YAWALAPITI INDIANS PRACTICE HUKA HUKA WRESTLING AT THEIR VILLAGE INSIDE THE XINGU RESERVE IN LOWER AMAZON,...

Yawalapiti indians practice Huka Huka wrestling in the center of their village in the Alto Xingu area, in the lower Amazon, on May 11, 2002. A communal hut, which houses the head of a family, his children's families and grandchildren, can be seen in the background. Huka Huka freestyle wrestling is the main sport practiced by Xinguano tribes, although they are avid soccer fans. The Yawalipiti are one of 17 tribes living inside the Xingu Indigenous Park, a reserve created in 1961 roughly the size of Belgium, to protect the indians. The Yawalapiti are now a tribe of 180 people that half a century ago was threatened with extinction. REUTERS/Gregg Newton FOR RELEASE WITH FEATURE BRAZIL-INDIAN GN/SV