Why is this isolated tribe seeking contact with the outside world?

Americas Now

The Mashco Piro tribe in Peru.

An indigenous tribe living in the Amazon jungle has begun to reach outside their secluded world. But not all of their encounters with modern society have been friendly.

Correspondent Dan Collyns reports from Peru on the Mashco Piro clan and tells us what’s being done to improve their relationship with contemporary civilization.

An “uncontacted” tribe in Peru steps up its association with society

An indigenous tribe living in the Amazon jungle has begun to reach outside their secluded world. But not all of their encounters with modern society have been friendly. Correspondent Dan Collyns reports from Peru on the Mashco Piro clan and tells us what’s being done to improve their relationship with contemporary civilization.

Deep within the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and Peru are dozens of what are called, “uncontacted” tribes.  These indigenous and historic communities have had little to almost no contact with the outside world with the exception of some sporadic and often deadly interactions with neighbors or invaders.

The Mashco Piro people are believed to have fled into the recesses of the jungle during the Amazon Rubber Boom in the late 1800s, a time of enslavement and death for many tribes.  

Dan Collyns introduces us to protection agents from Peru who have recently spent time with the Mashco Piro people in an effort to improve their relationship with society.

Take a look at Dan’s package for Americas Now which examines the potential for change in the relationship between this isolated tribe and the outside world.