Dramatic photographs of previously unfound Amazon Indians have highlighted the precariousness of the few remaining “lost” tribes and the dangers they face from contact with outsiders. (Click here for a slideshow of the tribe.)
Rather than “lost”, Amazon expert Thomas Lovejoy said the tribe has likely had contact with other indigenous groups over the years.
“I think there is an ethical question whether you can in the end keep them from any contact and I think the answer to that is no,” Lovejoy said.
“The right answer is to have the kind of contact and change that the tribes themselves manage the pace of it.”
Jose Carlos Meirelles, an official with Brazil’s Indian protection agency who was on the helicopter that flew over the tribe, said they should be left alone as much as possible.
Should modern civilization attempt to contact isolated tribes?
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I say leave them be. This tribes has clearly survived with out our interferences. Each time we interfere with theses types of tribes, as always thinking they need to be brought into the modern world, we end up giving them our modern illnesses and diseases and this ends up wiping out a tribe and it’s culture forever. I agree with some of the other comments, Maybe it is us that is lost…….!!, has all our technology really made for a better life???
- Posted by Simonpersumeing these are real photos…of a real tribe…of course the news won’t find out if its reliable before airing such a thing for the sake of viewers and rateings….on the flip side if its fake the the news will get that story as well so its a no loss…anyhow if they were a real tribe as a christian then it would be my dutie to convert these ritualistic people into a eternal life of never ending happiness and joy…with Christ in Heaven….if I were to contact these people…on the flip side of that it would better for them not to hear the word of Christ aposed to hearing the word and turning away…
- Posted by BobbyOf course these people should not be contacted. Any other answer is simply stupid. I can’t stand scientists sometimes.
- Posted by lightesquireIt has already been suggested that these people have retreated due to encroaching settlement!Our views of what is civilized and what is not have been proven as distorted and inaccurate countless times!We bring sickness,death,complications in all forms and destruction of all things “we” do not understand!Our lifestyle , culture , perception is not healthy!Yes,we have science,pharmacology,technology in abundance and yet cancer is rampant,as is diabetes,asthma,etc.!We will only create a need ,we will not lessen any percieved/assumed needs they may have!We need to leave them alone!They’re physically active(not sitting infront of a computer screen),eating raw,healthier food,not subject to all that is taking our society down!Leave them be!
- Posted by darknightWho are we to judge they are ‘lost’. They are already in their eutopia. So-called ‘civilized’ society is still looking for it! Our society calls them primitive - again who are we to judge? We allow our filth - baby /child killers/ molesters, rapists serial killers to walk this earth - we choose not to rid this beautiful earth of our filth, we continue to pollute it - how ignorant and primitive minded is that! We don’t know how to live on this plant properly - how primitive is that! Yes we have all these wonder drugs but through out primitive ignorance we don’t realise these ‘tribes’ also have this sort of information. If God and Jesus wanted them subjected to the zealous fools interpretation of Christianity, they would have already been converted (pillaged) by now. What they need is to left alone, and their environment protected. If they choose to come out and see us for what we are, let them, but I honestly believe most will have the intelligence to turn right back around and return to their more civilized society.
- Posted by Conscientious ObserverWe should not contact them. They are doing fine on their own. We are going to study the, like they’re animals. Talk about them in a way that makes us feel superioir and then give them clothes, bibles, and small pox. (Historically speaking)
- Posted by Disturbed LionI think Kerryn is right. We should leave them alone. They have done well enough without us so far. I do think however, with deforestation etc., etc, the time will come too soon when when our culture encroaches on theirs. Until then, let them come to us.
- Posted by Heidi