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The Last Of The Tribe: The Epic Quest To Save A Lone Man In The Amazon (2010)

by Monte Reel(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1416594744 (ISBN13: 9781416594741)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Scribner

review 1: A very compelling narrative of the search for the last member of a tribe, in the Amazon rain forest of Brazils’ Rondonia province. The great strength and quality of this book is that it scrutinizes this search from several different angles.Since Columbus there has always been a conflict between the ‘settlers’ and the indigenous peoples. Today, the Amazon rain forest, is still viewed as a land mass of opportunity for urban Brazil. People from the eastern seaboard can start a new life – at little cost. They can become farmers, ranchers or miners. But what does this all mean to the aboriginal inhabitants? At best they are dislocated constantly in the face of ‘expanding civilization’ or at worst they are killed off. This book examines the dislocation of one man. He... more is sited over several years at various intervals, but there is never permanent contact. The small government group in Brazil that attempts to protect aboriginal peoples has an internal debate as to what type of ‘contact’ to have, and the ‘contact’ is not entirely up to them. Also by ‘actual contact’ the tribe itself is changed. And is this ‘contact’ going to be beneficial for the tribe?In this case the tribe consists of one man. The author probes the isolation of this ‘last’ man and contrasts it with other isolated individuals through-out history.There is also a personal cost of working in the government organization to protect the Indians. The Amazonian rain forest takes a physical toll on these modern day explorers. The ranchers and miners wield much more political power in the Amazon than a small government organization assigned to protect aboriginal peoples. The laws and legislation passed in a court in Brasilia have little impact hundreds of miles away. There is the paper law and the actual events.As the author points out when modernity meets a native tribe, inevitably, in the short or the long run, the native tribe will be drastically altered. All and all a most engaging and thought provoking book.
review 2: Really enjoyed. Heard about the lone Indian on NPR, in a special about human isolation and it's affects on the human psyche. A dramatic unfolding of events in a thoughtful and engaging tale about exploration, man's impact in the Amazon, and the dwindling indigenous populations it supports. With a cast of characters rivaling Don Quixote in their sense of adventure, lending voices to those who cannot speak, I was left awestruck and grateful for their hard work and perseverance. less

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