Lessons in life and language with Brazilian Indians
by Matthew
Daniel Everett was once a Christian missionary, intent on converting the Pirahã people of the Brazilian Amazon to Jesus.
He was part of an evangelical movement that thinks other people, and particularly tribal people, must be changed and made to believe Christianity’s teachings.
He has long since moved on from religion and the idea of ‘bettering’ people with the Bible, but has just released a book of memoirs about his experiences.
In it he tells how he lost his faith and family but found a new way of understanding human language, with help from the Pirahã who he lived with for many years.
Daniel is also supporting Survival’s Stamp It Out campaign to stop people using prejudiced and racist language about tribal peoples.
His book, ‘Don’t Sleep, there are Snakes’ is released this week. You can listen to parts of his story on BBC Radio 4.