Knowing more from Brazil

Historians and scientists have discovered that communities of people were living in what is now known as Brazil as long as 8 000 years ago. Thes first traceable human beings were nomadic and semi-nomadic people who are believed to have come from parts of Asia in search of abundant hunting grounds. They were called Indians by the Portuguese, when this European nation eventually arrived. To get to South America from Asia, they had to cross the Pacific Ocean. Individual indigenous tribes and settlements numbered around 2 000 when the Portuguese first discovered Brazil, as it came to be known. When these Europeans arrived in the 16th century, they found themselves amidst a people that practiced cannibalism, were involved in tribal warfare and would fight for the popular brazilwood tree for its valuable red dye. Therefore, these new arrivals felt it was necessary to "civilize" the natives. They also immediately began to indulge in sexual relations with these ones, creating