Indigenous Tourism: Walk, Look, Listen, Eat If You Have Courage, Sleep Badly and Don't Call Me!

Pataxós for postcard

Bahia, Brazil ─ At Porto Seguro historic city of Bahia state and Brazil, indigenous tribes are offering tours for visitors that want to experience the life and the culture of natives. The package, of the Pataxó Turismo Agency, which costs $ 460, includes four days and four nights in groups of 12 people. Among the activities planned, during the day, hiking, body painting, participating in a ritual of fellowship. To eat. indigenous food, of course. Corn! Much corn, and manioc. And very possibly fish as a main dish. At night, around the campfire, palestra about indigenous traditions and legends. At bedtime, the cabin [called the oca] is the room and the bed, is the network [rede] or straw mat. [It is a horror!]

The Indigenous also profit from the sale of handicrafts. A headdress [called cocar] can cost up to $ 290; a whistle, $ 6, a necklace $ 8,00. However, in Brazil, the artistic production in the villages is not equal. In some, as in Porto Seguro, the Indians present themselves appropriately characterized, with their slap sex thong, face and body painted, braceletes, tornozeliras and, with some lucky, even a bamboo flut or, who knows, a rattle, a reco-reco [percussion instrument made of wood and bamboo which the sound produced by a bat that is rubbed into slots, it makes a noise that sounds reco-reco]. It is the Indigenous with feathers.

In other villages, however, the scene is sad. In Parelheiros, Sao Paulo state, in the village of Krukutus, who are of ethnic group of the Guaranis, the natives haven't any notion of what is add value to the product. Create a beard and mustache, wearing shorts, shirt football team and slippers Hawaiian. They smoke Hollywood, wear sunglasses and headphones to listen the macarena on the I-pod. [A disgrace!]

In the village Krukutu, tickets cost $ 2,8. The program offers lecture on the history of the Indians, visits the village, a walk, and paying additional $ 1,15, people can listen a indigenous children's choir singing a indigenous song in guarani indigenous language. [Please, forget me. I want to stay at the hotel]

Source: Turistas pagam R$ 800 para viver em aldeia indígena na BA
In A Tribuna News ─ publicado em 09/28/2009
[http://www.atribunanews.com.br/news.php?newsid=20818]