Protector of a Precious Place
By focusing on the Amazon rain forest, Native Indian leader Raoni hopes to create a better world.

Native Indian leader and crusader Raoni, left, meets with France's President, Jacques Chirac, to discuss the plight of his tribe, the Caiapos.

For 30 years Raoni (raw-oh-nee), chief of the Caiapo (kay-ah-poh) tribe in Brazil, has been leading a fight to protect the Amazon rain forest. He is a guardian of the Caiapo Indian reserve and Xingu National Park, a territory that's roughly the size of the state of Florida. The reserve is located in the Brazilian Amazon region and home to around 12,000 Indians. It forms the largest tropical rain-forest reserve in the world. These native lands are being threatened by forestry, mining, ranching and farming industries seeking to take over the forest's rich natural resources.

A Superstar Joins the Fight
Raoni has enlisted help from the modern world for his cause. In 1988 he met rock star Sting in Sao Paulo while the singer was on a world tour. Sting decided to visit Raoni's village, where they spoke. "I am not a politician," said Sting. "I am only a singer, but many people listen to me. I promise you that whenever I speak on your behalf I shall tell your story because you are the only protectors of the forest, and if the forest dies then so does the earth."

A Caiapo mother and daughters protest loggers and miners who invade their land.

A Man with a Plan
In 1989, with help from Sting and environmentalist Jean-Pierre Dutilleaux, Chief Raoni was able to spread the alarm across 17 countries. Through news conferences and TV broadcasts, his message was clear: destroying rain forests not only destroys Brazil's Indian tribes, it threatens the future of all people. "If man continues to destroy the earth, even stronger winds will come... not just once...but several times...sooner or later. These winds are going to destroy us all," said Raoni.

One Mission for One World
Under Raoni's presidency, the "Instituto Raoni" will be managed and maintained with help from Brazilian authorities, FUNAI (National Indian Foundation) and environmental groups in France and Belgium. Though they are from different countries, they are united for the same reason. "We all breathe the same air, we all drink the same water, we all live on the same planet," said Raoni. "We must all protect it."