Ribeirão da Anta – Legado das Águas

The traditional community of Ribeirão da Anta, in Tapiraí, SP, is located in an area of the Atlantic Forest of great natural beauty that includes waterfalls, a wide variety of fauna and flora. The community also has a rich local tradition and culture, which also contribute to making it an interesting tourist destination. The community produces and sells various types of handicrafts, such as baskets, sieves and mats, made by the residents themselves. There is also a mill for the production of flour which is more than 50 years old.

The overall goal of the Legado das Águas’ work in the community is to assist it to guarantee its territorial, social, economic, environmental and cultural rights. The first initiative was to carry out a historical and cultural survey of the community with the aim of empowering it to be recognized as a traditional community and to explore its economic potential, including tourism.

Around 20 people live permanently in the community. However, on weekends, the population increases, as children and grandchildren come to visit their elderly family members. Historically, the community of Ribeirão da Anta was founded in the 1930s, when Gumercindo Alves left Ibiúna and went exploring deep into the forest until he decided to settle next to a stream that was visited by many tapirs who went there to drink. Then he brought his wife, Mariana. Together they had nine children. Eight of them are still alive and subsequently they had children and grandchildren. Today, the family has about 150 descendants most of whom live and work in Tapiraí.

One of the objectives of the Legado das Águas’ work with this community over the past two years has been to convince the Tapiraí municipal authorities to recognize it as a traditional community. It was successful. Since 2015, Ribeirão da Anta Day has been celebrated on the 5th of October.

And, better still, in 2016, there were further advances. Firstly, the restoration of an area enabled the residents of Ribeirão da Anta to have access to water again. Secondly, in partnership with the Tapirái municipal government, the old school building was renovated and transformed into a community center focusing on Ribeirão da Anta culture and traditions. The Legado das Águas provided the materials and the municipal government provided the labor.

The community center has been open to visitors since 2017. By visiting the center, visitors can learn about the history of the region and take back home souvenirs of baskets, sieves and mats made by the skilled hands of those who still live there.

In November 2018, the Legado das Águas was awarded a Public Recognition Title by the Tapiraí municipal government for its contribution to the economic, social and environmental development of the municipality and its efforts to conserve the Atlantic Forest both in the municipality and in the Ribeira Valley region as a whole. The award was a tribute that recognized the work done by the Legado das Águas through the programs and projects that had been carried out in partnership with the municipality of Tapiraí since 2013.

At the same time, the Legado das Águas launched a book about the Cabocla Community of Ribeirão da Anta. The book described the work done with the community, and the results, since the project began in 2014. “The community residents were very generous in sharing their stories with us. The book is a result of this partnership, aimed at registering the history and culture of Ribeirão da Antas. The book is a milestone, not only for the community itself, but also for the State of São Paulo, since it is a record of part of São Paulo’s identity, originating in the cabocla culture, but which is being lost. For the Legado das Águas it was an honor to be able to witness the respect and spirit of unity present in this community” said David Canassa, director of Reservas Votorantim.