Friday, March 16, 2012

Accepting the change..

They decided not to fight any more with their bows and arrows,but to use computers,the internet and technology to bring attention to their situation.If the Brazil's Paiter Surui tribe ,from deep amazonian rain forest hadn't done that ,they would have finished as people and so would the rain forest.Training and education is now their kind of war.They know they have to adapt.

So to help his tribe's 250000 hectare reserve from illegal deforestation ,chief Almir (the first Surui to go to university and just at the age of 17 in 1991 because of education and foresightness he knew what to do) travelled to Google office to make personal plea for help.Staff from Google subsequently visited the reserve and gave technical training to the Surui and donated computers.As the result the tribe used the satellite imagery they can access via Google Earth to build a clear picture of their reserve and can monitor for any illegal logging.

But Almir's vision is to digitize the whole reserve one day .The Surui already have a website and use blogs,video messaging and digital images to communicate with outside world.Almir then took on the loggers,who destroy the Surui's rainforest ,In the last 13 years 11 tribal chiefs ,two from Surui ,have been murdered, loggers are behind these killing.A bounty of $100000 was placed on Almir's head,by loggers .He was forced to flee the reserve .He forced the regional officials to sink wells to store drinking water and build schools inside Surui's reserve for 1300 pupils in 23 villages ,he returned after seven months and said "Publicity is my best defence".

Countries like India where tribal population is in a substantial and can help preserve forests should take a lesson from the above African tribe chieftan .