. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: the Americas. Forest Peoples We Respect the Forest 'We Indians were born, work, live anil die in die basin of die Madre de Dios river of Peru. It is our land — die only duniJ we have, with its plants, animals and small farms: an environment we understand and use welt. We are not like those from outside who want to clear everything away, destroying the richness and leaving the forest ruined forever. We respect the forest, we make it produce for us. Many people ask why we want so much land. They think we do not work all of it. But we work it differen
. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: the Americas. Forest Peoples We Respect the Forest 'We Indians were born, work, live anil die in die basin of die Madre de Dios river of Peru. It is our land — die only duniJ we have, with its plants, animals and small farms: an environment we understand and use welt. We are not like those from outside who want to clear everything away, destroying the richness and leaving the forest ruined forever. We respect the forest, we make it produce for us. Many people ask why we want so much land. They think we do not work all of it. But we work it differently from them, consening it so that it will continue to produce for our children and our grandchildren. Although some people want to take it from us, they destroy and abandon it. moving on elsewhere. But we cannot do that: we were horn in our woodlands. Without them we will die.' Statement by the Ainarakaeri of eastern Peru (Moody. 1988). Conquest and Enslavement Unfortunately other pressures from outside pose a far greater threat to the survival of Indian communities and their forests than inlensifymg trade (Bodley. 1982). For if Europeans have praised the Indians for their natural honesty, they have equally coveted their lands and resources. The pattern was set right from first contact. As Christopher Columbus noted of the Arawak peoples who predominated in the Caribbean: 'they love their neighbours as themselves and their way of speaking is the sweetest in the world, always gentle and smiling . . They are so affectionate and have so little greed and are in all ways so amenable, that there is in my opinion no better people and no better land in all the world'. In almost the same breath he reported to the Spanish crown they should be good servants and intelligent . . should your Highness com- mand it, all the inhabitants could be taken to Castile or held as slaves on the island, for with fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we wish (Cohen, 1969). S
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