The Garimpeiro In The Amazon

By Emanuel Marcos Cruz E Prado

O Garimpeiro is a novel full of adventures located on the Madeira River in Rondônia, on the occasion of the enormous internal migration that occurred in the 90s. The book presents the region, the invasion by thousands of garimpeiros coming from different parts of the country and particularly from the Serra Pelada mining. Together with them, the reader becomes aware of what this migratory phenomenon was and the impact it had on that region. Along with the exciting story, the entire region is unveiled and customs are preserved through their own unique language.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clube de Autores
• Release date: Jan 23, 2021

Book preview

THE GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON

AUTHOR EMANUEL MARCOS CRUZ E PRADO

TEL [phone]

www.clubedeautores.com.br

LAGES SC - BRASIL

THE GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON

AUTHOR

EMANUEL MARCOS CRUZ E PRADO

DATE OF BIRTH – 09/11/1956

BIRTHPLACE – LAGES, SC

www. Clube de autores.com.br

TEL ( 49 - 99833769)

REVIEW: EMANUEL MARCOS CRUZ AND PRADO

DIAGRAM: EMANUEL MARCOS CRUZ AND PRADO

CATALOG FORM

PRADO, EMANUEL MARCOS CRUZ E

THE GARIPEIRO - BOOK OF ROMANCE AND HISTORY

WITH FACTS AND NARRATIVES OF THE MIGRATORY

MOVEMENT OCCURRED IN THE DECADES OF EIGHTY AND

NINETY OF THE 20TH CENTURY TOWARDS THE STATE OF

RONDÔNIA AND THE WHOLE AMAZON.

LAGES, SC, - 2021 - 1st ENGLISH EDITION

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THE GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON

SOME WORKS FROM THE AUTHOR

YOU FIND ON THE SITE - CLUBE DE AUTORES

AUTHOR EMANUEL MARCOS CRUZ E PRADO

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THE GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON

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THE GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON

DEDICATION

I wrote O GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON, motivated by the wealth of information existing at the time I lived in Porto Velho.

I could not fail to register the facts transmitted to me by those who lived the great gold rush on the Madeira River.

I am an observer of events and, in the stories told as a reminder of a past era, I sought the subsidy to describe more precisely the details of the events that occurred.

For this to be possible, I resorted to some research in books that I quote in the bibliography consulted and in the anonymous testimonies of the prospectors who left their stories recorded in the tavern conversations and even in manuscripts that have survived time.

The characters are fictional, but many cases really happened, others were created to give more emotion in the story and exemplify the events.

The objectives of this work are linked to cultural, literary and memory preservation aspects of an era in national life.

I take the opportunity to register issues related to major current issues such as internal migratory movements, ecology, the social and cultural situation of the Indian in Brazil, and others of regional importance, such as the preservation of the Madeira-Mamoré Railway, the development of the tourist potential of the region and the beauty of the rapids and waterfalls of the Madeira River.

As every literary work brings in its conception, controversial subjects and of great interest to the population, I bring to consideration issues related to abortion, the death penalty and others.

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THE GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON

I hope that you may be contributing to the development of culture with.

I dedicate to all the anonymous miners who were in the mining and gave their life and their contribution to the development and maintenance of the Amazon region.

I dedicate it to the Indians who live in the Amazon region and were the first inhabitants of the place, who contributed to the maintenance of the forest and its environment in a healthy and permanent way.

I dedicate to all readers and students who sought knowledge to have a true opinion of what happened in that region.

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INDEX

AUTHOR AND CATALOG FORM

2

PORTUGUESE 3rd EDITION COVER

3

DEDICATION

5

INDEX

7

AUTHOR'S NOTE

9

CHAPTER ONE - GOLD AND ILLUSION IN THE AMAZON

11

CHAPTER TWO - KNOWING THE REGION

35

CHAPTER THREE - PREPARING FOR THE GARIMPO

51

CHAPTER FOUR - TRIP TO THE GARIMPO

61

CHAPTER FIVE - BAPTISM IN THE GARIMPO

73

CHAPTER SIX - THE PILOT

79

CHAPTER SEVEN - PERFORMING A DREAM

87

CHAPTER EIGHT - REUNION

101

CHAPTER NINE - GOOD VIEW

109

CHAPTER TEM - THE ENGAGEMENT

113

CHAPTER ELEVEN – RESTARTING WORK

119

CHAPTER THUELVE - CROSSING

125

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - ATTACK

133

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - JONAS

143

CHAPTER FIFTEEN - MARRIAGE

149

CHAPTERSIXTEEN – THE GREAT BATTLE

159

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – THE KIDNAP

169

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – FINDING THE TRACK

183

CHAPTER NINETEEN – UNHAPY LENGH

197

CHAPTER TWENTY – CLOSSING WORK

213

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE – EPILOGUE

221

GARIMPOTHERMS DICTIONARY

227

BIBLIOGRAFY

233

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THE GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I wrote O GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON, motivated by the wealth of information existing at the time I lived in Porto Velho.

I could not fail to register the facts transmitted to me by those who lived the great gold rush on the Madeira River.

