Alternative Headdress Project to Conserve the Blue Throated Macaw

Phase I: The Alternative Headdress Contest:

Parrots International funded the first Alternative Headdress Contest. The funds were transferred to Armonia via Bennett Hennessey the Executive Director of Asociacion Armonia/Birdlife Bolivia. Lead investigator: Mauricio Herrera Hurtado.

  • This contribution benefited the Blue-throated Macaws by discouraging the use of real Macaw feathers used by the indigenous people for the ceremonial “Dance of the Machetero”. These headdresses are used for annual celebrations for Christmas, Easter, Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi

Each Machetero Headress requires tail feathers representing the sacrifices of 10-40 macaws. A Machetero Headress parade will consist of at least 100 men wearing the Machetero Headdress. Therefore one parade represent the death of 1000-4000 macaws!

The Alternative Headdress Contest awarded cash prizes for the best “Alternative Headdresses” made without the use of real feathers. Parrots International funded the first, second and third competition prizes for The Alternative Headdress Competition. First prize represented five months’ average income. Therefore, there was ample economic encouragement to participate.

Goals:

To find an alternative to the use of macaw feathers in the creation of machetero head-dresses.

  • To halt the massacre of macaws which takes place each year in preparation for the traditional festivals in the Beni.
  • To integrate the cultural and religious tradition of the Beni with the conservation of the wildlife.
  • To conserve the populations of all macaws in the Beni in the long term

Phase II: Indigenous Fabrication Of Alternative Headdress Feathers As a Tool For Conservation of the Blue-throated Macaw.

Following the success of the Alternative Headdress Contest, Parrots International funded a local project to train indigenous villages to manufacture artificial feathers and headdresses as a capacity building project. The feathers and headdresses are then sold to other villages for use in Machetero Headress fabrication

The projects dual goals were providing alternative income to the indigenous population and decreasing the persecution of the macaws of the Beni Department of Bolivia, including Blue-throated Macaws, Blue and Gold Macaws, and Green Winged Macaws, as well as other species  of parrots.

Economics:

  • One wild macaw feather for use in a headdress cost 10 boliviano 3/feathers (or US $1.50)
  • Therefore the “material” costs in wild macaw feather for one headdress is US$100-150. This equals one month’s average income in the indigenous people in the Beni Department of Bolivia)

Goal:

  • Education and instruction of 20-30 Students from within three Indigenous Councils within the range of the Blue-throated Macaw:

o   Instruction In the fabrication of “alternative” feathers.

o   Education in the Conservation of the Blue-throated Macaw.

  • Provide the local people with new knowledge and a new source of income via the fabrication of “alternative” feathers.
  • Supply the demand for materials for future headdresses.
  • Guarantee the conservation of the macaws.
  • Improve the quality of life of the indigenous people.

 

 

 

 

  • Machetero Headdress construction with macaw feathers. Photo by Maurico Herrera.