1 This story is about a teenager called Little Butterfly and her family, who are members of the Awá tribe and live in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
2
3
Little Butterfly loves living in the rainforest with her family and friends.
She loves nature and the animals that live there.
4 5
She talks about her people being in danger from outsiders and from deforestation.
She tells us about Survival International’s campaign to help her people live in peace in the rainforest.
In this reader:
21st Century Skills
Key 2030 Agenda
Glossary
To encourage students to connect the story to the world they live in.
A2 level activities.
Explanation of difficult words.
These icons indicate the parts of the story that are recorded.
Audio start stop
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Tribal Voices: the Awá
Grace Lani
English Version and activities
Pauline Russo
In collaboration with Survival International
ELI Readers
Founder and Series Editors
Paola Accattoli, Grazia Ancillani, Daniele Garbuglia (Art Director)
Real Lives Series Creation
Grazia Ancillani
Graphic Design
Emilia Coari
Production Manager
Francesco Capitano
Photo credits
Survival International, Shutterstock
First edition: 2024
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ISBN 978-88-536-4392-6
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Before you read
1 Choose the best word (A, B or C) to complete the text below. This story is about a young girl (1) _____________ the Awá tribe. She lives in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, in South America. There are (2) _____________ 520 people in the tribe. The Awá (3) their own vegetables and eat the fruit from the trees in the forest. They also fish and hunt animals in the forest for (4) . They speak their own language and are happy to live there. They know the rainforest very well, and they protect it and help it to grow. This is very important for the environment and the (5) _____________ world. The Awá have lived in the forest for centuries, but in recent years, their way of life has been in danger because of outsiders coming to their land, destroying the trees and nature in the forest and bringing illnesses. With the support of celebrities and (6) people from countries around the world, Survival is trying to help the Awá stop the deforestation so they can live in peace on their land.
1 A for B from C at
2 A more B less C around
3 A plant B put C take
4 A fun B food C sale
5 A all B every C whole
6 A many B lots C any
2 Here are some of the fruit and vegetables that the Awá grow in the forest. Match the photos to the correct name. The first one is done for you.
a manioc
b peas
c corn
d papaya
e banana
■ ■ 3 a
■ ■ 1
■ ■ 2
■ ■ 4
■ ■ 5
The 2030 Agenda Goal 15: Life on Land. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
3a What do you know about rainforests and the people who live there? Write a short paragraph.
3B How do loggers cutting down the trees in the rainforest (deforestation) change the lives of Little Butterfly and the rest of the Awá tribe? Discuss with a partner.
4 Listen to the start of Chapter 1 and decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F).
T F
1 There are around 520 members of the Awá tribe.
2 The Awá are one of the most threatened peoples on Earth.
3 The name Awá means ‘tribe’.
4 Little Butterfly’s friend is called ‘Forest Tree’ because she’s tall.
5 Little Butterfly likes acai berry juice.
6 Little Butterfly goes to school a few times a week.
That’s me a few years ago!
“If you destroy the forest, you destroy us too.”
Blade Awá
My name’s Little Butterfly and I belong to the Awá tribe*. My people live in Brazil, near the Gurupi River in the Amazon rainforest in the Maranhão region. We call this land “Harakwá”, which means “the place we know”. There aren’t many of us in the tribe, only about 520 people. Some of them avoid contact with outsiders: they are nomads* who live deep in the forest. For this reason,
tribe group of Indigenous people nomad person who moves from one place to another
they are called “uncontacted”. I don’t live with my “uncontacted” relatives but in one of the settled communities, created in the forest years ago.
This is the biggest rainforest in the world, and it’s extremely important for the variety of species* that live there and for absorbing the huge amounts of CO2, which are dangerous to humans.
The Amazon rainforest is home to about 400 Indigenous peoples who depend on the nature around them for food, tools and medicine. They have a unique* and great knowledge of the plants used to treat illnesses. Despite this, there is still racism and violence towards these peoples, and their lands are stolen for profit*. The theft of their land brings them poverty*, illnesses and death. On the other hand, when their lands are protected and their rights are respected, these peoples thrive*, and also look after their environment*, which is also very important for all of us.
