Oldest woman in the world found in Amazon forest

A Brazilian Indian woman - Maria Lucimar Pereira - believed to be the oldest living person in the world, celebrated her 121st birthday in the rainforest with her family earlier this month. A member of the Kaxinawá tribe, she lives in the state of Acre, an area of rainforest at risk of severe deforestation in the western Brazilian Amazon.

According to Survival International, Maria has never lived in a city and puts her longevity down to a healthy lifestyle. She only eats natural foods from the forest: grilled meat, monkey, fish, manioc (a root vegetable), and banana porridge. She does not eat salt, sugar, or any processed foods.

Survival International's Director Stephen Corry says, "All too often we witness the negative effects forced change can have on in diogenous peoples. It is refreshing to see a community that has retained strong links to its ancestral land and enjoyed the undeniable benefits of this."

Despite being nearly 121 years old, Maria remains healthy and relatively active. Community leader Carlos told Survival how she walks around the village sharing stories, and readily visits her grandchildren in neighboring areas. She only speaks Kaxinawá (not Portuguese), and occasionally travels to the nearest town, Feijó.

Her birth certificate was approved in 1985, showing she was born in 1890. But old age does not appear uncommon in her village. Carlos says out of its 80 inhabitants, four are over 90 years old. They eat natural foods, and do not use soap or any artificial products from the city.

Maria's life has spanned over a century that has witnessed dramatic changes. Most notably, the Indians suffered the effects of the rubber boom, which swept through the region at the end of the 19th Century, wiping out 90% of the indigenous population in a horrific wave of enslavement and appalling brutality.

Source: www.survivalinternational.org

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