Tourist snaps stunning pictures of unrecorded Indian tribe

A curious little boy from a previously unrecorded Indian tribe peers tentatively from the bushes to catch what was most probably his first every glimpse of outsiders.

The incredible image was taken by British tourist Zara MacAlister during a river boat expedition deep in the remote forests of Peru in November last year.

The youngster, who was clutching a dead monkey, had a quick look at the weird strangers before disappearing off back into the safety of the jungle.

Zara, from Southampton in the UK, said: ‘We’d heard that there were uncontacted tribes people in the area but we didn’t expect to actually see any.

‘My heart was beating and they were shouting at us to come over but our guides, who couldn’t communicate with them didn’t think it was safe to do so.’

Earlier this week Mail Online published a set photographs of the Mashco-Piro taken by a birdwatcher and Spanish archaeologist in November.

After spotting them on the site Zara realised they were of exactly the same group she had been lucky enough to spot herself during the boat trip at around the same time.

Taken in Manú National Park, south-eastern Peru, the images give a fascinating insight into the daily life of a family from the Mashco-Piro tribe.

The tribe are known to inhabit the park but until recently were seldom seen.

However sightings of them have increased in recent months.

Illegal logging in the park and low flying helicopters from nearby oil and gas projects have been blamed for driving the Indians from their forest homes.

The Mashco-Piro who live a traditional life have and have little or no outside contact with the world, are one of around just 100 known uncontacted tribes.

Families within the tribes fashion tools from wood and other materials, including the teeth of animals.

The adults and children wear decorative loops around their wrists, knees and ankles – some of which can be used to carry tools.

The adult female is also wearing a form of skirt which is believed to be made from pulped tree bark fibres.

The danger of attempting to establish contact with tribes who choose to remain isolated has recently been confirmed after the death of an indigenous Matsigenka man.

Nicolás ‘Shaco’ Flores was shot in the heart by an arrow near the national park as he was leaving food and gifts for a small group of Mashco-Piro Indians – something he had been doing for the last 20 years.

Glenn Shephard, an anthropologist and friend of the victim, told Anthropology News: ‘Shaco’s death is a tragedy: he was kind, courageous and a knowledgeable man.

‘He believed he was helping the Mashco-Piro. And yet in this tragic incident, the Mashco-Piro have once again expressed their adamant desire to be left alone.’

Clan members have also been blamed for a bow-and-arrow attack which left a forest ranger wounded in October.

One of the images was taken by a bird watcher in August. The other two were taken by Spanish archaeologist Diego Cortijo on November 16, six days before Flores was killed.

Mr Cortijo, a member of the Spanish Geographical Society, was visiting Mr Flores on an expedition in search of petroglyphs and said clan members appeared across the river, calling for him by name.

Flores was able to communicate with the Mashco-Piro because he spoke two related dialects and had provided the clan with machetes and cooking pots.

The Mashco-Piro tribe is believed to number in the hundreds and lives in the park bordering Diamante, a community of around 200 people.

The clan that appeared along the river is believed to number around 60, including some 25 adults, according to Carlos Soria – a professor at Lima’s Catholic University.

Mr Cortijo said: ‘It seemed like they wanted to draw a bit of attention, which is a bit strange because I know that on other occasions they had attacked people.

‘It seemed they didn’t want us to go near them, but I also know that the only thing that they wanted was machetes and cooking pots.’

Mr Soria said: ‘The place where they are seen is one of heavy transit of river cargo and tourist passage, and so the potential for more violent encounters remains high.’

The Mashco-Piro are one of around 15 uncontacted tribes in Peru which together amount to an estimated 15,000 people living in jungles east of the Andes.

State authorities issued a directive in August barring boats from going ashore in the area.

But enforcing it has been difficult as there are few trained and willing local officials.

Do they come out and accept contact, come out and face prospects of diseases. need a lot of room, don’t have agriculture or gardens, just hunt. Territory gets smaller because of loggers and oil companies, lot more tourism, they just feel caged in on all sides.