Maranhão is a state in north-eastern Brazil, South America.
species type of animal or plant unique the only one there is, nothing like it profit money you get from selling something poverty having no money thrive to grow and live well environment everything that is around us on Earth
To some people, it may seem strange to live in the forest, but for the Awá it’s normal. For us, the forest is the most beautiful place to live, and my house is beautiful and perfect to me. For centuries, the Awá lived in harmony* with the rainforest. Then, in only four decades, a large part of our land was destroyed and many people were killed by the “karaí” (“the white people”). We have lost 30% of our central territory* and we are one of the most threatened* peoples on Earth. I feel terrible knowing that so many of the thickest forests covering our planet have disappeared ... but I will talk more about that later. Now I want to tell you about myself, my people and my greatest wish: my dream is that one day they will stop destroying our forests and that the Awá people will be able to live in peace and not have to escape* anymore. I hope that many people will read this book and feel close enough to me and my people to talk about it in class with teachers, and with friends and family, because in harmony living together well territory lands threatened in danger escape to run away
it’s only by knowing the true facts, that we can see what’s happening with our own eyes. I hope that the story of the Awá will inspire* every one of you and make you understand how important it is, for us and all peoples of the world, to fight for freedom and to be able to determine* our own lives.
As I have already said, there’s a group of the Awá who are called the “uncontacted” because they avoid contact with outsiders. This is exactly why they are more vulnerable*. They have no immunity* against illnesses brought in from outside. A common cold could very easily kill them all!
We speak the Guajá language, which is one of the Tupi-Guaraní languages. The name Awá means “man” or “person”.
inspire to motivate, encourage determine to control, make decisions about vulnerable frail, fragile immunity your body’s natural defence Indigenous native, original people in a country
The Tupi-Guaraní languages were, and still are, one of several linguistic groups spoken by the Indigenous* peoples on the American continent before the Europeans arrived. They include about 70 languages, which are spoken in Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil. The bestknown ones are guarani and tupi antica (also known as the classic tupi language).
‘Dove!’ shouted the Awá woman whose name was Parakeet. ‘Let’s call her ‘Dove’ – doves sing and walk on the ground”.
I’m 18 years old. My name is Aparanã or Little Butterfly and, like all children, I wasn’t given this name when I was born, but when I was older. Why? Because the Awá wait till their children are at an age when they can know the name that describes them the best. Some Awá change their names many times, like Amerinxa’ta who, at the age of 90, chose her name because it meant ‘grandmother’. All the names usually refer to an animal or plant which is especially important to us and we’ll keep it for the rest of our lives. Every type of plant in the forest belongs to a different animal. The araucaria tree is home to the macaw*. The uwariwa tree belongs to the guaribas, known as howler monkeys. Other animals that want to eat the fruit from these trees must first ask the macaws and monkeys if they can do this, and this happens all over the forest.
One of my friends is called Forest Tree because she was always climbing trees, another one was known as Earthworm because she moved about a lot, and they called me Little Butterfly because I am a bit smaller than the other girls and I also love butterflies.
Picking acai.
My life is very different from yours. Where I live, in the huge Amazon rainforest, we build our own houses and grow the food we need to live: peas, corn, manioc (also known as cassava), papaya and bananas.
I wake up every morning with the sunrise at 5am, and I go to bed at sunset. I pick fruit and vegetables for breakfast for me and my family. I love drinking juice made from acai berries!
Young people go to schools a few times a week, depending on the various projects in the Indigenous communities, but I only go sometimes. Some people think that, just because we don’t go to schools like yours, we don’t study and are not educated at all, but my school is in the forest and my lessons come from the adults and the community. I have learnt a lot from just helping my family.
Hunting arrows.
For many Indigenous peoples, “school” is not a building with desks, a timetable* and books: education often means lessons that are taught orally in their own language in their communities or in the forest. At times, they change during the year according to* the different seasons and various community activities. In their villages, Indigenous children learn new and difficult things so that they’re able to live well on their own land and make it prosper for the future. Indigenous peoples know best how to protect the environment and keep the natural world safe. If Indigenous children are not able to learn things in their own language in their own community, in just one more generation we will lose thousands of years of wisdom and unique knowledge.
