The nests of the Yucatan gold trupial are small architectural marvels. Like basketball hoops or crochet hammocks, the artfully woven structures of the females of these orange blackbirds hang high up in the tops of the trees and, if you discover them at all, are not only pretty to look at.

They can also predict the future: If the nests are coarse-meshed, long and woven from green stalks, this indicates a period of drought, because the lush grasses provide the young in the nest with cooling and fresh air. However, if they are dense, short and made of dried up building material, a longer rainy season can be expected.

On the Yucatán Peninsula, Mayan farmers have for centuries been guided by whether a bird sings in the morning or in the afternoon, where ants lay their eggs, or whether the moon bears a halo. Xook K'iin – which means "reading, counting the days" – is the name of this tried-and-tested method of weather forecasting in Yucatecan.

Narratives and ecological practices of the Maya

It is based on attentive observation of nature and the sky. Already in the first twelve days of January, weather and natural phenomena are interpreted and projected onto the remaining months of the year. These forecasts are then compared over the course of the year on the basis of precise observations of certain plants, animals, cloud and wind movements, adjusted and coordinated with cultivation and harvest times.

Storing this knowledge, making it known and putting it into a fruitful exchange with Western research is the goal of one of the most remarkable initiatives that have been implemented in Berlin for a long time. In the Neukölln district, not far from the former Tempelhof Airport, a completely new institution has now opened: a new red concrete and brick building houses a mixture of exhibition hall, research facility, learning laboratory, studio, community garden, cultural and district center that deals with indigenous traditions. Since its opening, the so-called "Spore House" has offered a complex range of exhibitions, educational workshops, lectures, discussions and film screenings on the lifestyles, narratives and ecological practices of the Maya of southern Mexico.

The mission: biocultural diversity

The stated mission of the Spore Initiative is to promote biocultural diversity through cultural and educational programs. At the heart of this work lies in dialogue and close collaboration with indigenous communities; Although indigenous peoples make up only six percent of the world's population, they protect around 80 percent of the world's remaining biodiversity. At the same time, they are disproportionately threatened by the effects of the climate crisis and globalization, especially the agricultural and raw materials industries. The fact that their basic knowledge of the flora and fauna holds an invaluable potential for climate and nature conservation has now spread worldwide. Spore tries to work with them to preserve their knowledge, which is mostly transmitted orally, to make it accessible and to share it with the world.