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Hope for the indigenous Amazon tribes

10-27-2011 03:33 PM CET | Energy & Environment

Press release from: Greenstream TV

The indigenous people left on our planet hold an ancestral link to the history of what was before the development of cities like Rio and Sao Paulo. Their customs have stayed with them throughout the years and today they continue to live peacefully within the Amazon.

I’ve always been intrigued by their way of life; the language, their day to day routine, what they do for leisure? But their treatment lately has left me thinking What have they done to deserve this? In August one of the last uncontacted tribes went missing after drug traffickers stormed through their land and with recent news about Raizen’s ethanol production harming their health, it makes you wonder what is really being done to protect these people?

Though indigenous people still have a somewhat illusive image to the outside world, it does not diminish their humanity and we should make an effort in understanding the native people and put conservation measures in place before the last vestiges of untouched cultural history are completely lost. One of the best ways to achieve this, as many great anthropologists has done in the likes of Jane Goodall, is immersing themselves into the tribes and observe their traditions.

The only problem with that is because of their lack of contact with modern civilisation it’s a risk as to how they will respond to one of us wandering into their homeland. Dr. Stacy Hope is one of the lucky few who has had the chance to step into one of these communities and experience first hand their way of life.

The Wapichannao community, based in Guyana, welcomed her into their world as part of research for her PhD. “Perhaps it might have been a subconscious referral to being captain of the Wapishana House in High School, or whether it was a combination of that and the sheer serendipity of reading about the village I was to live in on the flight to Guyana. However, I would like to think that they chose me, as they literally did. They had to decide whether they wanted me in their village or not”.

She went into the experience with no preconceived notions hoping to get to know the people, herself and figure out how she wanted to approach an anthropological account of her reality of them. While there, she noticed many benefits to their way of life - some of which we might be able to take into consideration.

“Life is healthier and more fulfilling. I quite miss going to bed (or hammock, in my case) amidst the sounds of nature that I can't seem to find elsewhere. The freshness, the sense of community, and the fearless abandonment that was contradicting the institutional control that appeared and ended at the surface of it all,” Hope explains. Despite the positive aspects of her experience, there are a number of plights the Wapichannao community face, which includes land titles, free, prior and informed consent, flooding of farms and political division.

Hope also spoke about FUNAI, the Brazilian agency whose job is to protect them and of their methods that proved to be unsuccessful. “FUNAI, at one point, has tried to incorporate Amerindians into mainstream Brazilian society, exposing them to disease and poverty, and disregarding their own realities. Only recently has FUNAI restructured the way they approach "protecting" the Indigenous People. This is not only a FUNAI problem, but can be seen in varying degrees across different agencies in Brazil, South America, and the developing world as a whole,” she explained.

Many of us may never come face to face with a tribesman, but we should be aware of their existence and be mindful of their way of life. Of course, these are obvious things, but Hope reckons we can learn so much more having spent time there herself. Not taking “concepts, terms, or individuals as 'definites', but as ambiguating entities. Once we understand that everything can take on another meaning, moment or space in time, then can we truly tackle issues of personhood, nationalism and otherness”.

In the end all we need are for people to be a little bit like Hope, who may very well - to the indigenous population - personify the very thing her name suggests.

GreenstreamTV is a news media company that sets out to be the leading brand in global news and events relating to all things ethical, economical and environmental.

Our content aims to inform the public of the latest in sustainability and 'green' innovations. GreenstreamTV's vision is to inform, educate, organise and encourage the growth of the green information age.

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