Where Fintech Meets the Forest: Sabeer Nelli’s Journey to the Amazon's Indigenous Wisdom

In the dense forests near Alter do Chão, where the Tapajós River carves its way through the Brazilian Amazon, a unique cultural exchange unfolded during COP30. Sabeer Nelli, CEO of Zil Money, was joined by Dr. Shakil Ahammed, a senior Government of India officer from Meghalaya, and his wife, on a journey to engage with the Waiwai Indigenous people. What began as an official delegation visit turned into a profound exchange, where Sabeer learning ancient hunting techniques from a Waiwai shaman and sharing a Kerala Indigenous song describing sacrifice and protection in return.

The encounter, at the Waiwai Indigenous Cultural Center near Santarém, highlighted the growing recognition that Indigenous ecological knowledge—developed over millennia—holds key solutions to climate challenges that policymakers often debate in air-conditioned rooms.

The COP30 Context

The visit took place against the backdrop of COP30 in Belém, which saw the largest Indigenous presence in United Nations climate history. Over 3,000 Indigenous representatives gathered for the summit, surpassing the 1,600 fossil fuel industry delegates. Hosting the conference in an Amazon city centered forests highlighted the importance of forests and their guardians in climate discussions. The summit raised $1.8 billion for forest conservation and led Brazil to create 10 new Indigenous territories.

The Waiwai: Guardians of an Ancient Way

The Waiwai are a Carib-speaking Indigenous people whose territories stretch across northern Brazil and southern Guyana. With a population of 2,500 to 4,000, they have preserved one of the Amazon's most distinctive cultures despite centuries of external pressures. Their name, linked to the armadillo, symbolizes their deep connection to the land.

The Waiwai have historically been recognized as specialists in sophisticated manioc graters, hunting dogs, and intricate basket weaving, maintaining trading networks that once stretched across the Guiana Shield. Their lands, protected by Brazil’s Indigenous demarcation laws, remain some of the most intact ecosystems in the Amazon, standing in stark contrast to the widespread deforestation nearby.

Spirit, Song, and Survival: A Shared Understanding

At the Waiwai Cultural Center, Sabeer and the delegation were welcomed by community leaders, including Simone Santos de Souza, a cultural coordinator, and Ashfi, a shaman. The Waiwai demonstrated spirit-invocation music using a traditional forest flute, calling upon Mawari, the Forest Spirit. This ritual reflects their belief that everything in nature, from the smallest insect to the tallest tree, possesses a soul deserving respect.

This moment struck Sabeer deeply. As he participated in the exchange, he shared a Kerala Indigenous song, passed down through his heritage, which speaks of sacrifice, protection, and a bond with the earth. The mutual sharing of knowledge underscored a profound connection between the Waiwai’s ancient traditions and Sabeer’s modern business philosophy. Both, in their own ways, emphasize balance—whether in the forest or the business world.

The Technology of Survival

One of the most striking demonstrations was the Waiwai hunting arsenal. The delegation observed poison-tipped arrows crafted from forest materials—a technology honed by Indigenous peoples across the Amazon for over 70,000 years. The Waiwai use these arrows for both hunting and fishing, targeting animals like tapir, deer, and wild pigs.

Across the Amazon, Indigenous hunters use curare, an alkaloid from forest vines, to tip their arrows. The poison paralyzes prey, making hunting efficient while ensuring the meat remains safe to eat. Bird-hunting spears and fishing arrows demonstrated during the visit reflect specialized tools developed for distinct prey—each weapon representing generations of observational knowledge about animal behavior and forest ecology.

Beyond the Symbolic

What made this visit stand out was the intimacy and reciprocity of the exchange. Rather than observing Indigenous culture as a spectacle, the interaction involved mutual sharing—the Waiwai demonstrating their forest knowledge while the Indian delegation reciprocated with cultural traditions of their own.

For Sabeer Nelli, whose Zil Money platform processes tens of billions of dollars annually for over a million businesses, this encounter represented something his fintech innovations cannot replicate: knowledge systems that have sustained human communities in balance with their environments for millennia.

As the Waiwai hosts expressed at the visit’s conclusion, cross-cultural understanding in global climate dialogues requires more than mere representation in negotiating rooms. It demands genuine engagement with the knowledge systems that have kept forests intact while the rest of the world debates how to save them.

The Future: Bridging Two Worlds

As the delegation’s visit concluded, the lessons learned were clear. For Sabeer, this experience was a poignant reminder of the power of Indigenous knowledge in shaping a sustainable future. He believes the future of business lies not just in modern technology, but in the wisdom of the past.

Leaders in every industry need to look beyond the boardroom and seek solutions that have stood the test of time. Whether it’s in the Amazon or Silicon Valley, the key to a sustainable future may already be in front of us—if we’re willing to listen.

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