It sometimes happens that someone gets up with the intention of changing the world. Very occasionally that someone perseveres against all odds. And can happen, that challenge the impossible, that person will get.
This is the story of a man of the jungle, an Amazonian Indian who was born between the Ceiba and Cacao trees Rondonia state, a Brasil. Almir is called and changed its name to honor the name of their tribe: Suruí.
He lives in the community and there Sete de Septembro sharpen the tips of their arrows and decorated with feathers in ceremonies of the village. He has grown up with tales of the extermination of his people and has seen too many times how the forest was disappearing from their dead ancestors, with white man chainsaws.
Sometimes invokes the rain with their dances and sometimes goes out to buy solar panels for your people.
Today, Almir Suruí have a 4X4 and lives in a hut with a satellite dish. Some days out hunting wild boar for dinner, International travel to the nearest town for a burger. Sometimes invokes the rain with their dances and sometimes goes out to buy solar panels for your people. He's the head of his tribe but we received as a friend, easy laughter with a simple, determining a leader. After we were introduced to a friendly Indian named Agamemnon, who invited us to get into the jungle and join him on a hunt. Before the end of its proposal, we were unsheathing our recording equipment.
We were looking for the pot monkeys. To me I was granted the privilege of carrying the bow and arrows. It was a disaster. Forty degrees and unbearable humidity we soon begin to ridicule. The arc between the branches tangled me, macaques scaring, all ran from one side to another; Alfonso pointed his camera to the maze branching; José Luis seemed to see monkeys everywhere and I had enough to keep the arrows. Then a whole group of monkeys in the tops of some trees. I handed him excitedly bow and arrows Agamemnon, but he looked at me apologetically and after feinting a shot, pulled a gun and vanished romanticism of hunting with a single bullet. "Times change" shrug seemed to say. After a couple of shots struck one of the poor monkeys, that fell on a palm, inaccessible, and were without dinner.
I handed him excitedly bow and arrows, But he like me Miró disculpándose, pulled a gun and vanished romanticism of hunting with a single bullet.
But that day itself just hunting something. In a clearing of one border of the Amazon jungle, we came across a pile of logs stacked, hidden. Mahogany logs were, of enormous ceiba, was the home of shattered Indians. The illegal logging, Surui's nightmare.
Then we heard a truck engine stealth and hid Agamemnon with a wave of panic as we shouted that we moved away from there. They could discover that we had discovered. Al see Agamemnon encogido, the brush, suddenly felt the helplessness of the Indians, fear in that jungle where greed waning can deflect a shot toward whom protest. Trunks overflowing passed stolen truck and returned to the village.
While we were aware of a grilled chicken with corn kernels (Monkey not playing today), Almir came with your 4X4 and that smile of happy man as painted.
No less indigenous'm driving an SUV. The native he is for his love of nature, respect for the forest
"I'm less indigenous driving an SUV. The native he is for his love of nature, respect for the forest ". He said with bright eyes. And then he told us his story:
"A day trip to Cacoal -a nearby town- and entered a cybercafe. It was there that I discovered shortly after I met online and Google Earth. I realized the possibilities of this tool. I thought how important it would detect illegal logging satellite Amazon. But there was a problem, A Google Earth, Rondonia region did not have enough definition to assess the disaster. Then I thought I could visit those responsible for Google to convince them to focus their satellites in this region of the world so we can denounce the furtive "
So far I found the story of a dreamer, one forest Quixote, naive with initiative. But Almir continued:
"I learned that the leaders of the company were in Washington and bought a plane ticket. I went to Google headquarters and at first would not let me. I waited several days in front of the building until I received, almost downing, and then I told them the problem. "
Those responsible for Google Earth history so moved them even traveled to Rondonia, adjusted the definition of satellite programs and they added an online reporting system
Those responsible for Google Earth history so moved them even traveled to Rondonia, adjusted the definition of satellite programs and they added an online reporting system at any time to locate illegal logging in this part of the world. That system is now extended to many other territories.
Almir has become a leader among the world's indigenous. Attend conferences in different continents, stirred consciences and tells her story. Then returns to the village of Sete de Septembro to return to the forest trees and greening their land.
The day of our departure, we were invited to plant a tree each. I know there are more growing MOGANO in the jungle of the Surui. That honor I occasionally returns, with memory, to that land where live the arrows and computers, where progress has been commissioned to stop the "progress" and where the Indians are able to invent dreams satellite. And change the world.
Images (down) show: 1) a Portrait of Almir, 2) deforestation of indigenous land in the Amazon Surui in the last decade and 3) Google Earth region where today applies its reporting system for illegal logging.
