Our village has been here for a long time, long before the whites came. Our parents cultivated this land here and we grew up here. That is why we love this land so much ...

Since everything was cleared here, the water has climbed right up to here. Great trees, like Pau d`Arco, Jutai, Taubeira, Cupaibeiras and many other timber trees used to stand here. But, over time, there became less and less trees, and now there are no more. And the water climbs and climbs ...

We are here because our main people had their houses here, close to the water, where they could fish and hunt well. That is why we are here on the shores of the Rio Tapajós.

Our origin is to do with this mountain here. Our village used to be there on the mountain. Many plants grew on the mountain, many medicinal herbs, but the fire destroyed all of them.

The fire came and burnt the head-dresses of our relatives, the Timbo, the important weapons which our for forefathers needed to fish with. The fire also burnt the bows and arrows and our spears… - only one was not burnt, that is still in the earth and hence this place here is called Taquara.

And that is why our forefathers remained here, for the love of this land, where they caught sight of the light of the world…

We want to know who our fathers, grandfathers and our great-grandfathers were. Our parents have long since died, we still remained here, but why?

We found our family tree. We were always pure-bred, there is no other blood in us. We are natives, but don't know what tribe we belong to.

But we are the children of this earth, of Taquara here.

Told by Raymundo Assis dos Santos by the fire in Taquara at Rio Tapajos, on the night of 17th September 2000.