Uncontacted peoples
Uncontacted peoples are peoples who, either by choice or chance, live without significant contact with the larger civilizations of the world.
Recent usage favours the term "isolated" rather than "uncontacted" as few peoples have remained totally uncontacted by modern civilisation, but a number have chosen to make contact either exceedingly difficult or dangerous. Many indigenous rights activists call for such groups to be left alone in respect of their right to self-determination.
A problem with making contact with isolated peoples is that they do not generally have any immunity to common diseases which can be brought with explorers making contact. This can have severe consequences as relatively harmless illnesses, such as the common cold, can be deadly when no natural immunity exists.
In India, tribes of the Andaman Islands, most notably the Sentinelese, continue to refuse contact with the outside world. There are several uncontacted tribes in New Guinea and Amazonia (including the Tagaeri band of Huaorani (Ecuador) and Kirineri, Nahua and Nanti peoples in the Nahua-Kugapakori Reserve (Peru)). There are now five reserves in the Peruvian Amazon meant to protect the lands and rights of isolated peoples. Most of the reserves are currently entered by illegal loggers and petroleum companies with legal concessions to work in those lands, although their activities jeopardize the lives of the isolated populations.
In 1984, a group of the Pintupi people who were living a traditional semi-nomadic desert-dwelling life walked out of the remote wilderness of the Gibson Desert in Western Australia and made contact for the first time with European-Australian society. They are believed to be the last uncontacted tribe in Australia.
On 18 January 2007, FUNAI reported that it had confirmed the presence of 67 different uncontacted tribes in Brazil, up from 40 in 2005. With this addition Brazil has now overtaken the island of New Guinea as the country having the largest number of uncontacted tribes. However, large swathes of New Guinea are yet to be explored by scientists and anthropologists and most of the occurrences there are not confirmed, due to a lack of safety. The province of Irian Jaya or West Papua in the island of New Guinea is home to an estimated 44 uncontacted tribal groups. [1]
Uncontacted tribes of South America
Bolivia
As of 2006, the presence of 5 uncontacted groups were confirmed in Bolivia. A further 3 are to be confirmed. Those uncontacted groups whose presence has been confirmed are: Ayoreo in Parque Nacional Kaa Iya (Fled to Bolivia in 1980s to escape from violence orchestrated by the New Tribes Mission[1]), Mbya-Yuqui in Yuqui Reservation and Rio Usurinta (Most of the Yuqui are now contacted, only a few families remain uncontacted), Yurakare in Santa Cruz and Beni, Pacahuara in the Chacobo reservation and Araona in the Araona Reservation. The presence of other groups such as Toromona in the Parque Nacional Madidi, Nahua in the PN Madidi and Esse Ejja in the Peruvian border are yet to be confirmed.
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinabo/Kapuibo (Nahua) | <200 | Between Lower Beni and Lower Yata |
|
| Yanaigua | 100 - 200 | Between the Rio Grande and Upper San Miguel |
|
| Yuqui | ~100 | Between Upper Ichilo and Upper Yapacani |
|
Brazil
Brazil is the country with the largest number of uncontacted groups in the world. The seven Terra Indigenas (Reservations) exclusively reserved for isolated people are:
- TI Alto Tarauacá in Acre - Various tribes.(Isolados do Alto Tarauacá)
- TI Hi Merimã in Amazonas - Himerimã.(Isolados do médio Purus)
- TI Massaco in Rondonia - Sirionó (Isolados do rio São Simão)
- TI Igarapé Omerê in Rondonia - Kanoe do Omerê & Akuntsu
- TI Rio Muqui in Rondonia - Isolados das cabeceiras do rio Muqui (Given as Miqueleno-Kujubim in the table).
- TI Rio Pardo in MG and Amazonas - Isolados do rio Pardo (Tupi-Guarani-Kawahibi).
- TI Xinane isolados in Acre - Unidentified.
