BBC Languages| Brazil Inside Out | Manaus and the Amazon

19 July 2009
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Manaus and the Amazon

São Paulo

The South


		Manaus and the Amazon · During the 19th century, rubber made the Amazon port of Manaus, in the middle of the world's largest rainforest, one of the richest cities in the world. · The Sataré Maué have been moved many times from their tribal lands in the Amazon. But they were not at all successful at trying to live in the city. · They still hunt with arrows and blowpipe darts. But they're not untouched by modern technology. The chief, Pedro Ramal, has even got a mobile phone!

Alex went to visit the Sataré Maué with an unusual travelling companion: House music DJ - DJ Omena. The Sataré were very keen for him to come and spin his discs.
DJ Omena introduced Alex to all the important people in the tribe, including the chief, the 'caçique'.

Pedro Ramal, chief of the Sataré Maué
PEDRO RAMAL: We don't adjust very well to the city, because of our customs. We want to live free, at liberty to fish and work with natural products from the jungle, the forest.
ALEX: Do you like house music?
RAMAL: I like it. I don't understand it. But I hear the 'pam pam pam'.
ALEX: Do you think there's a connection between house music and indigenous music?
RAMAL: We Sataré Maué, have our Ritual of Tucandera, which is where you sweat a lot and your pain quickly goes and poisons come out. And the same happens when people hear music like this. What's more, the beat of the sound is almost the same.

A classical concert
in the middle of the rainforest

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