Abstract: This study addresses the traditional Bumba-meu-Boi, a popular Brazilian ox-puppet that acts as a central character in several popular festivals and celebrations throughout the country. Large and embellished, the Boi originates from syncretic traditions whose roots stem from colonial Brazil and served as inspiration for a new puppet: the Amazonian Jabuti-Bumba, a relatively new colorful and larger-than-life tortoise puppet that has become a “new tradition” in the state of Acre, located in the western extreme of the North region of Brazil. The performing company that bears its name was created in 2005 and the Jabuti performances mix local and popular legends, myths, rhythms and cultural manifestations, denouncing the growing destruction of the Amazon forest. Contrasting with the ox tradition, the Jabuti puppet symbolizes the preservation of life in the Amazon forest: a symbol of endurance, the tortoise though bearing a thick and strong shell is too slow to run away and escape from the fire and is thus the first species to be victimized in the destruction.