Modern civilization has invaded just about every corner of the entire world, but there are still a few remaining tribes that have yet to be influenced by the outside world. Almost all of them exist in the dense rainforest or on isolated islands, here are some of those tribes.
The Nukak Tribe
The Nukak people originate from the Southeast in Colombia, and they were able to maintain their isolation from the rest of existence until 1981.
Their story has sadly declined since the introduction of modern society.
Their Population Halved
After the Nukak people made contact with people from the outside their population has decreased significantly, mainly because of exposure to disease.
Many other factors have also led to their demise also though, such as cocoa growers, ranchers, guerillas, and paramilitary groups. The invasions has led to their slow decline.
Hunters
The Nukak demonstrate impressive hunting skills, using blowdarts that are covered in a poisonous salve called “manyi”. They use this method to catch monkeys, birds, and other prey.
The only animal they will not hunt is the brocket deer, a native to their environment. The Nukak consider these animals to be sacred, they believe that they share ancestors with humans.
The Ayoreo
Not all of the Ayoreo tribe live in isolation.
It is estimated that approximately 100 of them live in the rainforest hidden from the rest of society.
They’re Hunter-Gatherers
They live a nomadic lifestyle, relying primarily on hunting and foraging for their food.
Though they do grow small crops of limited food variety. Even though they are isolated people have still attempted to make contact from time to time.
Missionaries Came
Christian missionaries first made an attempt to make contact with the Ayoreo people some time in the 18th century. For some reason they abandoned their mission and not contact was made again until the 20th century.
As soon as missionaries came things went south almost immediately.
Disease
After contact was made fatal diseases such as measles ravaged the Ayoreo, significantly reducing their population
It makes sense as to why the uncontacted part of the tribe recently attacked a group of outsiders in 1998.
The Last Of Them
The people of the Ayoreo tribe who have chosen to shun the outside world are the last remaining uncontacted people south of the Amazon basin.
Making a part of a small sect of people who live untainted by the outside influences of modern society.
Forced From The Forest
As time passes it becomes increasingly more difficult for these people to live a life of solitude.
Despite the efforts made by some of the Ayoreo people to remain in seclusion, the constant destruction of their rainforest forced 17 members of the tribe to make contact 2004.
The Carabayo People
The Carabayo also known as the Yacumo people, live as another uncontacted tribe dwelling in Columbia amongst the Amazon rainforest.
They are a legally protected tribe today, and for good reasons.
They Have No Desire To Interact With Us
The Carabayo haven’t had the best interactions when contact has been attempted. In the last 400 years people have tried to interact with them and each time it has led to violence, and death, only furthering the tribe’s desire to retreat and remain in isolation.
If you were to attempt to make contact with them today you could be prosecuted because it is against Colombian law.
The Tagaeri
There is a tribe in the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin who go by Tahaeri.
They are a Huaorani tribe that was named after one of their tribe members who had a short encounter with cilivilization, Tagae.
There Aren’t Many Of Them Left
Because they remain isolated it is hard to say just how many of the tribe still exist in Ecuador today.
But some sources indicate that their numbers are as low as 20-30 remaining.
They Opted This Lifestyle
When missionaries first made contact with the Huaorani, many of them chose to step away from the main population of the tribe so they could continue their life of isolation.
They chose a life of seclusion and they wanted to continue that way of life.
They Stand Their Ground
Despite the attempts to make contact, the Tagae have actively fought back against the intrusion of their environment from the outside world.
They have gone so far as to attack those that attempt to convert them or make contact with them.
They Use Spears As Weapons
In 2008 the Tagae took the life of a poacher attempting to acquire a rare wood from the rainforest.
He was later found with nine spears coming from his body, a fair warning that they do not take kindly to strangers.
The Piripkura
Not many of these uncontacted tribes have fairytale stories to go along with their history, but few are as particularly gruesome as the Piripkura tribe.
They used to have a population reaching about a hundred, but due to the introduction of disease and being attacked their population has decreased to a mere three people.
Rita
When loggers slaughtered her family in cold blood, a Piripkura woman named Rita fled her land in search of refuge.
She has since returned, and is one of the remaining living tribe members.
Return Home
After Rita was exploited by outside civilization she decided to lead an expedition back home and return to her native lands.
When she arrived she was able to make contact with the other two remaining Piripkura tribe members.
Two Remaining
The other two living members of the tribe are a man by the name of Pakyi and his nephew Tamandua.
They live in solitude on their native territory, surviving off of the traditional hunting techniques of their ancestors.
The Taromenane
In the National Park of Ecuador is another uncontacted tribe called the Taromenane.
Like the aforementioned Tagae people, it is suspected that they are related to Huaorani people, having branched off and lived segregated in isolation until the first contact with outsiders
Protection Is Needed
Despite the Taromenane best efforts to continue to live in isolation, outside civilization still continues to create havoc in their lives.
In 2008, people logging illegally committed illegal acts against five tribespeople, which prompted an investigation by the Ecuadorian authorities.
The Sentinelese
The Sentinelese people who occupy the North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal could easily be considered the most isolated tribe in the entire world.
The island they live on has been a tribal reserve since 1956, it is protected by heavily armed patrol discouraging anyone from attempting to invade.
They Are Aggressive Towards Outsiders
The Sentinelese have been notoriously aggressive towards outsiders throughout history. They do not hesitate to take whatever measures necessary to protect their people.
The most recent attack was in 2018 when an American missionary decided to defy the warnings and ventured onto the island.
They Have Been Isolated For A Long Time
To our knowledge the Sentinelese have genetic ties to other tribes on the other Andaman islands nearby.
But because we have very limited understanding of their language and customs, it is concluded that they have most likely been living in isolation for thousands of years. Honestly it is completely understandable why these tribes put forth so much efforts to diligently preserve their ways of life.
