Are there really primitive tribes now? They are completely isolated from modern times?

Primitive Tribe An Amazon Indian Primitive Tribe, once thought to have been extinct for more than half a century, was accidentally discovered in a search for people more than 30 years ago. However, in the past 30 years, no one has seen this mysterious tribe, and its existence has become controversial and confusing.

Robert Francot, a historian who has devoted himself to the study of Indian tribes for 30 years, recently took his team to the depths of the Amazon rainforest to find out where Indian tribes might live, and finally let him find this mysterious tribe-Yuri. At the same time, he also discovered another Indian tribe, Pass, who lived deep in the jungle. These two tribes may be the last two indigenous tribes in the Amazon rainforest who still live like the Stone Age.

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Looking for a needle in a haystack to find a mysterious tribe

On a cloudless afternoon in Wan Li, at an airport near the foot of the Andes in Bogota, Colombia, 44-year-old Elena Martinez boarded a small single-engine plane Cessna 172K, and her destination was Riopel National Park in Colombia. In the small four-seat cabin, besides the pilot, there are a Colombian expert Robert Francot who studies Amazon Indians and a Colombian photographer cristobal von Skok. Martinez and Frank are studying the map of Rio Poole National Park on the plane. This national park covers an area of 2.47 million acres, with dense forests and criss-crossing rivers, and is home to wild animals such as jaguars. They think there may be some isolated Indian tribes.

Martinez told Joshua Hammer, a reporter from Smithsonian magazine: "We didn't expect much at that time, and we might not find anything, because it was like looking for a needle in a haystack."

For decades, explorers and hunters have been providing clues that there is an "isolated Indian tribe" hidden in the center of the Amazon rainforest between Caqueta and putumayo river.

In 2002, Colombia established Rio Poole National Park to protect Indians, but the protection that the government can provide is still in the theoretical stage, because its exact whereabouts are unknown. For many years, gold miners, loggers, immigrants, drug dealers and guerrillas have been invading this territory that originally belonged to Indians, putting Indians in danger without any punishment.

After two years of preparation, Martinez and Francot finally started their investigation, confirmed the existence of the mysterious tribe from the air, and found out its exact location. "If you don't even know where they are, you can't protect their territory.

"Martinez said.

Indian huts appeared in the depths of the rainforest.

After a four-hour flight, Martinez and his party arrived at the western border of Rio Poole National Park. The plane lowered its flying height and began to fly low over the virgin tropical rain forest. They set some marks on GPS, mostly concentrated near the north and south tributaries of Kakta and putumayo rivers, where they thought Indian tribes might live. Martinez said: "But when we look out of the plane, we see green, and there is no open space at all.

"

After checking the 13 marker, the plane flew to the next marker "Rio Bernardo", and Francotte suddenly called out, "House!" Martinez shouted excitedly: "Where? Where is it?

"Francot pointed to them directly below, and a long house in traditional Indian style suddenly appeared in front of them. The long house is located in a clearing in the rainforest, made of palm leaves and open only at one end. The house is surrounded by bananas.

Trees and peach trees, like an island belonging to human beings, suddenly appeared on the vast wasteland.

The pilot lowered the plane hundreds of feet again, trying to see the owner of the house, but never found anyone. Martinez said, "We circled twice and then flew away. We don't want to disturb the people who live in the house. But we will be fully prepared and then come back.

"

Back in Bogota, Martinez and his party processed the photos of the cabin in the forest through advanced digital technology. Then they were convinced that this was definitely what they had been looking for-in the photo, an Indian woman was standing near the hut, wearing a typical indigenous waist cloth, with oil on her face and upper body, and she was looking up at the plane.

Use photos to hope that the government will strengthen protection.

The next day, they took off again and found four huts in the forest. Martinez and Francot believe that the five huts they photographed should belong to two different Indian tribes-Yuri and Pass, and these two tribes are probably the last two isolated tribes in the Colombian Amazon, that is, the mysterious Indian tribes they are looking for.

