CHILDREN OF THE FOREST

To the children of the Amazon, the forest is as much part of their home as the hut they eat and sleep in. They know the forest and are comfortable wandering around, irrespective of snakes, wild animals and poisonous spiders. They understand and accept these dangers and know to avoid them, just as children from developed countries know to avoid traffic zooming past. Unlike us, the forest children are drawn to strangers and are not taught to be afraid of them, but rather are curious about who they are and where they come from.

During forest walks, children from nearby villages come to investigate the strange people with cameras and nice clothes.

This young lad demonstrates the size of a rainforest giant by standing on the buttress roots. He had joined our group to offer his help as a guide. (Learn more about buttress roots.)