Mixed into this loamish soil was evidence of prehistoric man: charcoal, occasional stone axheads made from meteorites, and a lump of manioc bread preserved in natural tree gum.
They cleared four acres of farmland and sowed their first crop: manioc, beans, peanuts, pineapples and sweet potatoes.
Each morning the Yawalapiti women prepared manioc cakes and beverage and the entire tribe turned their faces to the south praying that the return would be soon.