When I grow up, I'm going to travel around the world. Encounters With Globalization By the time Nahuria grows up, perhaps more of Brazil's indigenous communities will have connected to the global economy. Her father dreams that by then the Ilha do Bananal will have fashioned prosperous agricultural and fishing export projects. He foresees the remote island, with its astonishing array of birds and 38 species of mammals, emerging as a magnet for eco-tourism. On many fronts, the lives of Brazil's Indians, while still impoverished, have improved.
Health workers reach even the most isolated villagers to provide regular vaccinations.
More Indians go to school, although as a group they remain far behind the rest of the population. Young, sophisticated Indian politicians have started to find their voices. Indian population numbers are easing upward again. Still, few native groups have wholly embraced globalization. An exception is the Kayapo tribe, believed to be the country's wealthiest indigenous group, which has used profits from lumber and gold extracted from its territories to purchase fancy cars and fine homes.