Kayapo Field Course and Internship Program
The Kayapo Field Course and Internship is a unique opportunity to learn and work with the Mebêngôkre-Kayapó and their network of NGO, university, and government partners. Located at the southeastern Amazon’s highly threatened “arc of deforestation,” the Kayapo live in, manage, and protect one of the largest, continuous tropical forest areas in the world.Guided by an Indigenous, Brazilian, and North American team, the program offers an experiential introduction to the issues, landscapes, and livelihoods of the Kayapo people. After traveling through the Brazilian frontier, participants spend almost two weeks with the A’Ukre Kayapo community, immersing themselves in village life and learning about the Amazon forest at the Pinkaiti Ecological Research Station. Since 2004, the program has been one of the only ways to visit the Kayapo Indigenous Territories.
Topics Explored
- Amazon Conservation
- Tropical Forest Ecology
- Camera Trapping & GPS
- Sustainable Development
- International Studies
- Environmental Policy
- Indigenous Studies
- Ethnographic Methods
*Topics can be tailored to participant area(s) of interest. Participants may be eligible for university credits. Certificates of participation are available from the Federal University of Pará.
Who should participate?
Anyone who enjoys being outside while learning and engaging with different cultures or natural environments. While the majority of participants tend to be undergraduate or graduate students, the program is open to all interested participants. The program is intentionally intercultural and transdisciplinary. Program leaders have backgrounds in conservation biology, tropical ecology, geography, global education, sustainable development, public policy, anthropology, and Indigenous studies, among others.
Location
The program takes place entirely in the Brazilian state of Pará in four locations:
1. Marabá– A larger regional city
2. Tucumã– A frontier town on the border with the Indigenous territory
3. A’Ukre village– A Kayapo community located in the center of the Kayapo Indigenous Territory
4. Pinkaiti Ecological Research Station– A historical research facility located about 12km from the community administered and maintained by the A’Ukre community with NGO support.
Sample Itinerary
June 25: Travel and arrival
June 26 – June 27: Marabá activities
June 28 -29: Tucumã Activities
June 30: Travel to A’Ukre
July 1 – July 11: A’Ukre /Pinkaiti activities
July 11: Travel to Tucumã
July 12: Travel to Marabá
July 13: End of Program
What's Included
- All program activities, Kayapo instructors, guides, and translators
- In country lodging, transportation, and program related excursions
- All meals at the Xingu Lodge.
What's NOT Included
- Roundtrip airfare to and from Brazil
- Souvenirs and snacks
- Other individual expenses
SAMPLE ACTIVITIES
- Maraba regional cultural center
- Street Market
- Program Orientation
- River Boardwalk
- Visit with NGO partners
- Program orientation
- Street market
- Body painting
- Beadwork, woodworking, basketmaking and other artisan crafts
- Garden visits
- Açai
- Cerrado (Savannah) trek
- Visits with teachers, nurses, and other professionals
- Conversations with youth and elder leadership
- Storytelling & singing
- Indigenous media making
- Community mapping
- Fishing and boat excursions
- Bathing in the River
- Sport (Volleyball, soccer)
- Village dances and festivals
- Community- NGO relations
- Community meetings
- Craft trading fair
- Brazil nut collection, ecology, and projects
- Human-animal-plant Interactions
- Camera trap activities
- Overnight waterfall trek
- Fishing and boat excursions
- Traditional ecological knowledge
- History of mahogany logging
- Trekking to (mostly dry) mud pits for animal viewing
- Sunrise hike
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No. While some knowledge of Portuguese (or Spanish) is helpful, the North American and Brazilian team includes a fully bilingual English-Portuguese Team, with varying levels of Kayapo proficiency. The Kayapo team from A’Ukre is fully bilingual Kayapo – Portuguese with varying levels of English proficiency.
We provide a detailed packing list to all participants. That said, the program takes place during the dry season so rain is not common, but it does get cold in the evenings. We will talk about what to bring, but most important will be comfortable hiking shoes, a bathing suit, a warm jacket, and a warm sleeping bag.
Unfortunately, ICFC does not have financial support available. 100% of the program fee goes to cover program costs, the majority returning to the A’Ukre community. We are happy to help you look for funding or write letters of acceptance or recommendation for any scholarships you are applying to.
Maybe. ICFC does not have credits to give, but we can work with you to secure internship or independent study credits from your institution. We have a highly qualified team, a reading list, and syllabus available upon request. Certificates of participation are available from the University of Pará.
Yes. There are several opportunities. At the end of every program, we have a trade fair with the community where the group exchanges hard to come by gear (batteries, headlamps, tents, water bottles, etc) for Kayapo artisan crafts (earrings, bracelets, baskets, masks, warclubs, etc). More information is provided during program orientation and in A’Ukre. You do not need to trade for anything during the fair you are not comfortable exchanging. In addition, both the Protected Forest Association and Pykore Association have stores we can visit before or after spending time in A’Ukre.
The Field Course and Internship is a collaboration between the International Conservation Fund of Canada, Associacao Pykôre, Protected Forest Association, and the Federal University of Pará. Other collaborators include Purdue University, Middle Tennessee State University, and the University of Maryland College Park.