I am an observer of events and, in the stories told as a reminder of a past era, I sought the subsidy to describe more precisely the details of the events that occurred.

For this to be possible, I resorted to some research in books that I quote in the bibliography consulted and in the anonymous testimonies of the prospectors who left their stories recorded in the tavern conversations and even in manuscripts that have survived time.

The characters are fictional, but many cases really happened, others were created to give more emotion in the story and exemplify the events.

The objectives of this work are linked to cultural, literary and memory preservation aspects of an era in national life.

I take the opportunity to register issues related to major current issues such as internal migratory movements, ecology, the social and cultural situation of the Indian in Brazil, and others of regional importance, such as the preservation of the Madeira-Mamoré Railway, the development of the tourist potential of the region and the beauty of the rapids and waterfalls of the Madeira River.

As every literary work brings in its conception, controversial subjects and of great interest to the population, I bring to consideration issues related to abortion, the death penalty and others.

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THE GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON

I hope that you may be contributing to the development of culture with the return of understanding the flaws or inaccuracies.

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THE GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON

CHAPTER ONE

GOLD AND ILLUSION IN THE AMAZON

Today, I picked up a newspaper clipping that I brought from Rondônia, where there was a description of a tragedy that occurred on the Madeira River.

It was a real naval battle, between groups of heavily armed miners, who faced each other in a cruel fight, with more than fifty fatal victims.

Most important of all, I was the main person involved in the fight, driven by the circumstances I refer to in this book.

I fought against a man of bad character, a drug dealer, who went to great lengths to kill and caused me a lot of damage, both material and emotional.

I transcribe here the note from the newspaper, which brought the news:

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TRAGEDY IN GARIMPO

IN THE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, A REAL TRAGEDY IN

THE CALDEIRÃO DO INFERNO REGION, AREA DOMINATED

BY THE GARIMPEIROS, INSIDE THE MADEIRA RIVER.

ACCORDING TO THE WITNESSES THAT PRESENTED

THE

SCENE,

TWO

CLASSES

OF

DRAGUEIRS

MEET,

INVOLVING IN ABOUT TWELVE DRAGAS AND WITH MORE

THAN FORTY FLIGHTS, CREWED BY HEAVY ARMED

SPARKERS.

IN THIS MEETING WAS EXCHANGE OF SHOTS, FIRE OF

MANY DRUGS, DESTROYED FLIGHTS AND AT THE END, WHEN THE AMMUNITION IS OVER, A REAL SHOCK FROM

MAN TO MAN, ARMED WITH FACTIONS AND PIECES OF

WOOD, WHICH LOST.

IN THE FRAGOR OF THE FIGHT, OTHER DRUGS CAME

AND ENTERED THE SKIN. THE BALANCE OF THE BATTLE

HAS BEEN MORE THAN FIFTY DEAD AND TEN WOUNDED, BEING CONSIDERED THE GREATEST TRAGEDY OF THE LAST

YEARS IN THE GARIMPO.

FROM WHAT WAS CREATED, EVERYTHING HAPPENED

IN FUNCTION OF AN OLD STREET, BETWEEN A COLOMBIAN

GARIMPEIRO AND A GARIMPEIRO KNOWN AS KING OF

GARIMPO.

THE COLOMBIAN IS SUSPECTED TO BE INVOLVED IN

INTERNATIONAL DRUG TRAFFICKING, BUT THE FIRST

REASON FOR THE FIGHT WAS BECAUSE OF A WOMAN.

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THE

TWO

ARE

DISAPPEARED,

THERE

IS

NO

INFORMATION IF THEY ARE ALIVE OR DEAD.

MOST OF THE DEAD DEEP IN RIO AND JUST DAYS WILL

APPEAR LATER, BEFORE MANY DO NOT APPEAR, OR YOUR

IDENTIFICATION WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE.

CITY POLICIES ARE PERFORMING INVESTIGATIONS, BUT UNTIL THIS MOMENT THEY HAVE NO INFORMATION

TO GIVE.

SURVIVORS HAVE DISAPPEARED ONLY ARE THE MOST

SERIOUS INJURIES HOSPITALIZED IN SOME HOSPITALS IN

THE CITY, BUT STILL CAN'T TALK.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT HOURS, NEW NEWS

THAT MAY CLARIFY THE FACTS BETTER.

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BOA VISTA – RORAIMA

I'm in Boa Vista, capital of the state of Roraima, in the far north of Brazil.

I arrived here from another mine in Porto Velho, Rondônia, in the same way that I arrive every time I change mine; sometimes alone, almost without money, hurt by life and the loss of loved ones; distressed and with an enormous desire to disappear.

This time with much more reason, because I lived intensely all the most popular feelings in their most intense and complete form, as you can see through this story.

Feelings like love, passion, hatred, fame, power, wealth and also vanity, madness, revenge, disappointment and pain, all wrapped up in an atmosphere of adventure and mystery, brought up by the magic of gold.

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In these two years that I spent in the jungle, inside a dredge on the Madeira River, a lot happened to me; good things and sad things, but better than when I was in Serra Pelada, in the state of Pará, where I spent almost three years.

