In 1975 a Brazilian naturalist “discovered” dart arrow frogs. Not knowing they’re really really poisonous, he picked them up with his bare hands.
As he slowly became steadily sicker, he searched for a cure. He visited all kinds of doctors all over the world, but no one knew how to heal him.
Eventually, Cacique (Chief) Raoni and Pajé (Healer) Sapaim heard about the doctor with the strange, incurable illness.
“We’ve come to cure Dr. Ruschi, who’s a friend to Indigenous people and animals*.”
Dr. Augusto Ruschi was close to death, but armed with the wisdom passed down by their peoples for generations, Raoni and Sapaim rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
They chanted, prayed, smoked special cigars, rubbed ointments all over their patient, massaged his hands and body as they had been taught to do.
And you know what?
It worked.
So next time someone makes fun of Indigenous cultures, remember how Indigenous medicine was able to do what so-called “more advanced” White medicine couldn’t.
P.S. Pronunciations are as follows:
Augusto Ruschi (ow-GOOS-to husky)
Cacique (ka-SEE-kee
Raoni (Ha-oh-NEE)
Pajé (p’ah-j’ai, with the ai being pronouced like “air” without the R)
Sapaim (S’ah-p’ah-EEM)
^ Cacique Raoni today
^ Pajé Sapaim today
* I’m translating and paraphrasing what they said. Their mention of animals is due to the fact that Dr. Ruschi was known for being a conservation advocate (as well as an advocate for the protection of Indigenous lands).
In Brazilian Indigenous cultures, being respectful to animals is so important that one of the icons of Brazilian folklore is a creature called Curupira who’s benign to those taking what they need and a terrifying force when you take beyond your fair share, and is seen in Brazil as the symbol of ecological conservationism.
ugh 