Uraan Anderson Suruí advocates for blockchain and cryptocurrency training to protect the forest

Uraan Anderson Suruí dreamed of tracking forest products through smart contracts and blockchain. This innovative idea has evolved, and today he teaches members of his Paiter Suruí community how to use smart contracts for decentralized finance and business. We spoke with Uraan about technology, ancestry, and youth. Below are the highlights of our interview. Check it out!

Lupa do Bem: Where did the idea to use blockchain and cryptocurrencies to protect the forest come from?

Uraan Anderson Suruí: Well, I’m an Indigenous teacher living in the Gamir village, located in the 7 de Setembro Indigenous Land in Rondônia. I am also the chief of my village and the deputy chief of the Paiter Suruí people. I taught for seven years in the village, and since the beginning of my career as a teacher, I’ve sought to learn about technologies. For example, I’m very adept with computers. In 2019, when cryptocurrencies started gaining attention, I became curious about how they worked.

I lost R$11,000 in cryptocurrencies, but through this process, I also learned a lot about Web3 and decentralized internet. At the time, I was working as a coordinator for an Indigenous organization in Rondônia. We then founded the Suruí Agroforestry Cooperative (COPSUR), of which I am currently the president. We also created the Wãwã Ixotih Institute to bridge the worlds of entrepreneurship and our traditional knowledge. That’s when the idea of using blockchain to track forest products was born.

LB: How can tracking these products contribute to preserving Indigenous Lands?

This is still a largely unexplored field, especially among Indigenous peoples. Our communities have immense potential but face significant challenges. Projects claiming to generate social impact are often tied to partnerships with institutions and NGOs not managed by Indigenous people. These organizations obtain funds through grants, but a large portion of these resources goes to their administration, leaving the target audience—the Indigenous people, who should receive the majority of the funds—receiving less than 30%. This creates a significant disparity, and the expected impact rarely materializes. That’s why I see blockchain and decentralization as a solution.

LB: Are products being tracked already?

Not yet. Currently, we are building the Amazon Tech House, aiming to train young people in everything from basic programming to advanced technology. This includes productivity tools, editing, design, and robotics. Our goal is to develop our own decentralized protocols to track our products and create NFTs for our crafts and traditional knowledge. Right now, we’re looking for volunteers to teach us how to accomplish all this. We are still in the partnership-building phase.

LB: How would NFTs be used?

In the intellectual domain, preserving our history, culture, and ancestry. Today, many things about us are written by researchers affiliated with institutions that receive funds and grants to produce academic work. These outsiders often speak for us, while we rarely get to tell our own stories because we lack access to these mechanisms—universities, institutions, grants, etc. NFTs could be a way to amplify the voices of our elders and preserve our culture.

By capturing the words of an elder and placing them on the blockchain, the authenticity is undeniable because the Indigenous person is speaking for themselves. Often, researchers’ writings misrepresent our reality, reflecting their interpretation of us rather than our truth. Blockchain ensures this knowledge remains untampered, safeguarding us from misrepresentation.

LB: You mentioned blockchain could also help with savings. How so?

We work with agroforestry products like sustainable coffee, bananas, and Brazil nuts. Although the earnings are reasonable, it’s challenging to save anything. We want to show our youth how to organize their finances, using mechanisms like liquidity pools to preserve part of their income. For the less privileged, saving from a paycheck is nearly impossible because it all goes to bills. This issue exists in our community as well.

I often tell young people: if you wake up early, work all day, and return home exhausted, the money you earn must be valued. We need to cultivate a collective mindset about forming future generations and creating mechanisms to protect our territory.

LB: Tell us about the youth in your village today.

We now have fiber optic internet in the village. Every house has internet access, and many families own two, three, or even four cell phones. Kids and young people spend their time on TikTok, Kwai, Instagram, and Facebook when they’re not doing anything productive. Without guidance, they consume whatever the internet offers. What will happen to these children and young adults in 10 or 15 years? They risk being overwhelmed by irrelevant content instead of learning what truly matters.

The idea is to prevent this by building a curriculum aligned with the community’s goals—territorial protection and management—to prepare the next generation of Indigenous leaders.

LB: Did you propose the Amazon Tech House project?

Yes. I came across a decentralized organization called Play for Change and shared my idea of bringing Web3 and blockchain knowledge to the community. We sought resources and partners, securing six computers, tables, and chairs. Currently, the Tech House operates in my living room—it’s still very modest! But I strongly believe in this project, so I’ve dedicated part of my home to it. Now, we’re looking for someone to help us build a dedicated physical space for the Tech House.

LB: Have training sessions begun?

Yes, inaugural classes started in September. Lessons are being conducted online, with over 40 students enrolled—an impressive number for just six machines! We’ve organized classes in three shifts—morning, afternoon, and evening—but still need to filter applications due to limited resources. This is a significant challenge, as many young people in our community are idle. Through the Tech House, they could even pursue online college degrees with free internet and computer access.

We’re currently seeking volunteer partners to teach programming, protocol development, basic computer skills, and cryptocurrency and finance concepts.

LB: Does the Amazon Tech House have sponsorships?

We don’t have any funding yet! Play for Change partnered with Polygon to provide the equipment. However, I cover the electricity and internet costs. Now, we’re reaching out to institutions that believe in our project and can support us. I even attended Blockchain Rio this year, spoke with many people, and am awaiting their responses. This project is deeply personal, inspired by my own experience. After losing money to a crypto scam, I resolved to understand the technology—and that’s what I’ve been doing.

Want to support this cause?

The Amazon Tech House project is coordinated by two organizations of the Paiter Suruí people: the Wãwã Ixotih Institute and the Palagah Global Center for Innovation and Exchange. To donate, contact Uraan Anderson Suruí on Instagram or contribute directly via cryptocurrencies through Dominó do Bem.