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Tomas Anez Dos Santos worked in a modest open space deep in the Peruvian rainforest when he heard footsteps coming closer through the dense forest.

It dawned on him he was hemmed in, and stood still.

“One stood, aiming with an arrow,” he recalls. “Unexpectedly he became aware I was here and I began to escape.”

He found himself face to face the Mashco Piro tribe. For decades, Tomas—dwelling in the modest village of Nueva Oceania—had been practically a neighbor to these wandering individuals, who shun contact with foreigners.

A new report by a rights organization states there are at least 196 described as “isolated tribes” left globally. The Mashco Piro is thought to be the most numerous. The study claims a significant portion of these tribes might be wiped out within ten years should administrations don't do more actions to defend them.

It claims the biggest dangers stem from deforestation, digging or drilling for oil. Remote communities are exceptionally susceptible to ordinary disease—as such, the study notes a threat is presented by exposure with evangelical missionaries and digital content creators seeking attention.

Recently, Mashco Piro people have been appearing to Nueva Oceania more and more, based on accounts from inhabitants.

This settlement is a fishermen's hamlet of seven or eight households, located atop on the banks of the local river in the center of the of Peru Amazon, a ten-hour journey from the nearest settlement by boat.

The territory is not classified as a protected area for remote communities, and timber firms work here.

Tomas reports that, at times, the sound of heavy equipment can be detected continuously, and the tribe members are observing their forest disrupted and destroyed.

Among the locals, inhabitants say they are conflicted. They are afraid of the Mashco Piro's arrows but they also have deep respect for their “kin” who live in the jungle and desire to safeguard them.

“Let them live according to their traditions, we must not modify their culture. This is why we preserve our space,” says Tomas.

Inhabitants in Nueva Oceania are concerned about the destruction to the community's way of life, the risk of aggression and the likelihood that timber workers might subject the community to sicknesses they have no immunity to.

At the time in the village, the tribe made their presence felt again. Letitia Rodriguez Lopez, a young mother with a young daughter, was in the woodland collecting fruit when she noticed them.

“There were shouting, sounds from individuals, a large number of them. As though there were a large gathering yelling,” she shared with us.

That was the first instance she had encountered the group and she fled. Subsequently, her head was still throbbing from terror.

“Since operate loggers and companies clearing the woodland they are fleeing, perhaps because of dread and they come in proximity to us,” she said. “We are uncertain how they might react to us. That's what scares me.”

In 2022, two loggers were assaulted by the Mashco Piro while fishing. One was struck by an bow to the gut. He survived, but the other man was found deceased after several days with nine arrow wounds in his physique.

The administration has a approach of non-contact with isolated people, making it forbidden to commence contact with them.

The strategy originated in the neighboring country following many years of campaigning by tribal advocacy organizations, who noted that early interaction with isolated people lead to whole populations being decimated by sickness, destitution and hunger.

In the 1980s, when the Nahau people in Peru came into contact with the broader society, 50% of their population perished within a few years. During the 1990s, the Muruhanua community faced the similar destiny.

“Isolated indigenous peoples are very susceptible—epidemiologically, any interaction could transmit diseases, and including the most common illnesses may decimate them,” says Issrail Aquisse from a Peruvian indigenous rights group. “Culturally too, any interaction or intrusion could be extremely detrimental to their life and survival as a society.”

For those living nearby of {