Anã Community
Arumã Indigenous Village

Anã is a riverside community nestled along the Arapiuns River, in the municipality of Santarém, Pará, within the Tapajós-Arapiuns Extractive Reserve. Its name derives from “Moanã,” an enchanted being revered by the Indigenous peoples of the region. In Tupi-Guarani, “Moanã” means “enchanted being,” reflecting the profound connection residents feel with this truly magical land.

Originally, Anã was a small seasonal settlement inhabited by the Indigenous Arapiun people. Over time, it became a permanent home, shaped by waves of immigration not only from Europeans—mainly from Portugal—but also from Afro-Brazilian populations escaping slavery.

This diverse heritage shaped the community’s identity and lifestyle. Today, approximately 90 families live in Anã, dedicating themselves to a variety of community activities, including churches, a basic health unit, a school, a soccer team, and numerous projects focused on food security and economic support.

Among these projects, fish farming stands out as an internationally recognized initiative managed by women through MUSAs (Women Adders in Action), active since 1990. They specialize in the management of tambaquis in floating tanks. Another important initiative is meliponiculture, the sustainable management of stingless bees, based on respect for nature and species preservation.

These activities provide staple foods, enrich the culinary experience for visitors, and generate supplementary income circulated within the community. Like family farming, these practices are cultural and ancestral, supporting the majority of communities in the region.

Community-Based Tourism (CBT) in Anã depends entirely on these traditional activities. CBT aims to showcase the community’s beauty, history, authentic riverside lifestyle, strengths, challenges, organizational methods, and accomplishments. Through this, Anã maintains a peaceful and organized way of life, sharing its heritage and collective work among all members.

Main activities

In late 1999, the Anã community received its first CEPLAC (Executive Committee of the Cocoa Crop Plan) project focused on managing tambaqui fish in floating tanks. The goal was to enhance food security for Anã and 16 other communities involved in the initiative. The project sparked interest among local coordinators and residents and was embraced by the community. Initially, about 1,000 fingerlings were donated to each community, and technicians provided training on fish management and care. Anã chose a collective management model; however, it faced challenges and eventually led to the initiative’s closure—a trend seen in other participating communities as well. Between 2002 and 2003, a determined group of women revived the project independently. They formed the “Tambaqui Mulher” group, aiming to secure resources for building more tanks, purchasing fingerlings and feed, and achieving a production level sufficient to meet the community’s own needs. Food security remains a critical concern along the Arapiuns River. The women faced significant resistance and sexism. Many found it hard to accept women as breadwinners in an activity traditionally viewed as male. Starting with 19 members, the group shrank to 15 as some husbands opposed their wives’ involvement, dismissing the effort as a doomed venture. Those who persevered named their struggle “Feminine Insistence.” Through public outreach, meetings, and confronting countless refusals, they gained vital support that turned their vision into reality. Renamed “MUSA – United Women Dreamers in Action,” the group defied expectations. By 2023, their tambaqui population had grown from 1,000 fingerlings to nearly 20,000. They shifted from collective to family-based management, with each woman overseeing her own tank. Today, MUSAs supply fish not only to Anã but also to other communities involved in community-based tourism, where tambaqui is a staple on visitors’ tables. Internationally recognized, the MUSAs are celebrated for their innovation, resilience, and as a source of inspiration for women leaders driving transformation.

Community-based tourism (CBT) in Anã began in 1998 as a response to the challenges posed by luxury tourism, mass tourism, and backpackers passing through many communities without leaving meaningful benefits—only waste, noise, and disregard for local ways of life. In reaction to this unsustainable reality, the Anã community mobilized. Residents came together to discuss strategies to organize tourism in a way that honored their demands with dignity and autonomy. Between 2000 and 2005, community members began informally welcoming visitors—hosting receptions on the beaches and offering overnight stays in their homes. Despite limited infrastructure and improvised services, this period planted the seed for something greater. The Saúde e Alegria project played a crucial role during this phase, providing essential support to strengthen the initiative. In 2013, after securing important funding, the community built a guesthouse equipped with bathrooms, dormitories, and a dining room. This development expanded their capacity to host visitors in a more structured and welcoming environment. With tourism firmly established, the Paraíso de Anã group began to highlight not only the area’s natural beauty but also community practices such as fish farming, beekeeping, family farming, and the daily life of residents. The group maintains partnerships with tourism companies, universities, and schools that regularly organize field trips. Community-based tourism in Anã goes beyond economics—it strengthens local initiatives, values community production, and centers residents as key agents. It is an expression of autonomy, identity, and cultural resilience.

Meliponiculture in the Anã community began in 1998 with just five families, aiming to replace the traditional—and destructive—practice of honey collection carried out by local honey gatherers, known as meleiros. At the time, it was common to burn entire hives—including bees, brood, and honey—to harvest the honey, a practice that was rapidly depleting the native stingless Melipona species. It was the children of these meleiros who chose to continue honey collection in a different way. Recognizing honey’s role not only as a food source but also as traditional medicine, they developed a sustainable approach: rather than burning, they collected tree trunks with hives intact, taking them home to carefully remove brood and multiply colonies in small boxes. This new method proved successful. The group grew, and today 22 families actively manage over 500 swarms distributed among them. Meliponiculture has also become a major attraction in community-based tourism. Far from harming the environment, this practice promotes forest regeneration through pollination. The bee keepers serve as vigilant guardians, managing the swarms with deep knowledge and respect. Their work exemplifies economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

In 2021, the Anã community launched a new form of expression and sustainability: wood crafts. This initiative began when Danilo Godinho, a community member and carpentry instructor, recognized the potential in discarded wood pieces—material often seen as waste but still full of value and artistic possibility. Together with his wife, Gecinara, who shares experience in painting, Danilo invited five local girls to explore creative expression using this reclaimed wood. Over time, the group expanded to include teenagers from the village. Today, around 20 community members create small objects—keychains, boats, pens—blending painting, sculpture, and imagination. What started as a simple act of reuse has grown into a recognized practice both within Anã and beyond. The initiative now collaborates with scientific research programs at the Federal University of Western Pará and international institutions. It serves as a model of ecological, circular bioeconomy for the forest—a vivid example of generating income while promoting environmental education. The group also played a vital role in building the Anã community square, a project in partnership with the reFloresta Movement, further weaving together art, nature, and community.

Come meet the Anã Community!

Alter do Chão, Santarém, PA - Brazil

+ 55 (93) 99148-0626

@hospedaria_paraiso_de_ana

Anã Community Arumã Indigenous Village

Main activities

Come meet the Anã Community!

Anã Community
Arumã Indigenous Village