The Amazon's Aggravated Archers

Inhabitants of nudist colonies are traditionally amiable people, proud of displaying themselves like the day they were born in their current bodies - decrepit or otherwise. So when the Brazilian government plane chanced upon inhabitants close to the Peruvian border who reacted with apparent hostility, they realized they came upon an "uncontacted tribe" in the Amazon, indigenous people thought to have had no contact with outsiders; one of a hundred tribes believed to exist worldwide.

Researchers released aerial photos of these jungle dwellers aiming their bows and arrows at the small aircraft, which they may have thought to be a large bird that could provide them with a feast for many days. Or, they may have felt threatened by its strangeness and proximity and reacted to protect themselves. The Brazilian government has discovered four such tribes in the last 20 years. Fiona Watson from the campaign group Survival International provided clues about their way of life.

The thatched houses are called Malocas or communal houses. These are raised from the ground and used for socializing, cooking, or preparing the dyes for body paint. The white bundle could be cotton, planted or harvested wild and woven into garments they wear, as well as for hammocks. The beige object near the cotton is a basket used for gathering cotton and food. The men in the photo use bows made from hardwood, which they employ for hunting animals. They wear red dye as body paint made from seeds of a fruit similar to horse chestnut.The body paint may be an expression of aggression. The black figure may be that of a woman in black body paint made from fruit. The series of structures are hidden at a deeper portion of the forest to avoid detection, while the larger ones are for socializing and other communal tasks. Evidence of cultivation around the camp is seen as gardening for Manioc, a tuber which may be their staple food.

The Indian Foundation of Brazil fears that all inhabitants are in serious danger of being forced off, killed, or decimated by new diseases. Illegal logging in Peru threatens to push several uncontacted groups towards the Brazilian border where potential conflicts with about 500 uncontacted indians are settled. Stephen Cory of Survival International expressed the need to protect the inhabitants and their environment from intrusion by the outside world in accordance with International Law. He warned that the world needs to wake up to this reality, otherwise these people would soon be made extinct.

The area should be kept secret from Hillary Clinton, who might claim the tribe to be of American origin and have them support her in the primaries. She could even have a few declared as her super delegate endorsers. It is actually people like Hillary Clinton who should be made extinct. Or, perhaps forced to live among the tribes to learn the basic values of comradeship and the elements of survival in a different jungle with characteristics similar to her Washington milieu.

On the other hand, there is danger that she will contaminate the tribe with her congenital nature, and they would resort to killing each other off for power. What could be worse than that?

Haaarrrwwwwk...Twooooooph...Ting!