Peruvian authorities say they are struggling to keep outsiders away from a clan of previously isolated Amazon Indians who began appearing on the banks of a jungle river popular with environmental tourists last year.
|Members of one of Brazil’s uncontacted indigenous tribes have been photographed in a protected area of the Amazon jungle near Peru [Credit: Brazil National Indian Foundation (Funai)]
The behavior of the small group of Mashco-Piro Indians has puzzled scientists, who say it may be related to the encroachment of loggers and by low-flying aircraft from nearby natural gas and oil exploration in the southeastern region of the country.
Clan members have been blamed for two bow-and-arrow attacks on people near the riverbank in Madre de Dios state where officials say the Indians were first seen last May.
One badly wounded a forest ranger in October. The following month, another fatally pierced the heart of a local Matsiguenka Indian, Nicolas “Shaco” Flores, who had long maintained a relationship with the Mashco-Piro.
The advocacy group Survival International released photos Tuesday showing clan members on the riverbank, describing the pictures as the “most detailed sightings of uncontacted Indians ever recorded on camera.”
The British-based group provided the photos exactly a year after releasing aerial photos from Brazil of another tribe classified as uncontacted, one of about 100 such groups it says exist around the world.
One of the Mashco-Piro photos was taken by a bird watcher in August, Survival International said. The other two were shot by Spanish archaeologist Diego Cortijo on Nov. 16, six days before Flores was killed.
Cortijo, a member of the Spanish Geographical Society, was visiting Flores while on an expedition in search of petroglyphs and said clan members appeared across the river from Flores’ house, calling for him by name.
Flores could communicate with the Mashco-Piro because he spoke two related dialects, said Cortijo, who added that Flores had previously provided clan members with machetes and cooking pots.
says it does not make contact with the tribes and prevents invasions of
their land, to ensure their total autonomy [Credit: Brazil National
Indian Foundation (Funai)]
The Mashco-Piro tribe is believed to number in the hundreds and lives in the Manu National Park that borders Diamante, a community of more than 200 people where Flores lived.
Although it’s not known what provoked the Mashco-Piro clan to leave the relative safety of their tribe’s jungle home, Beatriz Huerta, an anthropologist who works with Peru’s INDEPA agency for indigenous affairs, speculated their habitat is becoming increasingly less isolated.
The upper Madre de Dios region where the tribe lives has been affected by logging, she said. “They are removing wood very close.”
Meanwhile, Huerta said, naturalists in the area and Manu National Park officials told her during a recent visit that a rise in air traffic related to natural gas and oil exploration in the region is adversely affecting native hunting grounds, forcing increasing migration by nomadic tribes.
The clan that showed up at the river is believed to number about 60, including some 25 adults, said Carlos Soria, a professor at Lima’s Catholic University who ran Peru’s park protection agency last year.
“It seemed like they wanted to draw a bit of attention, which is a bit strange because I know that on other occasions they had attacked people,” Cortijo said by phone from Spain. “It seemed they didn’t want us to go near them, but I also know that the only thing that they wanted was machetes and cooking pots.”
Cortijo said the group lingered by the river a few minutes, apparently to see if a boat would pass by so they could ask for some tools, something authorities say they had done in the past.
“The place where they are seen is one of heavy transit” of river cargo and tourist passage, and so the potential for more violent encounters remains high, Soria said.
That is compounded by culture clash. The Mashco-Piro live by their own social code, which Soria said includes the practice of kidnapping other tribes’ women and children.
than half the world’s 100 uncontacted tribes live in Brazil or Peru and
campaigners say many face threats to their land from illegal logging
[Credit: Brazil National Indian Foundation (Funai)]
He said the Mashco-Piro are one of about 15 “uncontacted” tribes in Peru that together are estimated to number between 12,000 and 15,000 people living in jungles east of the Andes.
“The situation is incredibly delicate,” said Huerta, the government anthropologist.
“It’s very clear that they don’t want people there,” she said of the area where the clan has been loitering, noting that it had ransacked a jungle ranger’s post that authorities later removed.
One of the clan’s likely fears is being decimated by disease borne by outsiders, as has occurred with other uncontacted peoples, Huerta said.
But its also a mystery why they have appeared in an area so heavily trafficked, she added.
