World’s ‘most threatened tribe’ outnumbered 10:1 by invaders
The Amazon’s Awa, “Earth’s most threatened tribe,” are outnumbered 10 to 1 in just one of their reserves according to Survival International, a leading advocate for tribal people’s’ rights worldwide. Brazilian officials acknowledged the scale of the emergency after receiving over 20,000 messages of protest following the launch of its drive to save the Awa tribe from “imminent extinction”.
Brazilian government survey estimated that there could be up to 4,500 invaders, ranchers, loggers and settlers occupying just one of the four territories inhabited by the Awa, whose total population stands at no more than 450. According to Survival, there are roughly 360 Awa who have been contacted by outsiders, many of them survivors of brutal massacres, along with another 100 believed to be hiding in the rapidly shrinking forest. The new head of Brazil’s National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), Marta Azevedo, confirmed that the threat to the Awa was now her agency’s top priority. Meanwhile Brazil’s Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo has been receiving over 1,000 messages a day since Britain’s Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth launched the campaign.
The Awa tribe’s land is being destroyed faster than any other Amazon tribe. As the rainy season ends, one of their main hunting areas is now being targeted by loggers.
“How will we live without the forest?” An Awa man named Armadillo
FUNAI estimates that there are 77 isolated indigenous tribes scattered across the Amazon. Only 30 such groups have been located. Indigenous people represent less than one percent of Brazil’s 192 million people and occupy 12 percent of the national territory, mainly in the Amazon.
Act now to help the Awá
Your support is vital if the Awá are to survive. There are many ways you can help.
- Writing a letter to the Brazilian government is a quick and simple way to let them know of your concern.
- Donate to the Awá campaign (and other Survival campaigns).
- Write to your MP or MEP (UK) or Senators and members of Congress (US).
- Write to your local Brazilian high commission or embassy.
- If you want to get more involved, contact Survival…
Sad, disgraceful, dispicable!!! Something needs to be done now!!! In one breath we are preaching save the rainforest and those who live there, in the next breath we are allowing it to happen. This has to stop, no matter what the cost. If it means another log is never cut.
This is such a sad story. Just imagine if it would happen to you and the place you live in. We are all humans after all. Some of us have been born in cities and others in remote areas. No one should be forced to leave their home without any hope of settling in another place.
Is there no hope for the widow’s son? Who will find the few left from the last great battle? Who will guide the remnants of the great past of man? When will the brave unite and defend those most worthy? If I had the resources of the king, I would wage war against the tyranny of evil men, and ne’er cease ’til none need fear.
This is typical of the Elite, they go into an area horde the resources, destroy the people, land, culture, animals and everything that is good to get what they want. The weak controlled so called United Nations is used by them, they own the major oil companies and control the major Banks. Sadly this has been going on for hundreds of years. I am a African stolen from Africa to be more correct my people are. I am an ancestor of this crime called the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. The Elites destroyed my people and continue to destroy my people. The only way to stop them is for us the none Elite, the majority of this planet join together and stop participating in their SYSTEM. If not more tribes like the AWA will be destroyed. They destroyed many African tribes that we will never hear of. Think about the millions killed in the Congo by Leopold II, King of Belgian 1885 – 1908 -” Exploration of Human Violence” estimate that the population of the Congo dropped from 30 million to 8 and 8.5 million, respectively, in that period” So we are looking at over 20 million people killed in under 20 years for some dam rubber 20 MILLION people.This is how the Elite operate and this is the same spirit that is killing the AWA tribe of Brazil. We have to stop them we will stop them. Thank you for this awareness, If I can help in anyway contact me at HWUNET.org. Much Love and respect. Dawid Yacob Maccabeus
This is so sad.. Something has to be done!