Amazon Leader Benki Piyãko Salon & Dinner at Civana House

The environmental crisis in the Amazon is reaching a critical inflection point; it’s time for a new vision for modern living.

Indigenous Ashaninka leader and visionary Benki Piyako comes to the US from the forest in Brazil to share with us his solution for a revitalized future. He’s building Yorenka Tasorentsi, the first-of-its-kind institute in the Amazon that stands for the preservation of nature, native wisdom and indigenous culture. The institute is transforming destroyed land in the Amazon into abundant, self-sustaining ecosystems and serves as a model for the most efficient way to regenerate pasture lands worldwide. It’s the beginning of a global movement that honors traditional knowledge in healing ourselves and the Earth so that humans, plants and animals can live in harmony.

We are honored to host Benki at Civana House during his short trip to the US. This is a special opportunity to hear directly from him about the spiritual interconnection between all beings, the reality of the climate in Brazil, and how we can work together to shift mindsets and start to rebuild our home. He will also share details about the resources needed to build his institute, Yorenka Tasorentsi, and the impact it will have on a large scale.

Our goal is to unite people that care deeply about becoming part of the solution so we can together shift global consciousness around humans’ connection with nature. This is an intimate event for people that are ready to move from climate conversation into action.

Because if not us, then who?

Read about Benki’s work in TIME.

SCHEDULE:

5-7pm – Salon: Hear Benki speak about the Ashaninka heritage and the importance of preserving indigenous wisdom in helping remind humanity of our connection to nature.

7-9:30pm – Dinner: A 30-person dinner to go deeper with Benki to understand the complexity of issues in Brazil and his solution with Yorenka Tasorentsi. We will learn about the model that he’s building to combat issues like gold mining, deforestation, cattle farming and more. His projects include reforestation, wildlife conservation, circular economy development and cultural preservation. There will also be time for Q&A.

The dinner will be a gourmet, 3-course feast prepared by three beautiful chefs and cooked with lots of love.

We look forward to furthering the conversation about this important work together!

*All proceeds from this event go directly to funding Benki’s project in the Amazon. If you'd like to donate more than the ticketed amount, please add the donation amount to your total. Thank you for supporting the Earth!

Photos from the construction of Yorenka Tasorentsi:

About Benki Piyãko:

Born in 1974, as the son of an indigenous leader and healer, Benki was designated to be the next “pagé” or shaman to transmit and defend the ancestral knowledge of his people. From a very young age he started fighting for the protection of indigenous lands and the Amazon Forest and today he fully commits himself to healing the world through the traditional knowledge that has been passed down from his ancestors.

Benki Piyãko began his reforestation, education and community-building projects in 2007 when he purchased and regenerated his first piece of deforested land near Marechal Thaumaturgo. He has worked with nonprofit organizations, political activists and local indigenous and non-indigenous residents to revitalize the area. Along with his team, he has accomplished:

• 2 million trees planted

• 40 nearby communities trained in agroforestry systems, impacting more than 4,000 people

• 500 young leaders participated in a major reforestation project

• 26 fish ponds created to develop a pisciculture system where fish are only fed with natural foods

• 1000+ people treated at the healing center

• Initial animal conservation including 15,000 turtles, 250 tortoises, monkeys, wild pigs and tapirs

• Creation of 80 beehives, home to 80,000 bees 

• Revival of lost traditional heritage of the Puyanawa, Kuntanawa and Apolina tribes