About the uncontacted Indigenous peoples at the border of Peru and Brazil

A handout photo from the Brazilian government shows members of an "uncontacted" Amazon tribe spotted during a flight over the state of Acre near the border with Peru. Photograph by Reuters/Ho New
via National Geographic. May 2008.

Apparently and suddenly now the developed world cares about the fate of the Amazon Indigenous peoples. Oh how wonderful! Especially when those "indians" have never been contacted before. Contacted by whom?

These days, media outlets and scholars from rich imperialist nations -say the US , UK and other European countries- are talking (a lot) about our brothers and sisters of the Amazon. They describe them as some curious pets, or another archaeological objects to be protected for study, observation and a great topic for the next scientist meeting chit chat.

Some people have the nerve to talk about protecting those whose ancestors were horribly killed and exploited by rich countries. And today the story continues, as those governments and corporations are destroying the Amazon forest. This is done of course in complicity with the corrupted -and racist- leadership of Peru, Brazil, and Colombia (Ecuador and Bolivia are trying hard to do the opposite.)

Meanwhile non-existent borders are defining the fate of the real owners of the biggest forest of our planet.

For instance, Brazilians are cutting down trees and expelling Native peoples, and the government is doing not enough to reverse the insane actions of urban invaders. In Peru, over 70 per cent of its Amazon region has been already sold or rented to oil and gas corporations. And what the rich nations are saying? "Thank you bitch."

The same nations that caused the biggest genocide that is known in human history, now they seem to care about a group of Amazonian habitants. And they call them "tribes." The last ones... "yeah we killed them all and now we feel sorry for the last ones." So they think.

I wish those phonies were really trying to save our people. But little is being done and the consequences will be faced by all of us, rather we are "civilized" or not.

We can be "contacted" people or not, can be rural or urban folks, we may be Indigenous peoples from Africa, Europe, Asia or America, we could be immigrants, or colonizers, imperialists, or oppressed people. It doesn't matter!

We all need to understand something: we need to care for each other and for our common home, our only planet. We must understand that we are in this life, as temporary tenants of this big house that is about to get burned down altogether.

It's so upsetting to read about the concerns of rich nations on the future of the "last uncontacted tribe" of humans with red-painted bodies. Please people stop the bullshit. Actions speak louder than phony speeches, cheesy TV reports and boring academic papers.

Act today, do something to save the Amazon forest, and every single human tribe that live in the jungle of New York, Dubai or a piece of land in South America that might be our last source of food and water.


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