Uncontacted Tribes: What's Their Fate?

Uncontacted Tribes: What will Their Fate be?

          In the technological society we live in now, many presume isolated tribes to be a distant relic of the past. However, in contrast to being that, they are our contemporaries and still continue to practice their cultures in diverse and distinctive ways. Most of the over 100 uncontacted tribes live in the uninhabited rainforests of Brazil and New Guinea while some of these tribes, such as the North Sentinelese in the Andaman Islands1, are known for having separated themselves from other cultures for tens of thousands of years (Pariona). However, those uncontacted peoples are now under danger. Three threats they face are encroachment on their traditional territories by outsiders, which usually results in violent conflicts and introduction of fatal diseases to the indigenous groups. Possible solutions to ensure their rights and wellbeing include limiting the advancement of modern society around native territories and conceiving organized plans for eventual or voluntary contact.
Territory Encroachment
Environmental Repercussions
          Outsiders, mainly loggers, farmers, and miners, have come into indigenous territories to colonize lands and extract natural resources. As Ortiz-Prado explains the consequences brought by the taken up of native lands, "...transforms forests into... pastures... decreasing biodiversity, depending on how it is being measured. Wild animals are driven away by the noise and the pollution generated by farming actions... All this has the effect of diminishing the availability of food for IIPs2" (Ortiz-Prado 131). The change in land-use dynamics for industrial use devastates the local biodiversity, and the pollution and noise produced from the colonies also drive wild animals away in surrounding areas. The tribespeople will have less wildlife to hunt, inducing starvation and malnutrition.
Survival Threats
          IIPs will also have to compete with the outsiders for prey, who with unsustainable hunting practices and more advanced technology, will lead to the tribes having even scarcer food to consume (SurvivalInternational). With the deterioration of living standards and narrowing of their habitation space, IIPs will be forced to contact and assimilate, resulting in the extinction of unique cultures (Watson). Therefore, the encroachment by aliens poses a threat to uncontacted peoples since their sustainability and living space are imperiled in the process. The advance of modern society into native territories also instigates violence and pandemics to the indigenous groups.
Violence and Conflict
Catalysts for Violence
          When regarding the relationship between IIPs and outsiders, Watson writes, "Indigenous peoples are frequently regarded as obstacles to the advance of... economic 'progress' and personal profit, uncontacted tribes become targets; massacred over resources because... outsiders know they can literally get away with murder" (Watson). Usually seen as savages by colonizers, they create a hostile environment toward those peoples who are attacked at any slight encounter. Volatile governmental policies toward uncontacted peoples can greatly increase their risks of encountering violence. Under Bolsonaro's agenda, Brazil, the country with the most diverse uncontacted tribes, eased restrictions for many previously protected territories for development. Bolsonaro openly expressed disdain for isolated peoples and advocated that they were in the way of economic progress (Ortiz-Prado 132; Watson).
Genocides
          Bolsonaro's actions led to many genocidal atrocities. The most extreme example today is the "Last of his Tribe," a lone man rejecting all outside contact who survived waves of attacks carried out by armed farmers. All of his people is massacred, and his neighboring tribe, Akuntsu, only has four survivors remaining. No one has been prosecuted for this murder, for the crime wasn't even adequately investigated (Watson).3 A more recent example is the illegal colonization in the protected territories of Piripkura by cattle ranchers. Genocides and land clearances have pushed the tribe to the brink of extinction as a contacted Piripkura woman called Rita reveals, "...nine of our relatives were massacred in one attack" (SurvivalInternational). Thus, the second threat uncontacted tribes face is the conflicts and genocides happening between natives and outsiders, which is exacerbated by improper regimes.
The Danger of Diseases
Threat of Contagion
          Alien diseases, which the indigenous tribes have no immunity against, could decimate uncontacted peoples when introduced. When asked about which diseases pose a threat to these indigenous peoples, Lightman responds, "Any infectious disease carried by visitors to these areas [indigenous territories] are potentially lethal. Most commonly of course, simple colds can rapidly spread... malaria... or diseases like measles can be extremely destructive" (Lightman). The arrival of outsiders brings about common ailments for which we developed resistance against but are potentially fatal to IIPs if infected.
Recent Examples
          Diseases are responsible for the annihilation of countless uncontacted societies past and present. The isolated Jarawa and Yanomami tribes have seen frequent outbreaks in measles over the 21st century, resulting in death (Haddadi; Ortiz-Prado 132). The current Coronavirus epidemic has put severe stress upon native peoples as it sweeps through tribes; the chance of catching the disease is escalated by the advance of colonizers (Gander). Jorge, a survivor of the Murunahuas, a tribe devastated by influenza, emphasizes the danger of diseases, "The disease came when the loggers made contact with us although we didn't know what a cold was then. The disease killed us... My aunt died, my nephew died. Half of my people died" (SurvivalInternational).
Lasting Consequences
          The effects of an infection can overwhelm a whole community: very few people will be spared, leaving no one to collect food and look after the victims, with major setbacks on the ability of the group to persist without medical aid (Lightman). Hence, diseases are a health hazard for uncontacted peoples because they can easily infect and trigger fatality.
Solutions?
          Two solutions to cope with the aforementioned threats are limiting the advancement of modern society into native territories and generating safe plans for contact, both concerning the welfare of IIPs.
Avoiding Contact
          As introduced by Walker and Hill as the common strategy of protecting uncontacted peoples, "Generally, the current policy of governments, primarily those of Brazil and Peru, and supported by the United Nations, is a 'leave them alone' strategy" (Walker and Hill 1061). Today, this action is preferred since it is able to preserve the cultures of indigenes with their self-isolation rights respected (Bodley 798; Walker and Hill 1061). As Ortiz-Prado proposes a method of how this "leave-them-alone" strategy could be enacted, buffering zones can be established around protected territories where urban development is limited. This way, governments can prevent the progression of modern society and shield IIPs from threats all the while respecting their privacy (Ortiz-Prado 132).
Promoting Contact
          However, as Walker and Hill argue, uncontacted groups actively seek outside goods and innovations and has mainly chosen isolation out of fear of being killed or enslaved from historical experiences. Moreover, many isolated and previously depopulated tribes may not be long-termly viable due to inbreeding and lack of tribespeople. Therefore, they propose that governments also conceive well-organized plans in order to prepare for voluntary contacts made by communities who are unable to persist on their own. Cultural translators and healthcare professionals should be readied if it is to decrease mortality to the minimum. This lowers the chance of accidental contacts that can, in contrast, cause mass fatalities.
          In conclusion, uncontacted peoples, also known as IIPs, are under risk. Three threats they encounter are encroachment on their territories by outsiders, violent conflicts and genocides, and introduction of fatal pathogens. Possible solutions for their crisis include limiting the advancement of cities toward native territories and conceiving organized plans for eventual contact. As humans, uncontacted peoples possess the right to decide their lifestyles, practicing rich cultures that include survival skills and knowledge of herbal medicine (Butler). By protecting the peoples, both their cultures and the natural habitat they reside in could be conserved.

