The Artisans of Comuna Cofán Dureno

In the past INTO worked with a range of artisans within the community including mothers,

sons, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers drawing from the community's close net and interdependent nature.

• Some of the seeds and plant fibers incorporated in the products are found near the community while others require the artisan to hike for long periods in search of the exact area where certain plants grow or where particular animals range.

• Secondly, because all the material is natural the artisans must clean, dry, soak, strip, or cut the material to prepare it for crafting.

• Third, the artisans design and create the items. Depending on the type of material and the intricacy of the item this can take any where from one hour to two weeks to complete.

As buyers, INTO strives to include the amount of time and labor spent on each item in consideration of the price as each step is important to the final product's overall quality.

Currently, INTO has started a "Make your own rainforest necklace" project with nine women in the community to focus efforts and ensure a more measurable effect within the community.

The project will teach the artisans how to harvest the seeds using sustainable methods in addition to more proper cleaning and drilling techniques. The project, in collaboration with Women of the Cloud Forest of Costa Rica, will market packets of seeds with information about the seeds and the rainforest including its people and ecology.

In general, the artisans of Comuna Cofán Dureno produce various products ranging from tote bags to necklaces. Each product incorporates materials that derive from the rainforest.