Hauxita Jergeschew, student of the M.A. Visual and Media Anthropology, is already sitting on packed suitcases. She has already lived with indigenous peoples before her studies and will be joining them from the jungle in the coming winter semester thanks to distance learning. She told us more about her experiences in the rainforest and the Andes here.
You have already lived with indigenous peoples for ten years and will now be returning to the Brazilian and Peruvian jungle next winter semester while studying the Distance Learning M.A. Visual and Media Anthropology program. That sounds fantastic! Please tell us more about it!
Yes, I have called Perú my home for many years and have lived in the Andes, and I will be returning there in September. I want to spend some time with my indigenous friends in a remote Quechua community at about 5000 meters above sea level: to sit and share with them, be inspired by their ways, learn more Quechua, and stay open to what might emerge from our time together. I want to focus on the practice of prayer.
Afterwards, in the rainy season, I will return to the lowland jungle of northern Peru to meet a curandero (healer) with whom I worked for two years in complete isolation while feeding on various medicinal plants. He is from the Vegetalista lineage, which means that his focus of healing work is entirely in the plant kingdom. For reasons of privacy and confidentiality, I will not go into detail about my research project here.
Depending on the general travel situation in South America, I would also like to return to Brazil, where I have visited indigenous communities in the rainforest on several trips. I have not visited some of these friends since the beginning of the pandemic, so it is time for me to return. I also have some projects going on with them. I would love to visit new communities and regions in Brazil, and as I already know, it’s one thing to plan jungle adventures in advance, and another to let the journey guide you: Planning is not necessary, honestly. I also plan to venture into the jungles of Colombia and Guyana in preparation for a future expedition to Mount Roraima/Tepuis. This place has been appealing to me for years.
Can you tell us a bit about how you discovered your research topic and how you came into contact with the indigenous peoples you lived with? What did you learn from this experience?
First of all, I didn’t discover a research topic at all. Ten years ago, for personal reasons, I decided to go to the Peruvian rainforest to study medicinal plants in the aforementioned vegetalista tradition. This first experience in the jungle changed the course of my life in an unexpected way. During my extended stay in this region, I got to know other indigenous peoples and also began to learn the language: and so the story takes its course…
After a few years in the Peruvian jungle, I felt the need to go to the Brazilian jungle and spend time with indigenous communities. Through universal guidance (there is no better description) and other circumstances, I first visited a Roman Catholic monastery in a Brazilian jungle town that was founded in the 1930s. There I met some representatives of the indigenous people who came to the monastery because they had been proselytized by these monks decades earlier. During my time at the monastery, I also made contact with the FUNAI agency, an organization set up by the government to promote indigenous rights and advocate for their interests. This gave me more information about indigenous communities that I could visit and I decided to go to the Puyanawa people. There I met many other indigenous people from other communities on several occasions and I kept visiting them. Over the years, research topics have naturally emerged, some of which I am currently working on and at the same time developing new ones.
To come to the second question: I’m still learning and everything is still in flux. First of all, I have unlearned many things, and then I have learned many new things from the teachings of the jungle, Pachamama (Mother Earth) and the indigenous peoples I have spent so much time with.
Through my time in the Andes and the Amazon, I can better understand myself, come closer to my essence and - appreciate and constantly internalize the teachings about and through community, sharing, communication, nature, ancestors, and traditional healing methods and rituals.
Why did you decide to study “M.A. Visual and Media Anthropology”?
I was looking for a way to connect everything that is important to me in a new way. This also relates to my life before the jungle and my journey over the last ten years. Broadly speaking, I come from a background of activism, art, research – and over the last 10 years I’ve brought community, education, healing practices and the environment into the field. I want to find my own language of expression – I am open to all mediums and avenues available to me to do so. The decision to study VMA has opened a new door to inspiration for me.
What experiences/courses/projects during your studies do you think will benefit you the most in your future career?
It’s probably too early in my studies to adequately answer this question, as our second semester has just begun. So far, I believe that experimentation, concentration, inspiration, exchange and self-exploration are already accompanying me on my way through the lectures and the conversations with our lecturers. The exchange with my fellow students is also of great value to me. I see the degree program and its results as an organic and continuous development. The practical tasks are great and a great help in learning and designing.
What do you like most about your course of study in general?
The wide variety of content, the commitment and academic expertise of our professors, and the interaction with my incredibly talented fellow students: Being challenged, inspired, and supported are part of my study experience that I value very much.
What advice do you give (prospective) students thinking about studying Visual and Media Anthropology at Media University?
What are you excited about? What is your intention/vision to study this course of study?
The VMA offers a wide variety of content in a compact window of time. You can go as deep as you want with this program, anything is possible: I recommend surfing the wave as it comes, it will sometimes blow your mind and become a profound adventure. Don't forget to have fun, it's a unique journey, so enjoy the ride!
What are your plans for the future?
I intend to purchase land in the jungle, partly for reasons of nature conservation and partly with the vision of creating a common space for cultural exchange between representatives of the indigenous people and visitors – under the umbrella of sustainability. Beyond this specific project, I would like to do as much research as possible in the jungle!
Getting a PhD is one option I’m considering. More generally, I want to continue to raise awareness about the environment and indigenous peoples, which I believe are intertwined: through art, activism, community projects, community building, exhibitions, filmmaking, lectures, research — whatever the purpose.
Thank you for sharing your study experience with us. We wish you all the best for your future!
