Uncontacted people, also referred to as isolated people or lost tribes, are communities who live, or have lived, either by choice or by circumstance, without significant contact with globalised civilisation.
Few peoples have remained totally uncontacted by modern civilisation, and almost all current groups are in danger of being unwillingly contacted. Indigenous rights activists call for such groups to be left alone in respect of their right to self-determination. Some have chosen to make contact either exceedingly difficult or dangerous for those trying to reach them, such as the Sentinelese.
The majority of such communities are located in densely forested areas in South America and New Guinea. Knowledge of the existence of these groups comes mostly from infrequent (and often violent) encounters by neighbouring tribes, and also from aerial footage. A major problem with contacting isolated people is that they will lack any immunity to common diseases, which can be devastating to a closely contained population with no natural immunity.[1]
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Uncontacted tribes remain a fascination in developed society. Recently, the idea of tour operators offering extreme adventure tours to specifically search out uncontacted peoples has become a controversial subject.[2] A BBC Four documentary in 2006 documented a controversial American tour operator who specializes in escorted tours to "discover" uncontacted peoples in West Papua.[3] similar to the BBC's own adventure in Papua New Guinea to make their 1971 documentary A Blank on the Map in which the first contact in over a decade was made with the Biami people.
Two tribes of the Andaman Islands, belonging to India, have sought to avoid contact with the outside world.
The Sentinelese continue to actively and violently reject contact. They live on North Sentinel Island, a small and remote island which lies to the west of the southern part of South Andaman Island. They are thought to number around 250 (median estimate). Based on helicopter surveys of the island, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami does not appear to have affected the Sentinelese adversely.
It is estimated that they have lived on their island for 60,000 years. Their language is markedly different from even other languages on the Andamans,[4] which suggests that they have remained uncontacted for thousands of years. They are thus considered the most isolated people in the world, and they are likely to remain so, because India abandoned attempts to make contact.[4]
Another Andamanese tribe, the Jarawa, live on the main islands. They rejected all contact, but following the completion of a trunk road traversing their territory in 1997, some have begun emerging from the forest to beg for food. They are thought to number 300 persons.
The Ruc people, when first encountered by North Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War, were hunting-gathering tribes, dwelling in caves of eastern Quang Binh province. Since then, the government has made many attempts to relocate them.[5]
In 1984, a group of Pintupi people who were living a traditional hunter-gatherer life were tracked down in the Gibson Desert in Western Australia. For the first time, they encountered people from European-Australian society. They are believed to have been the last uncontacted tribe in Australia.[6]
Large areas of New Guinea are yet to be explored by scientists and anthropologists due to a lack of safety.
The Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua in the island of New Guinea is home to an estimated 44 uncontacted tribal groups.[7] Isolated tribes have been reported also in the eastern Indonesian islands.
The Lacandon of Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala, were the last known isolated people in North America. They were contacted in 1924.
Ishi, a Yahi, is believed to be the last Native American in Northern California to have lived most of his life completely outside the European American culture. In the year 1911, he emerged from the wild near Oroville, California, leaving his ancestral homeland in the foothills near Lassen Peak.[8]
As of 2006, the presence of five uncontacted groups was confirmed in Bolivia; three more uncontacted groups are believed to exist. The groups whose presence has been confirmed are: the Ayoreo in Kaa-Iya National Park, the Mbya-Yuqui in the Yuqui Reservation and Rio Usurinta (most of the Yuqui are now contacted; only a few families remain uncontacted), the Yurakare in Santa Cruz and Beni, the Pacahuara in the Chacobo reservation, and the Araona in the Araona Reservation. The presence of other groups, such as the Toromona and Nahua in Madidi National Park, has yet to be confirmed.
