Cultural Anthropologist Banished to the Amazon
Rosita Heredia has been sentenced to perform two years of community service saving the Amazon. What?
I’ve been unable to find anything useful on Rosita Heredia as a cultural anthropologist. I don’t know if she teaches or what. She studied at Harvard and at UC Berkeley. She lives in Florida. Anyone know anything about her work?
16 June 2005 at 23:01
I remember when this lady was convicted (it happened where I live) but I know as much as you do about her background. My suspicion is that while she is a trained anthropologist, she didn’t have much of a career to begin with and she definitely can’t have one in the future after this.
As far as her sentence, the punishment doesn’t fit the crime but at least it’s something that will make a difference.
16 June 2005 at 23:13
I d’know… I mean, she started collecting when she was a teenager. They weren’t commissioned works. Then again, the punishment also seems like a joke — Go do volunteer work in an area where you’re already filming a movie. Of course, there’re also the two $10,000 fines… Yeesh.
18 June 2005 at 08:07
I know Ms. Heredia and have seen alot of her work. The hours that she has spend to try and save not only the Amazon but the Indians of the Amazon is amazing. Like all stories you read there are two sides, and her side hasn’t been told yet. Once she goes public with her story you will be outraged at the fact that she was even charged much less convicted.
18 June 2005 at 09:55
I’ll be keeping an eye out for it. In the Times version, she doesn’t come across as even an indirect poacher. I’m curious to see what she’ll have to say. You say ‘[o]nce she goes public…’ Any knowledge of when or where that might happen?
18 June 2005 at 13:49
I know Rosita Heredia personally, and I know that there is a political effort by some to use her to attack the traditional indigenous culture of endangered indians of the Amazon for development. A web site is being developed that will show alot of errors. As to when and who she will give her first interview with is being looked into right now. I do know that the interview will be within the next couple of days. I also know of the Times version you are talking about and it is a good article. However some technical and political aspect of the case that most people do not know about. Brazilian law allows indians to sell the rest of what they eat which they recycle into art. Most tribes raise birds for feathers. 1). 80% of the collection had no violations, of the 20% that did only 3 peices were easy to identify and it was colllected almost 25yrs ago. The 20% in violation has to be sent for DNA test to determine the species, and sent to the only specialized lab in the world in Oregon. 2). Permits..The Brazilan early permits did not specify education. 99% of the collection she purchased at the Brazilan Department of Justice art program design to support Indigenous culture and help finacially so that they don’t have to destory the jungle for farming, logging, and mining. 3). Her entire collection cleared customs as it entered the US. 4). Brazil has been selling this type of art for over 30yrs in their art stores. People who want to help these endangered Indigenous people has purchased this art over the years, this includes from housewives to academics, environmental groups, and people from every walk of life. POLITICAL—Since the Indians own 12% of the Brazil and there are only 600,000 of them, there has been a great effort to destroy their tradition culture which help peserve the jungle since it needs it to survive so that the Amazon can become a hugh soy and cattle plantations. Rosita is a victim of a political effort to discredit Indigenous culture, look at her presentation at Havard and you can understand the context.
23 June 2005 at 10:06
It makes sense what you are saying. I’ve heard from a friend in Brazil that the indians and their culture which utilize the jungle is being under attack to shift the public attention to the massive deforestation caused by farming.
Also if Brazil has sold the art to thousands of people around the world over all these years it shoud take responsability for it. Using Ms. Heredia as a scapegoat is ridiculous.
3 March 2006 at 17:44
I personally think she got off lightly.. Yes she know alot about Brazil..but she needs to know the laws of this country before bringing endangered species in to this Country… For someone who was at Harvard she really doesn’t know much…Read up on the Laws of that Country before Smuggling Endangered Species into first. She didn’t do it once but twice..That really says alot for her !!!!! Her values are not much to talk about …and I PERSONALLY know that !!!!
5 March 2006 at 10:54
The punishment DOES NOT fit the crime….Ms Heredia and her faithful followers crying scapegoat BOO HOO…cry me a river..For someone that has studied at Harvard should really read up on the Laws of the Country that you are smuggling in endangered species into.. Ms Heredia didn’t do it once but twice..if you read the Fish and Wildlife web page…Ms Heredia apperently has lived here in this Country for a while and studied at these great Colleges, should really STOP acting innocent in this case. Madride really needs to stop acting like he knows everything about Indigenous Cultures..Ms Heredia told him what to write on this page…You won’t know anything about her because she is a nobody…