December 24, 2016

"To think that in the 21st century, there are still people who have no contact with civilization, living like their ancestors did 20,000 years ago..."

"... it’s a powerful emotion," said the photographer who plied his trade from a helicopter.
Stuckert’s close-up photographs taken near Brazil’s border with Peru show details about these Indians that had previously escaped the notice of experts, such as their use of elaborate body paint and the way they cut their hair. “We thought they all cut their hair in the same way,” said José Carlos Meirelles, who has worked with and studied Brazil’s indigenous tribes for more than 40 years. “Not true. You can see they have many different styles. Some look very punk.”
If they're important because they're been left isolated, isn't it important to leave them isolated? I know the imposition is defended as helpful in convincing us to continue to preserve their isolation. A sad testimony to our lack of imagination. I found "Some look very punk" especially sad. 

40 comments:

Oso Negro said...

They probably make good money on being undiscovered.

Bob Ellison said...

Were there barber's scissors 20,000 years ago?

rhhardin said...

They need a blog.

Laslo Spatula said...

Dennis Hopper's "The Last Movie" comes to mind.

I am Laslo.

William said...

Their lives are short, brutish, and nasty. So is mine compared to what life will like be in a few hundred years. Their one advantage is that they are not yet aware of how much their life sucks.

Sharc said...

So they're in India?

Fernandinande said...

"... living like their ancestors did 20,000 years ago..."

That's an odd statement considering that 20K years ago their ancestors lived in Siberia, SE Asia or perhaps Australia, probably in a completely different environment than a S. American jungle.

David said...

It's a bit of a contradiction. In order to leave them isolated you have to know that they are their, and block out their territory as restricted. But that does not require publishing their images on the internet.

MayBee said...

At buwaya putt's suggestion, I read Francis Perkins's "The Oregon Trail".

And I realized for the first time that to the Europeans coming here, the Native Americans must have looked very much like these people look to us. Of course it's no excuse for the way the government treated them later on, but I can see how they must have seemed very behind civilization.

Ipso Fatso said...

They probably still think the Cubs didn't win the World Series.

Michael said...

Is it really right to "leave them isolated," or is it just a romantic notion of ours? What is the life expectancy of these people? Are we to keep them in some kind of preserve for our own fascination? Or is this a Rousseau-ian "noble savage" delusion on the part of those who feign disgust with civilization?

AllenS said...

DNA-wise, they are Native American, and no different DNA-wise than any of the tribes like the Comanche, Sioux, Apache. It's only a matter of time before they demand casinos.

PB said...

If it's important they be left alone, then people like this who approach them by helicopter should be considered the worst interference. Even anthropologists going in on foot for their own benefit (to obtain a PhD or other personal purposes) should be considered international criminals. It's the equivalent of taking actions that contribute to the extinction of a species.

Gahrie said...

If they're important because they're been left isolated, isn't it important to leave them isolated?

That is abuse. Our first impulse should be to rescue them and provide them with modern healthcare, diet and education...instead they'll remain poor, uneducated and impoverished for the amusement of academics.

mockturtle said...

If they're important because they're been left isolated, isn't it important to leave them isolated?

Hell, yes! But that might smack of common sense. Can't have that.

mockturtle said...

Oso Negro surmises: They probably make good money on being undiscovered.

I'm old enough to remember watching those old 'explorer' TV documentaries showing tribal rituals, etc. It was obvious even then that these people were being bribed to do their dances, etc. When I noticed one fellow wearing a tee shirt that said, "Do it in the road" I became more skeptical.

Gojuplye said...

Ipso' according to Dem logic the Cubs win is illegitimate. Cleveland scored more runs.

Gojuplye said...

Wasn't there an explorer/researcher who was killed for taking pictures of some interior tribes? They thought he was stealing their souls.

Clyde said...

For an "uncontacted" Neolithic tribe, that certainly looks like a metal sword in one man's hand.

n.n said...

Exotic. Let's exploit that image.

Leora said...

We have no idea if these people have lived like this for thousands of years. It is evil to deny them the choice ti avail themselves of the benefits of modern agriculture, economics and medicine for the purpose of academic study. It's the Tuskegee experiment multiplied.

walter said...

Good God..get the missionaries in there before another generation is damned to hell.

FullMoon said...

Being uneducated and ignorant, the poor souls have never enjoyed the dissatisfaction of not having high speed internet, Mercedes Benz or 80 inch TVs.
On the other hand, hafta worry every day about food and climate change.

Wince said...

The jungle drum beats get louder. Shot of forest, rustling of bushes. Close up of Akwekwe's eyes. Another shot of forest. Drum beats louder. More rustling. Close up of Akwekwe's eyes and sweating forehead. Forest again and more noise. Close up of Akwekwe; he now has blood on his face, his eyes dilate with fear, the drum beats become deafening. Sudden cut to BBC world symbol.

BBC Voice Over:

"The BBC would like to announce that the next scene is not considered suitable for family viewing. It contains scenes of violence, involving people's heads and arms getting chopped off, their ears nailed to trees, and their toenails pulled out in slow motion. There are also scenes of naked women with floppy breasts, and also at one point you can see a pair of buttocks and there's another bit where I'll swear you can see everything, but my friend says it's just the way he's holding the spear. (pulling himself together) Because of the unsuitability of the scene, the BBC will be replacing it with a scene from a repeat of 'Gardening Club' for 1958.

And now, back to the story.
"

mockturtle said...

Leora, I'm not familiar enough with your posts to know if your comment was tongue-in-cheek or serious. I sincerely hope the former.

rcocean said...

Leave the isolated? What does that mean?

You mean leave them isolated from religion, modern health care, good music, air conditioning, and insect spray?

If so, I'm for intruding.

mockturtle said...

If, in fact, they have lived in the same manner for '20,000 years', who are we to tell them how to live?

Fabi said...

One of the guys was wearing a "MAGA" hat!

Alex said...

'Timeless' = primitive savagery. The left always worships this crap.

MacMacConnell said...

"If they're important because they're been left isolated, isn't it important to leave them isolated?"

So there is logic to the Dems leaving the gangs to run wild in their cities. It's an anthropological thing.

Drago said...

Fabi:"One of the guys was wearing a "MAGA" hat!"

Make The Amazon Great Again?

Fabi said...

Perfect Drago!

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

Such people should be caged and put in a zoo. Photographer and helicopter pilot, both.

Merry Christmas. - Hammond.

Freeman Hunt said...

They're not animals. People should go have a chat with them. That's what we do with other people.

james said...

Assuming the population has really been isolated, what is likely to happen when they are exposed to outside diseases? What happened with other tribes?

LordSomber said...

>>I found "Some look very punk" especially sad.

Perhaps if they had David Attenborough narrate it would add credence.

JAORE said...

Those poor bastards probably don't even enjoy the benefits of type II diabetes.

Or Kim K's ass.

Or the remake of the Honeymooners.

loudogblog said...

They should be very careful about "first contact" with these people. A helicopter can be quite a frightening experience to people who don't know about the technology. A photographic drone might have been a better choice. It is a recurring theme in Science Fiction; the problems of a technologically advanced culture destroying a less advanced culture by interacting with it.

Freeman Hunt said...

"Assuming the population has really been isolated, what is likely to happen when they are exposed to outside diseases? What happened with other tribes?"

Supposedly, they have this problem figured out now.

Joe said...

The story is utter bullshit, though quite a good example of the power of confirmation bias.