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Tomas Anez Dos Santos toiled in a tiny glade deep in the Peruvian jungle when he noticed footsteps coming closer through the dense jungle.

He became aware that he stood hemmed in, and halted.

“One person was standing, pointing with an bow and arrow,” he remembers. “Unexpectedly he became aware of my presence and I commenced to run.”

He had come confronting the Mashco Piro tribe. For a long time, Tomas—dwelling in the small settlement of Nueva Oceania—was practically a local to these nomadic tribe, who avoid interaction with strangers.

A recent document issued by a advocacy organisation states there are a minimum of 196 described as “uncontacted groups” remaining worldwide. The Mashco Piro is considered to be the most numerous. The study says half of these communities might be eliminated over the coming ten years if governments don't do additional to protect them.

It claims the greatest threats stem from timber harvesting, digging or operations for petroleum. Uncontacted groups are highly vulnerable to basic disease—therefore, the report says a threat is posed by exposure with evangelical missionaries and online personalities in pursuit of attention.

Lately, members of the tribe have been appearing to Nueva Oceania increasingly, according to residents.

This settlement is a fishermen's hamlet of seven or eight families, perched atop on the banks of the local river in the heart of the of Peru rainforest, half a day from the nearest town by boat.

The territory is not recognised as a protected reserve for uncontacted groups, and logging companies work here.

Tomas reports that, at times, the sound of heavy equipment can be heard continuously, and the tribe members are observing their woodland disrupted and ruined.

Within the village, residents report they are divided. They dread the Mashco Piro's arrows but they hold deep regard for their “relatives” who live in the forest and desire to defend them.

“Permit them to live as they live, we must not alter their culture. This is why we preserve our separation,” explains Tomas.

Inhabitants in Nueva Oceania are worried about the damage to the Mascho Piro's livelihood, the danger of conflict and the possibility that loggers might subject the tribe to illnesses they have no immunity to.

During a visit in the community, the Mashco Piro made themselves known again. A young mother, a young mother with a two-year-old child, was in the jungle picking fruit when she noticed them.

“We heard calls, shouts from individuals, numerous of them. Like there was a large gathering calling out,” she informed us.

That was the first instance she had encountered the tribe and she escaped. After sixty minutes, her mind was continually pounding from terror.

“Since there are loggers and firms clearing the woodland they're running away, perhaps because of dread and they come near us,” she said. “We don't know how they might react to us. That's what terrifies me.”

In 2022, two loggers were assaulted by the tribe while fishing. A single person was wounded by an projectile to the abdomen. He survived, but the second individual was found dead days later with several injuries in his frame.

Authorities in Peru has a approach of no engagement with secluded communities, making it forbidden to start interactions with them.

This approach was first adopted in Brazil following many years of advocacy by indigenous rights groups, who saw that initial interaction with isolated people lead to whole populations being eliminated by illness, destitution and hunger.

In the 1980s, when the Nahau tribe in the country came into contact with the broader society, half of their community died within a matter of years. A decade later, the Muruhanua community suffered the identical outcome.

“Isolated indigenous peoples are highly susceptible—from a disease perspective, any contact might introduce sicknesses, and even the most common illnesses might decimate them,” states an advocate from a local advocacy organization. “In cultural terms, any exposure or intrusion could be extremely detrimental to their existence and health as a community.”

For local residents of {