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Dramatic images of an isolated Brazilian tribe believed never to have had contact with the outside world were published by officials Friday to draw attention to threats posed to their way of life.The pictures, released by the Brazilian government's National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), showed alarmed natives pointing bows and arrows at the aircraft carrying photographers.
The head of FUNAI's environmental protection unit responsible for the images, Jose Carlos dos Reis Mereilles, told Brazilian newspapers the foundation had known of the existence of the tribe for years -- located in thick rainforest near the Peruvian border -- and many photos had been taken.
"This time, we decided to reveal the material to prove that there are Indians living in complete isolation, and to call attention to a serious problem that exists, which is the threat of interlopers from the Peruvian side," he told O Estado de S. Paulo.The pictures were taken from several flights over the apparently sedentary tribe's thatched-roof village in the remote Brazilian state of Acre.
Survival International, a British group lobbying on behalf of indigenous people around the world, said on its Web site there were fears illegal logging in Peru could endanger the Brazilian tribe's habitat, by forcing displaced Peruvian tribes into contact with it.
It said there were an estimated 500 isolated Indians living on the Brazilian side of the border.
"The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct," Survival International director Stephen Corry said.
His group said there were more than 100 uncontacted indigenous tribes worldwide.
Source: Discovery News
2 comments:
This kind of creeps me out for some reason. Imagine what kind of life they might have had if they lived in the city.
And forgive my ignorance but I don't really understand why the said government would not want them to be extinct. I'm talking about the tribe and not the people. It's like they would still want tribes like that to exist. Just like animals. >_< If they probably were educated in society, they might have helped in some way. I don't know. It's just my opinion.
you got a point beena.. ;)
I think the Brazilian government just want to leave them as they are.. giving them freewill to live the way they want to.
The reason they were revealed to the world just now, is that they fear someday they may be found by people who could harm them... (illegal loggers, rebels) visiting their place with aircrafts are the government's first step to exposing them to civilization!
their body paintings is kinda creepy... i think it's a WAR ritual! ouchhh
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