Brazil Project: Part Two

People of the Amazon and the rainforest around them.

There are many different cultures in Brazil, many different ways of life. The people of the Amazon rainforest in my opinion are by far the most fascinating.  With their own way of life so different to ours and yet with a far higher quality of life. The people of the Amazon are called Amerindians they live in tribes. There dress is far different to ours wearing ornaments, paints and head dresses. The Amerindians only use appropriate technology in substantial amounts. This means that they use what is around them, they use the forest, the animals and the earth, and they don’t import things from Italy or Spain. They only take as much as they need they don’t take anymore, as they respect the earth around them greatly. The forest provides the Amerindians with an excellent diet. They grow enough crops needed for their survival; they hunt fish and collect food from the forest. Their ways of finding food are called; subsistence farmers and hunter-gatherers.  The Amerindians make forest clearings to grow crops and fruit trees. Although as time passes the land becomes more infertile and the Amerindians have to move on.  This type of farming is called shifting cultivation.

The rainforest has many different and important uses to the Amerindians.

Such as: Plants and trees are used as building materials.

90% of the forest plants are of use to the Amerindians.

Their face and body paints are made form juice from plants.

Body ornaments are made from tree bark, bird feathers and animal teeth and bones.

Nine species of sting less bees are used to produce honey.

Musical instruments are made from nutshells, bamboo, animal bones and skins.

Medicines are made from over 650 different forest plants. 

Now as we know from above the forest has many uses, but how long it last, how long will the forest be able to keep producing all these plants? The Amerindian’s alone have cared and nurtured the forest in many ways so it should always have full strength. That is why the Amerindians are so good and down to earth with nature that is why they have lasted as a civilisation for so long. The Amerindian’s have cared for their forest in many ways; they only farm on a small scale which allows soil to be used again later.