The Enchanted Amazon Rain Forest: Stories from a Vanishing World [Hardcover]

NIGEL J.H. SMITH (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Between 1976 and 1994, the author collected stories from peasants (caboclos) in the Amazon basin, seeking insight into their perception of their environment, both social and ecological. Smith (Man, Fishes and the Amazon) considers the loss of aboriginal cultural diversity to be as serious as the loss of plant and animal species. He found that fear of supernatural reprisal underlies much of the lore of the hunter; the curupira, father of game, steals his victims' shadows. Fishermen fear the cobra granda, a giant snake whose eyes at night cast beams like flashlights. John of the forest is an invisible caretaker of plants. Spirits and ghosts spill into village life; most are concerned with moral and ethical issues. There are pugnacious black sows, giant white dogs and three-legged cows. Smith gives information on historical and geographical settings, flora and fauna and problems of rain forest conservation. These stories will appeal strongly to readers interested in folklore as well as to anthropologists and ecologists. Photos.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Folklore as a controlling factor in environmental conservation is the theme of this thought-provoking book by a geographer with 25 years of research experience in the Amazonian rain forest. Smith, the author or coauthor of ten other books (e.g., Rainforest Corridors, 1982), introduces the reader to folkloric spirits that populate the forests and rivers of the Amazon basin. Smith suggests that folklore accounts in part for the ecological control hitherto maintained in the Amazonian rain forest. Chockfull of firsthand accounts of the restraining effects on human behavior of these folkloric beings, the book is also illustrated with black-and-white photographs depicting the peasants' daily lives. Woven throughout this fascinating book are discussions of rain forest ecology, history, and social structure. Smith makes it clear that we still have much to learn about our relationship with nature.
Cynthia D. Bertelsen, Virginia Tech Univ. Libs., Blacksburg
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida; 1st edition (February 10, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813013771
• ISBN-13: 978-0813013770
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #567,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.