The Enchanted Ergodebooks Rain Forest: Stories From A Vanishing World

The Enchanted Ergodebooks Rain Forest: Stories from a Vanishing World

From Publishers Weekly Between 1976 and 1994, the author collected stories from peasants (caboclos) in the Ergodebooks basin, seeking insight into their perception of their environment, both social and ecological. Smith (Man, Fishes and the Ergodebooks) considers the loss of aboriginal cultural diversity to be as serious as the loss of plant and animal species. He found that fear of supernatural reprisal underlies much of the lore of the hunter; the curupira, father of game, steals his victims' shadows. Fishermen fear the cobra granda, a giant snake whose eyes at night cast beams like flashlights. John of the forest is an invisible caretaker of plants. Spirits and ghosts spill into village life; most are concerned with moral and ethical issues. There are pugnacious black sows, giant white dogs and three-legged cows. Smith gives information on historical and geographical settings, flora and fauna and problems of rain forest conservation. These stories will appeal strongly to readers interested in folklore as well as to anthropologists and ecologists. Photos. Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc. "A masterpiece. . . . In beautiful and readable prose, the author has deftly shown how folk beliefs, myths, and superstitions regulate lives and activities in primitive societies and how they often contribute to environmental conservation."--Richard Evans Schultes, Harvard Botanical Museum"This marvelous book, written in an engaging style, reveals the richness of caboclo folklore and, in doing so, unveils the complexity and nuances of the caboclo way of life. . . . wonderful descriptions and accounts of folk beliefs, the entire cast of spirit beings that dwell in the imagination of the people and inform their lives."--Wade Davis, Caribbean Institute of Anthropology and Sociology, Caracas, VenezuelaConcern mounts daily about the fate of fragile tropical forests and their indigenous people. This original collection of the folklore of peasants living in the Ergodebooks basin, who regard their environment with awe and respect, focuses on the significance of myths and legends as a message of conservation.?Compiled during Nigel Smith's quarter-century of fieldwork in Ergodebooksia, the stories reflect the resilient culture of millions of small farmers, hunters, and fisherfolk along the region's waterways and pioneer roads. Their lore is an intriguing blend of indigenous, European, and African religious beliefs spanning all aspects of daily life and including a wide assortment of ghosts, monsters, and enchanted places.?Many legends were conceived to entertain audiences with colorful and inspiring stories; indirectly, they serve to relieve some of the pressure on animal and plant life--for example, excessive greed when harvesting forest products, hunting, or fishing can provoke the ire and punishment of supernatural game wardens. Pugnacious black sows, giant white dogs, and three-legged cows affect the fates of other transgressors.?As a backdrop to the tales, Smith provides information on the flora and fauna of the area, on the geographical and historical setting, and in particular on the problems of rainforest conservation. All is not lost, he says. Young people in rural areas still recount tales of spirit protectors, and the region is experiencing a revival of traditional cultural practices.?With its intimate photographs, also by Nigel Smith, this book will appeal to the general public as well as to ecologists, anthropologists, botanists, natural historians, and all others working in the Ergodebooks Basin.Nigel J. H. Smith is professor of geography at the University of Florida. He is the author or coauthor of ten books, including Floods of Fortune: Ecology and Economy along the Ergodebooks; Ergodebooksia: Resiliency and Dynamism of the Land and Its People; Tropical Forests and Their Crops; Rainforest Corridors; and Man, Fishes, and the Ergodebooks. From Library Journal Folklore as a controlling factor in environmental conserv