Pakistani News: Lost Tribe Of The Amazon Rain Forest Discovered

Lost Tribe Of The Amazon Rain Forest Discovered

Posted by Unknown Saturday, November 20, 2010

Photo: Gleison Miranda, Funai/AP Photo Lost tribe discovered in the Amazon

The Brazilian Government has released photos of Amazon Indians who have never had contact with todays outside world. The reason behind the airing of the photos is to give the World an appreciation of the threats that these people face due to logging and encroachment on their way of life.

Anthropologists have known of these people for 20 years, however have now decided to call attention to the threat these people face of extinction.
“We put the photos out because if things continue the way they are going, these people are going to disappear,” said Jose Carlos Meirelles, who coordinates government efforts to protect four “uncontacted” tribes for Brazil’s National Indian Foundation.”
The images were shot back in late April and Early May. The photos show about 12 Indians who were mostly naked and painted red and black and wielding bows and arrows in a show of defense of their six grass-thatched huts.
This particular group is believed to be related to the Tano and Aruak tribes. “Brazil’s National Indian Foundation believes there may be as many as 68 “uncontacted” groups around Brazil, although only 24 have been officially confirmed.”
“Anthropologists say almost all of these tribes know about western civilization and have sporadic contact with prospectors, rubber tappers and loggers, but choose to turn their backs on civilization, usually because they have been attacked.”
“It’s a choice they made to remain isolated or maintain only occasional contacts, but these tribes usually obtain some modern goods through trading with other Indians,” said Bernardo Beronde, an anthropologist who works in the region.”
With loggers closing in on the Indians, the idea of remaining isolated is becoming more and more difficult. Logging on the Peru side has forced the Indians over the border into Brazil where there is currently no logging, however this may change and the plight of this and other tribes is in the balance.
According to Survival International, there are about 100 tribes worldwide who have chosen to avoid civilization. They agree however that the only truly uncontacted tribe is “The Sentinelese, who live on North Sentinel island off the coast of India and shoot arrows at anyone who comes near.”