Friday, May 30, 2008

first view, FW: Brazilian tribe

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7427417.stm
[excerpt]
TWO MEN
These men are trying to drive off the plane from which these photographs were taken. They are aiming their bows at the aircraft, which had returned to fly over the settlement for a second time, after making a first pass some hours earlier.

 

The men have large bows made from forest hardwood, which they use to hunt for animals including tapirs, monkeys, deer, wild pigs and other small mammals.

 

They have also painted themselves with the red dye, urucum, commonly used by tribes in the Amazon. It is made from the seeds of a fruit similar to the horse chestnut. The seeds are ground into a paste to form the dye.

 

The body paint is most likely a show of aggression, possibly in response to the plane's first flyover.