The Central American Institute of Prehistoric and Traditional Cultures at
Belize
urgently needs your assistance.  The Institute focuses its interests on the
ethnobotany of sacred and medicinal plants, shamanism, consciousness studies,
and ancient traditions.  The Institute has the largest research and educational
library in Belize, consisting of irreplaceable books, photographs, artifacts,
field
notes, and other archival materials.  The recent rain storms and hurricanes
have
damaged the library and archival storage.  Algae, worms, and the dense tropical
moisture have penetrated our building and are rapidly destroying the
collection.
We estimate that in one month, one-third of the collection will be damaged; in
two months, three-quarters may be beyond repair.  In three months, there may be
nothing left to salvage.  This is a loss that the people of Belize cannot
afford.
Several of our staff members have returned to the United States to appeal for
help in rescuing this irreplaceable resource.  We have initiated a Rescue
Operation to raise emergency funds, and urgently need your support.

The Central American Institute was established under a registry charter in
1991, and granted full recognition by the Ministry of Education of the
Government of Belize, in accordance with the Education Act of 1991, Section 38.
The Institute is a non-profit research and educational institution, established
for the purposes of promoting the preservation of ancient and traditional
worldviews and materials, and to act as a center for the dissemination of
knowledge and interest in the study of such cultures.  The Institute aims at
preserving indigenous cultures through the preservation of traditional
knowledge.  Now, this traditional knowledge is about to be destroyed.

The Institute9s library and archives contain documentation of indigenous groups
that have already disappeared.  If these field notes, slides, photographs, and
artifacts are destroyed, there will be no way to replace them.  The collection
also consists of plant specimens and ethnobotanical fieldwork, documenting and
exploring the medicinal value of rain forest flora.  The destruction of this
collection would be a great loss to all who value our planet9s biodiversity,
and
seek new medical solutions to today9s health problems.  Further, the
Institute9s
collection consists of rare and out-of-print books, providing an extremely
valuable resource to ethnologists, botanists, scientists, and students alike.
The
Institute9s collection contains priceless research and documentation about the
Maya, Creole, and Garifuna populations of Belize and the neighboring regions.
The
collection, however, is not limited to Central America, but contains
information
from around the world: from South America, to the Middle East, to Siberia.
Once
this material is lost, this cultural and educational resource will be gone
forever.

Time is of the essence.  We need $60,000 now (Phase I).  We are appealing to
foundations, corporations, research societies, institutes, individuals, and
television and radio announcements to raise these funds.  We urge you to help
us
cope with this emergency situation by contributing whatever you can.  Your
contribution will be acknowledged on our homepage.  Also, please, help us
spread
this message to friends and colleagues who may be interested in supporting this
Rescue Operation.

We can provide documentation of our non-profit and educational status, and a
detailed break-down of the allocation of funds.  Further information about the
Institute can be obtained on our Website at http://world.std.com/~chacmol/.
The
Institute is also listed in Issue 3 of the People and Plants Handbook,
published by
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), UNESCO, and Royal Botanic Gardens-Kew.

In these times of modernization, Westernization, and technology, traditional
life
is being displaced and destroyed irrevocably.  It is imperative that we
preserve
cultural and natural resources, traditional epistemologies, and biodiversity.
We
appeal to you to support the Central American Institute in its drive to
preserve
these resources for the benefit of the developing country of Belize, as well as
the global community.  Please, make checks payable to: Central American
Institute.

We all thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Naxon
Director

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Emergency Fund
Central American Institute
8033 Sunset Blvd.
Suite 2040
Los Angeles, CA  90046
818-344-8516 (Emergency Fund line)
[log in to unmask]
http://world.std.com/~chacmol/

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