Led by José Gregorio, an indigenous environmental guard patrol goes up the Amacayacu River in the Colombian Amazon. Except for José Gregorio, who is now in his 40s, all of the environmental guard members are young indigenous people, although they show great composure and poise when they reach and intercept a suspicious canoe that is traveling stealthily upriver.
This is a routine inspection, but is not stress-free. Although the two people on the boat -powered by a small Honda engine that looks like it has just come out of the factory- have the answers to the check-up well-rehearsed, they are short, succinct. You can tell they don't want to engage in conversation. They're nervous, in a hurry to get the guards off their backs.
Half-hidden behind their hats and not revealing their faces, the boys say they are going upriver to fish. They explain that, in their community, a minga is being held the next day (according to indigenous tradition, a minga is a meeting to carry out community work that culminates in a celebratory meal).
