“It is more important for us all to eat today than to know that I can eat tomorrow.”

Saamaka MaroonsSaamaka Maroons - PFProven Free
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Unnamed Saamaka woman

IMAGE SOURCE: “A Topper in Suriname’s Rainforest.” Notes on Slow Travel. 13 Jul. 2013. | TEXT SOURCE: Marieke Heemsker, Anastasia Norton & Lisa DeDehn. “Does Public Welfare Crowd Out Social Safety Nets?” World Development. Vol 32 #6. 2004.

IMAGE SOURCE: “A Topper in Suriname’s Rainforest.” Notes on Slow Travel. 13 Jul. 2013. | TEXT SOURCE: Marieke Heemsker, Anastasia Norton & Lisa DeDehn. “Does Public Welfare Crowd Out Social Safety Nets?” World Development. Vol 32 #6. 2004.

QUOTE CONTEXT: “Maroons rely on immediate kin, the extended family and the larger community to mitigate subsistence risks…If you cannot go to your land a sister will give you leafy greens from her field.”

QUOTE QUESTION: How is community care expressed among your People?

IMAGE CONTEXT: “Cooked bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava (are) the Maroon staple food. A local dish was one of the earliest dishes the Maroons lived on: a soup made with soup balls of grated bananas.”

IMAGE QUESTION: Who grinds the grain for your bread”

MEDIA LITERACY CONTEXT: The quote is from an academic paper published in the UK. The photo is from a Dutch travel blog.

MEDIA LITERACY QUESTION: How do you feel about visitors reporting on your People on the web?

LEARN ABOUT AND SUPPORT THE SAAMAKA: https://www.forestpeoples.org

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“From a very young age I was taught by my grandfather the medicinal purposes of the plants around our region - a traditional way to pass on ancient knowledge and practices.”
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“When our ancestors fled…they did not carry anything with them. They learned how to live – what plants to eat, how to deal with subsistence needs once they got to the forest. It is our whole life.”