Drought is deepening a health crisis among Peru’s recently contacted Indigenous Matsés
REQUENA, Peru — Until a century ago, few Matsés had ever been in contact with a white person before. The Indigenous people lived in a remote area of the Amazon Rainforest, along the border of Peru and Brazil, in seminomadic forest settlements between the Javari, Yaquerana and Gálvez rivers. There, wild meat was abundant — […]
REQUENA, Peru — Since the early 1960s, the Matsés, an Indigenous community living in remote forest settlements along the Javari, Yaquerana and Gálvez rivers that straddle the Peru-Brazil border, have been largely untouched by the outside world. Roberto Necca Tumi Unan, one of the community's remaining elders, recounted how their lives revolved around hunting wild meat and avoiding contact with outsiders and rival groups.
The fear of confrontation with mestizos, or non-Indigenous people, was a constant concern. It wasn't until 1969 that the Matsés decided to make contact with missionaries from the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), an evangelical nonprofit organization. This initial interaction provided some relief from the constant threat of violence, but it also ushered in a new era of challenges.
By 1981, the Matsés, now settled in the Yaquerana district of Peru's Loreto department, were grappling with severe epidemics of influenza and pneumonia, marking the start of a prolonged struggle against deadly diseases.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
