MYSTIC, Conn. (AP) – A 92-foot ketch boat built in the Panamanian rain forest has docked in Connecticut as part of a voyage designed to bring attention to conservation efforts and the plight of the region’s indigenous people.

The $1.4 million Pajaro Jai, which means enchanted bird, was the brainchild of Jim Brunton, a software entrepreneur from Westport, Conn. Katie Brunton said her uncle financed the boat and his Pajaro Jai Foundation through his software business and the sale of 180 acres of oceanfront property in Maine.

The crew of the 82-ton vessel includes native Chocoe Indians from the village of Mogue in the Darien rain forest of Panama. Snakes, birds and other animals from their home were carved into the burnished wood interior of the ship, which they built from rain-forest lumber in a 15-year project under Brunton’s guidance.

Even the stainless steel turnbuckles and ship’s wheel were bent, welded, ground and polished in the rain forest.

“This boat is merely a tool, and it’s a very powerful tool in focusing public attention on problems of conservation and development, and the way international aid is delivered,” said Vance Bluschke, a crew member and member of the Pajaro Jai Foundation.

The boat is on its first journey up the coast of the United States, with stops in Washington, New York, Mystic and Maine. In Maine, the crew will meet with Passamaquoddy Indians on Aug. 3, The Day newspaper reported.

It left Colombia on June 4, motored through the Panama Canal and weathered stormy 10-foot seas near Jamaica kicked up by Tropical Storm Alberto.

“This trip, we have seven indigenous Indians that have left their home, traveled 2,000 miles on the boat through the open ocean, and shown incredible courage,” Bluschke said. “And they’re here to deliver a message that this is what can be achieved by people who have absolutely nothing except for determination and character and heart.”

Their goal is to meet with “other indigenous groups,” Bluschke said.

“We’re meeting with the Passamaquoddy Indians in Bangor, Maine, on the third of August,” he said. “By getting different indigenous groups together, perhaps you would have a unified voice, and influence how aid is delivered … More important is aid that fosters self-sufficiency, esteem, real health for the community, rather than a simple handout to build a well.”