Next, Francot's plan is to lobby the Colombian government by using the photos obtained from aerial photography and the collected GPS coordinates, hoping that the Colombian government will strengthen the protection of the surrounding national parks, "monitor the parks and their periphery 24 hours a day, and establish an early warning system to stop intruders".

Before working with Martinez, Frank had collected relevant information for several months. Such as diaries and oral records of Indian aborigines, maps left by European adventurers from16th century to19th century, satellite photos, people threatened by Indians, and even Colombian guerrillas. Franco said, "I am both happy and sad, because I see the loneliness of these Indians."

"

Although Yuri and Pass tribes have been living in remote rainforest areas, leading a primitive life similar to the Stone Age, "they are vulnerable groups", Franco said.

I've been hiding for hundreds of years, and I was accidentally discovered.

Yuri tribe is mysterious because it has been far away from modern civilization and has never had contact with outsiders. Their concealment may date back to 1500 years, that is, the moment when European colonists first set foot in South America. Since then, they have been migrating to avoid slave traders from Spain and Portugal.

By the time the rubber industry flourished in the 20th century, capitalists hired thousands of Indians to work for themselves, flogging, refusing to feed and even killing those who resisted. During this period, the number of indigenous Indians decreased rapidly-the Utoto tribe decreased from the initial 40,000 to 654,380+0,000; The number of tribes in Andaker has decreased from 6,543,800+to only 300, almost facing extinction; Many tribes have completely disappeared. "Many indigenous tribes who chose to live far away from the world now choose to avoid that era.

"Franco said.

The two tribes, Yuri and Pass, are so hidden that many experts think they are extinct. An accident at 1969 brought the two tribes "to the light of day".

1969 1 10 In October, Julian Gill, a leopard hunter and fur merchant, and his guide disappeared near Rio Bernardo. Two months later, the Colombian military launched a search and rescue. At that time, only Sol Bologna, who was 17 years old, was in service and participated in the search. He told Joshua Hammer, "I was walking in the jungle when I suddenly saw a huge long house. I have never seen such a thing. It's like a dream in retrospect. Then, about 100 Indian women and children jumped out of the forest and they were all painted as zebras.

"

What these women and children said was incomprehensible to the Indian tour guides in Bologna. Some women tore buttons from Bologna's jackets and hung them on necklaces; Jill's axe buried under the leaves was soon discovered by him. "Those Indians cried at the sight of the axe. They probably knew they would be accused of murder.

"Bologna recalled. However, no one knows what happened to Jill and his guide, because their bodies have not been found.

Fearing being ambushed by Indians, when the search team returned, the commander asked to take an adult man, woman and four children as hostages, and took five people to the resident city of La Pedreira. Subsequently, The New York Times reported that a long-lost Indian tribe had been discovered. The American Museum of Natural History also sent experts. According to the language of the five hostages, the Indian tribe accidentally discovered by the Colombian military is the one being considered.

A tribe that has been extinct for more than half a century-Yuri.

However, the emergence of Yuri tribe is only a flash in the pan.

After 1969, people can't find anyone or anything related to this tribe except the five hostages taken out by the Colombian military. The existence of the Yuri tribe has become confusing again.

choose

Open travel for 8 years without tourists.

In MalocaBarú, there is a large Tukuna Indian tribe with a population of about 30,000. Indian necklaces and other jewels are scattered on the long table, and three elderly women in traditional Indian costumes are dancing for more than a dozen tourists ... This situation has become commonplace.

Although this tribe has been integrated into modern civilization, its process is full of difficulties. In the 1960s, Colombia used schools and clinics to lure people from Indian tuna tribes in the Amazon River basin out of the jungle. However, due to the large population of the Tukuna tribe, the economy is based on the agricultural economy, and it is impossible to make a living from agriculture after entering the modern society. "So, they inevitably turned to tourism," Frank said.

