The images are the first-known sighting of the Massaco tribe – a reclusive indigenous group named after the river that runs through their lands in Brazil’s rainforest, and are known to deter visitors with huge spikes in the ground
A series of incredible images are the very first sighting of a reclusive Amazon rainforest tribe that has remained hidden from the rest of the world.
The images – captured by automatic cameras in Brazil’s rainforest – show a group of men, some of them wearing loincloths and carrying sharpened sticks, are seen picking up machetes and other weapons left at the site by agents from Funai – Brazil’s indigenous peoples’ agency.
The number of men reportedly proves that the tribe – named Massaco after the river that runs through their territory – is thriving. It’s still unknown what they call themselves, as are details about their belief system and language.
It’s thought that their population has doubled since the early 1990s, now standing at between 200 and 250 people. This is despite environmental pressure from loggers, miners and drug traffickers, according to the Brazilian National Indigenous Peoples Foundation (Funai).
What Funai has gathered so far is that the Massaco uses 10ft-long bows and move their entire village between seasons. To discourage visits from outsiders, they lay thousands of piercing spikes on the ground that can pierce feet or vehicle tyres.
“Now, with the detailed photographs, it’s possible to see the resemblance to the Sirionó people, who live on the opposite bank of the Guaporé River, in Bolivia,” Funai government agent Altair Algayer, who has spent 30 years protecting their territory, told The Guardian. “But still, we can’t say who they are. There’s a lot that’s still a mystery.”
As it stands, authorities believe that of the 189 detected indigenous groups in the Amazon and Gran Chaco region, 128 of them have not yet been verified.
Back in September, the world’s largest uncontacted tribe, living in Peru’s section of the Amazon, are said to have killged several people during fatal clashes between lumberjacks and the Mashco Piro people.
The fight broke out on Thursday in an area of the Madre de Dios region as workers began opening a trail in the forest. The group – thought to be the world’s biggest isolated tribe – fatally attacked the workers with arrows, leaving two dead and another two missing.
The Ministry of Culture said it was investigating the incident along with the prosecutor’s office and police. In a statement, the ministry said the attack “may have caused deaths, injuries and disappearances” on behalf of a logging company.
Pioneering indigenous organisation FENAMAD said in a statement on Monday that the clash broke out in the tribes territory, in an area close to the Pariamanu River. At least two workers were killed by arrows, one person is injured and another two have disappeared.
