The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest, and for a world keen to scale back the effects of global warming, it’s a piece of earth that needs to be saved and preserved. The biggest flagbearers of this fact are the tribes of the Amazon, those men and women who for centuries lived off this land, hunted and fished in her bountiful belly.
One tribe slowly started cocoa farming, the women being the initial sole purveyors of this industry, while the men slowly slowed down their hunting business and joined their wives. Now, an association buys this cocoa for 45 cents over the market rate and makes chocolate out of it. The simple act of not just encouraging a flourishing business but ensuring it flourishes by paying more than necessary, ensures its longevity. Elsewhere a tribe only catches fishes over a certain length, sending the smaller fish back into the water to breed and grow. Another tribe is fighting to reclaim its land from the government, which it hopes to farm.
These are tribals. The jungle is all they know. Yet, they seem to be forward thinking and not selfishly only working to benefit the current generation. If there is a lesson to be learned from this, it’s that humility will always benefit humanity. For those who drive fancy cars and live in concrete structures, promises to cut down on pollution are just that, words. For the tribes of the Amazon, actions speak louder.
