5 Things We Can Learn From The Kayapo People in The Amazon Rainforest

I love to travel!  I’ve traveled to Russia, Mexico, Canada and different states throughout the U.S.  One of the things I love being about a blogger is sharing those experiences on The Mommy-Files.  Now, I want to start off by saying that I have never been to The Amazon myself, but I have virtually – that is through the experiences of others.  Most recently, it was on a trip with Pure Energies to the Amazon Rainforest, where they visited with the Kayapo people.

Project Kayapo was underway when CEO of PURE Energies, Zbigniew Barwicz, and a small team led by the International Conservation Fund of Canada, headed to the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest.  For almost two weeks, they lived alongside the Kayapo indigenous people tribe.  They participated in the traditions of the Kayapo people and explored the Amazon.

A donation for Kayapo indigenous people, as well as light, was provided by PURE Energies to each household.

Who Are the Kayapo People?

The Kayapo people protect one of the largest regions of the Amazon Rainforest in the world.  The territory spans 10.5 million hectares (almost bigger than 50% of all of the countries in the world)!  Since the 1950s, the Kayapo indigenous people have successfully battled wave after wave of squatters, loggers, ranchers, miners and government officials to maintain their land and way of life.  With this way of life, PURE Energies found it inspiring and embarked on a journey to learn from the Kayapo indigenous people what independence, leadership and sustainability mean in the most remote corners of the world.  Plus, they brought them the power of solar light!

5 Things We Can Learn From the Kayapo indigenous People 

One of the members of PURE Energies team shared with me her experience with the Kayapo indigenous people and what she learned from them.  When she first embarked on the journey, she wasn’t really sure what to expect – ya know, living without electricity, showers, beds and any other commodity we use in our daily lives?  It was temporary for her, but for the indigenous Kayapo people, it was permanent.  Here are 5 things she learned from her encounters with these inspiring individuals.

1. You need less than you think.

We live in a world where constant advertisements, products and all kinds of companies are pushing images, videos and messages into our life about new things we should be buying and eating.  This makes it really difficult to live life simply.  It becomes difficult to not want that new pair of boots, or new iPhone, or even new home.  So our life becomes filled with “wants.”  In fact, many people base their their happiness on these wants and their journey in life becomes one to obtain them.  Perhaps the reason we feel like we need more and we continue to buy things is because once we’ve bought that item that took months to save for, we quickly realize that it didn’t make up as happy or changed our life as much as we had hoped.  We enter into an endless cycle of materialism that become almost impossible to escape.

The Kayapo indigenous people live modestly.  They don’t use money on an every day basis and they have very little material possessions.  Their happiness isn’t based on social status, wealth, material or even career development.  They don’t want to become CEO’s, doctors or lawyers, but rather they want to care for their families and make sure everyone in their community is happy and okay. See some beautiful footage of how they live here.

2. Use your freedom.

On her trip, it took at least 3 days to get used to the fact that there were no scheduled meetings, no phone calls to make or emails to write (can you imagine that???).  He didn’t have to be home to make dinner or live according to all the things people expected from her and the rules that society surrounds us with to maintain order.

The Kayapo indigenous people live in perfect disorganization.  There is no dinner time, no specific calendar – no time for anything.  They live life as they feel it.  If they feel like swimming, they go.  If they are hungry, they hunt.  Kids are completely free.  No one is constantly watching over them and their every move.  They become free, fearless and self-sufficient at a young age.

She learned that it was ok to break the rules and to take a Sunday to do nothing but what you want – relax, read, spend time with the people you love.  It’s ok to slow down from time to time.  We should take more time to enjoy the little things – the streets, the noises, the people around us.  We should take it all in and allow the things around us to inspire us.  We should live our lives at our own pace, rather than that of everyone else.

3. Don’t be afraid.

After returning from her trip to the Amazon, she realized how many of the fears we have are actually constructed by other people.  We’ve adopted those fears as our own, which is pretty silly, don’t you think?  To be afraid of things just because we’re taught to be.  Before going on the trip, she was afraid of snakes, the scorpios, the piranhas, and all sorts of things people told her to be afraid of.  But when she got there, she quickly learned that while those threats were present, she just had to be careful – not afraid.

She was amazed by the Kayapo children!  They swam alone at 2 years old, held knives to make airplane toys, climbed crazy high trees and had the best time of their lives!  They weren’t afraid of the water or the forest because they weren’t taught to be.  The adults weren’t afraid of constant failure because their community didn’t make them that feel way.  Everyone had an integral role in the community and wants everyone else to succeed in their role.  There is no “I” with the Kayapo indigenous people – only “we.”

4. A smile goes a long way.

She spoke no Kayapo and her Portuguese wasn’t that great, but it was amazing how much a smile made a difference.  People are people everywhere.  We breathe the same and feel the same – we want to care for our families, find meaning in our lives and live happy and healthy lives.  In many ways, we are the same.  It’s amazing how a smile goes a long way in making people feel loved, comfortable, listened to.  A smile goes a long way in feeling empathy, joy and understanding.  If we all smiled a little more, our lives would be so much better!

The Kayap0 indigenous people are the most smiling bunch of people she’s ever met – and it really made a difference!  Everyone is calm, in a good mood and smiling at each other.  Life has it’s ups and downs, but  it’s up to each of us to see the good and recognize it.

5. Appreciate what you have.

She talked about how she’d never met such charismatic, loving, happy, nice people.  They protect the rainforest with their lives because it’s their home and because they love the land they live on.  It’s a land that gives them life.  It sustains their needs, provides them with food, home, shelter and a life.  They respect the land and its traditions.  They fight for their history and for what makes them the Kayapo indigenous people.  We don’t do this enough.  We need to learn to respect each other and to fight for each other and appreciate what we have.

I encourage you to follow the Kayapo project to watch never-before seen footage of these amazing people and the beautiful place they call home (it is also our home). You can watch it here.

About PURE Energies 

For PURE, independence means giving homeowners the decision to take control of their energy bill and to make their own choices. Gone are the days where energy is without options. We are entering a new era, where homeowners have the potential to generate and directly use their own power. Through this trip, the PURE Energies team learned the truest form of independence and conveyed those learnings to the homeowners of America.

Which of the 5 items shared above stands out to you the most?

This is a sponsored post.  All opinions are mine.