Summary
Images from automatic cameras reveal the first detailed glimpse of the isolated Massaco community in the Brazilian Amazon, estimated to have doubled in size since the 1990s to 250 people.
Despite threats from ranchers, loggers, and miners, the Massaco remain resilient, using strategies like spikes to deter outsiders.
Brazil’s no-contact policy, initiated in 1987 to protect isolated Indigenous peoples from disease and exploitation, has led to population growth among similar groups.
However, chronic underfunding and illegal encroachments continue to threaten these communities and the forests they protect.
The article mentions tracking these people with satellite images. What a crazy contrast between worlds.
It’s honestly fascinating, and I don’t know if I envy these people or feel bad for them. Maybe a little bit of both.
It’s similar to Star Trek when they observe underdeveloped (Pre-Warp) civilizations, but we’re the Enterprise.
And the illegal miners and loggers are the fucking Ferengi interfering with everything.