Mascho Piro Tribe in Peruvian Amazon

Context: Survival International (an NGO advocating for indigenous rights) has released pictures of the Mashco Piro tribes.

About Mascho Piro Tribe

• Status: The Mashco Piro are one of the world’s 100-odd uncontacted tribes.
• Population: Estimated to number more than 750 individuals.
• Location: They live in the Amazon jungles of the Madre de Dios Region, close to Peru’s border with Brazil and Bolivia.
• Lifestyle: They are nomadic hunter-gatherers, living in isolation from modern civilization.

Government Policies and Protection for Mashco Piro

• Peru’s government has forbidden all contact with the Mashco Piro to prevent the spread of diseases to which they have no immunity.
• In 2002, the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve was created to protect their territory. However, large parts of their traditional land lie outside the reserve.

Threats and Challenges

• Logging Concessions:
  • Companies Involved: Prominent logging companies like Canales Tahuamanu have been granted concessions to extract cedar and mahogany.
  • Land Allotment: Canales Tahuamanu has been allotted 53,000 hectares in the forests of Madre de Dios.
  • Impact: The Mashco Piro have expressed disapproval and distress through the Yine people, citing assaults by logging companies.

Historical Context

• Rubber Boom Impact: During the 1880s, Peru’s rubber boom led to the displacement, enslavement, and mass killing of the Mashco Piro. Survivors moved upstream on the Manu river and lived in isolation.
• Current Displacement: Logging encroachments have left them with nowhere to go, leading to increased sightings as they leave their forested havens for food, supplies, and to escape outsiders.

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