It was unclear why Flores was killed. It could be that the tribe was anger he had not provided more equipment, or they may have considered the farming plot where he was killed was too close to their territory.

Mr Cortijo added: ‘The problem is that “Shaco” was the only person who could talk to them. Now that he’s dead it’s impossible to make contact.’

Mr Shephard said: ‘There is a tremendous curiosity about who these people are, why do they hide?

‘Some people have tried to contact them, to take pictures.

‘One person even left a Bible in a plastic bag on the river bank so they could find it, hoping it would save their soul.

Killed: Nicolas ‘Shaco’ Flores, a Matsiquenka Indian, was shot in the heart by an arrow by one of the Mascho-Piro tribe members, possibly in a dispute over obtaining machetes and cooking pots
‘They are in a difficult situation. Do they come out and accept contact, come out and face the prospect of diseases.

‘They need a lot of room, they don’t have gardens or agriculture so they just hunt. Their territory is getting smaller because of loggers and oil companies, and there is a lot more tourism, they just feel caged in on all sides.’

Beatriz Huertas, a Peruvian expert on uncontacted tribes, told Survival International the case was ‘unusual, complex and extremely delicate’.

She said: ‘Contact could happen at any time. We must implement preventative measures and a contingency plan with local authorities as soon as possible to ensure this does not happen again.’

Last year, Survival International wrote to SERNANP – Peru’s Ministry for Protected Areas – after a video emerged showing tourists leaving clothes for the Indians on riverbanks.

The area was subsequently closed off to tourists and an emergency warning issued to residents.

The Indian tribesmen are vulnerable to common diseases, because they have not built up immunity to the viruses and bacteria outside their forest home.

In 1987, statistics showed that 50 per cent of Indians who had been contacted died within a year due to disease.

The new images come exactly a year after pictures taken from a helicopter of a tribe on the Peruvian/Brazilian border emerged.

The incredible image was taken by British tourist Zara MacAlister during a river boat expedition deep in the remote forests of Peru in November last year.

The youngster, who was clutching a dead monkey, had a quick look at the weird strangers before disappearing off back into the safety of the jungle.

Zara, from Southampton in the UK, said: ‘We’d heard that there were uncontacted tribes people in the area but we didn’t expect to actually see any.

‘My heart was beating and they were shouting at us to come over but our guides, who couldn’t communicate with them didn’t think it was safe to do so.’

Earlier this week a set photographs of the Mashco-Piro taken by a birdwatcher and Spanish archaeologist in November was published.

After spotting them on the site Zara realised they were of exactly the same group she had been lucky enough to spot herself during the boat trip at around the same time.

Taken in Manú National Park, south-eastern Peru, the images give a fascinating insight into the daily life of a family from the Mashco-Piro tribe.

The tribe are known to inhabit the park but until recently were seldom seen.

However sightings of them have increased in recent months.

Illegal logging in the park and low flying helicopters from nearby oil and gas projects have been blamed for driving the Indians from their forest homes.

The Mashco-Piro who live a traditional life have and have little or no outside contact with the world, are one of around just 100 known uncontacted tribes.

Families within the tribes fashion tools from wood and other materials, including the teeth of animals.

The adults and children wear decorative loops around their wrists, knees and ankles – some of which can be used to carry tools.

The adult female is also wearing a form of skirt which is believed to be made from pulped tree bark fibres.

The danger of attempting to establish contact with tribes who choose to remain isolated has recently been confirmed after the death of an indigenous Matsigenka man.

Nicolás ‘Shaco’ Flores was shot in the heart by an arrow near the national park as he was leaving food and gifts for a small group of Mashco-Piro Indians – something he had been doing for the last 20 years.

Glenn Shephard, an anthropologist and friend of the victim, told Anthropology News: ‘Shaco’s death is a tragedy: he was kind, courageous and a knowledgeable man.

‘He believed he was helping the Mashco-Piro. And yet in this tragic incident, the Mashco-Piro have once again expressed their adamant desire to be left alone.’

