Beyond the River of the Dead

That excellent cover is worth a star by itself, but the book is up to the measure of the artwork.

In the late 1950's Fabre and his wife left their home in Uruguay to explore the unknown of the Mato Grosso (spelled Matto Grossa at the time), in Brazil. According to the author, the only ‘European' visitors to the area were Percy Faucett, who only skirted the edge of the region, and some missionaries who dealt only with the fringes of the main town.

Fabre manages to catch a ride with a missionary to one of the fringe villages, where, although suspicious of them the Xavante Indians are relatively friendly. After establishing their trust, Fabre, who has now learned the basics of the language, convinces the chief to assist them in travelling to the ‘Parent Village' - the main centre of the tribe. With the best intentions, and a boatload of equipment, they set off downtstream. A capsize and after hiking thorough the rain forest they finally reach the parent village, where they must again earn the trust of the Xavante.
Without spoiling the content too much, there are trials and tribulations in achieving this, the biggest challenge seeming to be that the Indians hold them in enough esteem that they not only allow them to join the village, but leave them to their own devices, refusing to provide for them a hut or any food - to do so, in the Xavantes view would undermine their standing and reduce their self respect, as every Xavante warrior must be able to provide for himself and his family, and charity is reserved or the very old.

The tribe then experiences a general difficulty in finding game - their hunting grounds are becoming unproductive, so they continue their nomadic life, shifting the village to new hunting grounds. This is a real challenge for Fabre and his wife, as they must travel long distances in the immense heat, building a new shelter and barter their small collection of possessions for food. Thankfully by now the chief has realised they are struggling, and assists by providing warriors to carry some of their equipment.

This book is right in the genre I enjoy - early exploration work, remote area, interesting cultures, honest exploitation free people. Nicely written (and translated of course), sadly no pictures included - despite their constant recording of events on cine camera and their continual protection of their films.