A Future for Amazonia: Randy Borman and Cofáan Environmental Politics by Michael Cepek (review)

A Future for Amazonia is an ethnography written with detail, depth, and clarity that emphasizes the challenges faced by the Cofán peoples of Ecuador. Cepek writes with a sense of compassion and understanding while detailing the role of Randy Borman, the son of missionaries who was raised in a Cofán village, as a leader for the Cofán. At its core, the book is about conservation, environmentalism, and culture change. However, Cepek goes well beyond these topics to address issues of symbolism, meaning, and value amongst the Cofán.

Cepek is clear that his intent was to write a book that would be accessible to a non-academic audience. He accomplishes this with A Future for Amazonia. Moreover, A Future for Amazonia is a valuable contribution to the scholarly literature on conservation, Indigenous peoples, and environmentalism. Cepek writes for the non-specialist while at the same time writing something that is timely, relevant, and of interest to an academic audience.

A Future for Amazonia is divided into two parts. Part One focuses on Randy Borman as a member of Cofán society while also painting a vivid picture about Cofán notions of identity and belonging. Part Two pays close attention to Cofán environmental politics and Borman's role as a leader of the Cofán.

It is through a focus on Borman that Cepek explicates the complexities of what it means to be Cofán in an increasingly globalized context where colonization and environmental destruction threaten Cofán culture. Cepek provides a detailed and insightful discussion of Cofán identity and makes it clear that Borman is uniquely positioned within the Cofán culture and as someone who extends well beyond the norms of Cofán identity. Borman is the son of American missionaries, grew up in a Cofán village, speaks the native language of A'ingae, possesses the cultural knowledge and characteristics of Cofán identity, was educated in Quito and the United States, lived extensive periods of time in both places, and travels internationally on behalf of the Cofán. Even though Borman is the lead character, Cepek's writing in no way casts the Cofán in the shadow of Borman. Instead it is through Borman, an extraordinary Cofán individual whose life and story are nothing less than complex and multifaceted, that Cepek presents the reader with a deep insight into Cofán culture. Cepek uses the story of Borman to suggest that the central paradox associated with Cofán survival is condensed in the single individual that is Borman. The main argument presented by Cepek is that certain individuals in Cofán society must forego many of the cultural ideals associated with Cofán identity to ensure that the larger group can live a life of tranquility and conviviality, a concept referred to as opatssi. A significant amount of attention is paid to explicating the concept of opatssi, and Cepek is clear to point out that it does not have a singular meaning that is shared by all Cofán individuals. One example comes from Cepek's discussion of Cofán shamanism. For shaman, the term opatssi carries the connotation of naivete and meekness. Cepek notes that animals in the forest that are not afraid of humans are referred to as opa (the general quality of being free from stress and anxiety). However, the same quality makes animals, and people, vulnerable and represents a lack of awareness. Building on his discussion of opatssi and shamanism, Cepek draws insightful parallels between Borman and Cofán shaman who serve similar roles in the limiting of community stress to ensure the opatssi lifestyle for others.

Part Two delves into a detailed discussion of Cofán conservation efforts and the strategic ways in which the Cofán are negotiating change. Cepek takes the reader from Cofán village life...