Uncontacted groups living in other people's TIs are:
- TI Awá in Maranhão - Awá.
- TI Avá Canoeiro in Goiás - Avá Canoeiro.
- TI Arara do Rio Branco in Mato Grosso - Isolados da margem esquerda do médio Rio Roosevelt/Rio Branco.
- PI Aripuanã in Rondonia - Isolados da margem esquerda do médio Rio Aripuanã, Isolados do Río Pacutinga/Aripuanã, Isolados do Médio Rio Branco do Aripuanã.
- TI Caru in Maranhão- Awá (Isolados do igarapé Água Branca).
- TI Kampa e Isolados do Rio Envira in Acre - Isolados do rio Envira.
- TI Kaxinawa do Rio Humaitá in Acre - Unidentified.
- TI Koatinemo in Pará - Unidentified.
- TI Menkragnoti in Pará - Mengra Mrari.
- TI Raposa/Serra do Sol in Roraima - Unidentified, Discovered in 2006. Near Monte Roraima and Monte Caburaí (2 to 4 kms from Roraima-Venezuela-Guyana tri-junction).
- TI Mamoadate in Acre - Mashko (Isolados do Alto Iaco).
- TI Jaminahua-Envira - Isolados das cabeceiras do rio Jaminaua.(Part of Papavo)
- TI Riozinho do Alto Envira in Acre - Isolados do Riozinho/Envira.(Part of Papavo)
- TI Rio Tea in Amazonas - Four bands of Nadeb(???): Cabeceira dos rios Waranaçu e Gururu, Médio rio Tiquié, Cabeceiras dos rios Curicuriari e Dji and Cabeceiras do rio Tea. Two more bands nearby in Eneiuxi (Médio rio Eneiuxi) and Urubaxi (Cabeceira do rio Urubaxi e Bafuanã) are possibly Nedeb(Given as Nadeb in the table).
- PI Tumucumaque in Para - Akurio.
- TI Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau in Rondonia - 4 to 6 groups of isolated people, Including Isolados das cabeceiras do rio Muqui, Isolados do rio Cautário, Cabeceiras do rio Água Branca and Jururei.
- TI Vale do Javari in Amazonas - 7 groups of isolated people: Cabeceiras de Santana e igarapé Flexeira, Korubo, Isolados do Coari-Río Branco, Isolados do rio Quixito, Isolados do Rio Jandiatuba, Isolados do Rio Jutaí e Isolados dos rios Jaquirana/Amburus.
- TI Waimiri Atroari in Amazonas - Formadores do rio Alalaú (Piriutiti) & Formadores do rio Jatapu (Karafawyana or Chamakoto).
- TI Xikrin do Cateté in Pará -
- TI Araribóia in MG - Isolados dos rios Buriticupu e Taruparu.
- TI Cuminapanema - Zo’é.
- TI Tanaru - Only one individual, the "Tanaru Isolated Indian." Remaining members of the tribe massacred.
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apiaka | >100 | Mato Grosso Norte - Between Lower Juruena and Lower Teles Pires |
|
| Apurinã | >50 | Amazonas - Upper rio Sepatini | Arawak. |
| Aruá | 75 at most | Rondonia |
|
| Ava-Canoeiros | 30 | Goias - Sources of the Tocantins, Border between Goias and Minais Gerais |
|
| Guaja | 120 [already counted among the known group] | Maranhão - Scattered throughout the western part of the state |
|
| Ingarune | ~100 | North Pará - Rio Cuminapanema and Paru de Oeste |
|
| Kanibo(Mayo) | 120 to 150 | Rio Quixito, Javari Basin,Amazonas | Probably Pano.
|
| Kaniwa(Korubo) | 300 | 9 malocas in Between Lower Itui and Lower Itacoai, Amazonas | Pano.
|
| Karafawyana and other isolated Carib tribes. | 400 to 500 | Four locations in Roraima and north Para.
|
Mostly Cariban.
