Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation (fwd)

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Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation

A number of Amazonian groups face extinction as their space to live away
from the modern world disappears.

http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/story.asp?storyID=200#

Far from the eyes of the world, some sixty-four indigenous peoples
living in voluntary isolation in Amazonian Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and
Bolivia – the Tagaeri, Huaorani, Taromenane, Corubo, Amamhuaca, Mascho,
Kineri, Nanti, Nahua and Kugapakori, among others – are condemned to
gradual extinction. These tribes remain mysterious, avoiding all
contact with strangers and preferring the isolated existence they have
maintained for centuries. What little is known about them has been
gleaned from other indigenous groups and from chance encounters with
developers and rights groups. But what is clear is that their numbers
are rapidly dwindling: the Coruba now number only 40; and the number of
Mascho speakers is estimated to be between 20 and 100. The Amamhuaca
language, it is thought, is spoken only by 720 people: 500 in Peru and
220 in Brazil.

Attempts to learn more about these groups can prove fatal. The last
known report of contact with the Tagaeri, the indigenous group with the
strictest self-imposed isolation, was in July 1987, when two
missionaries whose attempt to convince the tribe to allow oil
extractors to enter their territory led to their deaths. The Tagaeri
subsequently abandoned their homes and disappeared deeper into dense
forests, demonstrating their rejection of co-existence with the modern
world.

Gas and oil companies, loggers, miners and entrepreneurs are viewed by
indigenous groups as “ghosts of death” for the toxic legacy they can
leave behind and which can poison rivers and forests considered as a
source of life for these communities. These indigenous groups have
developed their own health care and food gathering systems, but which
are fragile and easily threatened by damage to the ecosystems wherein
they live. All too often contact with outsiders results in the transfer
of disease, resulting in epidemics since the indigenous peoples have no
immunities to what are common and treatable diseases elsewhere.

Governments around the world have increasingly acknowledged the rights
of indigenous peoples. In part, this has been the result of a process
of empowerment by such groups, who have pressed their demands on
governments. In the case of groups living in isolation, preferring to
avoid contact with government representatives and other communities,
responding to their needs is far more difficult. The Brazilian
Government was among the first to take steps to adopt a policy of
creating territorial reserves for people living in voluntary isolation
that are “no-go zones” to extractive industries and migrants. Colombia,
Ecuador and Peru are also looking at similar action. The challenge
facing the impoverished governments of the region is to balance the
further exploitation of the riches of the Amazonian belt in the name of
development, and the protection of these fragile indigenous groups, and
the cultural heritage they represent.

For further information: Mr. John Scott, Social Affairs Officer UN
Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Tel: (1 917)
326-5798; E-mail: scott9 at un.org