Dirk in his element

Phil and Frits discussing plans for research and education on Tonka Island

Kelly reviewing the day's list of plants by lantern light

Frits demonstrates how to make a thatched roof

Phil makes friends with a peccary


Home Sweet Hut


This frigid waterfall was a refreshing reprieve from the tropical heat


Plants thirst for light - not water - deep in the rainforest. A opening like this is a lush oasis on a forest floor that is less vegetated under the full canopy.




Howler monkeys are more often heard than seen. We were fortunate to have this troupe of about 15 individuals pass right over head with little regard for our cameras.

Frits van Troon gathering a medicinal liana

Trip to Afobaka

Typical fruit stand



Kelly, Frits, and Phil



Henk - Director of the Rainforest Medical Foundation
Lenny and another guide / boatman behind Hank

Rainforest along the Suriname River

Phil listening to Medicine Man Mike with Fredo interpreting

Kelly studying medicinal plants in Dr. Hanny van de Lande's Garden

A view from Brownsburg

Out and About

Hi all!
Sorry it is so long between posts. Internet access here is sparse and slow. But, we have gotten a lot accomplished since the last time I wrote you.
We have completed our workshop. The teachers seem to have taken to the concept very well. They were very enthusiastic. We are now working with the director of the teacher's college and with a woman who helps design the national curriculum about a follow-up workshop and about trying to include Investigating Environmental Issues in the school system here.
This past weekend we visited the village of Nickerie. It's in northeastern Suriname. We talked with a few classes of teachers about our workshop and about our research: how the people of Suriname use and value their local plant knowledge.
Since then, we have been in Domburg--Dirk's home village. It's very peaceful, very quiet, and right on the edge of the bush. So, we have been able to talk with many people, including the local medicine man. We have been travelling to nearby markets and villages to conduct interviews, and we have been hiking and looking for wildlife. Yesterday, we biked to Jakin, about 10 kilometers away, and spoke with several people. In the evening we biked back to the bush and saw a whole troop of monkeys! Very cool.
I'm sorry I cannot really condense 2 weeks into a few paragraphs - but this is at least a summary and some highlights. This weekend, we will be back in the jungle with Frits van Troon, a very well-known botanist and shaman. I am very excited about it; he is very wise and very kind.
I hope everything is going well for all of you. Hope to talk with you soon. Peace,
Kelly

Domburg

Odi fa waka

We are in the village of Domburg now and spending lots of time traveling by bikes to interview some wise elders. Yesterday, Kelly and I biked about 10 kilometers to the village of Jakin. The morning ride wasn't too bad, and we obtained some useful data while in the village. However, we weren't too bright and biked backed around 2 p.m. in the heat of the day when everyone else is taking their siesta. That was draining, but we survived. I saw my first green viper while biking on a path near dark last evening. My first instinct to jump off the bike, catch the snake, and "then" identify it was overridden (fortunately) by Kelly's better sense and a sharp, "Phil, what are doing? You're in the tropics and don't know anything about what crawls here! For goodness sakes, stay on your bike!!" Some people just take away all my fun. The access to computers and the sluggish speed of the internet has not improved; therefore, I cannot post any pictures yet.

We will be in the interior again in about a day working with Frits von Troon. He's invited us to come help because the government of Holland has sent 15-20 Dutch teenagers (born to Maroon parents that moved to Holland) to discover their roots. So, Kelly and I are joining this group of kids, a TV crew, and probably some government folks to head into the bush. I think Frits wants us to help them with plant I.D. and keep them from wandering into some dangerous situation. I guess Frits still has a bit to learn about me, eh? :-) I may be out of touch till next week. Hope all is well with everyone. I look forward to sharing pictures and stories. Take care!

