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Photo of previously uncontaced tribes in S. America

  • Thread starter nightsky
  • Start date

nightsky

Lover of Mountains
This is absolutely amazing to me. Seeing these pictures is even somewhat eerie, as if looking back in time. It's amazing that even now there are peoples who know of know world outside their little village and territory. For ages these guys have lived as they live now, and then one day a plane overflies their village, taking pictures. Reading the article, it's only upon the second return of the plane that they painted themselves up so brightly, apparently in a war paint of sorts. So obviously, they have been tainted already by our 'contact'. This could have been a very horrifying experience for these people. They have no concept of airplane, so it's entirely possible this was interpreted as a creature, maybe a god of some sort.. Who knows, maybe they are at this moment still trying to grasp with what they saw and from here on a new 'religion' or legend that will be passed down, simply based on the plane. By simply being seen, our world has forever tainted theirs. Mind boggling!

I sincerely hope they are left alone from here out. All those uncontaced tribes? I say let them be. Let them live as they have for ages. They live in balance with their resources and nature. No need to ruin them with all the burdens of modern society. Anyways, the articles, pictures:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...acted-tribes-firing-bows-arrows.html?ITO=1490

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080530/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/brazil_indians

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Rather colorful individuals, wouldn't ya say?
 
Let's get some missionaries down there right now and start converting them!
First, we'll try and wash the "color" out of their skin... worked so well in the 1600s

Onward christian soldiers!

bum, bah, bum, bah, bah...
 
I saw that on the news this morning. They said they don't want anyone going there to see them because the natives immune systems would not be like ours and they could get sick and die of something like a cold.

It's really fascinating to think there are still "primitive" people on our planet.
 
Well I see a lawsuit coming. Did the people that took the pics get permission to use these peoples likenesses? I doubt it. Some lawyer will probably fly in to sign these people up for a class-action lawsuit.
 
Those photos are just unbelievable. Absolutely amazing!
 
It does not look like they enjoyed the experience.
 
You mean Oompa Loompa's are real?!

Alright. In all seriousness, there is no way to "let them be" because now they know they have been observed. We should leave them alone (can't possibly truly leave them alone), but at the same time offer everyone and future generations the opportunity to integrate with the modern world. To withhold modern technology and medicine for the sake at preserving a culture would be cruel. Even the Amish get a choice.

They better say what English sounds like! Apparently Brazil has known about them for decades anyway and has kept tabs on them. I can only imagine their terror at the sight of an air craft.


The first thing I thought of when I saw this is that if the world can hide an entire people, then imagine all of the CP's that could be out there to be discovered!
 
  • #10
Alright. In all seriousness, there is no way to "let them be" because now they know they have been observed.
Well as long as their location doesn't leak out they will have a good chance of not being bothered, but with all of the indiana jones wannabes out there it could turn out to be difficult. However I do not agree that they know they have been observed, they don't know what a plane is they can't comphrehend the whole situation by just a glance of an airplane

We should leave them alone (can't possibly truly leave them alone), but at the same time offer everyone and future generations the opportunity to integrate with the modern world. To withhold modern technology and medicine for the sake at preserving a culture would be cruel. Even the Amish get a choice.
Creul? How is that cruel, wouldn't it be cruel to contact these people and as the 'modern' world usually does, make a circus out of it. How is it not cruel to give these people their peace, their lifestyle for as long as we can?
If we contact them we introduce new diseases, mess up their vision of the world, etc

Right now they have their own community, their own beliefs, culture, rituals. I don't think they have it that bad at all. Ofcourse with our standards they do have it 'bad' (technologywise) because we are used to electricity, flowing water, internet and what not.
 
  • #11
What's that, Mr. tribal man? You're going to die soon? I'm sorry. No cancer drugs for you! Maybe go ask your medicine man to dance around you naked, covered in honey and rub a papaya on your forehead to appease the restless spirits of ancestors? Keeping your people isolated in order to preserve ignorance and a native culture is far more important than your life!

What's that? Your people die at a ripe old age of 50? Sorry. You and your people are doomed to a life of back breaking work to produce your own food and shelter. Sorry about that! You don't have the option of a life of ease. Preserving your culture is more important than your quality of life!

