A World Cup where Everybody Wins – Kuntanawa People Promote the Tree Cup

Neither stadiums nor major delegations or major football players. The day after the last game of the FIFA World Cup, the first thing to come is the TREE Cup.

The event, which will be held  at the Kuntamanã Village in the municipality of Marechal Thaumaturgo in Acre, will bring together different ethnic groups, as well as the extractive community and governmental and civil organizations, to discuss the importance of the forest within the conception of ancestral cultures.

“For us, this is the crown of life, because the forest is the home of thousands of living beings,” says Haru Kuntamanã, indigenous leader and also one of the organizers of the event.

Composed of several activities, the Tree Cup rounds will revolve around five different axes: sustainability, culture, environment, spirituality and medicine.

In the sustainability section, there will be a fair of traditional knowledge, fair trade and solidarity economy to share the knowledge of the forest peoples on the issue of food sovereignty.

The traditional manifestations of the extractive communities and also of the indigenous people, make up the cultural part of the party.

Regarding the environment, a dialogue will be opened on the potential of the forest and the sustainable use of natural resources, such as the establishment of agroforestry and natural forms of planting.

To illustrate the theme of spirituality, the elders of the communities will explain about indigenous cosmology and the contextualization of power plants. The wisdom of using herbs for healing will be the theme of the medicinal axis.

“Of course we will also have sporting activities such as archery championship, liana of strength, spear throwing and even football games,” says Haru. “We like football, but for us it’s different, because it’s not a priority. What matters most to us is to preserve the forest, our sacred home. “