Indigenous life depends on preserving Indigenous culture, in the same way that all life depends on protecting the environment. These children’s lives form a barrier between nature and the forces of chaos. They bear a heavy responsibility in Brazil, where few but the Indigenous peoples protect the land from the depredations of a world insatiable for its riches.

There is hope in the warriors of tomorrow. We may not know their names, but they are standing guard. They are practising for the ultimate act of human kindness: saving the world from itself.