Clan members have also been blamed for a bow-and-arrow attack which left a forest ranger wounded in October.

One of the images was taken by a bird watcher in August. The other two were taken by Spanish archaeologist Diego Cortijo on November 16, six days before Flores was killed.

Mr Cortijo, a member of the Spanish Geographical Society, was visiting Mr Flores on an expedition in search of petroglyphs and said clan members appeared across the river, calling for him by name.

Flores was able to communicate with the Mashco-Piro because he spoke two related dialects and had provided the clan with machetes and cooking pots.

The Mashco-Piro tribe is believed to number in the hundreds and lives in the park bordering Diamante, a community of around 200 people.

The clan that appeared along the river is believed to number around 60, including some 25 adults, according to Carlos Soria – a professor at Lima’s Catholic University.

Mr Cortijo said: ‘It seemed like they wanted to draw a bit of attention, which is a bit strange because I know that on other occasions they had attacked people.
‘It seemed they didn’t want us to go near them, but I also know that the only thing that they wanted was machetes and cooking pots.’

Mr Soria said: ‘The place where they are seen is one of heavy transit of river cargo and tourist passage, and so the potential for more violent encounters remains high.’

The Mashco-Piro are one of around 15 uncontacted tribes in Peru which together amount to an estimated 15,000 people living in jungles east of the Andes.

State authorities issued a directive in August barring boats from going ashore in the area.

But enforcing it has been difficult as there are few trained and willing local officials.

Do they come out and accept contact, come out and face prospects of diseases. need a lot of room, don’t have agriculture or gardens, just hunt. Territory gets smaller because of loggers and oil companies, lot more tourism, they just feel caged in on all sides.

It was unclear why Flores was killed. It could be that the tribe was anger he had not provided more equipment, or they may have considered the farming plot where he was killed was too close to their territory.

Mr Cortijo added: ‘The problem is that “Shaco” was the only person who could talk to them. Now that he’s dead it’s impossible to make contact.’

Exactly a year ago this picture of another uncontacted tribe was taken from a helicopter on the border of Brazil and Peru
Mr Shephard told Mail Online: ‘There is a tremendous curiosity about who these people are, why do they hide?

‘Some people have tried to contact them, to take pictures.

‘One person even left a Bible in a plastic bag on the river bank so they could find it, hoping it would save their soul.

‘They are in a difficult situation. Do they come out and accept contact, come out and face the prospect of diseases.

‘They need a lot of room, they don’t have gardens or agriculture so they just hunt. Their territory is getting smaller because of loggers and oil companies, and there is a lot more tourism, they just feel caged in on all sides.’

Beatriz Huertas, a Peruvian expert on uncontacted tribes, told Survival International the case was ‘unusual, complex and extremely delicate’.

She said: ‘Contact could happen at any time. We must implement preventative measures and a contingency plan with local authorities as soon as possible to ensure this does not happen again.’

Last year, Survival International wrote to SERNANP – Peru’s Ministry for Protected Areas – after a video emerged showing tourists leaving clothes for the Indians on riverbanks.

The area was subsequently closed off to tourists and an emergency warning issued to residents.

The Indian tribesmen are vulnerable to common diseases, because they have not built up immunity to the viruses and bacteria outside their forest home.

In 1987, statistics showed that 50 per cent of Indians who had been contacted died within a year due to disease.

The new images come exactly a year after pictures taken from a helicopter of a tribe on the Peruvian/Brazilian border emerged.

But in August, fears were raised after the tribe went missing when drug traffickers overran Brazilian guards posted to protect their lands.

No trace of the tribe was found after a guard post was destroyed in western Brazil, and a broken arrow was found in the backpack of an arrested drug trafficker.

Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: ‘One year later these photos provide yet more overwhelming evidence of the existence of uncontacted tribes.

‘It is no longer acceptable for governments, companies or anthropologists to deny this.

‘First contact is always dangerous and frequently fatal – both for the tribe and those attempting to contact them. The Indians’ wish to be left alone should be respected.’