quelowat:

Mixing Tradition and Learning

Photograph by Cristina Mittermeier

The Kayapo are no strangers to the outside world. Some Kayapo villages now have health centers and schools, where children like this boy in Kuben Konkre are taught both in Portuguese and their native language, Mebengokre. But Mittermeier says school is not mandatory, and children are more often seen playing in the river.

The Kayapo harvest Brazil nuts and produce beaded jewelry and other crafts for export, which brings them in contact with outsiders. Where they once lived virtually unclothed, many of the women have adopted Western dress, and men often wear shorts. Twenty years ago, when Mittermeier first visited the Kayapo, most of them painted their bodies. Many still do, but she says the number has dwindled, particularly in villages that are less isolated.

Via National Geographic