|
| Karitiana | 50 - 100 | Upper Rio Candeias, Rondonia. | Tupi-Arikem. Identified by the small group that has been contacted. |
| Katawixi | 50 | Upper Rio Muquim, tributary of the Purus, Amazonas. | Isolated language. One community only has been located. |
| Kayapo do Rio Liberdade | >100 | Lower Rio Liberdade,Mato Grosso Norte. | Gé. Identified by other Kayapo towards whom they are hostile. |
| Kayapo-Pu'ro | 100 | Lower Rio Curuá,South Para. | Kayapo. Group which has broken away from the Mekragnoti since 1940. Outside Kayapo I.T. |
| Kayapo-Pituiaro | 200 | Rio Murure,South Para. | Kayapo. Group which has broken away from the Kuben-kranken since 1950. Partly outside Kayapo I.T. |
| Kayapo-Kararao | ~50 | Lower Rio Guajara, South Para. | Kayapo. Group which has broken away from the Kararao.Struggles are part of their traditions. |
| Kulina | ? | Rio Curuça, tributary of the Javari,Amazonas. | Arawak. Small isolate communities belonging to the big Kulina group. |
| Maku(Nadeb) | ~100 | Uneiuxi and Urubaxi Basins, Amazonas. | Isolated language. Isolated elements of Maku groups that have already been contacted. Hunter-gatherers. |
| Mamaindé | 50 - 100 | Upper Rio Corumbiara,Rondonia. | Isolated language. Isolated group of Nambikwara. A no-entry zone was allocated and then cancelled under local pressure. Recently massacred. |
| Hi-Marimã | 30 - 40 | Riozinho,tributary of the Cuniuã, Purus Basin, Amazonas. | Arawak(?). Were massacred in 1986. Their area has recently been declared protected. |
| Mayoruna | 200 to 300 | 3 locations in Amazonas:
|
Pano. Small isolated communities of the large Mayoruna group. |
| Miqueleno(Cujubi) | ? | Upper Rio São Miguel , Rondonia | Isolated Chapakura language. Area invaded by loggers. Recently massacred. |
| Nereyana | ~100 | Rio Panama, headwaters of Paru de Oeste , North Para. | Karib. Perhaps more closely related to the Kachuyana than to the Tiriyo. |
Pakaa-Nova
|
~150 | Serra dos Pakaas-Novas, Rondonia.
|
Isolated Chapakura language. Isolated groups belonging to the major Pakaa-Nova group. Included in the Uru-eu-wau-wau I.T.
|
Papavo Supergroup, which includes:
|
>400 | Acre(Scattered over a single large territory)
|
Many isolated communities belonging to 4 distinct groups. Struggling is part of their traditions: reciprocal hostile contacts with the Kampa (whom they plunder), and peaceful ones with the Kulina; they plunder the loggers' encampments.
|
| Pariuaia | >100 | Rio Bararati, tributary of the Lower Juruena,Amazonas. | Probably Tupi-Kawahib,Tupi-Guarani.Have refused all contact since 1930. |
| Piriutiti | 100 to 200 | Rio Curiau, Amazonas. | Related to the Waimiri-Atroari, (Karib). Some live in, others outside, the latter's I.T. |
| Sateré | ? | Rio Parauari, tributary of the Maués-açu, Amazonas. | Tupi. Communities that split away from the Sateré-Maué a long time ago. |
| Tupi-Kawahib(Piripicura) | 200 to 300 | Between the Madeirinha and the Roosevelt, Mato Grosso Norte. | Tupi-Guarani. A no-entry zone has just been allocated for them. |
| Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau | 300 | Serra dos Pakaas-Novas, Rondonia. | Tupi-Guarani. There remain over 3 uncontacted groups. Several hostile encounter with gold-seekers and loggers. All are included in the vast Uru-eu-wau-wau I.T. |
| Wayãpi(Yawãpi) | 100 to 150 | Upper Ipitinga, between the Jari and the Paru de Este, North Para. | Tupi-Guarani.Group which formerly broke away from the Southern Wayãpi. |
| Yakarawakta | 20 - 30 | Between the Rios Aripuanã and Juruena,Mato Grosso Norte. | Tupi-Guarani.Probably an Apiaka sub-group. |
| Yanomami | 300 | Amazonas
|
Yanomami.
