Inside Asháninka s World Tradition and Womanhood in the Peruvian Amazon SLICE FULL DOCUMENTARY

Peru is one of my favorite countries to photograph. For the past 25 years, I've traveled around this country, meeting its indigenous people in the jungle, on the plains, and in the mountains. Every time I visit, my fascination for these remarkable landscapes and people only grows. Yet over the past few years, I can't help but notice the slow cultural assimilation of these peoples, and the fact that they are leaving their villages for the big city. One of my contacts told me about the Ashen Inca, an indigenous tribe spread throughout the Amazon rainforest. There are between 30,000 and 50,000 of them, divided into 350 communities. On the fringes of a world which, from the Spanish conquistadors of the 14th century to the great landowners of the 19th century, has been marked by conflict and human drama, the Ashen Inca have devised their own strategy for survival. To live happily, we must live hidden away. For 5,000 years, the Ashen Inca have lived traditional lives, passed down from generation to generation, in the heart of the rainforest. It's their desire to live an authentic life that has drawn me to them, and specifically, to the community of Sopana. In this village, I will also have the honor of meeting Amelia. This child of the jungle is somewhat of a celebrity amongst the Ashen Inca. She is regularly asked to initiate the youngest members of Ashen Inca communities in the ways of their ancestors, particularly young girls who are about to become women. This initiation takes place over the course of four months and ends with a ceremony, the Abancaranambeti, which I will have the honor of photographing. The Ashen Inca's territory is divided into many different communities in the rainforest. The community of Sopana is located 100 kilometers from the Brazilian border, to the northeast of Atalaya. To reach the village, you have to travel along several small tributaries through the heart of the Amazon rainforest, which is 10 times the size of France. We eventually reach our destination, a riverside paradise, the community of Sopana. When the suffocating heat finally breaks under the freshness of dusk, men, women and children gather together at the natural pool at the edge of the village. Victor, one of the villagers, tells me more about the community. Cassava, bananas, corn, some corn, lots of fruit, and rice too? Ah, okay. So you don't have to buy rice because you grow it here? The community has been hosting a very special guest for the past few weeks, Amelia. At 70 years of age, this healer, advisor and clairvoyant is above all else the keeper of the Ashen Inca knowledge and tradition. There is no electricity in the village, so when night falls, Amelia brings the community together around a fire to tell them Ashen Inca legends and myths. It's a traditional method of oral transmission that's been around for over 5,000 years. What are the origins of the Ashen Inca people? Tiri, tiri, tiri, tiri. Amelia is not only here to entertain the community around the fire at night. She's in Sepani for a young girl, Leah. It is almost Leah's 14th birthday, the day she will become a woman. But before that, Leah must learn all the tasks traditionally carried out by women. Amelia is teaching her. In a few days, her initiation will be complete and marked by a ceremony that symbolically represents Leah's entrance into adult life. To earn the right to photograph Leah's initiation, I must go through a rigorous purification ceremony. Here, nothing happens without notifying and asking permission from the spirits that live in the forest. Life on earth and spiritual life are intrinsically linked. For the Ashen Inca, the arrival of a stranger could break this fragile balance. In the early hours of the morning, Amelia and some of the villagers lead me into the jungle. After a two-hour walk, we reach a waterfall. This is a sacred place for the Ashen Inca. It's a kind of church made of rock, water, and vines, where spirits come together, hide, and observe. Before we can get any closer, they must change into their traditional garb, their kushma. I'm guided through a strange liturgy, where a mix of smoke, stones, and chants announce my presence. After washing myself under the waterfall, Amelia leads me further into the jungle. I'm ready for the final step, the vaporio, a decoction of plants brought to the boil. The steam is supposed to purify me. Amelia, what are you doing now? We have to wait a bit. It's not ready yet. Then I have to put the kushma back on. To prepare my body for the heat, Amelia douses me with near-boiling water. It burns. At first, I thought it was going to scald me, but it's actually not so bad. Oh, that's good. And I have to take these off when I'm covered. So it turns out that I can't wear my underwear under the kushma. She said I have to take it off as soon as I put the kushma on. We'll try to get this to stay on. The stones warmed by the fire that Amelia puts on my skin are so hot that the water starts to boil when it hits them. The steam trapped under the kushma spreads out. It will find all the impurities in me that threaten to break the balance that prevails here between man and spirit. As it starts to burn, I grit my teeth and wait for my body to get used to the heat. She's like a hunter in the forest who learns to read tracks where others can see nothing. Amelia can see things that show her the state of my body and mind by reading the signs in the leaves, which to me are invisible. And you think it will be better now? Can you tell me, Amelia, how you learned all this? I learned it from a book, which I read every day. I learned to read the signs of the rain. This way I know what is going on. When it's raining, I can stop and read the signs. Then I can put on the kushma. Then I can wear the kushma. That's how I learn. So, you can read the signs. Can you? There is no road or school bus in Sapani. A dirt path weaves its way through the valley to the closest village, and every morning the children walk this way to get to school. For the children who live even further away, it's a two-hour walk. Leah will be attending a completely different kind of school today. Every day for the past four months, she's spent her mornings with Amelia. Basketry, weaving, and harvesting are just some of the things Amelia is teaching her, knowledge which enables the Asheninka to remain independent. On the porch of her house, accompanied by her family, today's lesson is taught in song. It's like we're in another time. It's indescribable. It's peaceful and harmonious. She's going to make me cry. It's so emotional. I'm too sensitive. This is a traditional society, and the roles of the men and women are well-defined for the Asheninka. The women are responsible for domestic and field work, and the men hunt. Seconds after finishing school for the day, Walter heads out with his dad, Victor, to learn the secrets of hunting in the Amazon rainforest. I set out with him into the depths of the forest. Oh, God. It looks easy, but it's actually really difficult. This is when you realize how much practice you need. I'm really bad. Sorry. Do you want to try? To show me? Oh, yeah. You're much better than I am. You're not quite as good as your dad, but you're better than me. So, he came from there. These are the tracks here. He arrived here. He made all these scratches. He was eating. Right. I can't believe it, the way that he can read the tracks and signs. I could have walked by here 10 times and not seen anything. He knows what kind of animal it is, what kind of fruit. He knows when it was here. Apparently, it was a while ago, and he knows it was a lowland paka, a type of wild pig or another animal that I don't know. The extent of his knowledge is incredible. Will you teach Walter everything you know? Walter, do you see this? Do you know what this is? Come see. Do you know what this is? Your dad will explain. It's been four months since Amelia first started teaching Leah. Today is Leah's big day. In a few hours, in front of her family, she will leave childhood behind and become an adult. But there's still time for one last lesson, making masato. Made from fermented cassava, the Ashaninka drink it daily and at special occasions. Leah, can you tell me in a few words what today means to you? Do you know what you want to do next? Are you going to stay in this magnificent valley, or do you want to go to school, find a job, or go to the big city? Sitting on her front porch, Leah waits to be invited to join the group singing and dancing with Amelia. Her symbolic entrance into the dance represents the beginning of her adult life. In the eyes of the Ashaninka, Leah is now a woman. Yet she will still continue her life as a young girl, going to school, working in the fields, and playing. It's up to Leah to decide where her adult life will take her. But like all Ashaninka children fed on myths and traditional knowledge, she will forever carry the seeds of her ancient culture.