This is one of my favorite images from my recent trip down the Amazon. The back-breaking strength of the man shouldering the four bags of charcoal recalls images from the rubber boom period, when forced labor and brutality were connected with similar work, while the presence of children points to the possible continuation of the same patterns into the future. Yet there is hopefulness: the boats contain an abundance of charcoal and tubers for local consumption; motors allow ease of movement; electrical wires are visible in the background; the houses look stable and the people are decently clothed. My intention is that this photograph be an invitation to consider the past, present and future of a group of people who have been largely marginalized and generally unnoticed outside of their own communities.