Editor's Page

Education - The Key to Indigenous Survival - Page 3 of 3

One word of advice, please get to know the Amazon and its natives while it is still possible. Time and again, it amazes me how many people visit the Amazon without really seeing it. In the near future, it may no longer be possible to experience virgin rainforests or see indigenous people living like they did before Columbus arrived. Because of the large size of cities like Iquitos, Peru and Manaus, Brazil and the exploitation of nearby resources (forest and wildlife) to support the cities, you must travel quite a long distance from them to encounter primary rainforest and unassimilated natives. Unfortunately, tour guides do not travel very far from the large cities because of the expenses involved. It is much easier and less expensive for tour guides to travel locally and mislead tourists into thinking they are in a virgin rainforest or visiting real natives, than actually taking them there. To really know the Amazon and its people you need to go to travel far from the cities. On the frontier areas of Peru with Brazil you will find the last remaining virgin tropical forests and recently-discovered tribes of the Amazon. Some tour guides have criticized me for sending tourists away from the cities to the more pristine areas. Again, my goal is not to promote tourism, but to provide people with the best information available so that they can learn about native peoples. If you would like help planning your journey to the rainforest, I suggest becoming a member and taking advantage of the resources available (videos, maps, indigenous dictionaries, magazines, and books) in the Member's Area that will help you plan your journey to meet real Indigenous Amazonians.

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