( CNN ) Portuguese photographer Daniel Rodrigues had always dreamed of visiting the Amazon rainforest in Brazil , and he finally got his chance last year . After two years of fundraising and wrestling with government bureaucracy , Rodrigues arrived at a place some might call a version of Eden : the Alto Turiacu reserve where the Awa-Guaja roam . `` I wanted to show the daily life in the world 's most endangered tribe , '' he said . The Awa-Guaja 's way of life is being threatened by relentless loggers who are illegally encroaching on their land , according to Brazil 's National Indian Foundation . Many Awa Indians have had little to no contact with the outside world , but that is beginning to change , the foundation reports , as loggers continue to destroy the forests their existence depends on . Rodrigues set out to document the tribe 's existence -- pure , pristine and , tragically , fleeting . `` I had traveled to Africa and other remote places where people at least knew what a camera was , '' Rodrigues said . `` Here I was , in the 21st century , with other humans who ( until recently ) had never seen a camera , a computer ... never seen a shower and were shocked when they saw a helicopter . And yet they are extremely happy . '' Calling themselves Awa , Tupi-Guarani for `` man , '' the tribe is made of forest foragers and dexterous hunters . Challenges abound , said Rodrigues , who was forced to communicate with hand gestures for several weeks because the tribespeople did not speak Portuguese . `` I pointed this way to say the sun is setting and made hand signs to ask questions about hunting , '' Rodrigues recalled . `` They were incredibly friendly , and I was very well-received . '' Spending weeks without uttering words , Rodrigues immersed himself in the visual resplendence of the Awa-Guaja life in the forest . Twelve-hour hunting expeditions were common , cutting through thick jungle growth during the monsoon rains . Nature 's orchestral sounds rang behind every moment , something his photographs seem to allude to . Social media . Follow @ CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography . Detouring from the use of formal portraiture often seen in ethnophotography , Rodrigues ' black-and-white photos are filled with an honesty that could only come as a result of an amicable pact with his subjects . The Awa clearly trusted Rodrigues ' camera , and in the resulting work we can clearly see how well-versed he became with the ins and outs of the Awa way of life . The cinematic quality of some of the shots in the hunting scenes is a testament to the photographer 's endurance and appreciation of a highly spiritual form of sportsmanship . `` We walked and walked for hours , slashing through the forest overgrowth to look for the prey , '' Rodrigues said . `` The Awa were barefoot the whole time . '' Rodrigues nonchalantly talked about a dangerous situation while hunting for the indigenous red puma . `` The hunter had missed a shot , and the puma jumped right over towards me , '' he said . `` In the meantime , I was having an allergic reaction to a spider bite . It was n't easy . '' There are several groups of the Awa-Guaja in this part of the forest . Some have been known to exist since the 1970s . Others have been contacted in the early 1980s . Many are believed to still be in hiding . Earlier this month , Brazil 's official news agency reported that three isolated Awa Indians had made contact with the other mainstream Awa-Guaja . The group 's leader , Amakaria , reportedly said that loggers were marking trees and threatening to kill them . The Brazilian government has launched a massive military operation into the states of Para and Maranhao , today the epicenter in the war between loggers and Indians . Latest satellite imagery shows that new logging tracks are constantly being carved . Monitoring and preserving such a large expanse of tropical forest is a challenge . In the meantime , how can the so-called civilized world understand what is being lost ? Rodrigues tries to explain : . `` Getting out of my comfort zone , my comfortable bed , to walk for hours through virgin forest , crossing rivers and rapids with water up to my neck ... hearing the triumphal songs of the hunters as they walked home a large prey to share with their brethren -- this experience can completely change a human being . '' Daniel Rodrigues is a photographer based in Portugal . You can follow him on Facebook , Instagram and Tumblr .
Photographer Daniel Rodrigues spent time with an endangered tribe in the Amazon . The people did n't speak his language , and they communicated with hand gestures . Illegal loggers are moving into their territory and threatening their way of life .