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinabo/Kapuibo (Nahua) | under 200 | Between the lower Beni and the lower Yata |
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| Yanaigua | 100–200 | Between the Rio Grande and Upper San Miguel |
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| Yuqui | 100 | Between Upper Ichilo and Upper Yapacani |
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On January 18, 2007, FUNAI reported that it had confirmed the presence of 67 uncontacted tribes in Brazil, up from 40 in 2005.[9] With this reported increase, Brazil has surpassed the island of New Guinea (divided between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea) as the region having the highest number of uncontacted tribes (however, numbers are not available for Papua New Guinea).
Brazil has the most uncontacted groups in the world. The seven Terras Indígenas (TI) (Reservations) exclusively reserved for isolated people are:
Uncontacted groups living in other people's TIs are:
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apiaká | over 100 | Mato Grosso – Between Lower Juruena and Lower Teles Pires |
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| Apurinã | over 50 | Amazonas – Upper rio Sepatini | Arawak. |
| Aruá | 75 at most | Rondônia |
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| Avá-Canoeiro | 30 | Northern Goiás and Bananal Island, in Tocantins. |
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| Guaja | 120 [already counted among the known group] | Maranhão – Scattered throughout the western part of the state |
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| Ingarune | around 100 | North Pará – Rio Cuminapanema and Paru de Oeste |
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| Kanibo (Mayo) | 120–150 | Rio Quixito, Javari Basin, Amazonas | Probably Pano.
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| Kaniwa (Korubo) | 300 | 9 malocas in Between Lower Ituí and Lower Itacuaí, Amazonas | Pano.
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| Karafawyana and other isolated Carib tribes. | 400–500 | Four locations in Roraima and north Pará.
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Mostly Cariban.
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| Karitiana | 50–100 | Upper Rio Candeias, Rondônia. | Tupi–Arikem. Identified by the small group that has been contacted. |
| Katawixi | 50 | Upper Rio Muquim, tributary of the Purus, Amazonas. | Isolated language. One community only has been located. |
| Kayapó do Rio Liberdade | over 100 | Lower Rio Liberdade, northern Mato Grosso. | Gé. Identified by other Kayapó towards whom they are hostile. |
| Kayapó-Pu'ro | 100 | Lower Rio Curuá, South Pará. | Kayapó. Group which has broken away from the Mekragnoti since 1940. Outside Kayapó I.T. |
| Kayapó-Pituiaro | 200 | Rio Murure, South Pará. | Kayapó. Group which has broken away from the Kuben-kranken since 1950. Partly outside Kayapó I.T. |
| Kayapó-Kararao | around 50 | Lower Rio Guajara, South Pará. | Kayapó. Group which has broken away from the Kararao. Struggles are part of their traditions. |
| Kulina | unknown | Rio Curuça, tributary of the Javari, Amazonas. | Arawan. Small isolate communities belonging to the big Kulina group. |
| Maku (Nadeb) | around 100 | Uneiuxi and Urubaxi Basins, Amazonas. | Isolated language. Isolated elements of Maku groups that have already been contacted. Hunter-gatherers. |
| Mamaindé | 50–100 | Upper Rio Corumbiara, Rondônia. | Isolated language. Isolated group of Nambikwara. A no-entry zone was allocated and then cancelled under local pressure. Recently massacred. |
| Hi-Merimã | 1,500 | Riozinho, tributary of the Cuniuã, Purus Basin, Amazonas. | Arawan(?). Their area has recently been declared protected. |
| Mayoruna | 200–300 | 3 locations in Amazonas:
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Pano. Small isolated communities of the large Mayoruna group. |
| Miqueleno (Cujubi) | ? | Upper Rio São Miguel, Rondônia | Isolated Chapakura language. Area invaded by loggers. Recently massacred. |
| Nereyana | around 100 | Rio Panama, headwaters of Paru do Oeste, North Pará. | Karib. Perhaps more closely related to the Kachuyana than to the Tiriyo. |
Pacaás Novos
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around 150 | Serra dos Pacaás Novos, Rondônia.
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Isolated Chapakura language. Isolated groups belonging to the major Pacaás Novos group. Included in the Uru-eu-wau-wau I.T.
