Indigenous, Uncontacted Amazon Tribe Looks In Amazement & Fear at Planes Flying Overhead
This happened back in 2016, but it really amazed me. Some indigenous (original inhabitants of a given region) people can be seen wearing little to no clothing & leaning on stick in amazement as the pilot of the plane that captured these photos flies over their tribal community.
• The photographs show a contemporary tribal community thought to be uncontacted by the wider world
• A circular shack-like structure is understood to be home to 100 people and is classed as a Yanomami village
• About 22,000 Yanomami people live on the Brazilian side of the Venezulan border in similar communities
Extraordinary aerial shots of an untouched tribe deep in the Amazon jungle have captured the moment an indigenous community saw an aircraft flying over their homes. The photographs show a tribal community estimated to be home to 100 people in a Brazilian village still untouched by civilization.
Some of them can be seen wearing little clothing, leaning on sticks and appear to be staring in amazement as the photographer passed overhead. The village is in the Yanomami indigenous territory in the north of Brazil, close to the Venezuelan border.
About 22,000 Yanomami live in an area the size of Scotland on the Brazilian side of the border, and at least three groups have never had any contact with outsiders. They are extremely vulnerable to diseases passed on by outsiders. When their land is protected, uncontacted tribes can thrive. But their territory is being over-run by 5,000 illegal gold miners, raising serious fears that some of the most vulnerable people on the planet could soon be wiped out.
‘The whole world must know that they are there in their forest and that the authorities must respect their right to live there.’ Davi, who is president of the Yanomami association Hutukara, has been called ‘the Dalai Lama of the rainforest’. ‘They are like termites (the miners) – they keep coming back and they don’t leave us in peace.’ Brazilian government agents are charged with protecting the Yanomami territory. But they are currently facing severe budget cuts amid politicians’ plans to drastically weaken indigenous land protection and rights.
Without continued support, the team responsible for the Yanomami region will be unable to protect the territory from invaders, and might even be closed down completely.
In my opinion, I think they should have the choice of being discovered or not. But I also think there is something special about this land and the government officials are trying to keep people out. Since when have we really cared about saving somebody’s heritage? I honestly think there is more to this story… maybe we will find out one day.