Edson Krenak - (Cultural Survival), Author at COGITO

Edson Krenak - (Cultural Survival)

Edson Krenak, is an Indigenous activist, scholar, and writer. He is currently a doctoral candidate, completing his degree in legal anthropology, at the University of Vienna, Austria. He also holds a degree in Linguistics and Literary Theory. Since 2013, Edson has been affiliated with the Brazilian Uk’a Arts and Culture Institute where he contributes his experience as a speaker and coach. In 2016 Edson became the 10th recipient of Brazil’s prestigious National Tamoios Award for Indigenous Writers for his book, The Borum’s Dream. His short story, "Kren and Pockrane: Why the Krenak People Lack Twins," was featured in the 2018 UNICEF-recommended anthology "Nos: Anthology of Indigenous Stories". In 2019, Edson Krenak assumed the position of Indigenous Rights Advocacy Coordinator at the U.S.-based Indigenous rights non-profit, Cultural Survival (CS). He also holds the role of coordinating CS’s programs in Brazil; these include advocacy, capacity building, and the Keepers of the Earth Fund. Since May, he is member-at-large of the SALSA Board (The Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America) for 2024 – 2027.

Reading Time: 10 minutesThe 2025 OECD Report Reinforcing Rural Resilience reveals that OECD regions have seen a significant loss of forests, with approximately 10% of their forest cover disappearing between 2000 and 2020. To discuss solution-based approaches to this issue, we do not need to necessarily turn to new innovations or technologies, but rather we can look to past wisdom of indigenous knowledge in how to care for nature in a long-sustaining manner.