However, not all Tucuna Indians can accept this way of life. Tucuna Indians living in Nazeris village held a villagers' meeting on 20 1 1, and tourists were forbidden to visit.

20 1 1 After a meeting of indigenous villagers, the village of Na Soerries in the Colombian Amazon decided to ban all visitors. The local indigenous villagers agreed that the village was guarded by the villagers in turn with sticks, and only outsiders invited by the locals could enter with ID cards.

Na Soerries village is an original ecological village, inhabited by 800 aborigines, most of whom are primitive Tukuna Indians. Thousands of backpackers come to this small village every year. On the one hand, they are attracted by the original ecological environment, on the other hand, they also hope to have the opportunity to experience the customs of primitive tribes. The river from the village to the nearest town is often crowded with tourists' boats.

The local elders said that from 2003 to 20 1 1, backpackers increased five times, and travel agencies increased their income, but it didn't do any good to local villagers because "tourists brought us a lot of trouble. They left a lot of rubbish, including plastic bags and plastic bottles. So tourists can't just enter now unless they get permission.

"

The villagers are also worried that with the increase of tourists, local children may lose the culture and tradition left by their ancestors by imitating the language and clothing of foreigners.

Some tribes are well integrated into modern society.

Some anthropologists, environmentalists and Indians believe that there should be a middle way between the stone age abject poverty of Yuri tribe and the modern commercial assimilation of Tukuna tribe. A tribe called Yukuna lives such a life with some modern elements without deviating from Indian culture.

The Yukuna tribe has a population of less than 2000. They have health care facilities, trade with nearby settlers and send their children to nearby government schools. But the whole tribe still inherits the rainforest life of oral history and lives by hunting and fishing. Matapi, an elder of the Yukuna tribe, said that he left the rainforest when he was 7 years old, but he often went back. He said: "I want children to have more opportunities to learn, so that they can have a better life in the future."

"

However, the Yukuna tribe may be a special case. For too many Amazon Indians, integration into modern society will only bring poverty, alcoholism, unemployment or total dependence on tourism.

There is a gap between indigenous people and modern society.

In Invincible Man: The Last Isolated Primitive Tribe in Amazon, Wallace explored the way out for the primitive tribes of India-whether it is necessary to put the living in.

Is it like being trapped in a time tunnel?

Wallace wrote in the book: "In the past, each of us lived in a barbaric prehistoric culture, but now the traces of these cultures have been erased from our memory. Will we grieve for these lost memories? Would we rather return to the living environment of our ancestors than have a modern lifestyle? I think few people want to go back in time.

"

"Intellectually, culturally and physically, the modern world has provided us with richer life experiences. Our life span can not only be extended, but also be doubled than in the past. You can also travel, feel the cultural and historical achievements of 3,000 years ago, and taste the delicious food from all over the world. All the tribes I met recently who lived in New Guinea and the Amazon valley and were once isolated from the world thought it was very exciting to get in touch with the world and learn advanced culture. For the first time, they live freely without worrying about unfriendly treatment from neighbors or the outside world. Many Amazonians I know, especially the younger generation, are eager to integrate into western society.

"

Wallace believes that the real problem for these primitive tribes is how to bridge the gap between them and modern society. He pointed out that deeper and deeper cultural barriers are not easy to overcome. Native Indians don't know how to live in modern society. They speak a language that can't be recorded in writing, and they have a skill that is useless in contemporary economic society. To make matters worse, there is a trend all over the world. Almost all border people living in border areas will exploit and discriminate against ethnic minorities who are incompatible with their own culture. This obstacle is even more difficult to break through. Social exclusion, moral corruption and alcoholism also constitute cultural barriers for the poor and the lower classes.

protect

How to protect Indian tribes?

These tribes are often called

"Isolated Indians", but in fact, they did not never come into contact with the outside world, but risked their lives from the main river area to the depths of the rainforest about 100 years ago. At that time, the rubber industry in South America flourished, and Indians could not bear the slavery and slaughter of white people, infected with diseases unique to the western world and died in large numbers.

