By Neba-Fuh
'You can move a child out of a
village but you can not move the village out of the child' goes the
popular adage! News of the world's recently discovered un-contacted
indigenous tribe came like a bombshell as anthropologists, sociologists
as well as indigenous rights activists continually ponder on the
possibility of more undiscovered virgin group of people, who may be
seeing us as 'aliens'.
Recently, occupants of a
hovering aircraft noticed a group of people in the heartland of the
Amazon dense forest, just around the borders demarcating Brazil from
Peru.
Later on, the people ran for their safety while their 'army'
of warriors- fewer in number and made up of hefty looking men emerged,
all painted in red and aiming their traditionally made bows and arrows at the aircraft, ready to defend their homeland. (see photograph ).
The
possibility of the existence of 'aliens' and claims that UFOs
(Unidentified Flying Objects) have been spotted, have brought a lot of
controversy. The fact that we don't have evidence that something
exists does not necessarily mean that, that thing doesn't exist. The
possibility of the existence of other 'beings' more 'advanced' than the
human race cannot be discounted. And if those 'beings' were to come to
earth now, man will surely assemble all its seemingly sophisticated
weapons ready to defend his land -the earth; just like the 'army'
warriors of the un-contacted tribe were trying to do. What if the
'aliens' had a more sophisticated weaponry and know-how than man?
The
recent discovery of this un-contacted tribe in the dense Amazon
forest brings to mind the minority rights of tribes as distinct and
distant as the Baka pigmies of the Central part of Africa , notably in
the eastern and southern part of Cameroun, the Aborigenes of the
Australian sub continent, the Sami people of the Arctic in Norway, the
indigenous people of Papua New Guinea as well as many tribes in the
hinterland of Africa. These are people whose attachment to their
inherited culture and environment is difficult to break. Their natural
habitat is being threatened by the 'modern' man's exploratory and
selfish motives always encroaching into their habitat and attempting
to change their way of life, all in the name of 'civilization' and
'globalisation'.
We
hope 'civilized man' will not attempt to adulterate this newly
discovered 'virgin' group of people either by deciding what is good for
them or tampering with their natural environment. They may just be
seeing their 'world' as beautiful as we see ours, if really ours is
beautiful!
Rare Uncontacted Tribe Photographed in Amazon (culled from Reuters)
Amazon Indians from one of the world's last uncontacted tribes have been photographed from the air, with striking images released on Thursday showing them painted bright red and brandishing bows and arrows.
The photographs of the tribe near the border between Brazil and Peru are rare evidence that such groups exist. A Brazilian official involved in the expedition said many of them are in increasing danger from illegal logging.
"What is happening in this region is a monumental crime against the natural world, the tribes, the fauna and is further testimony to the complete irrationality with which we, the 'civilized' ones, treat the world," Jose Carlos Meirelles was quoted as saying in a statement by the Survival International group.
One of the pictures, which can be seen on Survival International's Web site (http://www.survival-international.org), shows two Indian men covered in bright red pigment poised to fire arrows at the aircraft while another Indian looks on.
Another photo shows about 15 Indians near thatched huts, some of them also preparing to fire arrows at the aircraft.
"The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct," said Stephen Corry, the director of Survival International, which supports tribal people around the world.
Of more than 100 uncontacted tribes worldwide, more than half live in either Brazil or Peru, Survival International says. It says all are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed and ravaged by new diseases.
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