The education of the Yanomami tribe in the Amazon rainforest, for example, includes a great knowledge of plants and animals, their lands, the universe, the songs and stories of their people, as well as learning both the Yanomami language and the Brazilian national language, Portuguese. “We want schools to defend our forest, our language, our culture”, said the Yanomami leader and shaman*, Davi Kopenawa.
timetable a plan that shows the hours you have lessons according to decided by shaman holy man
Here in our community there’s always so much to do! Every day we have to look for food to eat: we go fishing (the river is full of fish and turtles) and we go hunting. Every day we cook fresh food.
We don’t have televisions or computer games, but we really enjoy being with each other: children and adults swim in the rivers, climb the trees looking for honey, play with the animals and sing songs.
The uncontacted Awá are nomads, so they never stay in one place. They live in groups of about 20 to 30 people at most. They build temporary houses called tapiri with tree branches and palm leaves, and make hammocks* with tree fibres. When they move, they carry burning embers* with them to make a new fire when they arrive in another place. Also, they only take what they need with them, like bows and arrows for hunting and small animals hammock embers ashes, powder left by something burnt
which they always keep with them. They can get everything else they need from the forest. Baskets are made from palm leaves. They use vines to climb up trees where they get the resin* that they burn for light. As they are nomadic hunter-gatherers, they are always moving, but they always know why and where they are going. This type of life creates an important connection with the land, which is the place of their ancestors* and so has great value to them; something which many people will not understand. Everything we, the Awá, need to live, comes from the forest. It’s a place we know very well, in the same way you know your own home! Every member of the tribe knows every valley, river and path, which is like each one of us having a map in our heads.
The men are expert* hunters and they’re able to imitate animal sounds perfectly, which they use to attract the wild animals. The women are expert
resin thick liquid from trees ancestor family member born years before expert someone who knows or does something very well
gatherers: they collect nuts, fruit and insects, and use the fibres of the palm trees to make skirts, hammocks and large pieces of cloth to carry babies in. They know where to find the best honey, which trees in the big forest are ready to give fruit and which fruit can be eaten, and when it’s the right time to hunt animals. This is not just luck. They know what they are doing, why they are doing it and when they must do it.
Thanks to their strong relationship* with the environment, which was developed* over many generations, we Awá – like many other Indigenous peoples in the Amazon and in other parts of the world – have helped plants and animals of the forest to thrive. For this reason, Indigenous lands are the most biodiverse* places on Earth!
relationship connection/tie (with) develop to grow
biodiverse having lots of different plants and animals in one area.
After-reading Activities
• Chapter 1
Grammar
1 Choose A, B or C to make true sentences about Little Butterfly.
1 Little Butterfly wants people to A tell others about the Awá
B come to the rainforest
C give the Awá a place to live
2 She got her name because she is _______________ than the other girls.
A lighter B more playful C smaller
3 She _______________ fruit and vegetables for her breakfast every morning.
A cooks B picks C buys
4 She learns things _______________.
A at school
B from her community
C from the ‘uncontacted’
5 Little Butterfly’s family for food.
A goes to a town
B asks the outsiders
C hunts and fishes
6 She _______________ a computer.
A would love to have
B has no money to buy
C isn’t interested in playing with
2 Little Butterfly talks about some members of the tribe, who they call the ‘uncontacted’. They are nomads, so they never stay in one place but move about. Write down the things they need to live.
• The things they carry about with them.
• The things they find in the forest.
The 2030 Agenda Goal 2: Zero Hunger aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
The tropical forests don’t just provide food for the tribes that live there but are also important for the people living around them. The birds, bees and bats that live in the rainforests make the fields around them produce more food for everyone by pollinating the plants and keeping away the animals and insects that are a danger to them. The moist air from the Amazon rainforest also creates clouds that carry water to other areas in Brazil.
