hope that the experience that the young Shiwiar students have on their Apprenticeship will give them the insight to value their own culture and give them the motivation to develop S.A.P., to preserve their own heritage.

• We will invite all charities and organizations involved in Rainforest conservation to offer

work apprenticeships to the young Amazonian indigenous people who want to leave their villages for 6 month to a year. The candidates will be supported in adapting to their apprenticeship, culture shock and work experience with a chosen mentor from the host organization.

The Shaman's Apprentice Project- Preserve Ancient Shamanic Knowledge.

• We will require sponsors to be supportive for the indigenous apprentice during their

training. All their financial needs will be need to be met in addition to accommodation and domestic budget.

• The Shiwiar are already providing field courses in tropical herbal medicine, jungle survival, birdwatching and biodiversity surveys in tree canopies. Paying Eco-tourists who are accommodated in tree houses -where the canopy surveys are based and held, zip lines and bridges, outlook posts. There will be a "Skills exchange workshop" at the end of each tourists stay to add to the skill sets that the natives can accumulate to expand and evolve their self sufficiency.

• A regular interaction with the world wide web on “The Shamans Apprentice Project” website will mean subscribing (paying) members can sign in and have access not only to the botanical database, but also to regular radio broadcasts and short documentaries and updated news of conservation developments as well as regular updates on how apprentices are doing in their exchange program in the west. People will also be able to buy indigenous rainforest peoples handmade art and crafts on the S.A.P Website, (managed fair trade for the Shiwiar indigenous hand-craft vendors).

What we need to make this project work:

•    A 3D scanner by either loaning it to us or allowing us to use it permanently.

• A well designed website to accommodate an extensive botanical and ecological archive for S.A.P that can accommodated a growing website and offer a service to subscribing botanists, ecologists, rainforest wildlife conservationists to subscribe paying a monthly fee to access the 3D database so that the funds to keep it going.

• Volunteer workers to work with indigenous shaman archiving, scanning plants, making notes of symbiotic relationships with insects or animal pollinators, connecting data to field samples and transects, wildlife that rely on certain plants and whom can consolidate all of the ecological aspects into a database that works with geographical information systems.

• Volunteers to help build observation towers for field volunteers to study and take samples from tree canopies where most of the rainforest biodiversity is held.

• Solar Panels & wind turbines which will be attached to large poles on the outer tree canopies of the Shiwiar settlement.

• A small number of companies, not for profit organizations to offer secure places to young indigenous apprentices to start off the Apprenticeship scheme.

• Sponsors to support the Apprenticeships in visa and travel costs, education, food, salary and accommodation.

• Companies that sponsor the projects will be given a dedication on the welcome S.A.P (Shamans Apprentice Project) website

-• Camera equipment for filming

• Computers

What we do have:

    •    An office in Puyo which we will use as a primary base for the computer equipment.

• A committed  British environmental biologist who works with the Shiwiar people and lives in Ecuador.  An America anthropologist committed to supporting the projects.

•    A plethora of keen volunteers who have expressed enthusiasm to work on this projectequipment required to start 3 Dimensional scanning of tropical plants

.• Volunteers and other useful contacts to get started.

Team Members

Eric Modean Montross I.T & Investment Resources.

Pascual Kunchicuy Shiwiar Chief-Director

Patricio Gualinga – Shaman, Plant Medicine Man-Co-Director

Carla Shaw- Ecologist-Project Designer & Manager, Founder of Evolve to Ecology

Shiwiar Apprentices, Foreign Volunteers

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