The Kayapo Field Course/ Internship is going to be running again in 2025. UMD started this program under the leadership of UMD Anthropology Professor Dr. Janet Chernela in 2004. Since then, the program has expanded to include multiple N. American and Brazilian universities and several initiatives with Kayapo communities. Most recently, we’ve been doing some interesting programming with Kayapo youth around drones, camera traps for biodiversity monitoring, and Indigenous media/ storytelling.
It would be great to have some UMD folks participate in 2025. Below is some important information and an attached poster. Feel free to forward to any students or colleagues. I’m also happy to zoom in for an overview or presentation.
If there is an appetite, we can also try to get the program back onto the UMD registrar in 2026.
Program: Kayapo Field Course and Internship
Dates: June 25 – July 13th
Location: Kayapo Indigenous Territories, ParĂĄ State, Brazil
Application Form: https://forms.office.com/r/P6psKjKDBX
Application Deadline: March 1, but accepted on a rolling basis or until full
Program Page: https://kayapo.org/field-course/
Contact: Matthew Aruch (aruch@icfcanada.org)Anticipated Program Fee: $4495 USD
About the Program:
The Kayapo Field Course and Internship is a unique opportunity to learn and work with the MebĂȘngĂŽkre-KayapĂł and their network of NGO, university, and government partners. Located at the southeastern Amazonâs highly threatened âarc of deforestation,â the Kayapo live in, manage, and protect one of the largest, continuous tropical forest areas in the world.Guided by an Indigenous, Brazilian, and North American team, the program offers an experiential introduction to the issues, landscapes, and livelihoods of the Kayapo people. After traveling through the Brazilian frontier, participants spend almost two weeks with the AâUkre Kayapo community, immersing themselves in village life and learning about the Amazon forest at the Pinkaiti Ecological Research Station. Since 2004, the program has been one of the only ways to visit the Kayapo Indigenous Territories. Read more: kayapo.org/field-course
Student opportunities:
The program has been the launching point for several undergraduate and graduate student projects. As a UMD student/ faculty, I facilitated the program from 2014 – 2019 and completed my dissertation research with the Kayapo on a Fulbright award in 2019. I am just one of a handful of UMD (or other university) students to use the field course/ internship as a stepping stone for professional and academic advancement. Reach out if you have any questions (maruch@umd.edu OR aruch@icfcanada.org).