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Papavo Supergroup, which includes:
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over 400 | Acre (Scattered over a single large territory)
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Many isolated communities belonging to four distinct groups. Struggling is part of their traditions: reciprocal hostile contacts with the Kampa (whom they plunder), and peaceful ones with the Kulina; they plunder the loggers' encampments.
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| Pariuaia | over 100 | Rio Bararati, tributary of the Lower Juruena, Amazonas. | Probably Tupi–Kawahib, Tupi–Guarani. Have refused all contact since 1930. |
| Piriutiti | 100–200 | Rio Curiau, Amazonas. | Related to the Waimiri-Atroari (Karib). Some live in, others outside, the latter's I.T. |
| Sateré | unknown | Rio Parauari, tributary of the Maués-açu, Amazonas. | Tupi. Communities that split away from the Sateré-Maué a long time ago. |
| Tupi–Kawahib (Piripicura) | 200–300 | Between the Madeirinha and Roosevelt rivers, northern Mato Grosso. | Tupi–Guarani. A no-entry zone has just been allocated for them. |
| Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau | 300 | Serra dos Pakaás-Novas, Rondônia. | Tupi–Guarani. There remain over 3 uncontacted groups. Several hostile encounters with gold-seekers and loggers. All are included in the vast Uru-eu-wau-wau I.T. |
| Wayãpi (Yawãpi) | 100–150 | Upper Ipitinga, between the Jari and the Paru do Leste, northern Pará. | Tupi–Guarani. Group which formerly broke away from the Southern Wayãpi. |
| Yakarawakta | 20–30 | Between the Rios Aripuanã and Juruena, Mato Grosso Norte. | Tupi–Guarani. Probably an Apiaka sub-group. |
| Yanomami | 300 | Amazonas
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Yanomami.
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| name unknown | around 100 | Between the Upper Amapari and Upper Oiapoque, Amapa. | Unspecified language family. According to the Southern Wayãpi, a group that formerly broke away from them. According to the Northern Wayãpi, one of their former enemy groups, the Tapüiy. |
| name unknown (Isolados do Jandiatuba) | 300 | Between the Upper Jandiatuba and the Itacuaí, Amazonas. | Maybe a Katukina group. |
| name unknown (Isolados do São José) | 300 | Igarapé São José, tributary of the Itacuaí, Amazonas. | Seems to be a group distinct from Isolados do Jandiatuba. |
| name unknown | unknown | Igarapé Recreio, Cruzeiro do Sul municipality, Upper Juruá, Acre. | Panoan(?) |
| name unknown (Isolados do Igarapé Tueré) | unknown | Igarapé Tueré, tributary of the Itacaiúnas, Pará. | Tupi(?) |
| name unknown (Isolados do Arama e Inaui) | around 100 | South of Rio Inauini, Purus Basin, Amazonas. | |
| name unknown (Isolados do Igarapé Umari) | unknown | Igarapé Umari, tributary of the Ituxi, Amazonas. | |
| name unknown (Isolados da Serra do Taquaral) | unknown | Serra do Taquaral, source of the Rio Branco, Rondônia. |
Of the known uncontacted peoples of Brazil, according to the above, 16 live in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, 7 in Rondônia, 8 in Pará, 2 in Acre, 3 in Mato Grosso, and one each in Amapá, Maranhão, Roraima and Tocantins. Keep in mind some migrate between state lines.
Due to ongoing paramilitary conflict, Colombia is a country that offers little protection for isolated groups. Carabayo-Aroje is the one such group, living in the Parque Nacional del Rio Pure. It is not known whether any Yari (another tribe believed to be uncontacted) survives now. Nukaak Maku were contacted in 2003 and 65% of the tribal members died of disease. Around two or three dozen Nukaak still remain isolated.