Phil
August 2

Here but gone again

Hi Everyone

This website will have to be updated when I return to the states. We have many great pictures. Really ... we do! In spite of Joe's comment, they are not doctored with photoshop either. We've been spending a lot of time with Fritz (the Maroon botanist / shaman). He's taken quite an interest in us and finds us whenever he can to share stories over dinner. I have the bug (and a couple of pirannah) bites to prove it. We finished the training at the university yesterday (Thursday) and we are leaving in a few minutes for a Carib (Amer-Indian) village. I'll be gone again for the next several days. The internet connection is extremely slow and the opportunities to even be near a computer are few. My best wishes to you all. It's a great experience, but I do miss my family. Know that I'm thinking of you all. I'll try to update you next week.

Phil
July 28, 2006

Back in Paramaribo

Hi all

We returned from the rainforest and are continuing the IEEIA workshop at the university. We have many pictures but the web connection here is very slow and times out before we get the pics uploaded. We will keep trying and hopefully have something to show you before long. Thanks for your patience. It has been quite an experience to spend several days on the heels of Frits von Troon - noted by some as the worlds greatest native botanist in the tropics. Having lived in the jungle nearly all of his life, he has an amazing global vision and is very pleasant to work with. More to come ....

Phil

More pics from Trinidad

Pictures from Trinidad

Phil, Kelly, and Dirk in Trinidad


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We have been in Suriname for some six days now, and it has turned out to be very interesting and very enlightening. This is a very diverse country. Trinidad, where we stayed on the way here, is only 2000 sq. miles, but has more plant diversity than all of north america. Just imagine--Suriname is the size of Georgia--the diversity and wealth of knowledge here is invaluable. Jerry and Phil have also been amazed at the number and variety of birds here. Perhaps the most interesting aspect, however, is the diversity of people. Just in Paramaribo, the main city, there are African, Chinese, Indonesian, Javanese, Indian, Dutch, and many others--not to mention the various cultures of the interior. There are Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and still others; the mosque and the synagogue are literally side-by-side. And, there is very little conflict. The people here are exceptionally tolerant. It is very encouraging to see that when children grow up in a diverse environment there truly can be harmony.
Not that Suriname is idyllic or perfect--there are many problems here. There is poverty, and as a result there is crime. Every building in the city is caged in rebar and padlocked.
The situation outside the city, in smaller villages such as Domberg (Dirk's home) is again very different. There the houses are all open; some do not even have windows or doors, much less locked gates. The people share what they have. It is interesting that these people, who arugably have less in terms of material goods, seem to be more willing to give. As renowned botanist and shaman Fritz van Troon told us, they "have good memory." They recognize that life is non-zero-sum, that by giving a little now, they can gain overall.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult in a third-world, hand-to-mouth culture to work on such seemingly esoteric goals as environmental quality and education reform. Maslow's priority of needs applies; if people's basic physical needs are not met, they simply cannot ignore those needs to focus on the environment. My concern, and the paradox, is that if they cannot find a way to educate their people and preserve the environment, in the long term their poverty will only increase.
On a lighter note--we have been conducting our Investigating Environmental Issues workshop with about 20 teachers here in the city, and it is going very well. I have been meeting w/ other botanists--Dr. Hanny van de Lande, Dr. Dorothy Traag, and shaman Fritz van Troon (Uncle Fritz)--and they have all been very knowledgable and very helpful. We have been twice to Dirk's village and had huge dinners with his family and their friends; last night we even attended his sister Bridget's birthday party. And, this weekend we will be edging into the interior to visit Tonka Island and the Brownberg nature reserve. Those that know me know that I am very excited to be getting out of the city and into the jungle!
Hope this message finds you all doing well. Please feel free to send your messages and comments our way! Peace.
--Kelly

Blog Barriers

I was hoping to keep everyone updated on this blog with a journal and pictures of this trip. Internet access has been very limited though, and it is virtually impossible to get our pictures to upload. We will keep trying though whenever possible; however, we will be in the jungle from Friday till Monday. Hope to contact you all soon.

Phil