Some anthropologists say that in the past century, Indians were right.

The "outside world" had enough knowledge and deep fear, so they made a choice-to stay away from modern civilization and avoid contact. These tribes still uphold the ancient Indian culture, as if living in 2 1 century.

"Stone Age remains", but it is also facing the impact and erosion of modern civilization all the time.

However, in the past few decades, several countries in the Amazon region have shown little interest in how to protect the rights and interests of Indians. They think Indians are

"backward legacy" In the 1960s and 1970s, in order to realize the commercial development of Amazon, the Brazilian government tried to assimilate and appease the Indians near the Amazon River, hoping to resettle them, but these actions failed in the end.

1987, the Indian Bureau of the Brazilian government and FUNAI established the Primitive Indian Department, and its founder Sitny Posoyiro set aside an area in the tropical rain forest the size of Maine in the United States, named it "the indigenous land in the Chavali River Basin" and announced that it would be permanently closed to the outside world. He has always argued that the best way to protect Indians is to find out where they live, and then open a reservation for them and prohibit outsiders from approaching them.

Amorim, director of the working group on indigenous land in Chavali River Basin, said that today, this "forbidden zone" has become "the best concentrated settlement of Indian indigenous people in the whole Amazon Basin and even in the world".

A group of Amazonians live on the border between Brazil and Peru, near the source of Tequai and Uttar in Bacilly. They are called Flicheri, also known as Arrow Man, because they are good at using bows and arrows and poisonous arrows. Since the rubber industry began to decline, this group of tribes living in their fortresses hidden in the valley at the source of the Amazon River have been known to the outside world for their cruelty and cruelty, and their neighbors have also abandoned them.

In 2002, Posoyiro led a scientific research team to walk in the Amazon rainforest for three months to verify the existence of the Fletcher people. Scott Wallace, an American journalist, also participated in the expedition and wrote relevant reports based on his experience in the rainforest.

The last isolated primitive tribe in Amazon. After the book was published in the United States on 20 1 1, the international community paid extensive attention to Bosoylo and his actions to protect Indian aborigines.

Many countries set up restricted areas to protect indigenous people.

In addition to Brazil, other countries in the Amazon region are also trying to protect Indian aborigines.

Manu National Park in Peru is world-famous, with the highest biodiversity in the world. Only a few tribes have the right to live permanently in the park.

Colombia has 82 million acres of tropical rain forest, accounting for nearly half of the entire Amazon rain forest area. The Colombian government has set up 6.5438+0.4 million acres of land as national parks, set up guards and prohibited any development. 66 million acres of rainforest are privately owned by Indians.

20 1 1 Colombian president Santos signed a decree to ensure that those "isolated" Indian indigenous people

"Have the right to continue to maintain the existing state, live freely in the land left by ancestors and follow the ancient culture".

However, the law belongs to the law and the reality belongs to the reality. The life of Indian aborigines is not as perfect as stipulated by the government or laws.

In Peru, environmental organizations criticized the government for conniving at the so-called

Eco-tourism companies acquiesce in tourists' entry into indigenous lands. Last year, a company operating illegally in Manu National Park even forced an indigenous Indian tribe named Mashco-Piro to leave their original residential reserve.

The situation in Colombia is not much better. Due to the existence of drug traffickers and guerrillas, the government's protection policy for rainforests and Indian indigenous tribes has never been fully implemented. In recent years, several Indian tribes have been forced to assimilate or disperse. Fortunately, however, the Colombian government is still promoting the protection of Indians and their land. Last year, in June+February, 5438, the Colombian government announced that it would expand the area of Chiribiquete National Park in southern Colombia from 320 acres to 640 acres, which is a protected area of two Indian indigenous tribes.

Francot has been studying primitive Indian tribes in Colombia for more than 30 years. He believes that the government must strengthen its efforts to protect indigenous Indian culture.

"Indians have their own unique culture and they fight against the world in their own way."