After the first sightings, and after tourists left clothing for the Mashco-Piro, state authorities issued a directive in August barring all boats from going ashore in the area. But enforcing it has been difficult as there are few trained and willing local officials.
In response to the Flores killing, authorities sent a team into Diamante to explain to inhabitants that it would be wrong to try to retaliate. Diamante’s residents include ethnic Matsiguenka, traditionally a rival tribe, complicating matters.
Cortijo, the Spanish archaeologist, said Flores’ death makes reaching any understanding with the Mashco-Piro very complicated.
“The problem is that ‘Shaco’ was the only person who could talk to them,” he said. “Now that he’s dead it’s impossible to make contact.”
Author: Frank Bajak | Source: Associated Press [January 31, 2012]
Wenye mamlaka nchini Peru wanasema wanajitahidi kuwazuia watu wa nje wasiingie katika jamii ya Wahindi wa Amazon ambao walianza kuonekana kwenye kingo za mto maarufu wa msitu wa Amazon mwaka jana. "Watu wa kabila la Mashco-Piro waliopigwa picha katika eneo la Amazon karibu na Peru, wanasema kuwa ""wafuasi wa mashimo ya miti na ndege zinazoruka kwa kasi kutoka kwa maeneo ya karibu ya kuchimba gesi na mafuta katika eneo la kusini mashariki mwa nchi hiyo.""" Washiriki wa kundi hilo wameshtakiwa kwa mashambulizi mawili ya kutumia upinde na mishale dhidi ya watu karibu na ukingo wa mto katika jimbo la Madre de Dios, ambapo maafisa wanasema Wahindi hao walionekana kwa mara ya kwanza mwezi Mei mwaka jana. Mmoja wao alimjeruhi vibaya mlinzi wa msitu mnamo Oktoba. Mwezi uliofuata, mwingine alimpiga moyo kwa njia ya mauti Mhindi wa Matsiguenka wa eneo hilo, Nicolas <unk>Shaco<unk> Flores, ambaye alikuwa amedumisha uhusiano wa muda mrefu na Mashco-Piro. "Kundi la kutetea haki za binadamu la Survival International limetoa picha za watu wa makabila ya Wenyeji wa Asili wa Brazil kwenye ukingo wa mto huo, likisema kuwa hizo ni ""picha za kina zaidi za Wahindi wasio na mawasiliano waliowahi kurekodiwa kwenye kamera,"" mwaka mmoja baada ya kundi hilo kutoa picha za ndege kutoka Brazil za kabila lingine lililoorodheshwa kuwa ""lisilo na mawasiliano"" duniani kote." Picha ya Mashko-Piro ilichukuliwa na mtazamaji wa ndege mnamo Agosti, Survival International ilisema. Wawili wengine waliuawa na mchunguzi wa vitu vya kale wa Hispania Diego Cortijo mnamo Novemba 16, siku sita kabla ya Flores kuuawa. Cortijo, mwanachama wa Spanish Geographical Society, alikuwa akimtembelea Flores wakati wa safari ya kutafuta petroglyphs na alisema wanachama wa ukoo walionekana ng'ambo ya mto kutoka nyumba ya Flores, wakimwita kwa jina. Flores aliweza kuwasiliana na Mashco-Piro kwa sababu alizungumza lahaja mbili zinazohusiana, alisema Cortijo, ambaye aliongeza kwamba Flores hapo awali alikuwa amewapa wanachama wa kabila hilo machete na sufuria za kupikia. Mashpelo-Piro ni kabila la watu wa Brazil, ambalo linaishi katika mbuga ya Manu National Park, karibu na Diamante, eneo ambalo lina watu zaidi ya 200. Ingawa haijulikani ni nini kilichowafanya Mashco-Piro kuondoka kwenye makao yao ya kijijini, Beatriz Huerta, mtaalamu wa jamii ya binadamu anayefanya kazi na shirika la Peru la INDEPA la masuala ya wenyeji, alidhani kwamba mazingira yao yanazidi kuwa mbali. Mkoa wa juu wa Madre de Dios ambapo