The mass media seldom reports on indigenous peoples. In Brazil alone, there live around 240 indigenous nations who have their own way of seeing the past, present and future. Interconnectivity, the diversity of living beings and change are at the core of their thinking.

Dr Virtanen’s own fieldwork experiences have created the foundation for understanding the people being researched. Her first trip to Brazil was in 2000. She also has fieldwork experience from India, where she conducted ethnographic research for her master’s thesis.

Research in the Amazon region has demanded grit and determination to overcome bureaucratic red tape, as well as a diverse range of practical skills. In addition, the legacy of colonialist anthropology has made many indigenous people retreat from research. Virtanen has had to work to earn the trust of the groups she has researched.

The development of new reciprocal research methods and relationships is part of Dr Virtanen’s endeavour. Virtanen found her own way to work as a collaborative partner with the Manchineri and Apurinã nations. Members of the community have become her long-term friends. She has been watching many of their youths grow up for almost 15 years.