|
| name unknown | ~100 | Between the Upper Amapari and Upper Oyapock, Amapa. | Unspecified linguistic family. According to the Southern Wayãpi, a group that formerly broke away from them. According to the Northern Wayãpi, one of their former enemy groups, the Tapüiy. |
| name unknown (Isolados do Jandiatuba) | 300 | Between the Upper Jandiatuba and the Itacoai,Amazonas. | Maybe a Katukina group. |
| name unknown (Isolados do São José) | 300 | Igarapé São José, tributary of the Itacoai,Amazonas. | Seems to be a group distinct from Isolados do Jandiatuba. |
| name unknown | ? | Igarapé Recreio, município Cruzeiro do Sul, Upper Jurua,Acre. | Panoan(?) |
| name unknown (Isolados do Igarapé Tueré) | ? | Igarapé Tueré, tributary of the Itacaiunas,Para. | Tupi(?) |
| name unknown (Isolados do Arama e Inaui) | ~100 | South of Rio Inauini, Purus Basin, Amazonas. | ? |
| name unknown (Isolados do Igarapé Umari) | ? | Igarapé Umari, tributary of the Ituxi, Amazonas. | ? |
| name unknown (Isolados do Serra do Taquaral) | ? | Serra do Taquaral,source of the Rio Branco,Rondonia. | ? |
Colombia
Despite the unfavourable conditions present in Colombia (civil war), it is the country which offers the maximum protection for isolated groups. Carabayo-Aroje is the most important group, living in the Parque Nacional del Rio Pure. It is not known whether any Yari survives now. Nukaak Maku were contacted in 2003 and 65% of the tribal members died of disease. Around 2-3 dozen Nukaak still remains isolated.
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karabayo | 150 | Amazonas - Source of the Purué River, north of the Putumayo River |
|
| Guaviare Macusa (Now Nukaak Maku) | 300 | Guainia - Between the Guaviare River and the Inírida River |
|
| name unknown(Isolados dos Rio Yari) | ? | Caqueta - Upper Rio Yari |
|
Ecuador
It is not known whether any Tagaeri survives now in Yasuni National Park. In 1990s when a member of Tagaeri was contacted by a lone Huaorani hunter, he told him that Tagaeri numbers only a handful of members and are in danger of being wiped out by their hostile neighbours - the Taromenane. Since then there have been no more peaceful contacts. The Tagaeri hunter also mentioned about another group, the Oñamenane who numbered 5-6 individuals and there was one more tribe - the Huiñatare. In 2003 about 30 Taromenane were massacred by the Huaorani in retaliation for the killing of a Huaorani hunter. In the same year 14 Tagaeri were killed by loggers. In April 2006 a logger was speared to death by the Taromenane (in 2005 another one was also killed by the same tribe, whose body was later found embedded with 30 spears and his face unrecognizable). In the same month a further 30 Taromenane and 10 loggers were killed in conflicts according to leader Iki Ima Omene (of Huaorani) and www.saveamericasforests.org. In Jan 2007 the president of Ecuador declared the Southern part of Yasuni a forbidden zone (7,580 square kilometers) in order to protect the uncontacted people. At the same time CONAIE reported that there are a total of 150-300 Taromenane (divided into 2 sub-tribes) and 20-30 Tagaeri surviving uncontacted there. Unfortunately the Oñamenane and Huiñatare are extinct. There are unconfirmed reports of uncontacted tribespeople in the border with Peru. Despite the good news, Ecuador continues to be the country where the maximum number of uncontacted people massacred since 2000.
