'The river is dead': what is polluting the water of Brazil's Xikrin tribe? | Naira Hofmeister and José Cícero da Silva

Federal courts are battling to shut down a nickel mining plant said to be contaminating the Cateté river - a charge the company deniesThe Xikrin, who have lived alongside the Cateté river in the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil for centuries, have a mantra: "The river is our life." Surrounded by an abundance of plant species, they swim and bathe here.To fish, the tribe use timbó, a toxic vine that reduces the concentration of oxygen in the water, forcing the fish to come to the surface, where they are shot with arrows. "If we use hooks to fish, only one of our families will eat fish," explains former tribal chief Onkray Xikrin. "But with timbó the whole village can eat." Continue reading...