Cholesterol Cause Or Effect

PARÁ LIVING IN VOLUNTARY ISOLATION

Many Amazonian groups face extinction as spaces disappear in which to live away from the modern world .

Some 64 indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation, away from the eyes of the world in the Amazon are condemned to gradual extinction in Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia - groups like the Tagaeri, Huaorani, Taromenane Coruba, Amamhuaca, Mascha, Kineri, Nanti, Nahua and Kugapakori, among others. These tribes remain a mystery, prefer to have remained isolated existence for centuries, and avoided all contact with strangers. What little is known about them has been known by other indigenous groups and casual meetings with developers and groups of human rights defenders. However, it is clear that their number decreases rapidly: the number of Coruba only 40 individuals is also estimated that the number of speakers Mascha is between 20 and 100. It is also estimated that only 720 people speak the language Amamhuaca, 500 in Peru and 220 in Brazil.

Trying to learn more about these groups can be fatal. The last known report on contact with the Tagaeri, the indigenous group with strict isolation was in 1987 when two missionaries whose aim was to try to persuade the tribe to allow extraction of oil into their territory, he concluded with the death of two missionaries. Then the Tagaeri abandoned their homes and disappeared into the depths of the dense Amazon jungle, showing their rejection of coexistence with the modern world.

indigenous groups see the oil and gas companies, loggers, miners and entrepreneurs as "ghosts of death" because of the toxic legacy that can leave behind to pollute rivers and forests as a source considered of life for these communities. Indigenous groups have developed their own systems over medical and food supplies, but they are fragile and easily threatened by damage to the ecosystems they inhabit. Often, contact with people outside their group results in the transmission of diseases resulting in epidemics, since the Indians have no immunity to diseases in other parts would be common and curable.

Governments around the world have increasingly recognized the rights of indigenous peoples. In part, this has been the result of an empowerment process followed by those groups who have submitted their demands to governments. In the case of groups living in isolation, and would prefer to avoid contact with government and other communities, is much more difficult to respond to their needs. The Brazilian government has been one of the first to take steps to adopt a policy to create land reserves for people living in voluntary isolation, defining areas of exclusion for the extractive industries and migrants. Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are also looking for similar actions. The challenge faced by impoverished governments of the region is to achieve a balance between the exploitation of the riches of the Amazon belt for development and protection of these fragile indigenous groups and cultural heritage they represent.

Information Centre United Nations
Social Affairs, Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.