Tamandua News - November 2002

Fire: another concern for the men of the sertão
The drought that frequently afflicts the sertão for over 8 months brings with it another plague : fire. The most common causes are the following:
	honey harvesters, who look for bee hives in the bush and use smoke to drive the bees away and seize the honeycombs;
	hunters, who, though it is forbidden throughout the country, generally hunt with a barrel-loaded shot-gun, whose fuse, made out of coconut straw, often falls off in flames;
	pieces of glass left about, which act as magnifying glasses for the sun’s rays;
	birds, such as black vultures or carcarás, that touch electric wires when playing or fighting; the resulting sparks can set fire to pastures and woods.

Despite the fact that fire is quite common, the men of the sertão do not know how to cope with it and consider it an unavoidable incident. One often sees a fire lit at the side of the road – usually to burn garbage – advancing for weeks and weeks until it finally burns out, usually of its own accord.

Resigned to such things, the men of the sertão do not succeed in putting out such fires. They flare up owing to the winds, which are strong in dry periods, and spread very fast, with a frightening noise, burning everything in their path: the native pasture; the small areas of green grass – irrigated or otherwise –; the cotton bushes whose green leaves are excellent fodder for livestock during the drought; the remainders of crops such as corn and beans; as well as the native brush.

"Mister" Geraldo
For the last 5 years, 57-year old Geraldo Benedito de Medeiros, known as Geraldo Pimbão, has left Patos every Saturday at 1:00 p.m. on the dot, riding his bicycle, whatever the weather – wind or rain, sunshine or dust, but usually under extremely hot sun – to pedal the 15 kilometers to Tamanduá Farm.
It is payday at the Farm and he cannot miss the moment! His 1972 Monark bicycle, with a circular bar, is well equipped and looked after, with both a bell and a horn, a head-light, and a white plastic bag behind the saddle containing everything necessary in the event of an emergency on the way.
In fact, it is a dangerous road : Geraldo was once robbed by two armed thieves, who left him alive, but without his watch and his fish knife, taking everything in the boxes … On the baggage-rack, safely fastened with a rubber band made from an inner tube, a red box and container (good marketing!), containing the joy of the farm’s residents, little and big, young and old.
Today, we asked Geraldo to do an inventory of the "snake case" : Inside the large wooden box : 35 sweet rolls, 60 French rolls and 40 nego or cangalho type rolls In the plastic container: 4 small cans of Pitu cachaça, 5 packets of US cigarettes and 5 of the Derby brand, 1 can of beef specialty, 34 bags of 4 varieties of packed popcorn, artificial juices in bags, and a multitude of sweets : bubble-gum and ordinary chewing gum, jellies, soft chocolate sweets, caramels, mint and strawberry Halls drops, chocolate balls, peanut sweets, Smarties, round and long lollypops, pellets, yoyos, cashew sweets, peanut cakes, sticky coconut sweet, drops and sweets of all sizes, colors and fragrances. Paradise !
He pedals slowly from house to house, talking to the housewives and joking with the boys who have been anxiously awaiting his visit. Geraldo is the brother of Fatima, married to Inacio Jorge, who works on the farm; he lives on a small farm close by, but has no work for a good part of the year. These trips are, therefore, almost his only steady source of income, giving him close to R$ 50,00 per week.

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Fazenda Tamanduá
Caixa Postal 65 - Patos / Paraíba -
CEP 58700-970 - Brasil
Tel.(55 83)3422-7070 Fax(55 83)3422-7071

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