Lost tribe discovered deep in Amazon

[Geekyfanboy]

I came across this today on yahoo news.. it's pretty amazing.. check out the pictures.

Fri May 30, 2:02 PM ET

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080530/ts_afp/brazilnative_080530180225

SAO PAULO (AFP) - Dramatic images of an isolated Brazilian tribe believed never to have had contact with the outside world were published by officials Friday to draw attention to threats posed to their way of life.

The pictures, released by the Brazilian government's National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), showed alarmed natives pointing bows and arrows at the aircraft carrying photographers.

The head of FUNAI's environmental protection unit responsible for the images, Jose Carlos dos Reis Meirelles, told AFP the foundation had known of the existence of the tribe for years -- located in thick rainforest near the Peruvian border -- and many photos had been taken.

"We have been watching this isolated indigenous community for at least 20 years. The idea in revealing the photos was to raise the alarm over the risk threatening them," he said in a telephone interview from western Acre state, where the indigenous group is located.

He explained the tribe had been pushed slowly out of Peruvian territory into Brazil by loggers cutting down their Amazon basin habitat, and that the pace of the illegal deforestation was now accelerating.

"Peruvian authorities recently said this indigenous community doesn't exist. Well, they do exist and they are facing an enormous risk," Meirelles said.

"But they weren't just discovered today. All this region is a cultural mosaic and there are four different identified groups living close to one another," he said.

He said he did not know -- "and didn't care to know" -- what ethnic group the isolated tribe came from.

"All I care about is protecting them, keeping them in their isolation."

The pictures show the tribe's members, their skin painted red and black, in a village of huts with thatched roofs.

The head of FUNAI's Isolated Indians Department, Elias Biggio, told reporters that Meirelles's team had not had any physical contact with the tribe.

Survival International, a British group lobbying on behalf of indigenous people around the world, said on its website there were fears illegal logging in Peru could also endanger the Brazilian tribe by forcing displaced Peruvian tribes into contact with it.

It said there were an estimated 500 isolated indigenous people living on the Brazilian side of the border.

"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," Survival International director Stephen Corry said.

His group said there were more than 100 uncontacted indigenous tribes worldwide.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Oregon News Station were all over this story.  Intriguing to think of how many ancient tribes there are in the world still.....

King

[Geekyfanboy]

The Not-So-Lost Tribe
by Mike Krumboltz

June 23, 2008 06:09:40 PM

Even in an age when cynical sleuths can hyper-analyze stories for truth and accuracy, the occasional hoax still slips through the cracks. Such was the case with a so-called "lost Amazon tribe."

A few months ago, mainstream news outlets (including, ahem, Yahoo!) reported that a photographer had found a lost tribe of warriors near the Brazilian-Peruvian border. Photos of the tribe backed up his claim.

As it turns out, the story is only half true. The men in the photo are members of a tribe, but it certainly ain't "lost." In fact, as the photographer, José Carlos Meirelles, recently explained, authorities have known about this particular tribe since 1910. The photographer and the agency that released the pictures wanted to make it seem like they were members of a lost tribe in order to call attention to the dangers the logging industry may have on the group.

The photographer recently came clean, and news outlets, perhaps embarrassed at having been taken for a ride, have been slow to pick up the story. Now, the word is starting to spread and articles in the Buzz are picking up steam. Expect a lot more brutal truth in the coming days.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

All I'm going to say is:

not cool. 

King

[Jen]

Doh.. you beat me to it Kenny. Yeah, what a disappointment this is. They are actual tribesmen... but they were discovered in the early 1900's. Oh well. I've read that there are an estimated 100 "lost tribes" in the world... maybe we'll hear of another one someday soon.

[moyer777]

I told you there was a coke machine next to one of the huts.  :)

[Meds]

It was the Ford Torino that made up my mind.

[sheldor]

I heard about the mock story this morning.  I can see this getting some attention on youtube.  Wait and see...

[Jen]

I told you there was a coke machine next to one of the huts.  :)

No.. this was too lame. They have a Pepsi Machine outside, not a Coke machine.

[Meds]

Oh Jen, you kill me ha ha