Heat-seeking the Lost Tribes

I’m back, with a complaint. Not exactly "with a vengeance," more like Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes.

By now most people are probably aware of the “Lost Tribes” of Brazil, groups of indigenous peoples hiding out in the Amazon doing their best to NOT make contact with us weirdos. They even threw spears at a plane that buzzed overhead trying to take their pictures.

So now, instead of putting aerial photographers in vague danger, scientists have now begun to use heat-sensing/infrared technologies to follow the tribes through the jungle, calling it a less invasive technique.

If anything, I think tracking people with heat-sensors is even more invasive than with photographs. At least with aerial photography they know when we’re researching them. These groups have obviously expressed that they don’t want to be studied, let alone approached, or buzzed over by aircraft. Why do these people need to be studied and tracked in the first place? I find it very ethnocentric to think that our “need to know” outweighs their right to privacy.

Brazil releases photos of "uncontacted" groups to try and discourage contact

This quarter at school has been really full and I haven't been as diligent a reporter as I'd like to be. But, this one was staring me in the face and I couldn't say no.

The Brazilian government has released photos of a few of the estimated 68 "uncontacted" tribes -- although the term should be "bad idea to contact" tribes because they try to kill us if we come too close -- in hopes of making their plight well-known and encourage people to keep their distance.

My first thought was: if you're trying to be respectful and keep them isolated, then what are you doing flying over taking pictures!?