According to the Associated Press, the footage showed 16 total tribespeople walking around the area. One member of the unnamed tribe can be seen carrying what looks like a bow and arrow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?amp=&v=a63rMds-D50
Funai, the Brazilian government’s protection agency for indigenous peoples, captured the footage last year while on a mission to observe these uncontacted tribes.
Funai’s president, Wallace Bastos, told the Associated Press that the drone footage holds an immense power.
“These images have the power to make society and the government reflect on the importance of protecting these groups,” Bastos said.
After years of studying the tribe, this is only the first time that Funai has ever captured them on camera. The footage can help them study the tribe’s culture, but they still have much to learn about their specific customs. Not only is the name of the group still unknown, but researchers have only guesses about their language and ethnicity.
Bruno Pereira of Funai told the Associated Press that studying uncontacted tribes like one captured in the drone footage is essential so that they can help them survive.
“The more we know about these isolated communities’ way of living, the more equipped we are to protect them,” Pereira said.
So far, Funai has found 107 isolated tribes across Brazil and for the past 30 years has made no contact with them other than taking the occasional photo and video. Pereira explained to the Associated Press that the tribes are aware that cities and other people lie outside of their remote areas, but they choose to isolate themselves because previous episodes of contact with the outside world have proven disastrous.
“If they wanted contact with the outside world,” Pereira said, “they would seek out ways to communicate with us.”