Works Cited

          Assis, Rogerio. Photographs revealed an airstrip within the Piripkura Indigenous Territory. SurvivalInternational, 30 Nov 2021, www.survivalinternational.org/news/12704.
          Butler, Rhett. "What We can Learn from Protected Rainforest Tribes." Mongabay, 26 Nov 2014, news.mongabay.com/2014/11/what-we-can-learn-from-uncontacted-rainforest-tribes/. Accessed 15 Mar 2022.
          Bodley, John. "Isolated Tribes: Human Rights First." Science, vol. 349, no. 6250, 2015, p. 798. Accessed 15 Mar 2022.
          Gander, Kashmira. "Uncontacted Tribes of Brazil could be Exterminated by Coronavirus, Indigenous Leader Warns." Newsweek, 6 Apr 2020, www.newsweek.com/uncontacted-tribes-brazil-exterminated-coronavirus-indigenous-leader-1496317. Accessed 13 Mar 2022. Accessed 14 Mar 2022.
          Haddadi, Anissa. "Andaman Islands' Jarawa Tribe Women Forced to Dance for Food." IBTimes, 12 Jan 2012, www.ibtimes.co.uk/andaman-islands-jarawa-tribe-women-forced-dance-280865. Accessed 13 Mar 2022.
          Lightman, Stafford. "Delivering Disease: Outside Impact on Tribal Health." SurvivalInternational, www.survivalinternational.org/articles/3132-tribal-people-health-interview-professor-stafford-lightman. Accessed 13 Mar 2022.
          Ortiz-Prado, Esteban, et al. "Avoiding Extinction: The Importance of Protecting Isolated Indigenous Tribes." AlterNative, vol. 17, no. 1, 2021, pp. 130-135. Accessed 7 Mar 2022.
          Pariona, Amber. "Uncontacted People of the World." WorldAtlas, 19 Mar 2019, www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-uncontacted-peoples-of-the-world-mystery-and-history-surrounding-them.html. Accessed 7 Mar 2022.
          Survival International Editors. "Uncontacted Tribe's Land Invaded and Destroyed for Beef Production." SurvivalInternational, 30 Nov 2021, www.survivalinternational.org/news/12704. Accessed 13 Mar 2022.
          Survival International Editors. "Uncontacted Tribes: The Threats." SurvivalInternational, www.survivalinternational.org/articles/3106-uncontacted-tribes-the-threats. Accessed 7 Mar 2022.
          Survival International Illustrators. There are more than one hundred uncontacted tribes around the world. SurvivalInternational. www.survivalinternational.org/uncontactedtribes/who-they-are.
          Walker and Hill. "Protecting Isolated Tribes." Science, vol. 348, no. 6239, 2015, p. 1061. Accessed 14 Mar 2022.
          Watson, Fiona. "The Uncontacted Tribes of Brazil Face Genocide under Jair Bolsonaro." SurvivalInternational, 31 Dec 2018, www.survivalinternational.org/articles/3601-Bolsonaro%20uncontacted%20genocide. Accessed 13 Mar 2022.