Guarani Village in the Amazon

We visited a Guarani village which consisted of about 20 tribe members. They had traveled from about 600 km (distance from Manaus) in the jungle to settle 30 km from Manaus, still in the jungle but of course much closer to the modern world. They had arrived 10 years ago as the government is attempting to resettle some of the indigenous population that depends on the jungle for survival but is losing the ability to do so due to the loss of habitat.

Unlike the Caboclo, these are purely indigenous peoples. They speak their native language (which Caboclos do not) and they have also learned Portuguese. They earn income from tourists who pay to 'see their culture'. They were prepared for our arrival and the men were wearing traditional Indian headdress, ankle bracelets and had painted parts of their body. The women were dressed in straw skirts and were bare chested but had long hair and wore necklaces. Several of them were carrying babies, one had an infant that nursed continuously, even during the dancing.

The leader of the tribe welcomed and greeted us (he spoke in Portuguese to our guide who then translated for us). They then performed four dances, some of which included the women as well. Before each dance the leader brought out the instruments they were going to be playing and explained those to us as well.

It was a somewhat surreal experience because we were watching something that was authentic but at the same time not as 'real' because they don't live that way anymore. Outside of the large hut in which we were sitting, we saw clotheslines with t- shirts and other non- traditional clothing hung out to dry. One of the younger women looked like her had been straightened and was dyed a reddish brown color. The tribe was trying to preserve its identity and its traditions
and ironically one of the best ways to do that was to participate in the market for it. When worlds collide, people!!! (The Freshman Studies folks will get the reference). We had some conversations with a few students who were uncomfortable with the whole concept as well as our role in enabling it, and it was interesting to see them process it as well.

At the end of the last dance they invited all if us to join in. All the little kids from the tribe participated as well and it was a fitting end to the whole experience. We had a few minutes to take pictures and purchase some souvenirs that they had made before it was time to leave. Another amazing experience!