US man finds lost mother in Amazon tribe

[jakeXT]

When David Good was a kid, and his friends asked where his mother was, he’d always say the same thing: She died in a car crash.

“I experimented with responses, and I found that the most effective,” David says. “I could see the horror in their faces” — he laughs — “and there would be no more questions.”

His dad, Ken, couldn’t understand: “I’d say, ‘Why don’t you just say your mom’s Venezuelan, and your parents are divorced? It’s so common.’

But the story of David’s mom — who she was, where she came from and why she left — was so complicated and painful, he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it.

“I didn’t want my friends to know that my mom’s a naked jungle woman eating tarantulas,” he says today. “I didn’t want to be known as a half-breed. And it was my revenge; I was angry that she left me. So I just wanted to stick with the story that she was dead.”

David’s mother, Yarima, is a member of the Yanomami tribe of Venezuela. She was born and raised in the jungle, in a remote village that rarely, if ever, encounters any outsiders, let alone Westerners. Her age is unknown, because the Yanomami count only up to 2; anything more than that is called “many.” They have no electricity, no plumbing, no paved roads, no written language, no markets or currency, no medicine.

http://nypost.com/2014/05/24/son-finds-his-lost-mother-in-a-stone-age-tribe/

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. "No medicine"? Of course they have medicine. Just not that a dumb reporter can see.

They know more about plants in the jungle than the NYPost reporter knows about his subway stops.

[cactusfractal]

3. But... But...

They have no machine that goes PING!

[Inkfreak]

2. That's a pretty amazing story.

The father doesn't come out looking well in my mind here. In fact, horrible.

[SamKnause]

4. I agree.

His nonchalant attitude about her age says quite a bit about him.

I don't care what country you are in there is no justifying marrying a 9-12 year old girl.

[theHandpuppet]

11. +1

Can't add much more to that.

[TBF]

6. Seriously -

From the article - "His dad had a fundamental misreading of David’s identity crisis. “You know what I feel bad about?” Kenneth says. That the Yanomami are short. “David’s only 5-4. I mean, he’s shorter than Al Pacino.”"

That's what he feels bad about?

[Judi Lynn]

8. Completely odd, unhinged comment from the father. He has a twisted way of seeing human beings.

If he actually believed being short was such a big problem, who wouldn't he want to discuss something else, out of respect for his kid?

I believe he's simply out of focus, out of touch.

What kind of man would put up photos of his actual wife as parts of an exhibit for others to gape at, as if she's someone completely foreign to him?

That's simply strange. Cold.

I've never heard anyone opining about Al Pacino's height. That's so unexpected. Makes him sound as if HE needs to get out more.

[theHandpuppet]

12. Dad sounds like a complete ass

Fascinating story but the mom and son deserved better.

[Baitball Blogger]

5. Best story I have read in a long time. Wow!

I hope those directors will contact the son and put his story up on the screen.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Very interesting. Looks as his father's work got the best of him. That's sad, actually.

Didn't expect the son to be able to open himself to another way of life so capably, and it sounds as if he really has worked at overcoming the distance, relating as a human being.

Couldn't but wonder how tall the little mother is, if her son stands 5'4''! She has to be so tiny!

She sounds amazingly flexible to have been able to live in the States, overcome the incredible barriers between her old world and an entirely foreign set of references. I feel disgust for the coldness of the mother-in-law as describing her as someone "who can only count to two." My god. There's so much she could have learned from her new daughter-in-law about life, about the world outside New York, for chrissakes. She might have been able to start relating as a human being, had she only tried.

I admire the son for deciding to make that jump into total mystery, by going to meet the mother. I am glad to know that he felt something he learned he couldn't satisfactorily avoid by looking for escapes, and decided to confront it.

He will come to a new understanding with time. I believe he is making the necessary investment.

[TBF]

9. The dad is an odd duck for sure -

but lots of hope and love for the son. Despite the vast differences he is reaching out and trying to learn about his mom's family. I don't think he'll ever regret that.

[Judi Lynn]

10. The Independent: After 20 years, man reunited with Venezuelan tribeswoman mother

After 20 years, man reunited with Venezuelan tribeswoman mother

David Good was born while his anthropologist father was married to Yarima

Scott Delhommer
Monday 26 May 2014

The son of a famous anthropologist and a Venezuelan tribeswoman has been reunited with his mother after spending nearly 20 years apart.

David Good grew up without his mother, Yarima, who lived with her Yanomami tribe.

It took him three years to raise the money for a ticket to the Amazon, where he arrived in August 2011 and recognised his mother at first sight.

“That trip was all about uncertainty,” Good told the New York Post. “I didn’t know if she would like me, or if I would like her, or if she would reject me.”

Good told the Post that he wanted to hug his mother, but it wasn’t customary in their culture to do that. So instead, he touched her shoulder and told her what he waited years to say.

“I said, ‘Mama, I made it, I’m home. It took so long, but I made it.’”

More:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/after-20-years-man-reunited-with-venezuelan-tribeswoman-mother-9436133.html