Telling Tales

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Each piece of fair trade @handepharuei #wearableart has a tag with a picture and story of the Dayak artisan who wove it bringing supply chain transparency to a new level. The pieces are made from rattan harvested and dyed by remote Dayak communities using traditional tools. . The name Handep is borrowed from the Dayak Ngaju dialect, meaning spirit of working together and helping each other as a family or community. Handep puts their profit into local communities in the form of capacity building and village infrastructure development. . Got plans for this April? Ceres Global is travelling to #Borneo to meet local and indigenous communities regenerating their way of life and the land they live on. Link in my bio 👆 . Don’t forget to follow Handep’s work on Instagram. . . @ceres_global @permakulturkalimantan #permakulturkalimantan #ceresglobal #permaculture #ceresglobalindonesia #kalimantan #ceresglobalborneoregeneration #wwoofing #wwoofingwithkids #travelwithkids #conscioustravel #immersivetravel #experientialtravel #travel #localculture #traditionalculture #dayak #dayakkalimantan #dayakculture #permaculture #weaving #basketweaving #handmade #rattan #rattanbags #rattanweaving #traditionalweaving #fairtrade #fairtradefashion #handepharuei

Two kids with lots of energy helping me crush up charcoal donated from a generous friend with a fireplace. Sometimes I forget how much I can achieve in a little suburban townhouse with a tiny deck. Then I was inspired when I watched @moraggamble’s visit to Natalie Topa’s productive balcony garden and apartment in Nairobi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlEuMJFDn0M). Natalie is experimenting with growing plants, chooks, worms, beetles, fungi and more so that she can share the cuttings and seeds, produce, compost and techniques with the refugee camps that she works with. You cannot become what you cannot see or imagine. Thank you Morag and Natalie for role modelling something my imagination was struggling to conjure. 🙏 . We mixed the crushed charcoal with seaweed solution, compost, deep litter from the quail aviary, worms from our worm farm and potting mix. The charcoal and organic matter provide habitat for the fungi and microorganisms in the soil that can then cycle nutrients and make them available to the plants we planted. . Please share any helpful suggestions you might have for our experiment. We are still learning. We’ve got plenty to keep us out of trouble for the rest of the school holidays! . . . . #meaningfulwork #experientiallearning #schoolholidayfun #ediblegardens #urbanediblegarden #growingfood #urbanfarming #foodsecurity #charcoal #biochar #balconygarden #sharingresources #soilbuilding #buildingsoil #terrapreta #regenerativeculture #organicmatter #organicgardening #soillife #livingsoil #regenerativeed

What role can traditional crafts play in our lives today? While in Borneo I met Liza, one of the @handepharuei team. Randi, the founder, and Liza are young Dayaks who grew up in remote villages, had the opportunity to go to uni and decided to return and grow together with their community. They grew up surrounded by mining and logging and have witnessed the exclusion and eviction of Dayak people from their own lands. Handep is a social enterprise that was born to reconnect the Dayak people to their rich lands and forests, to build capacity for them to sustain their local resources and add value to what they have through #ecofashion. . I will be leading a Ceres Global trip to #Borneo this April to meet Liza and other local and indigenous communities regenerating their way of life and the land they live on. Link in my bio 👆 . Don’t forget to follow Handep’s work on Instagram. . . @ceres_global @permakulturkalimantan #permakulturkalimantan #ceresglobal #permaculture #ceresglobalindonesia #kalimantan #ceresglobalborneoregeneration #wwoofing #conscioustravel #immersivetravel #experientialtravel #travel #localculture #traditionalculture #dayak #dayakkalimantan #dayakculture #permaculture #weaving #basketweaving #handmade #rattan #rattanbags #rattanweaving #traditionalweaving #fairtrade #fairtradefashion #handepharuei

These are the Dayaks who are breathing new life into their culture in Putat Durei. When they ran out of space in the first community garden plot, the farmer’s group started another one uphill. The Borneo Institute who have been advocating for Dayak land rights collaborated with @permakulturkalimantan to empower the community to improve their livelihoods. They obtained funding for the farmers group to establish multi-species agroforestry systems. Pak Jagau from the Borneo Institute is in the white t-shirt. Meanwhile, Permakultur Kalimantan provides ecological understanding on regenerative farming. On degraded land, the farmers plant Albasia (sengon) trees - a fast-growing valuable timber, fruit trees and nutritious plants such as cassava, peanuts or vegetables. The replanting halts erosion, restores water and nutrient cycles and the growing trees absorb carbon from the air. At the same time, farmers are able to produce food their for their own consumption and timber and other cash crops for sale. Ibu Ria, the matriarch, is second from the left and her husband is on the far right. . . . . @ceres_global #permakulturkalimantan #ceresglobal #permaculture #ceresglobalindonesia #kalimantan #borneo #ceresglobalborneoregeneration #wwoofing #wwoofingwithkids #travelwithkids #travelingwithkids #conscioustravel #immersivetravel #experientialtravel #travel #localculture #traditionalculture #dayak #dayakkalimantan #dayakculture #kitchengarden #ediblegarden #permaculture #intercropping #agroforestry #nursery #foodsovereignty #communitygarden #buildingsoil #soilbuilding #sustainabletimber

The second village we visited was Putat Durei. Pak Jagau of the Borneo Institute showed us Ibu Ria’s permaculture demonstration community garden where she teaches the other ladies of the village how to build soil, make worm farms, build banana circles for composting, put together guilds for intercropping and save seeds instead of relying on bought GMO seeds. Ibu Ria, the matriarch of the community, proudly told us that they have just celebrated the second Farmers Day festival with the neighbouring villages. They shared traditional food and medicines and auctioned indigenous seeds. These are early steps into bringing back Dayak culture to regenerate communities and the land. . . . . @ceres_global @permakulturkalimantan #permakulturkalimantan #ceresglobal #permaculture #ceresglobalindonesia #kalimantan #borneo #ceresglobalborneoregeneration #wwoofing #travelwithkids #conscioustravel #immersivetravel #experientialtravel #travel #localculture #traditionalculture #dayak #dayakkalimantan #dayakculture #kitchengarden #ediblegarden #permaculture #intercropping #bananacircle #wormfarm #seedsaving #foodsovereignty #communitygarden #buildingsoil #soilbuilding #indigenousseeds #indigenousseedkeepers

After a fascinating but hot and sweaty jungle walk we swam in the cool river. It had rained heavily overnight and the river was running high and fast. We played on the rocks and sat in the flow of water. In the calm where a little creek joined its mother, we swam and floated looking up into the canopy of trees on both sides reaching out to touch each other. When we finally tore ourselves away from the river we collected plastic rubbish as we made our way back. . . . . @ceres_global @permakulturkalimantan #permakulturkalimantan #ceresglobal #ceresglobalindonesia #kalimantan #borneo #ceresglobalborneoregeneration #wwoofing #wwoofingwithkids #travelwithkids #travelingwithkids #conscioustravel #immersivetravel #experientialtravel #travel #localculture #traditionalculture #dayak #dayakkalimantan #dayakculture #jalanjalan #junglewalk #forestwalk #foodforest #river #swimming #creek #waterfall

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Puppets & Tales

Explore my shadow puppets, marionettes, sets and tales of the mysterious Borneo rainforest and its quirky characters.

About

My name is Ronella Gomez and I’d like to tell you stories about the regeneration of nature, community and local economy. Some are my own, others I’ve found.

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