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huaorani | 100 - 200 | Oriente - Between the Upper Napo and Upper Curaray |
|
Guyana
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wapishana | 100 | Between the sources of the Essequibo River and the Tacutu River; Serra Acarai |
|
| name unknown | ~100 | Between the Upper Courantyne and the New River |
|
French Guiana
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayãpi | 100 | Between the Eureupoucine and the Upper Camopi |
|
Peru
After Brazil (43 uncontacted groups confirmed) and New Guinea (Papua New Guinea and Iriyan Jaya), Peru has the largest number of uncontacted tribes in the world. Unfortunately some of the groups in Peru are in danger of extermination by loggers. As of 2006, the locations where uncontacted groups are confirmed to be living are as follows:
- (a) Reserva Comunal Amarakaeri: Groups are Yine, Yora and other unidentified Panoan tribes.
- (b) Zona Reservada Biabo Cordillera Azul: Cacatibo.
- (c) Parque Nacional del Manu: Mashco-Piro, uncontacted bands of Matsiguenga, tribes belonging to Yura family and unidentified tribes.
- (d) Reserva Comunal Asháninka+Reserva Comunal Matsiguenga+Parque Nacional Otishi: uncontacted bands of Ashaninka.
- (e) Parque Nacional Alto Purús + Reserva Comunal Purús: Sharanahua, Yaminahua,Chitonahua, Curajeño & Mashco-Piro-Iñapari.
- (f) Reserva Territorial del Estado: Kungapakori, Nahua, Matsiguenga, Nanti, Krineri and other unidentified tribes.
- (g) Reserva Territorial del Murunahua y Chitonahua: Murunahua, Chitonahua.
- (h) Reserva Territorial del Isconahua: Isconahua.
- (i) Reserva Territorial del Mashco-Piro: Various tribes belonging to Mashco-Piro.
- (j) Reserva Territorial del Mashco-Piro o Iñapari: Mashco-Piro-Iñapari.
- (k)Reservas territoriales del Cacataibo: Cacataibo.
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morunahua | 150 | This group is probably to be related to the group that used to be called Papavo in Brazil. | |
| Parquenahua | 200 | Pano. They live in the Manu national park. | |
| Pisabo | 200 | Pano. |
Suriname
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akulio | 50 | Watershed between Suriname and Brazil. Between the sources of the Itani and the Jari |
|
Venezuela
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yanomami | 300 - 400 (already included in the total for Yanomami populations) | Amazonas - Upper Siapa |
|
Paraguay
There remain 1-2 dozen Ayoreo who still have not been contacted. Most of them belong to the Totobiegosode clan. In the 1990s the main threat was New Tribes Mission. In 1979 and 1986, the New Tribes Mission was accused of assisting in the forcible contact of nomadic Ayoreo Indians, whose unsuccessful attempts to remain in the forest led to several deaths. Others died soon after being brought out of the forest. The genocide forced some Ayoreo to flee to Bolivia. The main threat currently are the ranchers. The Paraguaian government is not taking any steps to protect them. In 2004 a group of 17 Ayoreo-Totobiegosode previously uncontacted made contact with the outside world and decided to settle down(5 men, 7 women and 5 children, according to Survival). It is not known whether there are any more isolated Ayoreo.
External links
- Survival International
- World Rainforest Movement Bulletin 87, October 2004: Indigenous People in Voluntary Isolation (10/28/04)
- Uncontacted: A Field Study
- The Huichol Indians - the last tribe in North america to have maintained their pre-colombian traditions unto the present day.
- ^ "During the 1970s and 1980s... NTM pursued a policy of aggressive attempts to convert them. They would encourage groups of missionised Ayoreo to go into the forest to capture the uncontacted, nomadic Ayoreo, their traditional enemies, and bring them back to the NTM base. This resulted in violent clashes and several deaths as the Indians were exposed to diseases to which they had no immunity at the mission camp." Survival International, Ayoreo.