On November 5, the presentation “Yanomami Achieving Autonomy through Education” brought to attention some of the struggles faced by the Yanomami tribe, who are indigenous people of Brazil. The presentation, which took place in Wheatley Hall, educated the audience on some of the issues faced by the Yanomami people, and focused on what is being done to improve the situation.

The Yanomami had to overcome a major hurtle: illiteracy. There are four different dialects of Yanomami, and not only were many who spoke the language unable to read or write in their native language, but also government officials did not even speak it. This condition put the Yanomami at a frightening disadvantage within the government because laws which were disadvantageous to the indigenous people of Brazil were easily passed, and the rights granted to the Yanomami people were not even possible for them to decipher since they were not expressed in the tribal languages.

In an effort to mend this situation, the Pro-Yanomami Commission was launched in 1998. One effort undertaken by the Commission was to teach the Yanomami the Portuguese language so they could communicate with government officials, as well as with others whom the Yanomami had dealings with.

In fact, the presenters at the November 5 forum, Dario Yanomami, Geraldo Yanomami, Antonio Dias, and Marcos Oliveira each gave their portion of the presentation in Portuguese. Gale Goodwin-Gomez, a professor from Rhode Island College, then translated it. This provided the audience with a unique perspective of what it would be like to want information, but have to wait for some one else to de-code it, as the Yanomami have often done.

What is unique about the Pro-Yanomami Commission is their effort to bring technology to Brazilian natives in an attempt to preserve their unique culture. To begin with, literacy of the Yanomami language is taught before Portuguese because the commission feels that it is important to keep the Yanomami’s native language primary. The technology comes in with the commission’s efforts to obtain computers to implement the education of the Yanomami. The computers are solar powered and offer the Yanomami the convenience of allowing them to print their own texts. The texts produced are not only for the purposes of literacy and mathematical education, but are also used to promote cultural enrichment. With the aid of the computers, newsletters concerning important issues such as upcoming legislation which may affect the Yanomami, and their cultural history are circulated. As the presenters pointed out, this directly opposes the stereotype that “Indians” shouldn’t utilize technology, because technology has the power to reinforce, not destroy, their culture.

Another important effect of education and literacy for the Yanomami has been the improvement of healthcare. Prior to the literacy of the Yanomani, they were completely dependent on outsiders for their health care needs. To date, there are thirty Yanomami trained as microscope technicians. One of the duties of microscope technicians is distinguishing between different types of malaria so that proper treatment can be implemented. As a result of the health program, the Yanomami death rate has decreased and their health has improved. The Yanomami can now add to their repertoire that they are in control of their own health, which is a monumental accomplishment that attests to how invaluable literacy has been for these people.

While the presentation offered insight into the struggles of a little-known segment of the Brazilian population, it was not without its hitches. The interpreter often added her own opinions concerning both the Yanomami and Brazilian government policy that often veered the subject away from education and how it contributes to Yanomami autonomy. These interjections at times served to make the information somewhat overwhelming to some of the audience, because there were too many new issues to be absorbed. Ms. Goodwin-Gomez also continued to take many questions from the audience after it was announced that the last question had already been taken. The end result was the presentation running an hour over schedule and the presenters themselves being exhausted. Perhaps the presentation would have been more effective if the schedule had been more strictly adhered to.