You're right. Not cruel at all. My mistake! Of course, they don't know what they're missing out on. It doesn't make it right to withhold that information. If you do not give them a choice, you're dooming them to a life of ignorance, needless labor, and what do they have to look forward to? Kicking the bucket way sooner than is the human life expectancy at this time.

Can you imagine if you introduced one of them to the modern world? It would be like one of us being welcomed onto an alien planet thats like a million times more advanced as Earth.
 
  • #12
What would be cruel is to turn their society and beliefs upon their head, in an apparent but misguided notion of making their life better. They have done fine for who knows how long. They haven't need of our medicines. Otherwise they wouldn't be around. Sure they might live longer with our medicines, or they might die sooner from being exposed to new microbes and germs. We have no right to decide for them that our way is better than theirs. We know they are there, now we need to protect those forests and keep outside contact away. We've already done enough damage by simply overflying them. This is such a treasure, imo, and it's one best left undisturbed.

Maybe they do die at 50. So? That's all they know. Ignorance is bliss. They don't know any better, and live their lives expecting this. So it's not cruel, as they do not know any better. IMO, the price they'd pay for access to modern medicine far outweighs the benefits.
 
  • #13
You can't give them a choice because once you introduce them to our world there is no way back.
You say they are doomed to a life of ignorance, however to ignore something you have to be aware it is there.
Now let's go your way and introduce them, according to you you give them a choice, however if they don't go our modern way, they are infact then doomed to a life of ignorance. Because then they know it is there and what they are missing out on and it will never be the same again as it was when their ancestors lived there
 
  • #14
Lmao. Saying their culture doesn't need medicine may be right. They can survive as a culture without it. Of course their people will die young and live with chronic, easily preventable conditions, but whatever. At least they're beliefs won't be turned upside down, right? Ignorance prevails. We have no right to say they must do anything, but not offering the choice is wrong.

I disagree. Look at the Amish. They do their own thing and each makes a choice. Yeah, they'll realize they aren't alone in the entire world. Boo freaking hoo. To be ignorant is to not know. You do not have to be aware something is there, because if you were, then you wouldn't be ignorant. Let's pretend I didn't know what a car was. I had no concept of a car at all. I would be ignorant. Even thought I had no idea it existed, i'm still ignorant. Being ignorant and ignoring something are not the same thing.......... c'mon. Yes. If they don't go our modern way, they choose ignorance. They choose to not educate themselves, although they may now be aware of the existence of other things. They aren't doomed by it, however, because they chose it. That's their choice, and I respect that. I no longer feel sorry for them. They would no longer be trapped by a lack of knowledge.

I'm not going to say we should not offer them a choice for "the greater 'good'". You're saying you'd rather people die than let them have the choice not to. That is EXACTLY what you're saying. You're saying you'd let them die and suffer easily preventable conditions. Yeah, sure, they'd be exposed to possibly new conditions. And? We have nice western medicine to accommodate that. It is arrogant of you to say they do not deserve the same things we do. If you believed they did deserve it, you wouldn't be making the argument that we should not reveal ourselves. Unless you just don't care, of course. And this is just medicine. Think of the other benefits.


I'd like to know what the evangelicals in the audience think. Aside from my pharmaceutical POV, should Sally Sturthers rush in and teach them about Jeyajusah?
 
  • #15
stone age

Better get some Origin-of-Species-thumpers down there and teach 'em that they're closely related to the tree monkeys that they eat. But then, that might give ‘em a guilt complex; better not.

Awwwwww, let ‘em be in peace. Frolicking with nature, worshiping tree-spirits and huffing dead ancestor’s bone dust is good enough for anybody I say……… ;)

On the other hand they may be asking for rescue from their hand-to-mouth subsistence lifestyle and disease riddled jungle squaller. Hard to tell…… But a dozen people living in a lean-to shack of tree branches probably are not too keen on sticking around.

What makes for a “senior citizen” there I wonder? 35? 40? And I wonder what the infant mortality rate is?
 
  • #16
Well.... it's not fair to make fun of ANY religious belief, because they're all pretty stupid and outlandish if you think about it. Even my own, and I'm not ashamed to say that. I think God has a sense of humor :)
 
  • #17
Wouldn't it be interesting if they turn out to be some polygamous cult from the Bronx that didn't want to be part of the inner city ghetto anymore? - Rich
 
  • #18
As for being denied modern medicine, that's the experience of most people on the planet.
 
  • #19
i think this is horrible
 
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