With arrows poised ready to thwart an aerial attack an undiscovered tribe of Amazon Indians were photographed near the border of Peru and Brazil. My heart jumped at the mere thought of the truly last of the wild people. But it also sinks, and you know why.
Think for a moment what they as a people have never seen, forget your laptop, internet, car, highways and pop culture mentality for a moment. Brazil is one of the ten largest economies in the world and yet they had undiscovered people living in their woods. It would be akin to finding an unknown tribe of Cheyenne or flathead Indians living in Montana or Idaho. Not only does this tribe know nothing of the moon landing 39 years ago they have no concept that Vasco De Gama and the Portuguese arrived in Brazil in early 1500. So the concept of a muzzle-loading rifle and a steel helmet and oil lamp and paper and pen are just as foreign to them as a car.
Anthropologist believe that there maybe some sixty-seven tribes left in the Amazon that we don't know about which is forty higher than they thought in 2005. And possibly one hundred tribes world wide.
It will eventually go south of course and their will be no one left to live in the wild, and I'm sure that international laws will someday be passed in regards to it. But for today there are still a few surviving bands of nomadic people who live and die and war with bows and arrows, loin clothes, and are bare footed and don't care what "celebrity" wore underwear or who danced with the stars...or maybe most importantly are completely unaffected by a looming $4.00 a gallon gas price.
