Brothers within the Woodland: This Battle to Protect an Isolated Rainforest Group

Tomas Anez Dos Santos toiled in a tiny clearing deep in the of Peru jungle when he noticed movements drawing near through the dense woodland.

He became aware that he had been surrounded, and froze.

“One was standing, aiming with an arrow,” he recalls. “And somehow he became aware I was here and I started to flee.”

He ended up face to face the Mashco Piro tribe. Over many years, Tomas—who lives in the modest community of Nueva Oceania—served as almost a neighbour to these itinerant individuals, who shun contact with foreigners.

A recent study by a rights organization indicates there are a minimum of 196 of what it calls “uncontacted groups” left worldwide. This tribe is thought to be the biggest. The report says half of these groups may be decimated over the coming ten years if governments neglect to implement more to protect them.

It claims the greatest risks stem from logging, mining or drilling for crude. Remote communities are extremely susceptible to basic illness—as such, the study states a risk is posed by exposure with religious missionaries and digital content creators seeking engagement.

In recent times, the Mashco Piro have been venturing to Nueva Oceania more and more, based on accounts from residents.

Nueva Oceania is a fishing village of several families, located high on the edges of the local river deep within the of Peru rainforest, a ten-hour journey from the nearest village by boat.

The area is not designated as a protected area for uncontacted groups, and timber firms function here.

Tomas says that, sometimes, the sound of logging machinery can be detected around the clock, and the community are observing their jungle damaged and destroyed.

Among the locals, inhabitants say they are conflicted. They are afraid of the Mashco Piro's arrows but they also possess deep regard for their “brothers” who live in the woodland and want to safeguard them.

“Permit them to live as they live, we are unable to change their culture. For this reason we keep our separation,” says Tomas.

Residents in Nueva Oceania are concerned about the harm to the community's way of life, the threat of violence and the possibility that deforestation crews might expose the community to diseases they have no defense to.

While we were in the community, the Mashco Piro made their presence felt again. Letitia Rodriguez Lopez, a young mother with a young child, was in the jungle collecting food when she heard them.

“We heard calls, shouts from people, numerous of them. Like it was a large gathering yelling,” she informed us.

That was the first instance she had met the group and she fled. An hour later, her head was persistently pounding from anxiety.

“Since operate timber workers and operations cutting down the woodland they are fleeing, maybe due to terror and they come in proximity to us,” she said. “It is unclear how they might react to us. That's what frightens me.”

Two years ago, two loggers were assaulted by the group while angling. One man was struck by an projectile to the stomach. He recovered, but the other person was discovered dead days later with multiple puncture marks in his physique.

The administration follows a policy of no engagement with remote tribes, making it forbidden to initiate interactions with them.

The policy originated in a nearby nation following many years of campaigning by community representatives, who saw that first contact with remote tribes could lead to whole populations being decimated by disease, hardship and starvation.

During the 1980s, when the Nahau community in the country made initial contact with the outside world, a significant portion of their population perished within a few years. During the 1990s, the Muruhanua people experienced the same fate.

“Secluded communities are extremely vulnerable—in terms of health, any interaction could spread illnesses, and including the basic infections may eliminate them,” states a representative from a tribal support group. “Culturally too, any contact or intrusion could be extremely detrimental to their existence and survival as a society.”

For those living nearby of {