Including People.
An Indian Tribe that has had very limited contact with the outside world has been located in a remote Amazon region, federal authorities said Friday.
The Metyktire tribe, with about 87 members, was found last week in an area that is difficult to reach because of thick jungle and lack of nearby rivers, about 1,200 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro, said Mario Moura, a spokesman for the Federal Indian Bureau, or Funai.
The tribe is a subgroup of the Kayapo tribe, and lives on its 12.1 million-acre Menkregnoti Indian reservation. The Kayapo had no significant contact with the Ketyktire until two tribe members inexplicably appeared at a Kayapo village last week, said Moura. “We don’t know why they decided to make contact now… only time will tell. This is a very slow process.”
Uncontacted Tribes are usually discovered when loggers and ranchers encroach on their territories. Miriam Ross, with the indigenous rights group, Survival International, estimates there are more than 100 uncontacted tribes across the world.
About 700,000 Indians live in Brazil, mostly in the Amazon region. Some 400,000 live on reservations where they try to maintain their traditional culture, language, and lifestyle.
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Thankfully, a Kayapo representative was smart enough to lock down the village immediately, allowing nobody inside, except for specific, screened medical personnel. Obviously, these natives will be more susceptible to disease and infection, and I am glad someone thought about that and acted to ensure their health and safety.
However, the comment that makes me most curious, and possibly sad and nervous is: “We don’t know why they decided to make contact now…”
Sadly, it seems stories like this will get a little press time, perhaps a 30 second spot on CNN for a day or two, but then fade away, and the story of why they contacted their neighbors may never be reported. I, for one, am hoping it is, but… time will tell.