Can ‘Uncontacted Amazon Tribes’ survive by remaining isolated?
View Point , Shimla: May 31 2008
Made Popular May 31 2008
Brazil :

Can ‘Uncontacted Amazon Tribes’ survive by remaining isolated?

The release of rare images of Amazon Indians firing arrows by Brazil’s National Indian Foundation has highlighted the threats faced by a few tribes that still live in near-total isolation from civilization. Fast-encroaching development will soon wipe out these uncontacted tribes, who have made a choice not to join the mainstream. However, isolation poses more dangers including complete disappearance owing to fatal diseases.

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2 Stars
Agree
Doug
San Francisco, United States
whether they will survive or not is a question beyond doubt. they have somehow managed to survive so far and can do that same in near future as well provided we, the developed ppl, won't intrude in their life style leaving them the way they are.
1 Stars
Agree
Matt
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Wow!!! i wish i could have been one of them and it's very interesting the way they live in the dense forest, but are away form the worldly things, the cacophony of cities and haven't given in to the modern world! they will survive on their own but we need do one things; just pull back the excitement to see and disturbing them while taking pictures from helicopter.
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John
London, United Kingdom
Why not? They have survived well for thousands of years. There is no reason to believe that they won't survive another thousand years if not more. The only way to destroy them would be to contact them, and corrupt their way of living. We must take care not to disturb them.
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Disagree
Raphael
Berlin, Germany
There is a grave risk of them being wiped out due to a epidemic or a natural calamity. They have survived centuries without outside help but that does not mean that they would continue to do so. Outside contact will help them better medical facilities and they can seek help should there is a natural disaster.
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Chintan
Ambala, India
these people surely open a new window to another world right in our own backyard. there are so many tribes here in India as well who live away from the crowdy city life, have their won way of life and surely living away from a life style that we people do, but still managing well to survive.

these people are ignorant of the technological advancements and couldn't understand how we have achieved technological advancements such as flight and have robots on Mars.

We should do our best to preserve the planet so peoples such as these can continue their lives without being forced to change from what has proven for them to be a small but successful society.
1 Stars
Agree
Andy
Navi Mumbai, India
The answer is YES! They have and they can survive. The Brazilian and the Peruvian governments must ban all activity that threatens their existence and any attempts to contact them. We have a few tribes like them in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Specially the Sentinelese have resisted outside contact and being able to defend their shores. The government has banned any attempt to contact them without special permission under exceptional circumstances like the recent Tsunami. Even then the contacts have been indirect like dropping food from a distance.
1 Stars
Agree
Maura
Detroit, United States
It would be highly dangerous to contact them and may involve substantial risk of life. Seeing the images you can have an idea how hostile they are towards outsiders. They were shooting an airplane with bows and arrows. Imagine what they would do if they caught one of us alive.
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Agree
Ariza
Dhaka, Bangladesh
They are jungle people. They know how to live and survive in the jungles. They are far superior than us when it comes to knowledge about jungle. Why won't they survive? If animals can have the best chances of surviving if left alone and their habitats not disturbed, why not humans? Any suggestion that contacting them would improve their chances of survival is rubbish.
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Agree
Joni
Jakarta, Indonesia
The best thing is leave them alone and please for God's sake dont cut trees in area where they live. It will be great sin if we destroy their home and move them to city. That way they will die faster.
1 Stars
Disagree
Moses
Cincinnati, United States
I totally disagree with those who say that they can survive by their own. If you look at the stats, the numbers of indigenous and isolated tribes have come down drastically. There are certain tribes whose numbers are below ten and have fallen mostly to diseases than shrinking habitats due to human encroachment. The civilized world has two duties now.

One: Stop logging the rainforests.
Two: Provide those tribes with medical facilities after convincing them that our intentions are not hostile.
1 Stars
Disagree
Madison
San Antonio, United States
they are not endangered wildlife. they are humans! plz try to understand that and saving a human being is far more important than saving the purity of a tribe that ain't gonna last much longer anyway.
1 Stars
Agree
Avadhut
Calicut, India
Nonsense. They have survived and they would survive. Just leave them alone. Even if they become extinct then it would be a natural thing. We must stop encroachment and attempts to contact such tribes. They are happy doing what they are doing now. Don't complicate their simple lives.
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Agree
Farrukh
Islamabad, Pakistan
Contact them. Cross breed them with Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians etc. Improve their gene pool. Teach them A,B,C,D... Teach them computers. Teach them how to fly. Teach them how to use guns. Send them to wars. Send them to universities. One day the grandson of that red guy in the pic would take part in a similar debate here.
1 Stars
Agree
Alan
Birmingham, United Kingdom
It is sad that uncontacted tribes are discovered only when loggers spot them unlike in the past when explorers and researchers found them. They will be all right if we leave them alone and stop loggers from going to remote parts of the Amazon.
2 Stars
Agree
Jonathan
Raleigh, United States
White man came across the sea
He brought us pain and misery
He killed our tribes, he killed our creed
He took our game for his own need...

