It has been an ever-shifting game of trial and error since. Last year, families had to plant their cassava four times — it died in September, October and November because there was not enough moisture in the ground. It was not until December that the planting took. The corn also failed, said Mapulu, the chief’s sister. “It sprouted and withered away,” she said.
A specialist in medicinal plants, Mapulu said that a root she used to treat diarrhea and other ailments had become nearly impossible to find because the forest flora had changed. The grass they use to bind together the essential beams of their huts has also become difficult to find.
But perhaps the Kamayura’s greatest fear is the new summer forest fires. Once too moist to ignite, the forest here is flammable because of the drier weather. In 2007, Xingu National Park burned for the first time, and thousands of hectares were destroyed.
“The whole Xingu was burning — it stung our lungs and our eyes,” Kotok said. “We had nowhere to escape. We suffered along with the animals.”
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