Reciprocity

The IRI Resource

The Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative of the Americas (IRI) is a comprehensive online resource that allows people to connect with and donate to grassroots Indigenous nonprofits and community initiatives at the local level. Through a network of relationships with trusted organizers throughout the Americas, this Indigenous-centered, community-driven list represents a range of projects addressing everything from food and environmental health to land-tenure, reforestation, and cultural conservation, including educational, economic, and institutional support. Our ultimate goal is to build a grassroots support network, create an educational resource, and promote organizations designed and implemented by local Indigenous people to address their own self-determined needs. Rather than imposing outside ideas of sustainability, IRI is the product of working directly with Indigenous leaders and small, non-profit coordinators who prioritize the autonomy of local people. To accompany this resource, as well as serve the needs of those who do not have institutional support or capacity to receive donations online, Chacruna also developed the IRI Program.

What is Reciprocity?

The Chacruna Institute continues promoting publications and conversations around honoring the Indigenous roots of the psychedelic movement, reciprocity, autonomy, decolonization, commodification, conservation,  cultural appropriation, Indigenous perspectives on the globalization of plant medicines, inclusion of Indigenous people in the psychedelic circuit, and ethics in the new psychedelic industry (see also this). IRI invites a deeper consideration of what we mean by the idea of “reciprocity” and how we might embody that understanding in the most authentic way, contributing to a general culture and awareness around reciprocity in the psychedelic community. Often vaguely defined, paid lip-service by corporate interests, or used to launder the dubious promises of neoliberal development and access and benefit-sharing, reciprocity is an Indigenous concept that doesn’t neatly fit with the model of capitalist exploitation extracting profits from Indigenous cultures. “Ayni,” the Quechua term for reciprocity, refers to a society existing in a constant state of flux, perpetually reordering and correcting for the dynamic imbalance of every living moment in pursuit of collective well-being.

The legacy of monumental injustices left by colonialism and biological piracy can never be properly righted or adequately repaid by the same systems that now profit from Indigenous knowledge. Although conflated with equality or quid pro quo exchange, reciprocity is really a constant process of balancing that acknowledges one’s place in an ever-shifting story of relationship. IRI provides a unique avenue for psychedelics enthusiasts to reciprocate with their environment and its Indigenous defenders; but it is not just about donating money. IRI is a bridge between the Global North and South, building lasting relationships within a living, growing network; it aids communication and coordination between Indigenous groups who can support each other in solidarity, exchanging ideas for how to tackle the similar challenges they face.

The IRI Program will run continuously, with the possibility of a renewal and the inclusion of new participants after one year. Contributors can keep up to date with the groups from IRI through our social media series, Indigenous Reciprocity Thursdays, where we highlight a different Indigenous organization each week.