These paintings by Matsés artist Guilermo Nëcca Pëmen Mënquë, are from a project developed in 2018 by Acaté Amazon Conservation* entitled “Matsés Authors as a Key to Literacy and Intergenerational Transmission of Traditional Ecological Knowledge”; a publication of eight readers that illustrate Matsés traditional ecological knowledge of plants and animals. This project emphasizes the importance of knowledge tools for cultural and ecological conservation, and has since led to the publication of 11 books and four mobile applications. 

The illustrated readers, written by Matsés authors based on audio recordings of narratives provided by Matsés elders, are designed to help Matsés students learn and practice reading and to promote the intergenerational transmission of traditional natural history knowledge. The topics of the readers cover the natural history and ecology of rainforest mammals, fish, reptiles, birds, plants and invertebrates. In 2020, they developed their educational program further to include the first-ever dictionary phone app created for an Amazonian indigenous language, an extraordinary illustrated taxonomic encyclopedia of rainforest animals developed for cell phone, and more. You can learn about their available apps on google play here. 

Matsés artist Guillermo Nëcca Pëmen Mënquë has produced 100 animal and plant portraits and 220 watercolor paintings illustrating animal habits and plant uses that illustrate the readers. 

We would like to acknowledge the work of our collaborators Acaté Amazon Conservation; an on-the-ground conservation organization that works directly in a true and transparent partnership with the Matsés indigenous people to maintain their self-sufficiency and way of life.