Isolated Amazon tribe entering neighbouring village alarm activists
Members of an isolated indigenous tribe living deep in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest have alarmed activists after being seen in a neighbouring village. This, activists say, is a sign that the group could be affected by development including logging.
A logging company is reportedly building a bridge which could make it easier for outsiders to enter the territory of the isolated Mashco Piro tribe. This could increase the risk of diseases as well as conflict, Survival International which advocates for the rights of indigenous people, said.
The Mashco Piro is among the world’s largest uncontacted groups, living with no regular interaction with outsiders. This protects not only their culture but also their health, as even something as simple as a cold could be deadly due to their lack of immunity to common diseases. Loggers who trespassed on their lands have previously been killed.
President of another indigenous group, the neighbouring Yine community, Enrique Añez, said in a statement that members of the Mashco Piro have been seen around the Yine village of Nueva Oceana, saying that it is “very worrying,” and that “they are in danger.”
Heavy machinery in the area is cutting paths in the jungle and across rivers into their territory. Nueva Oceani is nestled at crucial access points to their territory, making it one of the few sites were members of the Mashco Piro have been seen.
Surivival International released photos last year showing dozens of members of the isolated group near to an active logging zone. The group warns that contact with outsiders could expose them to diseases or result in violent conflicts.
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