FAWCETT ~ Searching for Z: Beyond the Xingu
 
                                      THE AMAZON BASIN
The Amazon river begins as a trickle high in the Andes.  Flowing east, it gathers water from other streams until it reaches an enormous, shallow basin covering over 2.6 million square miles, where it gradually becomes the greatest river on earth:  over 4,000 feet long, up to 300 ft. deep, and during the wet season it is over 120 miles wide in places!  But it isn’t the only powerful river in the Basin; flowing into it are rivers such as the Madeira, Rio Negro, the Tapajos, the Xingu... The forests and waterways of this area shelter a diversity of flora and fauna that are still largely unknown, as well as indigenous tribes believed to be sequestered from the world, as yet uncontacted.  
 
 
 
 
  Uncontacted tribe?
 
Peru, 2009
 
LEARN MORE! Click images and diamonds for off-site links  Survival International  New York Times article on Indians in peril  Xavante Indians  Xavante Warriorhttp://www.survival-international.org/news/4659http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/world/americas/18amazon.htmlhttp://www.nativeland.org/circle.htmlhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm1static.flickr.com/6/10940464-2ba8d96555.jpg&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/tatianacardeal/livepage.apple.com10940464/
AMAZONIAN INDIANS Some Amazon Indian tribes have been extensively studied, such as the Yanomamo and the Kalapalo; some have adapted to modern society and chosen to exploit their land for gold and lumber profits. But many struggle to retain their traditional way of life and protect themselves from encroachment. In recent years, tribes in Peru, Brazil, and other nations have been in the news when conflicts arose over their territories. Our world’s quest for water (via hydroelectric dams), oil, gold, and other resources often meets head-on with the needs of indigenous people and other lifeforms in the vast rainforests of South America. One of Fawcett’s greatest interests was the indigenous people of the Amazonian wilderness. He recognized that much of their supposed ferocity was related to the cruelty many tribes had suffered in past years at the hands of early explorers, who didn’t consider the Indians to be human, and the rubber barons, who enslaved them in the never-ending quest for labor. Today, there are many people from various nations who want their ancestral lands and natural resources. When will it end for the Indians? When they are all dead, and the forests are gone?
 
 
 
 
Rainforest facts
 
 
 
 
 
  Amazon Indian images