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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It depends…do they have oil?
- Posted by Nestor MakhnoWhile some may admire the “pristine” nature of this primitive tribe, what kind of arrogance must we possess to claim that leaving them alone is any sort of blessing? Some may look at this and other “lost” tribes as noble beings living in “Gods Eden,” but I look at the squalid conditions of their existence as a curse to be eradicated.
What right have we to say to our fellow man “You are better off where you are,” when where they are is absolute poverty? Little comfort their thatched slum may be when their children are dying of malnutrition and disease.
As for their “innocence,” it clearly is exaggerated, if it can be said to exist at all. These people’s first instinct upon seeing the helicopter is to attack it. While many may choose to look at this culture as one in harmony with nature and other tribes, immune to and separate from the quarrels of modern life, clearly they are as familiar with strife as we are…perhaps far more so.
Now don’t misunderstand me. I am not advocating the wanton destruction of culture that seems to be equated with modernization (though I cannot say that I agree with this assumption). Nor am I stating that our manifest destiny is to bring these tribes into the “fold” of modern life against their will. However, eventually these people, whether they like it or not, will come into contact with others like ourselves. Why should we consider it immoral to seek them out and simply show them what the modern world can offer them, before such a time comes that they will be forced to succumb to it? Who among us, with our access to clean water, readily accessible food, medicine, shelter, and all of the benefits of modernity, can morally state that these people should not be given the chance at the same quality of life that so many of us (and certainly those of us capable of reading and posting on this article) enjoy?
- Posted by BrettWhat!, contact them and screw them up like the rest of the world. Take a good look at the U.S. here. There would be nothing better I would like to live in peace and harmony, not a care in the world but to live FREE.
- Posted by JessThe idiot in the helicopter should have did some thinking and kept his or her big mouth shut. Now all the thrill seekers,religions,scientist and all the other glory hounds will be on their way. It’ll only take one to wipe them out with a cough.
I would want to know what’s out there…
- Posted by PuffIt takes a far greater hero to conquer oneself than one who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men. - anonymous
- Posted by seethroughmeWhat would you want if you were in their shoes? I would prefer modern medicine, an average life span of +70 years, easier means of acquiring food/shelter, etc. I don’t see a lot of people on this post trading in their modern/evil “materialistic” technology for a more primitive lifestyle - I see quite the opposite: people posting comments in the comfort of their homes on the internet. Everyone that votes to leave them alone is hypocrite - either drop your starbucks and broadband internet connection or let them enjoy the same comforts as you.
- Posted by DBThey are at great risk of illness or death from lack of an immune response to our germs. For their own good, I say leave them be.
- Posted by Phillip BrantWhat can we possibly offer these people? Condos? Christianity? Capitalism? Sad, but all our best stuff seems to pale in comparison to living peacefully.
All we really have is trouble.
We can bring them our drug resistant diseases. They may have a little biological surprise for us too.
- Posted by Johnny BoyBy all means we need to contact them. They hold the secret to how to survive in the world American liberals want to create, no drilling for oil, no Nukes, carbon credits, etc.,
- Posted by Dave PasleyABSOLUTELY NOT!
These people should not be contacted, and now that the greedy developers have no way to doubt their existence and other isolated tribes, we should not even by flying over their area.
Imagine the fear; a people who are innocent of the technology and excess of ‘the real world’ are now confronted with huge logging machinery, devastating mining equipment and its toxic chemicals, oil discovery equipment, and flying machines!
These people feel threatened and its because THEY TOTALLY ARE! Their way of life and life itself is on the brink of existence. They’ve undoubtedly had loved ones die from the contact with illnesses. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING GOOD HAS COME TO EVERY OTHER NATIVE PEOPLE WE’VE CONTACED! These people just want to live, and I honestly can’t blame them for being hostile towards everyone and everything they encounter.
Let’s wake up. I can’t sleep at night when I think about the future I was born into. Let’s spare these souls that much. The only reason we should contact these beautiful human beings is to inquire as to how we can live like them and emulate how they exist.
I don’t see disgusting landfills and clouds of smog around this village of natives. It’s a dream of what the entire world could be like.
- Posted by Greg Moorein case of any spread catastrophe virus, disease (bird flu) known or unknowon these isolated tribes can continue the mankind.
- Posted by aman singhWe keep referring to the tribe being “lost.” I’m sure they don’t know they’re lost, just as Native Americans didn’t know they were being “discovered.”
- Posted by PatrickNo, I think we should leave them alone.
- Posted by MondeskindI would believe the best thing is to leave them alone, unless they are in some way threatened or compromised, which may cause death or serious health concerns to them, or others.
- Posted by RickThe fact that there are such people left living in God’s Eden demonstrates that well enough should be left alone and they should remain isolated from the corrupting influence of an arrogant, materialistic, unsustainable society that most of civilization has largely chosen to our peril. The home of these free aboriginals, the rain forest, luckily is still healthy in that part of the World and must be preserved and protected from the parasitic, greedy exploits of the outside World. I hope that their existence gives added support to the moral, as well as practical, imperative to preserving the last few remaining unspoilt places on our planet - such as the Amazon - which is a natural heritage to future generations, benefits us all with the ecological services they provide and rightfully has no owner but nature itself. These islands of prehistoric human society are a reminder of what sustainability really means and the need to respect Mother Nature since our own feeble technology could never replace her as the ultimate caretaker of a healthy, livable planet.
- Posted by JFWho’s Lost? It looks like these tribes have done quite alright without us “Civilized”. I say let them be…
- Posted by MauricioI believe the idea of having the modern and civilized world confronting the primitive world would be very positive if we try to learn a little bit what the true nature of our species should be.
- Posted by Ernesto CoronaBecause let’s be very honest, these guys have been living for thousands of years with the same ecologically-balanced lifestyle, and what about us, can we say the same thing?
Which one is better? Only time will say.
No leave them alone.
- Posted by PatriceMaybe it is we who are lost.
- Posted by MerlinYes, by all means contact them. Hurry up and fly in and carpet bomb them and also every other beautiful thing that you can see. Then we can call them “new and improved”.
- Posted by KELLY