The Central American Institute of Prehistoric and Traditional Cultures at
Belize urgently needs your assistance. The Institute focuses its interests
on the ethnobotany of sacred and medicinal plants, shamanism, states of
consciousness, and ancient traditions. The Institute has the largest
research and educational library in Belize, consisting of irreplaceable books,
photographs, artifacts, field notes, and other archival materials. The
recent rain storms and hurricanes have damaged the library and archival
storage. Algae, worms, and the dense tropical moisture have penetrated our
building and are rapidly destroying the collection.
We estimate that in one month, one-third of the collection will be damaged; in
two months, three-quarters may be beyond repair. In three months, there may be
nothing left to salvage. This is a loss that the people of Belize cannot
afford. Several of our staff members have returned to the United States to
appeal for help in rescuing this irreplaceable resource. We have initiated
a Rescue Operation to raise emergency funds, and urgently need your support.
The Central American Institute was established under a registry charter in
1991, and granted full recognition by the Ministry of Education of the
Government of Belize, in accordance with the Education Act of 1991,
Section 38. The Institute is a non-profit research and educational
institution, established for the purposes of promoting the preservation of
ancient and traditional worldviews and materials, and to act as a center for
the dissemination of knowledge and interest in the study of such cultures.
The Institute aims at preserving indigenous cultures through the preservation
of traditional knowledge. Now, this traditional knowledge is about to be
destroyed.
The Institute¹s library and archives contain documentation of indigenous groups
that have already disappeared. If these field notes, slides, photographs, and
artifacts are destroyed, there will be no way to replace them. The collection
also consists of plant specimens and ethnobotanical fieldwork, documenting and
exploring the medicinal value of rain forest flora. The destruction of this
collection would be a great loss to all who value our planet¹s biodiversity
and seek new medical solutions to today¹s health problems. Further, the
Institute¹s collection consists of rare and out-of-print books, providing an
extremely valuable resource to ethnologists, botanists, scientists, and
students alike. The Institute¹s collection contains priceless research and
documentation about the Maya, Creole, and Garifuna populations of Belize and
the neighboring regions. The collection, however, is not limited to Central
America, but contains information from around the world: from South America,
to the Middle East, to Siberia. Once this material is lost, this cultural
and educational resource will be gone forever.
Time is of the essence. We need $60,000 now (Phase I). We are appealing to
foundations, corporations, research societies, institutes, individuals, and
television and radio announcements to raise these funds. We urge you to help
us cope with this emergency situation by contributing whatever you can. Your
contribution will be acknowledged on our homepage. Also, please, help us
spread this message to friends and colleagues who may be interested in
supporting this Rescue Operation.
We can provide documentation of our non-profit and educational status, and a
detailed break-down of the allocation of funds. Further information about the
Institute can be obtained on our Website at http://world.std.com/~chacmol/.
The Institute is also listed in Issue 3 of the People and Plants Handbook,
published by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), UNESCO, and Royal Botanic
Gardens-Kew.
In these times of modernization, Westernization, and technology, traditional
life is being displaced and destroyed irrevocably. It is imperative that we
preserve cultural and natural resources, traditional epistemologies, and
biodiversity. We appeal to you to support the Central American Institute in
its drive to preserve these resources for the benefit of the developing
country of Belize, as well as the global community. Please, make checks
payable to: Central American Institute.
We all thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael Naxon
Director
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Emergency Fund
Central American Institute
8033 Sunset Blvd.
Suite 2040
Los Angeles, CA 90046
818-344-8516 (Emergency Fund line)
Arctos@worldnet.att.net
http://world.std.com/~chacmol/
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