 During a special ceremony at Caseria San Andres on the Rio Momon near Iquitos, Peru, Dr. Douglass G. Norvell, a resident of Nauvoo, Illinois and a emeritus professor at WIU, was named an honorary chief of the Bora Tribe for his work with the Amazon Basin Institute for the Indigenous Arts.  Caseria San Andres is a traditional village established by the Boras when they fled persecution by the Rubber Barons in the early 1900,s. Previously, they lived on the Rio Putumayo bordering Peru and Colombia. Foreign Rubber Barons enslaved the Boras to gather natural rubber in the forests. 
Translated means: The Native Community of the Boras from San Andreas, Momon River Iquitos - Loreot - Peru Names: Dr. Douglass G. Norvell as Honorary Bora Chief in recognition of his great labor towards a healthy Bora Community signed: Rafael Flores Head Chief of the Bora Community July 22, 2008  Today, the Boras subsist by hunting, fishing, selling native handicrafts (including artwork) and entertaining tourists with traditional dances. At home, the Boras wear loincloths made of tree bark and decorated with geometric designs.  On the hunt, they decorate their faces with whiskers imitating those of a jaguar, both as disguises and for added ferocity. The Amazon Institute provides scholarships for talented artists from communities deep in the jungle. Alter graduating from high schools run by missionaries or local governments, these students go on to study in a five year program leading to a university degree in art. Most are painters. Two scholarships at the Victor Morey School of Bellas Artes are reserved for Boras, with more to follow. Dr. Norvell raises money for the scholarships by appealing to friends and family for small donations. “My dentist in LaHarpe donated $100 to the Institute,” says Dr. Norvell, “He is a real fine fellow. Next, I’m working on my banker in Colusa.”  As a Fulbright Scholar working with Professor Cliver Flores Lanza of the Victor Morey School of Bellas Artes, Dr. Norvell help to design and establish the Institute.When traveling to the Amazon, Dr. Norvell buys native handicrafts that his wife Mary, who teaches at the Dallas City Elementary School, distributes to students in lessons that deal with other cultures. Dr. Norvell travels to the Amazon every six months. “It’s a lot of fun there,” he says, “I get to hang out with real live Soldiers of Fortune, expatriates on the run, missionaries, and scruffy kooks who have reached the end of the road.” “Iquitos is definately the end of the road,” he says. Iquitos, which sits on the Amazon, is the largest town in the world not accessible by road. For more information, see - Pintor Amazonico or call 217-453-6505. |