Pre-History Meets Post-History

First aerial footage of 'uncontacted' Brazilian tribes (February 2011) © BBC/Funai/Survival.  Video Source: Uncontacted Tribes.

Prehistory is about to encounter Posthistory.  Reports are coming out of Brazil that 'uncontacted' Amazon tribespeople, who live in near-Prehistoric conditions and until now were only periodically buzzed by their lobby group and the BBC, are about to be overrun by drug traffickers (Thanks to C.).  The area where they live is surrounded by guard posts built by the government, and these have been breached.  Evidence suggests that traffickers, moving in from the nearby Peruvian border, have already made contact.  From Scoop:

The Brazilian guard post protecting the uncontacted Indians who were filmed from the air earlier this year has been over-run by heavily-armed men, suspected to be drug-traffickers. It has been ransacked and vital equipment destroyed. Fears are now mounting for the welfare of the Indians after workers from FUNAI (the government’s Indian Affairs Department) found one of the traffickers’ rucksacks with a broken arrow inside. A rapid survey by government officials has shown no trace of the Indians, who made worldwide headlines in February. Police have reportedly found a package containing 20kg of cocaine nearby. It is feared the Envira River, where the post is located, has become an entry point into Brazil for cocaine smugglers from Peru.

There's more on this situation at Neglected War. 


In related news, another uncontacted tribe was discovered in Brazil in June.  There are some 15 such tribes.

A jungle hut of the newly discovered tribe (June 2011). Image Source: Peetsa/Arquivo CGIIRC-Funai 

via Al Jazeera.

See my earlier posts on Brazil's uncontacted tribes, here, here and here.