The title of the story seized my attention immediately: Existence of 200 ‘uncontacted’ tribal people in Brazilian rainforest confirmed.
I clicked the link and started reading:
The Brazilian government has confirmed the existence of about 200 unidentified tribal people in the Amazon rainforest.
Satellite pictures in January revealed this community was living near the border with Peru. A flight expedition over the area in April confirmed that they are about 200 in numbers.
Along with Survival International Funai, an organization working for tribal people’s rights worldwide, Brazilian authorities found that these people are living in three clearings in the Javari Valley in the western Amazon.
According to Fabricio Amorim, who led Funai’s overflight expedition, illegal fishing, hunting, logging, mining, cattle ranching, missionary actions, drug trafficking and oil exploration on the Peru-Brazil border area are the main threats to the well-being of this community and their dwellings.
Brazil follows a policy not to contact these people, instead monitor their land so that they can live without any risk.
The community and its four straw-roofed huts were spotted in the Javari Valley, which is believed to be hiding around 2000 uncontacted tribes in the world.
Eh?! What?!
Missionaries, right there among ranchers and drug traffickers, threaten the well-being of these people. 😯
Threaten, mind you! 🙄
As a former MK (missionary kid) and a former missionary and a current mission board member, I hope missionaries get the Gospel to these folks soon.
Well, to see some aerial photos of the community, click the above link.
Then, for a personal challenge, see if you can locate those tribal people using publicly-available satellite imagery on the Web. 🙂