'Uncontacted tribes' sighted in Amazon

theis · May 30, 2008, 08:42 AM

Indians are photographed during an overflight in May 2008, as they react to the overflight at their camp

(CNN) --

Taken from a small airplane, the photos show men outside thatched communal huts, necks craned upward, pointing bows toward the air in a remote corner of the Amazonian rainforest.

The National Indian Foundation, a government agency in Brazil, published the photos Thursday on its Web site. It tracks "uncontacted tribes" -- indigenous groups that are thought to have had no contact with outsiders -- and seeks to protect them from encroachment.

More than 100 uncontacted tribes remain worldwide, and about half live in the remote reaches of the Amazonian rainforest in Peru or Brazil, near the recently photographed tribe, according to Survival International, a nonprofit group that advocates for the rights of indigenous people.

"All are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed or decimated by new diseases," the organization said Thursday.

Illegal logging in Peru is threatening several uncontacted groups, pushing them over the border with Brazil and toward potential conflicts with about 500 uncontacted Indians living on the Brazilian side, Survival International said.

Its director, Stephen Cory, said the new photographs highlight the need to protect uncontacted people from intrusion by the outside world.

"These pictures are further evidence that uncontacted tribes really do exist," Cory said in a statement. "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."

The photos released Thursday show men who look strong and healthy, the Brazilian government said. They and their relatives apparently live in six communal shelters known as malocas, according to the government, which has tracked at least four uncontacted groups in the region for the last 20 years.

The photos were taken during 20 hours of flights conducted between April 28 and May 2.

That's pretty damn cool.

Weird to think about...

Variable · May 30, 2008, 09:58 AM

april fools

fireflyry · May 30, 2008, 10:06 AM

Thats me in the pic.

It was a 24/7 outdoor rave, the theme being amazon, the LSD being free.

I recall chants of "Kill the flying Demon!!!!" at some stage.

theis · May 30, 2008, 10:12 AM

hahahhaha

Jacob · May 30, 2008, 10:17 AM

I'm not at all surprised. seeing as how there are still many tribes with barely any contact with the outside world, there could definitely be those few with no contact at all. maybe they've run into a lone seafarer or explorer at some point, but instead of welcoming him in maybe they killed and ate him - thus no word of them reached the outside world.

fireflyry · May 30, 2008, 10:22 AM

I thought that was referred to as Texas?

Jacob · May 30, 2008, 10:25 AM

hahaha

theis · May 30, 2008, 10:46 AM

Ry, the king of gif sigs.

Jacob · May 30, 2008, 10:48 AM

hell yeah. I wanna know who that girl is. so I can seek her out and do to her what that guy does.

fireflyry · May 30, 2008, 11:00 AM

Hold up...thats my wife.....

Jacob · May 30, 2008, 12:53 PM

well, may I...?

fireflyry · May 30, 2008, 01:09 PM

The fact you still asked makes you rad....whanker.

theis · May 30, 2008, 01:13 PM

pretty cool pic. nice little village.

fireflyry · May 30, 2008, 01:22 PM

You should see the dance floor.

Variable · May 30, 2008, 05:55 PM

lol, why are they all orange, then one all black one just walking around?

sorry kids but im pretty sure thats a photoshop job. "the national INDIAN foundation" should have been the first give away

goldpony · May 30, 2008, 06:14 PM

Quote from: Variable on May 30, 2008, 05:55 PM
lol, why are they all orange, then one all black one just walking around?

sorry kids but im pretty sure thats a photoshop job. "the national INDIAN foundation" should have been the first give away

well if it is, then all the major news outlets just got hoaxed since they are all reporting on this lol

Variable · May 30, 2008, 06:35 PM

lary king could be mooning them out of a helicopter on live TV and I still wouldn't believe those pics.

wither-I · May 30, 2008, 07:09 PM

Quote from: fireflyry on May 30, 2008, 10:06 AM
Thats me in the pic.

It was a 24/7 outdoor rave, the theme being amazon, the LSD being free.

I recall chants of "Kill the flying Demon!!!!" at some stage.

hahaha this is awesome! hahaha. do you write? out of curiosity...

Jacob · May 30, 2008, 08:53 PM

Quote from: fireflyry on May 30, 2008, 01:09 PM
The fact you still asked makes you rad....whanker.

haha

as for those pics, they just showed it on the news here, along with some video footage (in which you only saw the huts). so I believe it.

Variable · May 30, 2008, 10:48 PM

yeah I actually went to do a bit of research on it and it seems a lot more legit. But for the sake of being stubborn im still saying its fake.

My story is that some guy from the National Indian foundation was mad because him and his organization dont get enough attention. So he photoshoped the pics and gave them to the press to raise awareness or get funding or something. So pretty much this guy is awesome for proving that the US news media is a bunch of morons.

seriously, orange men shooting arrows and airplanes flying overhead? That's like something out of a bad wana be indiana jones movie. No way its real. I believe in uncontacted tribes 100%, just not these pics.