As the pandemic continues to affect so many lives, the terrible danger facing the Amazon’s uncontacted tribes could easily be overlooked.
For them, of course, the danger of an epidemic is nothing new. When their lands are invaded, every day brings the risk of diseases which could wipe them out.
Despite this, fundamentalist evangelicals from the New Tribes Mission (NTM / Ethnos360) are intensifying their efforts to reach Brazil’s uncontacted tribes. They do this knowing it could easily spell death for many of the “souls” they wish to “save.”
We’re particularly concerned for the tribes of the Javari Valley, where the new head of the government’s Uncontacted Tribes Department – himself a former NTM missionary – was recently spotted. A brave whistleblower accused him of traveling to the region to make contact with uncontacted tribes. Her claim is not far-fetched.
Spurred on by President Bolsonaro’s racist rhetoric and support for evangelicals, NTM have been bold enough to crowd-fund publicly for a helicopter to “plant churches” and reach “extremely isolated” peoples.
As the Javari Valley indigenous organization UNIVAJA warns: “We’re living through a time of great anguish because of the pandemic... [yet] criminal opportunists persist in sneakily invading our territory with the likelihood of reaching uncontacted tribes.”
The missionaries’ efforts are illegal. But they’re desperate for Bolsonaro to rip up the rules protecting uncontacted tribes from forced contact, and we can’t allow that to happen.
Please stand with us and make a donation today, to help the fight for uncontacted tribes’ right to survive. Thank you sincerely for whatever you can give.
Yours,
Jade Bridgwood Head of Supporter Care
P.S. Unlike many NGOs, we reject government funding so our integrity is never compromised. We rely entirely on your donations to keep fighting for tribal peoples worldwide. Please donate today. Without you, there can be no Survival.
Survival International USA, PO Box 26345, San Francisco, CA 94126 | A 501(c)(3) organization tax I.D. 26-3208869
Survival International, 6 Charterhouse Buildings, London EC1M 7ET, UK | Charity no. 267444
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