MSNBC
THE TEAM of
20 researchers will travel by boat along tributaries of the Amazon
River, covering 2,486 miles (4,000 kms), in order to learn more
about the tribe, but will not contact the Indians.“This is
not about entering in contact with them. The idea is to find them
and then demarcate the territory they occupy,” said Costa.
“They have been isolated and should remain that way.”The
foundation estimates there are 53 Indian tribes living in isolation
in Brazil, most of them in the Amazon — the world’s
largest tropical forest, which is seven times the size of France.Costa
said apart from proving the tribe’s existence, the expedition
would also attempt to determine if the area had been invaded by
loggers or illegal miners who often enter Indian land lured by
precious metals, sometimes sparking confrontations.
The so-called
Javari Valley, a region on the frontier with Peru and Colombia
and only accessible by boat, has numerous Indian tribes that have
only been identified in recent years, such as the Marubo, Canamari
and Culina peoples.The National Indian Foundation estimates that
4,000 Indians live in the area.Brazil’s Indian population
has fallen to 350,000 from more than 6 million before white men
arrived 500 years ago. The decline has been caused by enslavement,
persecution and foreign illnesses.
|