Martinez also believes that Indians have a unique perspective on the universe. They believe that "human beings, nature and everything are unified and interrelated", so Indians are environmentalists. They believe that the destruction of the rainforest and the harm to tribal members will continue to cause oscillation in the whole society, and the impact will run through history.

Frank said:

"Indians will try their best to close the gold mines in the rainforest and drive away anyone who enters their territory to protect this rainforest. Now that they have decided not to be friends with us, we must respect their decision. "

Three generations of measures to protect Brazilian Indians

At present, the official restricted area policy of the National Indian Foundation of Brazil for isolating indigenous people is a revised third-generation policy. The first two generations of policies were abandoned because of failure.

The first generation of "seal protection" measures: forced assimilation

The first generation of policies was formulated by Marshal candido Rhodes. Marshal Rhodes is very prestigious in Brazil. He is famous and admired for successfully crossing Mato Grosso and building telegraph cables in the border areas far away from the indigenous people. Marshal Rhodes respects Indians and never treats them as aliens. Marshal Rhodes firmly believes that the only way out for ethnic minorities is to assimilate with local people, so he tries to help Indians receive education in order to integrate into contemporary society.

However, Indians are always regarded as second-class citizens or even worse. They are often looked down upon, and immigrants living near Indian settlements deep in the jungle always sneer at them. The "temptation" brought by white people has become more and more irresistible and even very dependent: priests forbid them to go out naked, so they need to get clothes to wear; With good matches, they soon forgot how to collect firewood to make a fire; Shotguns are much better than bows, but bullets cost money and are expensive.

These newly formed territories eventually changed the way of life of Indians, who were forced to go out to work to make money and were exploited by local immigrants and unscrupulous businessmen. They have no chance to live a well-off life, can't live independently, and won't get the respect of white people in society.

The second generation of "seal protection" measures: appeasement and purchase

The next commander-in-chief of Indian conservation organizations after Marshal Rhodes was caught in a scandal of bureaucracy, brutality and corruption because of his lack of foresight and leadership. The life of indigenous people in Brazil is becoming more and more miserable. 1967, the Ministry of the Interior formed the Supreme Council and published a 5,000-page investigation report, which exposed the nightmares experienced by Indians: killing, abuse, sexual assault and land plunder.

1970, the National Indian Foundation led by Claudio and Leonardo Varissa Bao Si was established. Brother Walesa Bao Si is very sympathetic to the Indians. 1970, Brazil began to build a trans-Amazon highway network to integrate the economy of the Amazon basin and its surrounding areas, which required crossing a long unknown area. This area is home to countless indigenous tribes, and many isolated indigenous people live here.

During the construction of the Trans-Asunció n Expressway, indigenous people clashed with surveyors and builders, and faced epidemic diseases in western society, such as measles, influenza, dysentery and malaria. These isolated ethnic minorities can't resist these diseases at all, and the indigenous people who come into contact with Europeans usually lead to 80% population loss.

In order to prevent the tragedy from happening, Brother Walesa Bao Si formulated emergency measures, and Setan Nista was solely responsible for the implementation of these measures. Specially trained Setan Nista leaders often contact Indians, then appease them, and finally redefine their residence. By providing Indians with machetes, axes, iron pots, hooks, matches, mosquito nets, clothes and other western goods, they can be appeased.

However, Indian communities that have had contact with white society will always be infected with various diseases unique to western society and suffer extremely heavy losses. In order to avoid disaster, the entire Indian ethnic group moved to a large reservation near the New Valley River and had to live with other ethnic groups and even their own enemies.

The Third Generation of "Seal Protection" Measures: Delineating the Forbidden Zone

Finally, the Setan Nista organization also lost confidence in the appeasement plan. People began to think about the third policy of protecting indigenous people. Sufficient facts show that if Indians don't want to die or lose confidence in life, they can't be touched by the outside world and can't easily move to other areas to live.

Posoylo pointed out that the best way to protect Indians is to find out where they live, and then open the reservation to the outside world.