Mundo Amazónico (Jan 2011)
The Isolated Indigenous People of the Brazil-Peru Border: New Threats and Challenges
Abstract
The Brazil-Peru border is inhabited by the second largest concentration of peoples in voluntary isolation of the world. These societies maintain a high degree of autonomy and avoid permanent contact with the surrounding societies. Since 2000, this region has been the target of policies aimed to favor the access to world markets (timber, oil, hydroelectric project), and the construction of infrastructure within the frame of the regional integration project IIRSA. This paper analyzes this situation, which threatens the survival of the isolated peoples who live in the region and has led to migratory processes of some of them from Peru into Brazil, and the reordering of the indigenous territories in this border region. These migrations often result in tense situations that can lead to conflicts between isolated and contacted groups. This calls for new strategies by the Brazilian and Peruvian organizations responsible for the protection and safeguarding of their rights, and for a greater integration between the institutions of both countries.
