🔗 Share this article

Tomas Anez Dos Santos worked in a tiny glade within in the of Peru rainforest when he heard footsteps coming closer through the lush jungle.

It dawned on him he was encircled, and froze.

“One person positioned, pointing with an arrow,” he states. “Unexpectedly he became aware that I was present and I began to run.”

He found himself face to face the Mashco Piro. For decades, Tomas—residing in the tiny settlement of Nueva Oceania—was almost a neighbor to these nomadic individuals, who shun interaction with strangers.

A recent study by a advocacy organization states remain at least 196 described as “remote communities” left worldwide. The Mashco Piro is believed to be the largest. The study claims 50% of these tribes might be eliminated within ten years unless authorities fail to take more actions to defend them.

It claims the biggest threats stem from deforestation, digging or operations for petroleum. Remote communities are extremely vulnerable to common sickness—therefore, the report states a danger is posed by contact with religious missionaries and online personalities in pursuit of engagement.

In recent times, members of the tribe have been venturing to Nueva Oceania with greater frequency, as reported by residents.

This settlement is a fishing hamlet of a handful of clans, sitting elevated on the edges of the local river in the center of the of Peru rainforest, a ten-hour journey from the nearest village by canoe.

This region is not classified as a preserved area for isolated tribes, and timber firms work here.

Tomas reports that, on occasion, the sound of heavy equipment can be detected day and night, and the Mashco Piro people are observing their woodland disrupted and destroyed.

Among the locals, residents say they are torn. They fear the tribal weapons but they also possess deep admiration for their “kin” residing in the forest and wish to safeguard them.

“Let them live as they live, we must not modify their way of life. For this reason we keep our space,” explains Tomas.

Residents in Nueva Oceania are worried about the harm to the community's way of life, the danger of violence and the chance that loggers might subject the tribe to sicknesses they have no immunity to.

During a visit in the village, the tribe made themselves known again. Letitia, a resident with a two-year-old daughter, was in the jungle gathering fruit when she heard them.

“We heard calls, shouts from others, numerous of them. As though there were a crowd shouting,” she informed us.

That was the first instance she had come across the group and she fled. After sixty minutes, her head was persistently pounding from fear.

“Because exist deforestation crews and companies clearing the forest they are escaping, perhaps out of fear and they arrive in proximity to us,” she explained. “It is unclear how they will behave to us. This is what terrifies me.”

In 2022, two individuals were confronted by the group while catching fish. A single person was struck by an arrow to the gut. He survived, but the other person was located dead after several days with several injuries in his body.

The Peruvian government maintains a approach of non-contact with secluded communities, making it prohibited to commence encounters with them.

This approach began in a nearby nation after decades of campaigning by community representatives, who observed that early interaction with remote tribes resulted to whole populations being eliminated by sickness, hardship and starvation.

During the 1980s, when the Nahau tribe in Peru came into contact with the world outside, 50% of their community succumbed within a short period. A decade later, the Muruhanua tribe experienced the similar destiny.

“Remote tribes are extremely vulnerable—in terms of health, any interaction might spread illnesses, and even the most common illnesses may eliminate them,” states a representative from a local advocacy organization. “From a societal perspective, any interaction or disruption could be very harmful to their life and health as a community.”

For local residents of {