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Uros ladies and kids
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Lake Titicaca lies 3800 m above sea level between Peru and Bolivia. It's home to the Uros Indians, who centuries ago conceived of making bouyant floating islands from totora reeds as a way to isolate and protect themselves from rival tribes. Some of these golden patties are the size of football fields!
The Uros harvested the reeds in the shallows, bundled them tightly, and built floating island platforms complete with reed houses and canoes.
The waters of the Uros have been overfished by commercial fishermen, tourists are affecting their traditional culture, and sewage from Puno is causing grave environmental and health problems.
Totora reeds are not growing to the lengths they once did. Since the floating islands are constantly being added to from the top as the bottom layers rot and fall away, shorter reeds mean more work for the Uros just to keep their islands afloat. Ten to 15 years ago, a Uros fisherman could catch in a few hours enough fish to feed his family for the day. Now, he's lucky if he can catch enough for a single meal. Infant mortality is higher on the floating islands than on the adjacent mainland. The Uros need help! |
chadodo, RSK has marked this note useful
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Updated |
| To copadonat: uros | retlash |
1 |
10-26 11:41 |
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Michael
una gran cuadro bello colores tradición cultura te felicito
Nat
- RSK
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 511 W: 131 N: 955]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(7014) - [2007-10-26 12:34]
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Hi Michael,thanks for the notes most educational,the world is indeed a varied place,your image & notes certainly inform us of the modern dangers these peolpe have to face to their way of life,hope there is an answer to it.
Ron
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- Suerte
(3144)
- [2007-10-27 0:43]
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great compo and colors.
well done
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 60 W: 1 N: 168]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-n-g.gif){kind=small}