This indigenous Amazon tribe live in the Javari region of the Amazon rain forest, an area that has several other previously uncontacted tribes. The other tribes in the area although known to the Brazilian Government’s Indian Bureau have continued to have little exposure to the developed world.
The ‘lost tribe’ came to the notice of the authorities after an aerial survey of the region. On examination of the survey photographs 16 previously undetected long houses were discovered.
The Brazilian Government’s Federal Indian Bureau decided to mount an expedition to locate the tribe. The 11-man team, consisting of anthropologists and Indians, travelled from Tabatinga by boat before hacking their way through the rain forest.
The original idea of the expedition was to just get an idea of the habitat the tribe lived in and the just leave them alone. This all change when stories of exploitation started to surface. Expedition leader said, “We only made contact because the Indians were being exploited by the Canamaris (tribe) and we are trying to see what we can do about it,” he added. The team met about 30 members of the Tsohon-djapa tribe for an hour to see what could be done.
At the meeting it was discovered that the Tsohon-djapa had had contact with the outside world, “They had already had contact with our world through traded objects, but continued to live completely isolated,” said Mr Possuelo.
