Tribe Discovered In Brazilian Amazon Has Us Rethink Our Modern Lifestyle

One of the world’s last untouched tribes has been spotted in a dense region of the Amazon close to the Peruvian border, the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) reported. These aerial photographs captured by FUNAI, a Brazilian governmental protection agency for Indian interests and their culture, revealed three separate clearings and four large communal dwellings, known as malocas, clustered in the forest of the Javari Valley Indigenous Reserve in far western Brazil. Detected by satellite, the recently discovered tribe is surrounded by various corn crops, nut and banana trees, indicating agricultural activity.

According to the FUNAI, the newly discovered tribe is thought to be home to about 200 people, of the Pano linguistic group, a likely offspring of the Korubo family. In very rare instances is contact ever made with uncontacted tribes, and the Brazilian government upholds this policy for fear of disrupting their natural habitat, passing on communicable diseases the Indians are not immune to, and cultural dislocation unleashed by contact with the outside world. According to anthropologist and FUNAI regional coordinator, Fabricio Amorim:

“The Amazon region contains the majority of untouched tribes without any contact with the exterior, in the world. Their culture, and even their survival, is threatened by illegal fishing, hunting, logging and mining in the area, along with deforestation by farmers, missionary activity and drug trafficking along Brazil’s borders.”

An astounding finding, and if true reveals how in a hyper-connected, always talking, tech-driven modern world there is a simplicity lost that indigenous people still retain. From sustainable agriculture to anti-technology, this discovery is, at its essence, a lesson in human nature especially since in today’s world there is a full throttle movement towards less consumption, community farming, and eco-friendly practices. We’re most curious about what their day-to-day life and conversations consist of.

[via Aljazeera]