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the Amazon
The Amazon Basin is a region larger than the whole of Europe, with the most bio-diverse ecosystem on the planet. Although the museum's Amazon collection is relatively small it covers a huge area, from the Orinoco River in the north to the Peru and Colombia borders in the west and the Xingu National Park in the east. It is home to more than 800 species of mammals, 2500 species of fish and 25,000 species of plants.
Over 300 groups of indigenous people live within its broad confines, some remaining completely isolated. Others are struggling to preserve their lands and culture against the encroachment of industrial interests throughout the region. Millions of acres of lush rainforest have been cleared or destroyed by the gold, tin, iron and oil extracting interests of transnational corporations. In the areas that remain untouched by industrial development are countless natural resources. These include materials valued by the indigenous people for manufacturing items of all kinds; adornment, weaponry and domestic needs.
British collectors who donated material to the museum tended to favour north and western Amazon, on and beyond the borders of Brazil, in Guyana French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela and Peru. Weapons seem to have been the most popular items to collect. Exeter is fortunate to also have some fine head-dresses and other items of adornment, as well as domestic items.