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carabayo | 150 | Amazonas – Source of the Purué River, north of the Putumayo River |
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| Guaviare Macusa (Now Nukaak) | 300 | Guainia – Between the Guaviare River and the Inírida River |
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| name unknown (Isolados dos Rio Yari) | unknown | Caqueta – Upper Rio Yari |
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It is not known whether any Tagaeri survives now in Yasuni National Park. In the 1990s when a member of Tagaeri was contacted by a lone Huaorani hunter, he told him that Tagaeri numbers only a handful of members and are in danger of being wiped out by their hostile neighbours – the Taromenane. Since then there have been no more peaceful contacts. The Tagaeri hunter also mentioned about another group, the Oñamenane who numbered five or six individuals and there was one more tribe – the Huiñatare. In 2003 about 30 Taromenane were massacred by the Huaorani in retaliation for the killing of a Huaorani hunter. In the same year 14 Tagaeri were killed by loggers. In April 2006 a logger was speared to death by the Taromenane (in 2005 another one was also killed by the same tribe, whose body was later found embedded with 30 spears and his face unrecognizable). In the same month a further 30 Taromenane and 10 loggers were killed in conflicts according to leader Iki Ima Omene (of Huaorani). In Jan 2007 the president of Ecuador declared the Southern part of Yasuni a forbidden zone (7,580 square kilometers) in order to protect the uncontacted people. At the same time CONAIE reported that there are a total of 150–300 Taromenane (divided into two sub-tribes) and 20–30 Tagaeri surviving uncontacted there. The Oñamenane and Huiñatare are extinct. Ecuador continues to be the country with the largest number of uncontacted people killed since 2000.
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huaorani | 100–200 | Oriente – Between the Upper Napo and Upper Curaray |
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| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wapishana | 100 | Between the sources of the Essequibo River and the Tacutu River; Serra Acarai |
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| name unknown | around 100 | Between the Upper Courantyne and the New River |
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| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayãpi | 100 | Between the Eureupoucine and the Upper Camopi |
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There are now five reserves in the Peruvian Amazon meant to protect the lands and rights of isolated peoples. Most of the reserves are currently entered by illegal loggers and petroleum companies with legal concessions to work in those lands, although their activities jeopardize the lives of the isolated populations.
After Brazil (43 uncontacted groups confirmed) and New Guinea (Papua New Guinea and Iriyan Jaya), Peru has the largest number of uncontacted tribes in the world. Some of the groups in Peru are in danger of extermination by loggers and oil development. As of 2006, the locations where uncontacted groups are confirmed to be living are as follows:
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morunahua | 150 | This group is probably related to the group that used to be called Papavo in Brazil. | |
| Parquenahua | 200 | Pano. They live in the Manu national park. | |
| Pisabo | 200 | Pano. |
| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akulio | 50 | Watershed between Suriname and Brazil. Between the sources of the Itani and the Jari |
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| Name | Pop (Est) | Location | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yanomami | 300–400 (already included in the total for Yanomami populations) | Amazonas – Upper Siapa |
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There remain perhaps as many as 300 Totobiegosode who have not been contacted; they belong to the Ayoreo ethnicity, which numbers around 2,000. In the 1990s the main group attempting to contact them was New Tribes Mission. In 1979 and 1986, the New Tribes Mission was accused of assisting in the forcible contact of nomadic Ayoreo Indians, whose unsuccessful attempts to remain in the forest led to several deaths. Others died soon after being brought out of the forest. The incident forced some Ayoreo to flee to Bolivia. The main threat currently are the ranchers. In 2004 a group of 17 Ayoreo-Totobiegosode previously uncontacted made contact with the outside world and decided to settle down (five men, seven women and five children, according to Survival). It was not known whether there were any more isolated Ayoreo left in the jungle. But in the first week of September 2007, another uncontacted band of Ayoreo-Totobiegosode were spotted by loggers in the Western Chaco. Ayoreo are believed to be the last uncontacted Indians south of the Amazon basin.[12] In 2008, a Paraguayan ruling blocked a Brazilian company from clearing Totobiegosode to make room for cattle ranches.[13][14] Although the forest is still being cleared illegally.[15]