Tribes Of The Rainforest

Alongside the many animals which call the rainforest home, there are about 1.5 million people who also live there. They are able to get everything they need to survive from the forest and in return, the rainforest is treated with respect, making sure no harm comes to it.

These worksheets look at four specific tribes: The Kayapo Tribe, The Yanomami Tribe, The Matsés Tribe, and The Awá Tribe. The students learn how the Kayapo Tribe believe they came to live in the rainforest, compare their own lives to that of the tribespeople, and learn how illegal gold prospectors have threatened the tribespeople.

The lives and gender roles of the Yanomami Tribe are studied through the narrative of a ten-year-old tribe member, who explains the use of face and body paint in their culture. The Matsés Tribe is explored through its many uses of the acate green tree frog and their continuing threat from oil companies who wish to drill within their land. The Awá Tribe is investigated through a video entitled ‘The Earths Most Threatened Tribe.’

The worksheets conclude with the students being given the opportunity to study and present their findings of one of the many other tribes, up to an additional fourteen tribes, believed to be living within the Amazon Rainforest.

A range of individual and group activities are incorporated within these worksheets including: gathering research from print and video; drawing a story board; students annotating their thoughts and ideas; students comparing their own lives with others, and illustrating empathy and support.

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