… that is about Indian tribes and their customs – few facts and curiosities, some pleasant and some sad, all invariably reliable and interesting.
It is really difficult to condense any knowledge about the Indians. A separate book could be written about each tribe. However, here you will read some general information. In this episode a little more about how they live.
* As a reminder, in our articles we focus primarily on the Indian tribes living in the Amazon Rainforest, the largest area of which is in Brazil
The indigenous tribes and their lands
Today, many indigenous tribes of the Amazon have already managed to gain some kind of autonomy, which means that the president of a given country signed a decree recognizing a given area for the indigenous peoples. At this point, the Brazilian government has recognized around 690 of such sites in total. Unfortunately this is often done under pressure from an organization fighting for the rights of indigenous peoples, such as e.g. Survival International. It was this organization that played the greatest role in putting pressure on the Brazilian government.
Such a decree gives the indigenous tribe or tribes and their land a sense of security. They can continue to cultivate old traditions undisturbed, or – as it happens in some cases – rebuild them and live like their ancestors, in the jungle, away from civilization.
However, this sense of security is relative. In Brazil, there are two organizations fighting for the inviolability of these areas – FUNAI, a Brazilian government body that establishes and carries out policies relating to indigenous peoples, also protecting their rights, and IBAMA, a Brazilian environmental protection agency. The borders of the areas given to indigenous tribes are patrolled and guarded by them. However, the area of the Amazon rainforest is huge and no decree is able to prevent illegal logging or hunting. In both cases usually guns are being carried for “protection” against the indigenous peoples, which often ends in a massacre on the spot. Such situations take place very often and although it may seem strange to us, the jungle is really huge and dense and, contrary to appearances, it is easy to hide in this thicket – it is easy to hide even large forest clearings.
How do indigenous people live?
Many Indian tribes are more or less assimilated with the civilized world. Many of them, however, still live according to the old traditions – just as they have lived since ancient times.
The native inhabitants of the jungle eat what nature gives them, what the forest gives them. They hunt, fish, collect fruit and nuts, they also grow certain plants, like for example bananas. Compared to our agriculture, they use ways to prevent the soil from becoming barren, as their survival depends on it.
The jungle is important to these tribes because it is their home, giving them everything they need. They lead a sustainable life, not disturbing the ecological balance, sharing space with plants and animals, for whom the jungle home as well.
Children in such tribes do not go to school, but are taught from an early age how to survive in the forest, which plants are suitable for food, which are medicine, how to cook, how to hunt. Often such Indian children know more about the jungle than scientists who spend their entire lives studying it.
fun fact: many popular drugs based on plants and their healing properties come from the indian knowledge that was given to the ‘white’ people. The sad thing is that there have been many abuses by introducing patents for plants coming straight from the jungle, or by intensifying the harvesting of certain plants, often rare ones.
There are usually several shamans in each tribe. They are spiritual teachers and healers.
The life of primitive peoples is full of spirituality, which is found in many aspects of their daily lives, often based on a sense of unity with the world around them – nature.
You will find more about Indian tribes in the previous article: The Life from the Jungle (Part I)
Support
There are organizations that support and fight for a dignified life of indigenous people so that they can continue to live as they have done so far. For example, https://www.survivalinternational.org/ Survival International
I also recommend visiting the beautiful website of the Yawanawa tribe https://indigenouscelebration.org/ – although they cultivate old traditions, they also let “strangers” into their world, and they go out to “strangers” themselves. They have their own web where they beautifully describe their life and the problems they struggle with. You can also support them directly there.
It is this tribe that produces Rapé Forca Femina, from which this site takes its name.
And of course, another form of support is buying Rapé on our website.
Our Rapé comes straight from shamans of different tribes and every purchase here also supports them.
Text: Alicja Róża
How do indigenous people live?
Many Indian tribes are more or less assimilated with the civilized world. Many of them, however, still live according to the old traditions – just as they have lived since ancient times.
The native inhabitants of the jungle eat what nature gives them, what the forest gives them. They hunt, fish, collect fruit and nuts, they also grow certain plants, like for example bananas. Compared to our agriculture, they use ways to prevent the soil from becoming barren, as their survival depends on it.
The jungle is important to these tribes because it is their home, giving them everything they need. They lead a sustainable life, not disturbing the ecological balance, sharing space with plants and animals, for whom the jungle home as well.
Children in such tribes do not go to school, but are taught from an early age how to survive in the forest, which plants are suitable for food, which are medicine, how to cook, how to hunt. Often such Indian children know more about the jungle than scientists who spend their entire lives studying it.
fun fact: many popular drugs based on plants and their healing properties come from the indian knowledge that was given to the ‘white’ people. The sad thing is that there have been many abuses by introducing patents for plants coming straight from the jungle, or by intensifying the harvesting of certain plants, often rare ones.
There are usually several shamans in each tribe. They are spiritual teachers and healers.
The life of primitive peoples is full of spirituality, which is found in many aspects of their daily lives, often based on a sense of unity with the world around them – nature.
You will find more about Indian tribes in the previous article: The Life from the Jungle (Part I)
Support
There are organizations that support and fight for a dignified life of indigenous people so that they can continue to live as they have done so far. For example, https://www.survivalinternational.org/ Survival International
I also recommend visiting the beautiful website of the Yawanawa tribe https://indigenouscelebration.org/ – although they cultivate old traditions, they also let “strangers” into their world, and they go out to “strangers” themselves. They have their own web where they beautifully describe their life and the problems they struggle with. You can also support them directly there.
It is this tribe that produces Rapé Forca Femina, from which this site takes its name.
And of course, another form of support is buying Rapé on our website.
Our Rapé comes straight from shamans of different tribes and every purchase here also supports them.
Text: Alicja Róża