Tribes In Deep Water: Gold, Guns And The Amazon’s Last Frontier

Posted on Sunday, 26 August, 2018Sunday, 26 August, 2018 by Zheluo Cai

Vale do Javari (Javari Valley) is one of the largest indigenous territories in Brazil, encompassing 85,444.82 km ² (32,990 mi ²), or an area larger than Austria. It is named after the Javari River, the most important river of the region, which since 1851 forms the border with Peru. It includes much of the Atalaia do Norte municipality as well as adjacent territories in the western section of Amazonas state. Besides the Javari, it is intersected by the Pardo, Quixito, Itaquai and Ituí rivers. Vale do Javari is home to 3,000 indigenous peoples of Brazil with varying sorts of contact, including the Matis, the Matses, the Kulina, the Mayoruna, and others. The uncontacted indigenous peoples are estimated to be more than 2,000 individuals belonging to at least 14 tribes like the Isolados do Rio Quixito, Isolados do Itaquai (Korubo), Isolados do Jandiatuba, Isolados do Alto Jutai, Isolados do Sao Jose, Isolados do Rio Branco, Isolados do Medio Javari and Isolados do Jaquirana-Amburus. These are believed to be living deep inside its reservation areas. The uncontacted tribes live in some 19 known villages identified by air. According to Fabricio Amorim from Fundação Nacional do Índio, the region contains “the greatest concentration of isolated groups in the Amazon and the world.” Credit: Wikipedia.