Previously Uncontacted Tribe Photographed for First Time Near Brazil-Peru Border
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Just like in Peter Matthiessen’s classic book At Play in the Fields of the Lord, the gut reaction of several tribal members living in a remote area of the Amazon Rainforest was to shoot arrows at what was most likely the first plane they had ever seen passing by. You can see this yourself in one of the amazing photographs taken recently by the Brazilian government’s office of Indian Affairs.
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They made the flight and took the photographs to convince non-believers that this tribe, and others, still do exist in remote areas of South America and other parts of the world. This tribe’s way of life is threatened by logging in Peru as well as by the general encroachment of us upon their world. Why should you care? For starters, all peoples and cultures have inherent value and also have the right to exist in the manner they choose, as long as they do others no harm. In addition to the tribe’s well-being and continued ability to exist (in perhaps self-desired isolation), it is unquestionable that they possess an incalculable amount of knowledge about the plants and animals in the rainforest, and that there culture might hold lessons for all of us as to how to live more in harmony with nature.
According to Survival International, an organization that advocates for the protection of tribes worldwide, “there are more than one hundred uncontacted tribes worldwide, with more than half living in either Brazil or Peru. All are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed and decimated by new diseases.” For more information on how to support the protection of tribes around the world, click the link above.
Other Sources for this Article:
“Incredible pictures of one of Earth’s last contacted tribes firing bows and arrows”
Photo Credit:
Chany14 on Flickr under a Creative Commons license (Note: photo is not of uncontacted tribe)
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