kabila hilo huishi umeathiriwa na ukataji miti, alisema. "Hua alisema, ""Wanachunguza mazingira katika eneo hilo na maafisa wa Manu National Park walimwambia wakati wa ziara ya hivi karibuni kwamba ongezeko la trafiki ya anga inayohusiana na uchimbaji wa gesi asilia na mafuta katika mkoa huo inaathiri vibaya maeneo ya uwindaji wa asili, na kulazimisha uhamiaji wa makabila ya wasafiri.""" Kikundi hicho kinaaminiwa kuwa kina watu 60 na kina watu wazima 25 hivi, alisema Carlos Soria, profesa katika Chuo Kikuu cha Katoliki cha Lima ambaye aliendesha shirika la ulinzi wa mbuga za Peru mwaka jana. "Ilikuwa kama walitaka kuvutia kidogo, ambayo ni kidogo ya ajabu kwa sababu najua kwamba katika hafla nyingine walikuwa wameshambulia watu, "Cortijo alisema kwa simu kutoka Hispania. "Ilikuwa kama hawakutaka tufikie karibu nao, lakini pia najua kwamba kitu pekee walichotaka ni machete na sufuria za kupikia,"" alisema Cortijo, ""kikundi hicho kilikaa kando ya mto kwa dakika chache, inaonekana ili kuona kama mashua ingepita ili waweze kuuliza kwa ajili ya vifaa, kitu ambacho mamlaka wanasema walikuwa wamefanya zamani." "Mahali ambapo wanaonekana ni moja ya usafiri mkubwa wa mizigo ya mto na kupita kwa watalii, na kwa hivyo uwezekano wa kukutana kwa vurugu zaidi unabaki juu, Soria alisema. Jambo hilo linaongezwa na mgongano wa kitamaduni. Mashco-Piro wanaishi kwa kanuni zao za kijamii, ambazo Soria alisema ni pamoja na zoea la kuiba wanawake na watoto wa makabila mengine. "Kutoka kwa makabila 100 ya watu wasio na mawasiliano ya asili, karibu nusu ya makabila hayo yanaishi nchini Brazil na Peru, na wanaharakati wanasema wengi wao wanakabiliwa na vitisho vya ukataji miti haramu, na Mashco-Piro ni moja ya makabila 15 ya watu wasio na mawasiliano ya asili nchini Peru, ambayo kwa pamoja yanakadiriwa kuwa na idadi ya watu kati ya 12,000 na 15,000 wanaoishi katika misitu ya mashariki mwa Andes.""" "Hali ni nyeti sana", alisema Huerta, mtaalamu wa anthropolojia wa serikali. "Ni wazi sana kwamba hawataki watu huko", alisema kuhusu eneo ambalo kabila hilo limekuwa likizurura, akibainisha kwamba lilikuwa limepora kituo cha walinzi wa misitu ambacho mamlaka ziliondoa baadaye. Moja ya hofu ya uwezekano wa kabila hilo ni kuharibiwa na ugonjwa unaosababishwa na watu wa nje, kama ilivyotokea na watu wengine wasiowasiliana, Huerta alisema. Lakini pia ni fumbo kwa nini wameonekana katika eneo ambalo linasafirishwa sana, aliongeza. Baada ya kuona ndege hizo kwa mara ya kwanza, na baada ya watalii kuacha nguo zao kwa ajili ya Mashpeko-Piro, mamlaka ya jimbo hilo ilitoa agizo mnamo Agosti likikataza mashua zote kutua kwenye eneo hilo. Lakini kutekeleza sheria hiyo imekuwa vigumu kwa sababu kuna maafisa wachache waliozoezwa na wenye nia ya kufanya hivyo. Baada ya mauaji ya Flores, mamlaka zilituma timu ya polisi Diamante kueleza wakazi kwamba ni kosa kujaribu kulipiza kisasi. Wakazi wa Diamante ni pamoja na kabila la Matsiguenka, kwa kawaida kabila la mpinzani, kuchanganya mambo. Cortijo, mtaalamu wa vitu vya kale wa Hispania, alisema kifo cha Flores hufanya ufikiaji wa uelewevu wowote na Mashco-Piro kuwa mgumu sana. "Tatizo ni kwamba 'Shaco' alikuwa mtu pekee ambaye angeweza kuzungumza nao", alisema. "Sasa kwa kuwa amekufa haiwezekani kuwasiliana naye. " "Mwandishi: Frank Bajak | Chanzo: Associated Press [Jan 31, 2012]