- Iron Maiden (Run to the hills).

They will be fine as long as we don't invade their space.
1 Stars
Disagree
Lucas
Manchester, United Kingdom
i don't know why ppl here started assuming that they want to be left alone? did they came and tell you all that they want to be alone? Isn't curiosity a human instinct? why you all forget that they are the part of the same human race that has reached to moon and mars to discover what's there. But there is a need to deal cleverly with these sensitive ppl.They now know something or someone is here, shouldn't it be up to them if they wish contact?
1 Stars
Agree
Fahmy
Cairo, Egypt
Yes. Now that we have pretty much located them and established a fair idea where they might be we will now make more efforts to contact them. This is inevitable. Wacky researchers, curious and indifferent governments, lecherous Christian preachers, etc. All would be in the thick of action now, action to destroy them.
1 Stars
Agree
John
Brisbane, Australia
those who think that we should help them to preserve them because they can be wiped out because of a disease outbreak or disaster they might like to consider the fact that we have not being able to conquer nature completely. are we really prepared if an asteroid hits earth and wipes us out? so leave them as they are. let them get along with their lives and let us get along with ours without interfering in their everyday business.
1 Stars
Agree
Norm
Ottawa, Canada
If they are 'uncontacted' then how do we know that they are indigenous tribes? They could be descendants of lost explorers or shipwreck plane crash survivors who learned to live of the forests. After all, we have so many stories of lost survivors in the Amazons some of which sired children and grandchildren from their children.
2 Stars
Disagree
Josh
Chicago, United States
I don't think they will survive long. and for every why there are so many reasons that one can give. Yes, the first thing is human curiosity. the curious men will not let them pious, simple and free of all of the corruption and they are too immune to human intrusion. secondly, after some time they will not be left with any habitat. Logging and all...you know!!! you just wait after some time these ppl will vanish from the planet altogether.
1 Stars
Disagree
Kent
Portland, United States
Yea, bring them on to Vegas. Make them see the dazzling lights. Then show them our cars and planes and bombs and guns. Tell them about savior George Bush's war on terror and make them feel they were fools believing they were safe all the time tucked up in the rainsforests when Al Qaida is hellbent upon destroying the planet.

LOL
1 Stars
Agree
Sanyog
Chennai, India
They can very well survive if they have survived for so long. The more humans use technology, the more they get dependent on them. Tell me how many of you remember the telephone numbers of ten of your friends by heart? We used to do so and perhaps even more when we didn't have the cell phone in our hands with phone books.
1 Stars
Agree
Gemma
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Imagine getting lost in the Amazons somewhere near these dangerous people. What might be the possibilities? Would they think of you as a new animal worth trying for dinner? I wonder what Bear Grylls would have done.
1 Stars
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Sanyog
Chennai, India
File Type: Image
We have our own such isolated tribes as well. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands we have quite a few of them. The most interesting tribe is the Sentinelese (see the pic). The area is about 60 Sq. Kilometers. They are probably the world’s only Paleolithic people surviving today without contact with any other group or community. If they have survived being the way they are for such a long period why not they?
1 Stars
Agree
Nameer
Al-Manamah, Bahrain
Wonderful find. Though they were known to exist before photographs of them are rare. BTW I have a gut feeling that they are more happy than we 'civilised' people are. No religious fanaticism, no treachery. Just plain and simple living and being content.
1 Stars
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Desh
Shimla, India
No doubt, they are surviving and will continue to do so. But, their inclusion into the main stream will open the gates of better immunization, knowledge, development, and a sense of oneness with the outer world. They deserve a chance to see the world as it is. I know its difficult to do, but initiatives should be taken for their sake.
1 Stars
Agree
Yes they will survive if we so called ’developed tribe’ of the globe leave them alone. They have asserted their right to their choice of livelihood and they have their own indigeneous knowledge bank to survive against all odds including diseases.
1 Stars
Agree
Mayuri Majumdar
Kolkata, India
I think so. I mean there is a typical lifestyle which they lead and bringing it into limelight would lead them to their own destruction. I mean, we all have seen documentaries about their cannibalism and we do not expect them to manipulate their ways swiftly.
1 Stars
Agree
Mandira S
Hyderabad, India
They must be so happy the way they are. Why we so called urban morden people want to do experiment on their lives. Their minds are pure in their own way of life, unlike our polluted minds making us into slaves of this society.Let them be alone.
1 Stars
Agree
Balbhadra Rana
Rajkot, India
Yes. They have survived for so long by staying isolated, so there is no reason to believe they cannot continue doing so (that is provided the rapacious logging comapnies leave them alone).

The question is whether the danger to their existence is more by their being tainted by modern ciivilzation.

Al least they have not contributed to global warming.

A fundamental question is raised whether we, living the so called ’civilized’ life, are better off than the Amazon Indians.