The goal of this project is to connect the intercultural communication and education experiences of Selvagem — Cycle of Studies on Life, scientific projects on ecology, soil science, sustainability, and Indigenous knowledge in Paraíba, and efforts to reconnect the Potiguara people with their native language.

The proposal involves producing scientific communication and educational materials through foundational workshops for a Living Potiguara School inspired by similar initiatives to strengthen indigenous knowledge. The project will include collaboration with Serapilheira fellows in the Potiguara Indigenous Land and UFPB Campus IV, where Selvagem members will conduct workshops to produce a notebook focused on the biocultural transformation of the Potiguara Indigenous Land, integrating biodiversity and ecosystem restoration with cultural revival through reconnecting with the native language.

There are many invisible beings within each of us that are essential to our lives. There are also continuous activities of plankton, fungi, viruses, bacteria and diatoms that act in the regulation and dynamic balance of the Biosphere. Even though we can see them, microorganisms define life as we know it. The book presents 30 beings, including bacteria, archaea, eukarya and viruses, based on excerpts from the extensive research of biologist Lynn Margulis and her son Dorion Sagan. The edition is part of the series of books that inspire and deepen the event “Selvagem, ciclo de estudos sobre a vida” (“Selvagem, cycle of studies about life”).

About the book:

“A life lesson. That is what we find, literally, when scrolling through the pages of Livro de seres invisíveis (Book of Invisible Beings). With detailed descriptions, Dorion Sagan introduces thirty living beings we cannot see, summarizing what we know about these “other forms of life”.

It would only be an exotic book if it didn’t deal with the vast majority of living beings in our world. It would be nothing more than an anecdotal book if it didn’t talk about organisms without which we couldn’t exist. It would only be interesting if it didn’t address a rich source of knowledge about what life is, what form it takes, how it manifests itself and the variety in which it presents itself. It would only be a poetic work if the pandemic – the period in which it was written – had not reminded us that the balance between living beings is delicate and under threat. This is, above all, an important book.

It is urgent that we truly look into what life is to finally see it, understand it, value it and preserve it. Life is too important, too mysterious, too beautiful and too fragile for its study to be the exclusive domain of biologists.

Thanks to Lua Kali’s fascinating illustrations, we can contemplate it more closely and discover a deep and diverse world in its unexpected sensuality. What we see there is us: the other community members, the world of the living. These invisible beings are our older brothers. They are around us, with us, within us; they live for us and against us. Without them, we wouldn’t be possible.”

Hugo Aguilaniu, Executive Director of Serrapilheira

The Selvagem – ciclo de estudos sobre a vida (Wildlife – studies cycle about life) is an experience of connecting knowledge from indigenous, academic, scientific, traditional, and other species’ perspectives. It was conceived by Anna Dantes in 2018 and guided by Ailton Krenak. It is produced by Madeleine Deschamps and carried out by a collective that involves the community, scientists, representatives of indigenous peoples, artists, supporters, participants and the public.

The studies – notebooks, conversations, reading cycles, in-person events, workshops and audiovisuals – are free on the Selvagem website and YouTube channel.

The books in Selvagem colletion (Dantes Editions) deepen and strengthen studies, including “Invisible Beings”, based on the extensive research of biologist Lynn Margulis and her son Dorion Sagan.