As you can see, I am a wandering gold digger; I go where they say it is mining, whether in rivers, in the jungle or in the lands of the Indians.

My goal is to go to the jungle to Venezuela, or maybe give up this wandering life and seek peace in simple and normal things, which only time can present.

For now, I am recovering from badly cured malaria and taking the opportunity to tell a piece of my story, living in a poorly maintained room in a cheap pension.

I bring with me a few grams of gold, which will be my sustenance until I find my way back to mine, or another that life offers.

So I spend my days, remembering with sadness and bitterness what happened to me in that mining, but also with the memories of the good times lived alongside great love.

It's just what I have left, besides the experience of the other mines and the luck of being still alive.

I intend to stay here in this pension room, until I finish telling my story, then buy supplies and equipment for a new adventure, if there is another opportunity and sick leave.

The garimpeiro is always wandering around the country, half civilized people, half wild animals, but he only sees the color of gold and nothing else. Once you know your magic, you do nothing else in life, losing control of the value of things. When the gold runs out, he emigrates to another place where he would be mining and so on, passing the years and life.

My name is Carlos Amarildo Fioravante, but I am also known as Carlão, for my athletic build and for the face of a television artist.

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In mining, no one likes to be called by their first name, as they often fear being recognized for having committed a crime in their homeland. On the contrary, I am proud of my name and my land.

I am still young, I have not turned thirty, but unlike my prospector brothers, I was lucky to come from a good family and finish high school, which gave me a lot of ancestry and leadership in mining.

For a period, I was a gym teacher in my city, having taken some courses.

Due to the great responsibility and the low salary, I gave up to continue in that straight life. I know it is a dignified and important profession, but my spirit of adventure has propelled me to the outside world.

I was only called by my own name when I waddled on the Madeira River, that is, when big luck made me find a lot of gold, having been known as Rei do Garimpo.

I had so much gold in my hands that, if I wanted to, I would no longer have to work; even looking inconsistent, complaining about misery and saying that I had so much gold.

As the saying goes in mining - gold comes easy, gold goes easy - so it happened to me, I easily won a lot of gold, but I lost as fast as I won.

If I'm hungry today, I can have so much money tomorrow that I can buy an entire market. In gold mines, financial gaps fluctuate very quickly, both up and down.

I do not regret what I did or did not do, because for me what counts is what one lives and not the dream or the fantasy.

These two years I lived in the garimpo of the Madeira River, I lived with people of all kinds; poor and rich, illiterate and educated; where gold leveled everyone, highlighting only those who owned it.

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THE GARIMPEIRO IN THE AMAZON

I was able to have some real friends; few are sure, but they have always accompanied me and have not disappointed me.

I also had women, because I looked good, I was always wanted, but as I was shy and lonely, I did not give in easily.

A woman was the greatest love of my life.

In gold mining, everyone knows that gold and women do not match, one ends up with the other, as cruel rivals that cannot stand.

In this magical and fantastic world, I had the eternal happiness of meeting a wonderful person, tremendously beautiful and of a tenderness that I never imagined could exist.

It was my passion and the great blow that fate had in store for me.

I do not intend to talk much about Serra Pelada, perhaps on another occasion, because the years I spent there brought much more sacrifices and pain than anything else.

That crowd of muddy men, with no identity or personal characteristics, hiding behind the clay, living like ants organized on a constant walk, carrying burdens on their backs all the time, looking like Dante's hell from Divine Comedy.

Even today, I thank God for ending that purgatory, although there are still so many others, in the cities and in the fields.

I refer to the poor in this rich country, who live in slums, have no job to work and, when they do, are poorly paid and exploited, having no opportunity to grow up with health and dignity, trapped in an unjust and insensitive world.

It is like mining, with thousands of poor people walking on top of gold, carrying on their backs the wealth mixed with mud, to enrich some with the sacrifice of their own lives.

I apologize for the explosion, but with the pain I learned to see a little more than the color of gold, although I am still bewitched by it.

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The story I'm going to tell is full of emotions, curiosities and romance.

It is the synthesis of the history of many garimpeiros, who came to the north of Brazil in search of easy wealth and deluded by the very misery in which they lived.

Through it I will be able to transmit, a little of the feeling of those who abandoned their family, land and ideals, because they no longer have hope in society, in governments and at work.

I will try to enrich it with historical, geographical and other more technical details.

In order to preserve a little of the memory of those days, so that in the future we can draw positive lessons and honor people who, in one way or another, always looking for their own solutions, when you lose hope.

Two years ago I arrived in Porto Velho, just as I arrived here in Boa Vista, with my soul hardened for sacrifice, but with the illusion of finding happiness, wealth and love.

I came along with a mining companion from Serra Pelada, Raimundo, who more than a friend, considered him a brother.

We looked for a place to settle in and indicated a cheap pension close to the municipal market, where so many other miners stayed.

The owner was an elderly woman named Dona Maria, who immediately took pity on me and gave us the best of the rooms, which she reserved only for her children, when they came to