There are about 100 uncontacted tribes in the world… I didn’t know we could evade American Idol, let alone communication today!  But ongoing illegal deforestation is changing that for the tribe above, and the Brazilian government has been forced to prove that they exist because people don’t believe they do.  Maybe people are concerned that Mel Gibson sold scrap footage from Apocalypto… or that perhaps Brazil contracted out some handy Photoshop work.  A commenter on another blog says, “what are the odds that they too would invent bows and arrows? are we sure this isnt a hoax?“  Any doubts?  Look here and here. 

Send in the helicopters and paparazzi

The two possible actions we can take are save them and leave them alone.  Regardless, we’ve already put a crack in their world view.  Now they’ll live in fear of the giant thunderous birds from the sky.  Politics aren’t my strong suit, but I’m pretty sure we don’t need to colonize…

If we save them, we can offer:

• Compound bows and fiberglass arrows
• Designer clothing
• Medicine
• Wi-Fi
• Credit cards

If we leave them alone, they can’t receive:

• Scholarships
• Social Networking opportunities
• Lead-based toys from China
• Economic Stimulus Checks

The benefits are mostly ours if we disturb them.  They would die from our diseases in exchange for a chapter in a textbook.  We need to compare the good we can offer versus bad we can cause.

The Allegory of the Cave

While playing out various disastrous scenarios in my head, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave drifted into my head, and I put myself in the tribe’s shoes (well, bare feet).  I felt terrified.  It’s easy to agree that the tribe’s world view should be protected.  But on the other hand, isn’t that the same as telling myself not to question anything, or that I don’t require change?

I wonder what various rights activists and humanitarians would say about these situations.  Imagine a tribe uninfluenced by the current world… what if women can’t vote?  What then?  Do we interfere just long enough for tribeswomen to get on the same playing field, or is it better to allow the inequality?  What if this tribe were discovered in the United States? 

My lingering question: When will someone discover me in my cave?  And will I raise my arrow their way?