Uncontacted South American Tribe Unknowingly Wins Big Legal Victory

November 16, 2008 at 11:19 AM | 0 Comments

It's hard to believe there are still tribes of indigenous people in the world who have never had contact with modern society. It's even harder to believe that one of them - the Totobiegosode tribe of Paraguay - recently won a major victory against two Brazilian companies without even being aware they were waging a battle. As CNN points out, lawsuits were filed on behalf of the natives by local environmental groups against the companies that were clearing jungle land to be used for cattle ranches. The companies have already cleared 6,000 hectares of forest in the Totobiegosode and Ayoreo people's (pictured) ancestral homelands, but the ruling puts a halt to further deforestation, at least for the moment.

We think that's a good thing. Uncontacted or isolated peoples exist, in dwindling numbers, in places like Bolivia, Brazil, and New Guinea. And while it seems sadly inevitable that they'll all either eventually die out or fall in line with mainstream society, there's no need to hasten the process through unchecked development of their tribal lands. Sure, I know that hamburgers have to come from somewhere, but once these groups of people are gone, they're gone for good. Let's not be in such a big rush to turn every forest into a ranch when there are ways to develop the land without destroying it. Eco-tourism, anybody? In any case, there's probably a lot to be learned from people who have survived on the planet just as long as we have, but without the benefit of our fancy microwave ovens and Roomba robot vacuum cleaners. They've done it their way all along.

[Photo: Survival International]

Related Stories:
· Legal Battle Over Forest is Victory for Paraguayan Indians [CNN.com]
· Uncontacted Tribes [Survival International]
· Jungle Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

Where: Paraguay

Tags: Jungle Travel / Indigenous Tribes / Uncontacted People / ecotourism

by Victor Ozols

Jaunted

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