Mashco Piro: The dark reality behind unpublished images of Peru’s unconquered native tribe

AdminJuly 18, 2024

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Mashco Piro: The dark reality behind unpublished images of Peru’s unconquered native tribe

Author, contract
Role, BBC News World
17 minutes

They are unpublished images that show unusual behavior: dozens of indigenous people belonging to the uncontacted community of the Mashco Piro wander along the banks of the Las Piedras River in southeastern Peru.

The Mashco Piro, believed to be the world’s largest uncontacted indigenous community, inhabit the jungle border between Peru and Brazil.

The fact that they leave such large numbers – around 50 – along a river that is traveled by other communities has drawn the attention of organizations dedicated to supporting indigenous rights in the region.

Teresa Mayo, a spokeswoman for Survival International – the organisation which released the images – told the BBC the behaviour was “very unusual”.

“It is not common to find so many people. Therefore, everyone seen in the images is male We believe they went out in search of food.“Mayo said.

According to Survival International, this behavior can result in Activities of logging companies who operates legally in the area and this will affect the ecosystem in which the Mashco Piro live.

“They are predators and they need large areas of forest to get their food. So this meeting of several groups may be an extreme way of searching for food because of the impact it has on their territory,” Mayo said.

Another thing that draws attention to the images is that the Mashco Piro are known for violently refusing contact, which has sometimes led to fatal confrontations.

Young indigenous people next to a river. — caption, These photos were taken on the banks of the Las Piedras River.

Deadly encounters

According to the few records available from the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, the Mashco Piro are A semi-nomadic indigenous community of about 750 members Which is mainly inhabiting the basins of the Manu, Los Amigos, Pariamanu, Las Piedras, Tahuamanu and Acre rivers in the southeast of Peru.

It is one of the few indigenous groups that live in In a state of complete isolation from the world.

But perhaps what has made him most known is his reluctance to have any contact with the modern world.

In 2011, an attack with arrows was reported by members of the community against a group of tourists passing through one of their areas.

Also that year, the death of Nicholas “Shako” Flores at the hands of Mashco Piro members was reported.

Indigenous people on the riverbank. — caption, It is estimated that about 50 members had gathered with the idea of searching for food.

Flores was from a neighboring community that had been trying to contact the Mashco Piro for years.

In 2015, a similar incident occurred, when Leonardo Pérez died after being shot with an arrow in the chest by a member of the Mashco Piro while he was on a forest tour.

A 2015 account of the attacks by anthropologist Glenn Shepard underscores the fact that the tribe is fearful of establishing links with the outside world.

In addition to the activities of logging companies, these indigenous people also face The threat of drug traffickers who have invaded their land.