Mascho Piro tribe in the Peruvian Amazonas
Photo. Rare new images show the uncontacted Mashco Piro tribe in the Peruvian Amazon. © Survival International.
The Mashco Piro tribe, also known as the Mascho-Piro, are an uncontacted indigenous group living in the Peruvian Amazon, primarily within the regions of Madre de Dios and Ucayali. There have been sporadic encounters between the Mashco Piro and outsiders, including tourists, loggers, and other indigenous communities. Some of these encounters have led to conflicts, highlighting the tribe's desire to remain undisturbed.
Images released by charity Survival International show more than 50 Mashco Piro people near the Yine village of Monte Salvado, close to Peru's border with Brazil, in recent days. In a separate incident, another group of 17 appeared near the neighbouring village of Puerto Nuevo. The Yine, who are a related but contacted people, speak a language related to Mashco Piro. They have previously reported that the Mashco Piro angrily denounced the presence of loggers on their land.
Uncontacted tribes are indigenous peoples who avoid all contact with outsiders. The Mashco Piro are believed to be the largest uncontacted tribe on Earth, numbering more than 750 people, and living deep in the rainforests of south-east Peru.
Several logging companies hold timber concessions inside the territory that belongs to the Mashco Piro people. The nearest is just a few miles from where the Mashco Piro were filmed.
One company, Canales Tahuamanu, that operates inside the Mashco Piro territory has built more than 200km of roads for its logging trucks to extract timber. It is certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) for its supposedly sustainable and ethical operations there, despite the Peruvian government acknowledging eight years ago that it is cutting down trees within Mashco Piro territory.
Survival International is calling on the FSC to withdraw its certification of the company’s operations. More than 8,000 people have already lobbied the FSC.
Read more in the article Peru: New images show uncontacted tribe dangerously close to logging concessions, 16th July, 2024, Survival International.
Respecting their autonomy and protecting their habitat are crucial for their survival and the preservation of their unique way of life.
FSC-certified timber is threatening the lives of uncontacted Mashco Piro. If you would like to FSC to cancel its certification of Canales Tahuamanu, go to Survival International website and write there there. Act now before it`s too late!
Stein Morten Lund, 20th July 2024
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