Indigenous people of the River Jordão (like many worldwide) are living in increasing victimhood of climate catastrophe and scarcity of traditional subsistence resources. The communities are suffering from malnutrition and struggling to meet even their most basic livelihood needs (food, water, energy, shelter, etc). This project involves participatory permaculture design and training specifically for: sustainable food production; sustainable energy and water harvesting; climate resilient housing; waste management, and; native forest restoration and regeneration. (Art by Andrew Jeeves)

How do songs construct and maintain peoples’ relations with local ecologies? How have traditional songs and their transmission changed, and with what implications? Tima is working to support this project, which sets out to examine - from a decolonial, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural lens – the role of traditional songs in transmitting ecological knowledge and in constructing and maintaining human-nature relations. In this collaborative research-art project based on theories in ethnoecology, environmental anthropology, ecomusicology, and acoustemology, we study the traditional songs of several Amazonian Indigenous peoples, analysing the roles and meanings of the songs. The project facilitates intercultural exchange and gives voice to artists and knowledge holders in Amazonia, strengthening their guardianship of their biocultural heritage.

While the mainstream development paradigm continues to anchor itself largely on economic and market-driven indicators of so-called ‘progress’, there is growing global interest in shifting priorities to consider more holistic indicators of human well-being – including happiness. This project explores local perceptions around the meaning of happiness from a decolonial, transdisciplinary, and cross-cultural lens. It pays particular attention to elements hypothesized as determinants of well-being, namely peace and nature connectedness. The project is intended to be of cultural and political relevance for laypeople, artists, scholars, and decision-makers, with the aim of not only challenging global definitions and measures of happiness, but also inspiring and informing anyone interested in happiness, well-being, and sustainable development measures across the globe.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on the rise, and our founders are involved with organisations working globally to preserve human-to-human and human-with-nature (as opposed to human-to-computer) interactions. The excitement about AI has catalyzed serious questions about the ethics of the use of AI. Tima is supporting the work of the Earth Codes Observatory and its Indigenous Data Warriors project, among others, in exploring how to ethically, transparently and inclusively work with AI, whilst protecting the intellectual property rights of Indigenous peoples, artists and others. The project looks into the ethics around AI using Indigenous and Traditional knowledge (largely without consent), and what implications this might have, globally.

This project is a co-creation with Mayantuyacu, a Peruvian based centre for the study of traditional knowledge. The planned project has two components: 1. Education - which involves i) preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge to youth, and; ii) a campaign to raise scholarships for Indigenous youth in Peruvian Amazonia, and; 2. land preservation and conservation, helping the centre regenerate Indigenous territory to secure necessary natural resources for the long-term sustainability of the Traditional Knowledge education project.

AjanUni – which literally translates to “The Dream of Time” (but also associates to indigenous meanings of the plant medicines ‘Aya’ / ‘Uni’) – is a recently established association in Finland. AjanUni’s purpose is to support the evolution of humanity by strengthening our connection with the multidimensionality of nature. Through science, art, and gatherings, Tima works with AjanUni to awaken and share the traditional knowledge and practices of different lineages, as created and remembered in the interaction between the modern and the traditional. Through multicultural exchange, we support the transition towards more sustainable lifestyles, wherever we are, inspired by traditional ways and Indigenous wisdom. AjanUni works with Tima as our fiscal sponsor, providing for a non-profit vessel to receive philanthropic investments to support our work and partners.

We have been dialoguing with philanthropic organisations that are interested in supporting Indigenous communities. However, the large majority of Indigenous peoples globally do not have the skillset or access to engage and work directly with philanthropic organisations. This pilot project includes training programmes to help the Huni Kuin Indigenous villages along the River Jordão (in Acre, Brazil) in the following areas: fundraising and skills development; higher education applications; project management; filmmaking and production; marketing; and women’s’ economic empowerment.