Amazon tribal school opens

An ancient tribe in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has developed a scheme to keep their culture alive.

The Ashaninka tribe has opened the first-ever school designed by indigenous people, to preserve their traditions and spread environmental awareness.

The native Indian tribe used violence against miners and loggers for decades, but now they are encouraging dialogue between cultures.

The idea came from tribe leader Benki Pianko, who saw an opportunity to pass on the teachings to others living in the same area.

He said: "We won't work too much with theory here. We'll work more in a practical sense, so people feel more capable of building what nature needs and also what they need."

More than 20 per cent of the forest, home to an estimated 30 per cent of the world's animal and plant species, has been destroyed.

Project worker Francisco Pianko said: "We're bringing an opportunity to this region, for people to reflect, and we're pointing out the real investments that should be made in a region like this. We must look at the human being first, the man who lives inside the forest."

Around 500,000 indigenous Indians live in Brazil.

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

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