Visit to Aldeia Mata Verde Bonita

On May 12 we took an hour long trip from the city of Rio to an indigenous village, Aldeia Mata Verde Bonita. Upon arriving we were welcomed and were taken on a tour of the village.

We walked around and were shown the school and classrooms. At the school children are taught in the native language. Once the children are in 5th grade they are no longer taught at the village but must attend school in the nearby town. We were told about the hardships that were faced when COVID hit. Due to the lack of resources such as access to technology and Wifi the children were not able to attend school and fell behind. As we continued our tour of the village we were shown the river. By the river a museum is being built. We were taught about many plant that they grow and how they are used. An interesting thing that I noticed was many plants had a large crystal by them. We were told that they do this because it helps regulate the temperature of the plants. The group then performed a traditional dance for us and allowed us to join for a second dance in which they showed us how to follow along. afterwards they demonstrated how to play a game they like to play. The game involves two people running across a field to a post and then run back while carrying a heavy log. They demonstrated it for us and some of us even got to join in.

After that we ate a meal which consisted of either fish or chicken with rice, beans, and farofa, which is a traditional Brazilian side dish.