Project summary

This project explores the history and narratives of riverine women, whose voices have been overshadowed by the predominant male perspective. The initial phase focuses on elevating these women's accounts, capturing their community's history, stories, and myths. This phase seeks to understand their adaptation strategies over the years, particularly the gradual migration from Resex Iriri to the city of Altamira. The analysis delves into the motivations behind this relocation, the community's interaction with nature, and the economic factors driving their move to Altamira. Additionally, the project provides a comparative perspective by examining how the riverine community lives in an area not altered by a hydropower dam, in contrast to those residing along the Xingu River, close to Altamira.

The Team

Satya Maia Patchineelam

Satya Maia Patchineelam is a dedicated professional with a diverse background in architecture, urban planning, environmental sustainability, and academic research. Completing her doctoral studies in Urban Governance and Development at the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Satya's educational journey has been enriched by a commitment to addressing pressing social and environmental issues. With a graduate diploma in Architecture and Urban Planning from Universidade Gama Filho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Satya brings over seven years of hands-on experience in the field of Architecture, including project design and management. Her passion for sustainable development led her to pursue a master's in Environmental and Sustainable Development at The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, University College London. 
Satya has combined her academic pursuits with a dedication to community engagement and environmental advocacy throughout her career. She has served as an educator to empower young adults and as a researcher for a Non-governmental Organization focused on ecological preservation and indigenous rights in the Amazon Forest. 
In 2021, Satya was pivotal in establishing the River Cities Network, a collaborative platform to address critical issues related to rivers and urban environments. As co-coordinator and academic advisor, she oversees the network's initiatives and contributes her expertise to advancing its objectives. Notably, Satya serves as the Principal Investigator for the Xingu River project, the flagship endeavor of the network, demonstrating her leadership and commitment to sustainable urban development. 
With a rich blend of professional experience and academic expertise, Satya Maia Patchineelam continues to drive positive change in urban governance, environmental sustainability, and community development.

Geysiane Costa 

Geysiane Costa is a researcher with seven years of experience in socio-environmental projects in riverine communities along the Xingu River, a significant socio-ecological region of the Brazilian Amazon. She holds a Ph.D. in Biodiversity and Biotechnology from the Federal University of Pará (Bionorte Network), a Master's in Environmental Sciences, and a Bachelor's in Natural Sciences - Biology from the State University of Pará. 
In her professional career, Geysiane has always been dedicated to research, monitoring socio-environmental changes in riverine areas affected by large enterprises, and contributing to developing strategies to overcome the challenges encountered. She collaborates with partner institutions in implementing actions aimed at territorial management, resilience, and recovery of degraded areas.
Geysiane is a member of the River Cities Network (RCN), linked to the Xingu River project, “Resettled Riverine Women: The case of Belo Monte dam,” where she works as a local researcher, providing necessary support for the development of actions. Recently, she began her collaboration with Fiocruz in the National Indigenous Sanitation Program (PNSI) alongside the Indigenous Health Secretariat (SESAI). She is also a member of the Research Group “Interdisciplinary Studies in Botany,” based at the MFS Herbarium Prof. Dr. Marlene Freitas da Silva of the State University of Pará, Belém.
Geysiane has experience in ethnobotanical studies, environmental mapping, field trips, interviews, and scientific publications. Her areas of interest lie in interdisciplinarity, encompassing topics related to Conservation Biology, Sociobiodiversity, and Indigenous Sanitation.

Letícia Trzeciak

Letícia Trzeciak is a lawyer with a postgraduate degree in public law. Her postgraduate research was carried out in the area of environmental law, especially analyzing the legal protection of environmentally displaced people. She has also advised legal cases involving people affected by the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam. Currently, she works as a lawyer and teacher of environmental law.

Joana Gomes

As a child, Joana would often join her father on their farm, and by the time she turned 8, she started helping her mother with the fishery too. Around that age, she also began accompanying her father when he went out hunting wild cats. By the time she was 10, Joana took on babysitting, looking after the shop owner’s children. On top of that, she helped out at the shop, selling goods while the owners were busy fishing, hunting, or gathering Brazilian nuts.At 15, Joana married Lindolfo Aranha, and the two of them started working at a mine called Estrella. Later on, they moved to Altamira, where they found work on a farm named Maracaja, focusing on rubber extraction. After some time there, they returned to Altamira. Back in Altamira, they got involved in the fishery business, selling ornamental fish and stingrays. When their children turned 10, Joana moved to the city so they could go to school. While living in town, she began selling products around the area and later worked as a housekeeper for a nurse for three years. Afterward, Joana returned to the riverbanks and resumed fishing alongside her husband.

River Cities Network presentation series

The River Cities Network presentation series is an online platform for teams in the River Cities Network (RCN) to introduce their river-city case study projects to other members of the network and to an external audience. Teams have approximately 30 minutes to present their projects, after which there will be approximately 30 minutes for discussion. RCN teams that are interested in presenting can contact rcn@iias.nl.