3a Here are some of the natural things that the Awá find which help them to live in the forest. Match the photos to the correct name.
a palm leaves
b fish
c honey
d insects
e fruit
f tree fibres
3B Discuss with a partner how these things are different from, or even the same as, the things you and your family use. Think about where you get your food and clothes from, and if they come from sustainable sources.
4
4 Here are some words you’ll find in Chapter 2. Match the words to the correct definition.
1 ■ ritual
2 ■ sacred
3 ■ wasting
4 ■ abandoned
5 ■ accessories
a not using something well, throwing it away - for example, food
b things added to your clothes, jewellery, hats, scarves, etc.
c left to live on its own
d a religious ceremony
e holy
A2 Key
5 Listen to the start of Chapter 2 and choose the correct answer
A, B or C.
1 What do the Awá men do when they are celebrating takajá?
A They sing like birds. B They dance like birds.
C They eat like birds.
2 Which animal do they never hunt because it has a bad smell?
A Capybara B Bat C Opossum
3 To make sure the forest survives, the Awá …
A use only what they need. B waste a lot of food.
C hunt all of the animals that live there.
4 Which pets does Little Butterfly’s family like the best?
A Parrots B Baby monkeys C Coati
Survival International is the global movement for tribal and Indigenous peoples’ rights. We work to prevent* their destruction and give them a platform* to speak to the world so they can let the world know about the genocidal violence, slavery* and racism* they face on a daily basis.
prevent to stop something from happening platform a way to communicate, place to speak from slavery being made to work without being paid racism hating or considering someone inferior because of where they come from/the particular group they belong to
By lobbying* the powerful, Survival helps defend the lives, lands and futures of people who should have the same rights as other contemporary* societies. It was created in 1969 by volunteers horrified* by the genocide* of Amazonian Indigenous peoples. Since then, it has fought non-stop, with great success, to make the world a better place for tribal and Indigenous peoples. It has helped prevent what some thought was "inevitable"*: some believed that tribal peoples would be completely wiped out* by the year 2000; others said the uncontacted tribes didn’t exist. Today we know that there are more of them than we ever imagined.
lobbying trying to convince, putting pressure on contemporary of the same period in time horrified shocked genocide intentional destruction of a people in whole or in part inevitable when something will definitely happen wiped out completely destroyed
Survival believes that the roots* of crimes against tribal and Indigenous peoples are to be found in industrialised societies, and wants to radically* change public opinion towards them. It fights against racism, land theft* and genocidal violence. Unlike many other organisations, Survival refuses government money and does not take donations* from companies that might violate the rights of tribal and Indigenous peoples.
Visit
www.survivalinternational.org/getinvolved to find out how to act, and join the movement. For tribes, for nature, for all humanity.
The Awá are one of the more than 150 uncontacted tribes around the world. They’re Indigenous peoples who avoid contact with outsiders.
Most of them live in the Brazilian Amazon, but 25 such tribes live in Peru, and there are uncontacted tribes living on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India), in Indonesia, New Guinea, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay.
roots origins, where something began radically completely theft taking something that isn’t yours
We know very little about them, but we know that each people is unique, and their languages, cultures and world views can’t be replaced: they are an essential part of human diversity. There’s scientific evidence that their territories are the best barrier* to deforestation and the most biodiverse places on Earth. They are not “primitive” and, like all other human societies, constantly change.
donation money given to organisations to help people barrier a way to protect against something
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Grace Lani
Tribal Voices: the Awá A Journey with Little Butterfly into the Amazon Rainforest
Littly Butterfly is a member of the Awá tribe. She loves living in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil with her family, with nature and the animals, but ‘outsiders’ are destroying their home. This is a problem for the Awá, the environment, and the whole world!
Read about the Awá, how they live, and the dangers they face. Little Butterfly tells us about her dream of living in peace one day, with the help of Survival International’s campaign and their supporters around the world.
In this reader you’ll find:
- Glossary of difficult words
- Comprehension and KEY style activities
- Exit test
- Authentic photos and videos
Tags
Indigenous peoples in the Amazon | Nature and animals | Ways of life | The Environment
Look at the inside front cover flap to find out how to download your free Audio files.