By Elielson Almeida, journalist and member of the Pororoka collective

When the beetle known as Mãmã Solei appears in the forest, no one thinks of driving it away. In Portuguese, its name means "Mother of the Sun," and its arrival signals that the dry season is approaching and that it is time to prepare the fields for planting.

The Mãmã Solei beetle is one of the many signs of the change of time and seasons. A centuries old time marker, that is threatened by climate change. Foto: Elielson Almeida

Mãmã Solei does not arrive alone. The song of a bird, the flowering of trees, the movement of clouds, the direction of the wind, and the behavior of rivers also indicate when it is time to plant, harvest, fish, or perform ceremonies.

Together, these signs make up what the Indigenous peoples of Oiapoque call the time markers—a body of knowledge built through countless generations of observing nature. It is not belief; it is the Amazon's millennia-old science.

"When the rains arrive, we notice that the birds gather near the rivers and lakes. At that moment, we know the transition from the rainy season to the dry season is beginning. The same happens during the fish spawning season. When the fish begin to lay their eggs, we know the rains are coming. It is through these signs that we learn to understand time", explains Sedrick Anicá dos Santos, a Karipuna Indigenous researcher.

Sedrick Anicá is one of the many local Oiapoque researchers who struggle to keep their ancestral knowledge alive. Foto: Elielson Almeida

Sedrick, from Santa Izabel village, contributed to the research for "The Book of Time Markers: Indigenous Research on Environmental Perceptions and Climate Change", written by 40 Indigenous researchers from Oiapoque and organized by the Indigenous Research and Training Institute (Iepê). The publication demonstrates the profound dialogue these communities maintain with the world around them, allowing them to synchronize their activities with the broader cycles of life in their territories.

For Luene Karipuna, coordinator of APOIANP, the climate changes destroy not only the environment, but also the connections the indigenous people share with their territories. Foto: Elielson Almeida

"It is a connection. We have a very close dialogue with nature. Through the observations of our elders, we know when the rains are coming, when the dry season is arriving, through insects, birds, the flowering of trees, the shape of the clouds, the sunset. All of this is the result of thousands of years of observation, but also of dialogue with nature,", explains Luene Karipuna, Executive Coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples and Organizations of Amapá and Northern Pará (Apoianp).

WHEN NATURE CHANGES ITS ANSWERS

In recent years, however, the predictability that once helped organize life in the villages has begun to disappear. The rains now arrive at different times, and the dry season no longer follows its expected rhythm. The signs have become scrambled.

"When that cycle changes, our crops begin to suffer. What should be the dry season becomes dry season, rain, dry season, rain. The plants die, and we can no longer plant again. It throws off our entire clock and the way we organize our calendar", says Luene.

In the villages, Indigenous families continue teaching children to observe the forest while also trying to understand the new messages nature is sending. The knowledge that guided previous generations is now at risk of disappearing, because the world that gave rise to it is gradually ceasing to exist.

"When climate change arrives, it does not destroy only the environment. It does not destroy only something tangible. It destroys this dialogue. It disrupts the relationship between Indigenous peoples and nature. When we can no longer read nature or communicate with it through these time markers, we no longer know which way to go. It disrupts not only a cultural cycle of dialogue, but also a cycle of learning", she continues.

In the coming months, when Mãmã Solei once again appears in the forest, the communities will prepare, as they always have, for the arrival of the dry season. What that season will look like—and how long it will last—are questions the Karipuna may once again have to interpret for themselves, because the time markers are now signaling a different future.

"Our elders always tell us that we must return to dialoguing with nature and observing it more carefully. Nature is trying to get our attention. It is warning us: 'Things are going wrong. You are doing things the wrong way.' Every time an extreme climate event destroys part of the environment, it is nature sending us a warning. We need to change course", Luene concludes.