First view of a newly discovered tribe of indigenous Brazilians

[BurtWorm]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7427417.stm

What do the pictures tell us about the Amazonian tribe?

Although we do not know the name of the recently discovered tribe in Brazil, or what language they speak, it is possible to tease out some clues as to their way of life from the aerial photographs taken by the Brazilian government. Fiona Watson, from the campaign group Survival International, uses her experience gained during 20 years of visiting the region, to take us through the details.

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TWO MEN

These men are trying to drive off the plane from which these photographs were taken. They are firing their bows at the aircraft, which had returned to fly over the settlement for a second time, after making a first pass some hours earlier.

The men have large bows made from forest hardwood, which they use to hunt for animals including tapirs, monkeys, deer, wild pigs and other small mammals.

They have also painted themselves with the red dye, urucum, commonly used by tribes in the Amazon. It is made from the seeds of a fruit similar to the horse chestnut. The seeds are ground into a paste to form the dye.

The body paint is most likely a show of aggression, possibly in response to the plane's first flyover.


WOMAN

The black figure may be a woman, although it is impossible to be certain. That this person is not carrying a bow hints in this direction. The black body paint is called genipapo, and is made from fruit. Like the red dye it is likely to be an aggressive display.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7426794.stm