Nat Kelley announces Native Award winners for using music as an empowering instrument for indigenous rights

Nathalie Kelley Nathalie Kelley (37) is a Peruvian actress. She got famous for her role in the Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift in 2006. She is very engaged in fighting for the rights of the indigenous people and she's an engaged ambassador of the NATV Awards. announced As Karuana as the winner of the NATV Award. The indigenous women’s collective As Karuana uses music as a form of empowerment ánd to highlight their struggle to defend nature and biodiversity. Their way of living with and within nature is very special. By singing and dancing they want to show the world that their region in the rainforests of Brazil needs attention to keep being protected. As a reward for their music and energy they give to the world, As Karuana won the NATV Award 2022 from the Sinchi foundation.

The life of the Borari affected by climate change

The Borari, an indigenous tribe, live in the forests and are deeply connected to their territory. Though, life in the region Alter do Chão, Brazil, gets harder because of climate change. Indigenous people rely on their direct environment for survival, but therefore are impacted hardest ánd first by climate change. “With the destruction of the Amazon, part of our lives is dying; we lose part of our culture”, one of the women explains.

As Karuana, the female collective that uses music as a form of empowerment. They protect their environment and need to be supported in protecting our planet together.

“Kitiwara is our way of living. It is respect for nature, for the spirits of the forest, for the protectors of the waters and for the struggle and defense of our territory”

Kitiwara: connection with ancestors and nature

The singing and dancing of the Borari is called Kitiwara. It’s their way of life: making connections with the environment, their ancestors, and creating knowledge. The Borari care for every piece of nature, even the smallest stones on the way. “Everything has life and energy”, they say, and music is the channel to tell their story and let it resonate.

One of the Borari women with a sign, saying: “Protect indigenous people and protect life on our planet!”

Supported by the NATV Award

Although the indigenous people make up less than 5% of all the people in the world, they protect 80% of biodiversity. It is very important to keep on supporting these groups of people, for them to be able to survive and for us and the planet as well. By forming resistance movements for protection of their cultures and environments, they create equity and uphold human rights.

The message got picked up by the NATV Awards and Sinchi Foundation. Each year, they celebrate indigenous arts and traditional practices from around the world and grant 3.500 euros for the winning community project. This year’s winner As Karuana was announced by the indigenous actress Nathalie Kelley.