How to go fishing and hunt the Indians of the Amazon

In the relict forests of the Amazon basin, time flows somehow differently, and the most ancient crafts of mankind appear in their primitive beauty. We offer you to learn how the indigenous people of these places prey on the fossil of river fish, nimble monkeys and even humans.

Amazon is the largest freshwater artery of our planet, the area of its basin with numerous tributaries, lakes and ponds is more than seven million square kilometers. There is therefore nothing surprising in the fact that fishing is the main occupation of the local Indians.

And the methods of fishing they have not considered the indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon cover, the rapid flow networks, arrange artificial dam, pierce the bloodthirsty piranha arrows-harpoons from their rickety boats, but the most fun is catching arapaima.

These fish real river mammoths in the Amazon is not changing for millions of years. Three meters from nose to tail, two hundred pounds of live weight, and the ability to jump out of the water to catch birds, a real river monster. And, concurrently, one of the main objects of fishing networks of the Amazonian Indians.

The season of production arapaima falls in the dry season (June to November), when dried Amazon cut the fish in small shallow lakes. And it begins with a count of livestock in each lake for catching the fish, the Brazilian government imposed certain quotas for the indigenous population, which allows to produce not more than one-third of the population arapaima in each lake.

The count is conducted manually, literally, manually and carried to the fishing location (and it can be tens of kilometres from the village) the Indians their small but heavy canoe.

Arapaima often rises to the surface of the water, where it becomes the prey hidden on the boat of fishermen. But mining is not easy – if you try to drag this fish in the boat in and out of consciousness she with one blow of the tail is not only able to turn the canoe, but the angler to break a few bones.

The only way to catch the "mammoth river" – to stun him. One man from the crew of a canoe literally hangs over the water with a heavy club in his hand, and, seizing the moment, with some particularly ancient feelings, causing only one impact on the surface water. Seconds after that, giant fish pierced by the harpoon and pulls the boat.

But this fishing is not completed – tons of loot yet to be delivered to the village through miles of dense tropical forest that turns out to be no easy task.

Then arapaima cleaned and in different proportions salted, dried and even frozen in glaciers. Of this production the Indians will eat, another will be sent to the state capital, where ancient fish Boyko is sold as a delicacy.

Despite the fact that the achievements of civilization have come even in the wilds of the dense forests of the Amazon, the locals do not really favor hunting gear white people. And not because of the awe in front of the "thunder and lightning from a stick" or conservatism, but for very rational reasons.

Though many Indian hunters and go fishing with a rifle behind shoulders (especially good are guns in the game bakers is a small animal, something resembling a wild boar), but most of the production is defeated with arrows, spears and javelins.

First, a firearm, even obsolete models, turns out to be quite expensive and for, frankly, a poor Indian hunters. Second, the hot humid climate of the Amazonian forests is clearly not conducive to good preservation of complex mechanisms of metal and gunpowder ammunition. Thirdly, to wield a bow and arrows Indian just handier weapon of their ancestors he can learn to use with early childhood, around the clock, while training one good hand will require much more money and effort.

Spears, bows and arrows covered with curare or spotted poison dart frog tips, traps and cunning traps – the selection of hunting equipment from the Amazonian Indians primitive, but effective. These simple gear, the local tribes were fed for millennia, and fed today. The process has not changed one iota.

Stele, called strike prey with the first shot, carefully decorated with colored threads and the colors good shot, after all, produces not only the hand of the hunter, but her guides and spirits of the forest. Those who are devoted to the simple rituals before each hunting expedition (on average, the Indians go fishing in two or three days each week).

Aggressively painted a good-natured person, ritual bonfires, around which there are dances, singing songs in praise of the spirits, the melodies are played on a primitive wind instrument – despite its simplicity, the hunting rituals they truly fascinate with its originality.

Even more enchanting hunting aesthetics from the darkness of centuries in the process of hunting. The primary production of Amazonian Indians – peccaries, tapirs and many species of monkeys. The first two are hunted by a method of the pen: a noisy company chase a flock of porcine animals on a pre-arranged trap, or some hunters, hiding in ambush.

Monkeys same lure, making similar votes Primate sounds, prompting those curiosity (in the same way, by the way, enjoy large Amazon cats – natural structure of primitive hunting of the Indians in the Amazon jungle, not challenged).

Motion and hand posture at the moment when he strikes silently from the bushes next of kin, fascinating precision and smoothness, and takes off almost straight up, the arrow looks like it is not a weapon, but an extension of the hand of the hunter. Monkey young, which often remains after hunting for adults or caught in snares, the hunters take are usually with a – in the village they become quite a pet with a purely aesthetic function.

More recently, among the production of the Amazonian Indians there is another important article of the people. Do not worry, the Brazilian tribes began to trade and cannibalism, leaving the tourist to visit them, you are at risk of becoming the main course of the party.

Just recently in the forests of the Amazon is a real war for the preservation of natural resources between the authorities and illegal miners, timber and minerals, and is clearly not in favor of the first.

High levels of corruption and basic lack of human resources to establish police control over millions of acres of primary jungle allow the poachers, "black loggers" and all the miners feel very at ease. Here's to them and began to make hunting raids of the local tribes, jealously guarding their land.

To go on the trail of criminals in the indigenous owners of the Amazonian forests is not worse than to hunt down the monkeys. Caught red-handed the miners (both, as they are called here), of course, you get an arrow with curare in the fifth point, but are taken prisoner and delivered to the local authorities (sometimes simply expelled and intimidated). The inhabitants of the Amazon rainforest are equally well hunt for fossil fish, and monkeys, and crooks. They prove that this land belongs to them by some particularly ancient, only the natural law.