Steve had, as if by magic, materialised, and David was pointing the still camera he carried with him at me. What is more, string is the Awa's traditional hunting wear.Īs the man, erm, "dressed" me, I looked over to the river bank. They had invited us into their village and let us film, I reasoned, and they clearly thought the young man's antics were hilarious. I tried - rather ineffectually - to push him away, but he was insistent. I had a choice: fight him off or surrender to the joke. The other hunters were doubled up with glee. He dived into the water beside me, string in hand. Then I noticed one of the young hunters on the bank brandishing a piece of string. The Awa seemed delighted that at last I was surrendering to the spirit of the hunt. The Awa seemed delighted that at last I was surrendering to the spirit of the hunt It was clear that he thought I should too. Clearly, they thought I should dress more appropriately. One motioned towards my groin and gestured as if he were tying a knot. They looked at me in my sweaty shirt and jeans and laughed. The Awa hunters were completely naked except for a piece of string decorated with bright bird feathers tied to the end of their penises. But walking into the village it became abundantly clear that when it comes to hunting, some traditions remain strong. Indeed, they only live in a village because game is now so scarce.ĭuring the first day we had spent with them, the Awa had worn ragged T-shirts and shorts or skirts. The Awa are nomadic hunter-gatherers and we wanted to film a hunt to illustrate how, as the loggers and farmers encroach on their land, it is increasingly difficult for them to live their traditional lifestyle. Original article on hunters told me how the loggers were driving the animals out of the forest and explained that they targeted the same trees that the community relies on for fruits and berries If he doesn't, tomorrow the Awá will be gone."įollow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter and Google+. "It is entirely within the Minister of Justice's capabilities to evict loggers, but he must act today. "It's not too late for the Awá, but it soon will be," Survival International director Stephen Corry said in a statement. But those fines are rarely levied, Shenker told LiveScience. Theoretically, the agency is subject to a fine for every day the deadline passes without action. FUNAI is reportedly waiting for support from Brazil's Justice Ministry and the police to carry out the evictions. FUNAI has so far built one base camp from which to launch the evictions, but says it needs two more base camps before anything can be done. In March 2012, a Brazilian judge issued an order to evict illegal settlers from the land. Indigenous land rights are protected in the Brazilian constitution, and the Awá have won numerous legal battles for the rights to their land. In the 1980s, a railway line constructed through Awá territory brought settlers and ranchers to their land, sparking the massive deforestation.īrazil's National Indian Foundation, FUNAI, is responsible for protecting the tribe as well as other indigenous groups in the country. The Awá were originally contacted by the Brazilian government in 1973. The group's largest territory, which spans about 463 square miles (1,200 square kilometers) has already lost about 30 percent of its tree cover. Survival International has dubbed the Awá "the most threatened tribe in the world," because of the deforestation threatening their land.
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