Google partners with Amazon tribe

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Google partners with Amazon tribe
mongabay.com
October 29, 2009

The story of an indigenous Amazon tribe that has embraced technology in its fight to protect its homeland and culture is now highlighted as a layer in Google Earth.

Videos, pictures, maps, and information about the Surui, a tribe that was garnered international attention for its battle against loggers and its partnership with Google Inc., is available via Google Earth.

First exposed to the outside world in 1969 — an event that nearly resulted in their extinction due to introduced diseases — the Surui today work with Google and other partners map and monitor their territory using cutting-edge technology. While the use of technology has helped the Surui secure their land, it has unexpectedly strengthened cultural ties between young and old members of the tribe.

"Surui elders provide the traditional knowledge, while the younger generation uses the technology," said Vasco van Roosmalen, director the Amazon Conservation Team in Brazil, an NGO that works closely with the Surui.

The Google Earth KMZ file for the Suri is available at Trading Bows and Arrows for Laptops.

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