Rare Footage of the Mashco Piro Tribe Emerges 2024

Introduction

Mashco Piro Tribe- Rare photos and footage have captured the Mashco Piro, an uncontacted tribe in the Peruvian Amazon, emerging from their isolated territory. The images, released by Survival International, show numerous tribe members relaxing by a riverbank. This sighting has raised concerns about the Mashco Piro’s well-being as they venture closer to logging concession areas.

Growing Concerns Over Logging Activities

According to FENAMAD, a local Indigenous rights group, increased logging activity in the area is likely pushing the tribe out of their traditional lands. The Mashco Piro may be moving closer to settlements in search of food and a safer refuge. Survival International reports the photos were taken in late June near the banks of a river in Madre de Dios, a southeastern Peruvian province bordering Brazil.

Evidence of Mashco Piro Presence

“These incredible images show that a large number of isolated Mashco Piro live alone a few kilometers from where the loggers are about to start their operations,” said Survival International director Caroline Pearce. More than 50 Mashco Piro people appeared near a village of the Yine people called Monte Salvado, and another group of 17 appeared in the nearby village of Puerto Nuevo.

Historical Context and Recent Sightings

The Mashco Piro, who inhabit an area between two natural reserves in Madre de Dios, have rarely appeared and do not communicate much with the Yine or anyone, according to Survival International. Several logging companies hold timber concessions inside the territory inhabited by the Mashco Piro. One company, Canales Tahuamanu, has built more than 200 kilometers of roads for its logging trucks to extract timber.

Impact of Logging on Indigenous Lands

The company is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and has 53,000 hectares of forests in Madre de Dios to extract cedar and mahogany. The Peruvian government reported on June 28 that local residents had seen Mashco Piro on the Las Piedras river, 150 kilometers from the city of Puerto Maldonado, the capital of Madre de Dios. The Mashco Piro have also been sighted across the border in Brazil.

The Flight from Loggers

“They flee from loggers on the Peruvian side,” said Rosa Padilha, at the Brazilian Catholic bishops’ Indigenous Missionary Council in the state of Acre. During the time of year when they collect Amazon turtle eggs, they leave behind a lot of turtle shells. “They are a people with no peace, restless because they are always on the run,” Padilha said.

Demographics and Language

The Mashco-Piro, also known as the Cujareño people and Nomole, are a nomadic hunter-gatherer tribe living in Manú National Park in the Madre de Dios Region in Peru. They speak a dialect of the Piro language and have traditionally avoided contact with non-native peoples. In 1998, their population was estimated to be around 100 to 250, which has since grown to over 750 in 2024.

Historical Tragedies and Survival

In 1894, most of the Mashco-Piro tribe was slaughtered by the private army of Carlos Fitzcarrald in the upper Manú River area. Many survivors retreated to the remote forest areas. Increased sightings of the tribe in the 21st century could be due to illegal logging and low-flying aircraft associated with oil and gas exploration.

Previous Sightings and Government Response

In September 2007, a group of ecologists filmed about 20 Mashco-Piro members from a helicopter flying above the Alto Purús national park. In October 2011, the Peru Ministry of Environment released a video of a few Mashco-Piros taken by travelers. In 2012, Survival International released new photographs of the tribe members.

Call for Action and Protection

Survival International is calling on the FSC to withdraw its certification of Canales Tahuamanu’s operations. Alfredo Vargas Pio, President of FENAMAD, emphasized the need for recognizing and protecting the territorial rights of the Mashco Piro. Caroline Pearce highlighted the urgency, stating, “This is a humanitarian disaster in the making. It’s absolutely vital that the loggers are thrown out, and the Mashco Piro’s territory is properly protected at last.”

https://survivalinternational.org/news/13964

Also read- https://globalbuzznetwork.com/mashco-piro-history/