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Like most of the states in the North region, Rondônia was colonized by the so-called “rubber soldiers”, who arrived in the area during the golden age of rubber extraction. They were people from the Northeast who joined forces with the locals, started families and carried on the migration flux that was reinforced by southerners who started the soy and cattle farming in the 70s and 80s. They also brought uncontrolled deforestation and gold and cassiterita mines that triggered land disputes that have been dragging on for years, without solution.
Here, wood is also the main material for artists and craft artists. Up river, we can see the “pororoca effect”: the river water hits the forest bringing down many trees. Huge tree trunks of pink Cedar are dragged away. Whoever manages to get their hands on these has done well, and will have plenty of wood to work with for a while. The control over logging is a serious issue, and careful consideration should be given to the work of dozens of craft artists who fight for the right to use illegal wood confiscated by the authorities, which could be used exclusively for signed and unique works of art. |
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