Friday, May 30, 2008

A Primitive Society - still untouched

We live in such a global society - we hear news from around the world. When we visited Zambia, cell phones were common. I heard that the people in the villages knew where to stand to get reception. We have surveillance satellites that are continually sending images of all parts of the world. So I was a little surprised to see this news article this morning:
" Uncontacted Brazilian tribe found."

It is amazing to think of these people, living as their ancestors did with no contact with the modern world. But my mind wonders: "Surely they saw the plane that took their photos. Do they know about the world outside their tribe? Have they chosen to continue the traditions of their ancestors or is it truly all they know?"

In a prior age, when such hidden people were found, anthropologists would want to study them and their culture. Today the government is protecting their existence. It sounds as though this group is actually from Peru and has been driven across the border from illegal logging.

After viewing the photos, some of my questions were answered. They undoubtedly saw the plane, you can see their arrows raised to protect their people from the people in the plane.

Their village looks to be a beautiful forest. They have a different struggle to live each day than I do - hunting and farming and providing for themselves, subsistence living. I'm sure they work much harder than I do for their basic necessities.

I see lots of story ideas here, lots of questions in my mind, and a sense of awe and amazement that there could really be societies still untouched by the modern world. And I wonder what will happen to the people over the long term. Will they continue their subsistence living or will they eventually be dragged into the modern world as civilization creeps out into the tropical rain forests?

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